| 1234567891011121314151617181920212223242526272829 |
- LEVEL DESIGN GUIDELINES
- These guidelines should be kept for any level that appears on the official world maps.
- Designers contributing levels to the Contrib and Bonus sections are free of regulations -
- that's what those sections are for. However, to maintain a certain level of playability,
- official levels should be designed with these rules in mind:
- 1. Don't mix tilesets! There shouldn't be any ice or castle tiles in a forest level,
- unless there is an obvious reason (like transition into another area).
- 2. Clearly distinguish between the layers - players should be able to see immediately
- where they can safely walk and what is foreground and background. Avoid placing bonus
- items (coins, boxes) in the background.
- 3. Be careful not to create dead ends. Test your level thoroughly to find possible paths
- you might have missed before.
- 4. Use everything the engine offers - but don't place it all in a single level!
- 5. Avoid large amounts of objects and badguys on the screen at once as it greatly
- decreases playability. Also, your level might not be playable on slower machines anymore.
- 6. Find the right difficulty! Too easy levels get boring very quickly while too hard ones
- can be frustrating. Levels you built often appear a lot easier for yourself, so be sure
- to let other people test them.
- 7. Don't make your level too short or too long - good size largely depends on the level's
- overall design, so there's no general "good" value. In longer levels, make sure there are
- enough reset points, so players won't have to repeat large portions of the level.
- 8. Secret areas should be well-hidden and not be visible on first sight. Use your
- imagination to think of new ways to create secrets - some of the above rules can be
- broken for that purpose, but be careful!
- 9. Icecrushers (Krush and Krosh) should be able to reach their original position and
- shouldn't stuck anywhere in the middle when rising.
|
