Welp, i'm not very active in The Daily Click right now (that Neopets site is addictive!), but I got bored, so I decided to write this nifty article. Enjoy.

>>STRIFE'S LEVEL DESIGN TIPS - PLATFORM GAMES<<

Super Mario Brothers. Sonic The Hedgehog. Metroid. What do they have in common? They're all legendary games, yes, but there's something else in common with these historical games. They're all Platform games.

Platform games take place in a wide variety of interactive levels. The game revolves around a central character, and this character is controlled by the player. In a typical Platform game, a player will walk, run, jump, and climb his/her way across the level. The player will come across many obstacles, and he/she will have to negotiate the situation in order to sucessfully overcome these obstacles.

In this guide, I will tell you some handy tips for creating Platform games in The Games Factory or Multimedia Fusion.

Let's begin, shall we?


>>STAGE I - THE PLATFORM ENGINE

This is one of the most important stages, since the Platform engine will affect the overall playability of your game. A "platform engine" summarizes all the little variables in your game's code that make up the overall movement of your Character. A Platform engine is what makes your character walk, jump, climb, and so on.

First of all, if you want to make a decent game, I recommend that you do NOT use the default Platform engine. I repeat, DO NOT USE THE DEFAULT PLATFORM ENGINE. The default engine contains too many errors that would allow the player to control his/her character in an unrealistic way. Only the most cunning game designers can use the default engine to their advantage (i.e. Fishhead 3).

So, to make a platform game, you should create your own custom Platform engine. You can talk to other game designers for tips, or even borrow an engine from somebody (with permission of course, nobody likes a stealer).

But when making your own engine, you should keep several things in mind:

1. You should use at least 2 Alterable Values in your character. One for horizontal movement (like walking), and the other for vertical movement (jumping and gravity).
2. In order to create gravity, the vertical movement of your character should gradually decrease. Make it decrease fast if your character is heavy, and make it decrease slowly if your character is light (or in space).
3. You should create several invisible "markers" that are Active Objects. Make these "markers" stick to the player. You can use markers to test for wall/floor/ceiling collisions.

I'm not going to go too deep with this subject. If you need help making a Platform engine, just ask somebody else.


>>STAGE II - MAKING THE OBSTACLES

Unless you want your game to be as stale as bread, you're going to need obstacles that the player will try to traverse. These obstacles include ladders, teleporters, springs, boulders, and enemies that will try to harm the player or otherwise stop him from reaching his goal.

Before you go crazy, there's one thing you need to do; Brainstorm! Pencil and paper are the preferred media, but you can just use your brain if you want to.

First, think about the Platform engine that you're using. What sort of obstacles will fit nicely with your engine? For example, you don't want to include ladders if your character can just double-jump onto the platform above.

Next, think about how the enemies in your game will behave. Will they chase after the player, or run from him? Will they try to shoot him, or jump on top of him? Try to include a WIDE variety of enemies, each with their own unique behaviour. The more enemy types you include, the more diverse and fun your game will be.

In order to test your obstacles and enemies, you should create a small "Practice Level" with a few platforms here or there. This will allow you to mix and match the various obstacles in your game. Learn what fits together, and learn what doesn't fit.


>>STAGE III - LEVEL DESIGN

So you've got your Platform engine, and your obstacles and baddies. Now what? Now you can build your levels!

However, don't just mindlessly lay walls and platforms all over the place. You should PLAN where you're going to put everything.

The key word? Blueprints. Take a pencil and paper and draw the overall layout of your level (or use a Paint program on your computer). This is a VERY effective method, because it will save you time when you go to the Level Editor, because you'll know where everything goes.

Try to make your levels big, challenging, and most of all, FUN.


Okay, so you finally arrive at the Level Editor, and you're itching to build your level. Now hold on a second. Your levels may take a VERY long time to create if you're not careful. Follow the steps below, IN ORDER, to ensure that your level is completed in the least amount of time:

1. Build the main path in your level, in other words, the path that leads from Start to Finish. Forget all the little scenery details; just use basic blocks for now.

2. Add some smaller paths that stray from the main course. This will make the level feel MUCH less restricted, and it will encourage the player to explore the entire level. The more nooks and crannies you have, the better.

3. Add the scenery. Trees, flowers, lamp posts, metal pipes, and all the other stuff that has no purpose other than to make your level look nice. You may even want to include some Active Objects, such as birds and flashing lights. Also, if your computer isn't ancient, you may want to consider Paralax Scrolling (ask someone if you don't know how to do this). With enough scenery objects, your level will truly look and feel like a living, breathing world.

4. Add your obstacles and enemies. Try not to make a particular path too hard by placing tons of obstacles there. Likewise, don't make the main path too easy. Reward the player for defeating a really strong monster by placing a treasure chest nearby (or whatever your currency of choice is).


>>STAGE IV - TESTING YOUR LEVEL

Wether you realize it or not, you ALWAYS learn from your mistakes. This is why you must test your level as often as possible.

When testing your level, take note of areas that are too easy, to hard, or just plain impossible. It is VERY important to balance the difficulty of your game. Otherwise, you'll hear nothing but whines coming from the people who play your game.

In general, try to make the early portions of your level easy, and make the level gradually harder as the player moves closer to the goal.


>>IN CONCLUSION...

I hope this little guide helps you when you make your Platform game. If you just relax and have fun designing your game, then your players will have fun playing it (hopefully).