My first real level

[MeoDea]

Ok, this is not my first level.... but the first level i've actually put effort into... i not trying to show it off... i want the good level peeps to give tips and such... so that way i can get better, whcih is a good thing!

[yoshee15]

Originally posted by MeoDea
Ok, this is not my first level.... but the first level i've actually put effort into... i not trying to show it off... i want the good level peeps to give tips and such... so that way i can get better, whcih is a good thing!

add much much more detail. try making a path through the level that goes to the house, and swamp....just normal land detail.

[MeoDea]

considering i have hardly ever thought of leveling until now, might you explain "normal land detail"

[Slaktmaster]

You need to put lots of more different tiles on the level, like sand and water patches. And also some grass and flowers. The grass is in the top left of the tileset. There are tons of tiles that can sexor up the grass.

[MeoDea]

okies, i tried to fix it up a little... are the changes good ones or bad ones?

[iniquitus]

The problem is not with the amount of detail you put into a level, but where you place it. This level, (the second snap) I'm looking at right now, doesn't seem to have tiling errors and such, but it's lacking design. Looking at a level like this, I think to myself, where do you walk? the trees are in the way of most flowing movement, and there's no path... Try removing some trees or sliding them away from the house to make a little bit of a clearing around it. A path isn't nessairy, but at least do something to sho that trafic flows in the area of the path, an example would be leaving it free of any special tileing-- e.g. don't go and put a mushroom where people walk. Another thing, depending on where the level is, and what you want out of it, you might try adding some things, such as chairs or a place to sit, and perhaps add a little hill using platform entries at each side of it to give the terreraine more depth.

Again, when you make a level, think of where you want people to be going, and make the level almost pull them in that direction.

[MeoDea]

ok, this level wasen't ment to have any actualy purpose, but wheni madeit, i was thinking of some place way in a forest, sorta hidden away, hence there not being a path, or any thing else that would make it look like players went there often

but, the tips were welcome all the same , cuz i can aply them to more then just this little level, thx!

[iniquitus]

Ok, when dealing with a forest setting you have a few options...

First, is the house still in use? or something abandoned? If the house is still in use, it would most likely have a SMALL clearing arround it (like when you build a house in the woods you cut down the trees where you will build it first etc..) If it's an abandoned house in the forest, you can make it very hard to get to, BUT* If this is the case I would STRONGLY sugest making custom graphics to show that this building it falling apart, e.g. edit a picture of the house and make it cracked, possibly tilt the roof to make it look like some supporting beambs collapased etc. also, some moss of vines or something growing over the house would help create that "feel". I don't think this is what you wanted though.

and as for being deep in the forest, I would try making biger clusters of trees, with mostly trees around and little openings thus creating somewhat of a random path, perhaps adding a night-time bakpal would help create the effect if your looking for a dark forest type of feel...

[Xythar]

Tip: Predefined objects suck. Especially houses.

[iniquitus]

Originally posted by Xythar
Tip: Predefined objects suck. Especially houses.

I don't think they suck, I think it's just that we've seen them for so many years that they seem old to us... Personaly, I like the good classic type of levels with difrent versions of the pre-defined houses. Then again, I still have the old tileset with the bubbly trees and like that beter then the current one as well... *sigh*

[MeoDea]

you guys are being a little to critical... this level was just made out of boredem, and i mostly was lookin for things like the whole normal land detail stuff, which is good... i don't care if it seem pathless, or if its using a pre defiended object, i wasen't makeing the level for origonality...