One More Block

For those of you that have been around for a little longer and recognize this from somewhere, yes, I've seen it, I just can't find it on
YouTube anymore and this is just my take on it.
I'm not a great writer, so please bear with me as I try to explain what's going on in my head.
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Every once in a while, I browse through Atmosphir's level pages and stumble upon a level that looks kinda similar to this:

Now, while this is better than some levels I've seen, it's nowhere near LOTD-status. Imagine if you'd buy a video game, you take it home, you play a level/stage and suddenly you're presented with this big, empty hall with nothing in it and a buttload of trees planted as regular as possible.
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You would throw the game out the window, right? Large chunks of nothing aren't very nice to look at.
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It's the same in Atmosphir. Better looking levels receive more positive feedback.
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But how do you make it look better? Well, let's start with the crap-load of trees outside. The way the trees are placed above is just far too regular to appear anywhere in nature. The trees are spaced exactly the same, and all are exactly the same height. Let's change that:

By placing the trees irregularly and varying the scale, you can create a forest that is similar to what you would find in real life. A nice side effect is that the capacity bar now gives you more room for all your traps and puzzles. You can also add other props to the scenery to further add diversity, but don't overdo it.

Now onto the hall. Again, props are used here to add detail, but lots of things can be done using just blocks and floors. Notice how the floor tiles are aligned in a pattern, and bridges cross over chasms in the ground. The last thing would be to adjust the skybox to your liking. A great level can benefit a lot from a fitting background and feeling, so choose carefully.

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Next time you design a level, consider these steps. Do I really need that many trees in here? Maybe spread them out more? How am I going to make this hallway look good? How should the level feel? Do skybox and music reflect that?

One last really important tip:
Listen to what other people say about your level.
There is a fine line between criticism and bashing. Most peeps on here do try leave criticism though, and it's your job as designer to listen to them. Learn to take criticism.
If people say "Wow, that owl spike trap is so OP, make it spin less fast", don't tell them right away how bad they are at playing the game. Go back into your level, test the spike trap, see if it's really as hard as they say. If it is, change it. If it isn't that hard FOR YOU, tell them that. BUT DO NOT BASH THEM.
Same goes for the environment. If people say "that just looks bland", go back to your level, and assess it from a neutral point of view.
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If you have more suggestions for designers, leave them down below.

Great tips! I definitely think all designers should follow these.

Lovely words, I agree with them entirely Reminds me of bigdrips tutorials back in the day Great job!!

Phantomboy wrote:Lovely words, I agree with them entirely Reminds me of bigdrips tutorials back in the day Great job!!

I did take inspiration from that, and since he deleted/privated them on his channel, I thought I might as well write my own

I was actually considering making a thread about this in the next day or two, but you beat me to the punch.

I definitely think designers should follow everything written here. It just makes levels a lot nicer in general, and I think the effort put toward a level shows much more with more varied scenery and the like.

One thing I think would be fair to add would be how to correctly do a "floating path" kind of thing. Those kinds of levels work much better if the floating path looks more natural, a la floating islands. Kind of like this:

I remember the video about this back in the day

Very good things to keep in mind, for sure.

good tips, I will certain follow them and so should others!

You can never beat simplistic design so long as it looks natural, or at least nails the look you were going for. If you're going for futuristic space station, why have a normal, broad daylight skybox after all? A smart designer would alter its properties, use the space skybox and add some different themed music, change the gravity settings and at the least make it look sort of like a space station thing.

Excellent points my good fellow. And an excellent call-back to the Atmosphir videos of old, teaching us noobs how to design one tutorial at a time.

EDIT: Another general design tip I would give is to not be afraid to borrow other designers' ideas. Now, don't straight up copy their entire level or a puzzle block for block, but don't ever be afraid to re-use something that has always been done- whether it be in a new way or in a similar method.

Hell, we didn't all just mysteriously know how to make a lot of the cool, devious death traps we set up now in the more advanced levels- we saw somebody else do it at one point and it evolved from there. If an LOTD level has a really cool puzzle in it, you can certainly bet at least one person is going to emulate it in some fashion. Why do you think we suddenly have an overflow of 'Ruins' themed levels for a year or so? They worked, the puzzles were great, and at least ten different designers among us got LOTDs with fresh ideas mixed in with that simple template alone- Biznatch's Droticus levels, Paladin, Warrior, Saunby's Ruins levels, Creator7's similar Temple/Ruins level(s), my two major Ruins levels- if it works, do it!

Enough with the rant though, enjoy yourself and don't be afraid to try new things as well. Copying is fine as long as you give credit where credit is due as well. Don't be afraid to cite your inspirations, although by no means will we force you to do so! Enjoy your artwork and handicraft.

To build up on what Wrek said, people shouldn't be afraid to expand on ideas with respect to design. For example, the floating island concept wasn't here from day 1. Someone just did it one day and the whole idea became something of a staple. Even if the concept comes off as overused, there is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING WRONG with attacking it from a different angle. This is actually the whole reason I gave One Night in Cielo an autumn setting. I wanted a change of pace from the spring setting I'm used to, and frankly, I think it looked better that way.

Added another paragraph:

One last really important tip:
Listen to what other people say about your level.
There is a fine line between criticism and bashing. Most peeps on here do try leave criticism though, and it's your job as designer to listen to them. Learn to take criticism.
If people say "Wow, that owl spike trap is so OP, make it spin less fast", don't tell them right away how bad they are at playing the game. Go back into your level, test the spike trap, see if it's really as hard as they say. If it is, change it. If it isn't that hard FOR YOU, tell them that. BUT DO NOT BASH THEM.
Same goes for the environment. If people say "that just looks bland", go back to your level, and assess it from a neutral point of view.

Doesn't really fall into the look/feel category, but I didn't really want to make another thread for it...

I think that is really important, Bau! Not every review is perfect, nor are they always tailored to anything more than a players personal tastes. So, personal judgement is important. I like how you encourage deciding rather a review is valid or not - that is really important

I feel that being able to improve your work by listening to what others say about it perhaps is the best skill you can have. No one is perfect from the start, and if lots of experienced designers comment on your level, take those advices seriously.