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Apr 14, 2005, 06:20 PM
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EvilMike's Guide to Making Levels!!!!!!!

To make a popular level, you just need to make one that looks good, is easy to learn but still allows for good strategy and tactics, and needs to have good flow. All of my most popular levels have those qualities. Generally looks are the most important when it comes to popularity. I can also say that all of the levels I've made which revovle almost entirely around gameplay are almost completely unknown to people besides me.

But this post is not about making a popular level; it is about making a good level. By good I mean one that has good gameplay. Eyecandy, music, and other aesthetic things like that are important, but secondary to gameplay.

Plan Ahead
When I am about to start a level, I plan things out. I decide what I want the level to become, how it will "feel", and general things like that. I don't go so far as to sketch things out, but I give myself a set of guidelines on what the level will be. Doing this usually takes a while, and once I am done accumulating ideas the level usually goes together in about 3 days. Planning helps. If you just design a level off the top of your head you will have to rely on luck for it to be good.

Routes are important
When making the level think of routes players can take between bases or between key points in the level. Make sure there are many routes. Also see if you can make the routes interact with each other. ALWAYS use items to reward players for taking those routes, and do not force them. If your level does not have specific routes then you cannot form strategies as easily, and that makes the level less fun.

Camping sucks
It's just not fun. In CTF it's a bit of a problem, but you can help that. Don't put the bases close together, and do NOT put key items (carrots, powerups) at safe distance from the bases because the campers will most likely use them more often than defenders. Place key items along the main routes of the level, but do not put too much along one route or else you will get campers that are fully loaded. Make flags easy to attack by placing them in "unsafe" places, but still allow them to be defendable. KEEP BASES AS DISTANT AS POSSIBLE FROM ENEMY START POSITIONS.

It's nice to have ammo near the start positions
Maybe a gun barrel, or even just a simple clump of events. This is useful because it allows players to have more than just a blaster at almost all times. It can also make camping a bit harder if players start with gun2 or any other long range weapon.

Gimmicks are fun but don't rely on them
I consider a gimmick to be anything you do not find in a normal CTF level. Sometimes they can make an otherwise normal level original, and many people have used them to good effect before. But many people have also made levels that revolve completely around gimmicks, and those levels are never good. Happy Canyon CTF is an example of a bad gimmick level. Note that these levels in general tend to be less popular, even if good.

Ammo placement
Place ammo in areas where you think it will be most useful. Try not to put every time of ammunition in one spot; spread it out a bit. Powerups should be easy to find, and I reccomend placing most of them along main routes. Putting some in out of the way places is OK though, and can make a level more interesting especially if those areas are unsafe. Don't put too much ammo in the level, but put enough so that a player won't usually run out. Don't overdo seekers, and be warned that RF missles cause 3 heart kills. Also note that pepper spray is a very useful weapon in some levels, despite what some people think.

Carrot placement
In battle, an even number of carrots isn't too great for duels because it can mean each player just goes between the two carrots, or worse, just camps at them. Because of this, try to use an odd number. Using 1 to 3 carrots will make a level focus largely on hit and run tactics. Using more than that will make a level more focused on fast paced chace and ambush tactics. Either is good. Although I find not many people are used to dueling in levels with a lot of carrots. It's good fun though. Despite what logic may dictate, using a lot of carrots can make a game faster paced in battle mode.

In CTF, Full NRG carrots are your best choice, although 1h carrots are fine too. I usually prefer an even number, but an odd number is ok as well. I'm not particularly fond of CTF levels with one carrot though, since it makes a level too focused on a single point.

Warps, tubes, and all that
Again, don't overrely on them. Tubes can make a level interesting by providing quick shortcuts between areas, but depending on the speed they can also make you an easy target. Good things, strategy wise. Warps are your best choice for "connecting" areas without making things too dangerous, and are VERY nice if you want to make a level more strategic. Overusing them is a bit tacky though, not to mention confusing.

Secret areas
A few secret areas are ok, but using a lot of them is a bad idea and makes a level unfair to new players. Try not to put all your important stuff in secret areas.

Flow
I'm somewhat obsessed with flow, and a lot of the things I did in some of my old levels have caught on and become commonplace in todays CTF levels. Some of those things are good, some of them are bad. PLEASE don't overuse float up events to make your level easy to move around in. It's annoying if you can notice them. With that said, try to keep a level fluid, but don't make it TOO easy. I suggest keeping the main routes with good flow, but make it so with a bit of work a player can also use all sorts of tricks to their advantage. Basically, keep a good balance. I've gone overboard with flow before, and it makes levels seem a bit bland. A level with bad flow will be annoying to play in, though.

Size
Some people seem to think there is an ideal size for a level. There isn't. If your level is open, then it's a good idea to make a level big. If the level is mostly cramped corridors, then you don't need so much real estate. With that said, any size is good, and we need more big CTF levels for things like JDC.

Have your own style
You know of have to "know" jj2 levels to notice this, but look at every well known level maker out there. Each one has a number of traits that they put into their levels. Even if they are hard to notice, each one of those people has their own style. This is because they know what they are doing. Do not make a level which you think other people will like. Make a level YOU will like. Know what you like. Know what you dislike. If you make something that tries to please everyone, it probably won't turn out as well and will probably feel generic.

Eyecandy is nice but can get annoying
Please don't feel like you need to use every layer. I hate it when eyecandy goes in front of the main level. Don't overuse layers 1 to 3 and do not clutter the background with tiles that belong in layer 4. Save all of that for single player. In multiplayer, people want to PLAY, not all the pretty scenery.

TEST
Here's a breakdown of the amount of time I spend making most levels. 1. Indefinate amount of time planning and getting ideas. 2. Roughly 3 days making the level. 3. WEEKS testing it and getting feedback. If you don't test the hell out of a level, it will feel unpolished and won't be nearly as good as if you obsessively go over each and every aspect. I'm talking about going down to a single TILE and asking yourself if the level would be better if you did something like move that tile one space to the left. It's tedious, it's obsessive, and it works.

So now that you've made a level...
You have to get people to like your level as well. You can't just plop it on j2o and expect people to play it. Host it or get people to host it. Try to get your level circulated in a tournament like JJWC or JDC. Tell people about your level. Be annoying. No one is going to like your level if they don't get a chance to even play it.

On frustration
It was mentioned in the first post, so I'll cover this. I think a level is ok if it has a few frustrating aspects, but overall a level still needs to be fun. Try to keep the frustration limited to things like places you can get easily ambushed. Don't make stupid things like freeze enemies, or tubes/warps which pull you away if you accidently bump into them. Make it so if a player can make a mistake, it is a strategic/tactical mistake and not a mistake like "Ugh I pressed jump when I shouldn't have."

Obstructions and stuff
ST covered this well, but I'll add my thoughts on it. Anything that detracts from the flow of the level can actually be used to good effect, but it has to be used well. Deleberately making a level flow poorly is NOT a good idea, since it forces players to think more about simply getting around, rather than killing the enemy. If you are going to make use of obstructions, do it in a way that slows players down but doesn't make it too hard to get around.




Ok, this post was long. I might add more later, I didn't covereverything.