Common methods of making games are like this:
#1. Come up with a great game idea#2. Announce your great game idea#3. Work on your great game idea#4. Begin designing levels#5. Post updates on your game#6. Lose inspiration and abandon your game
Don't believe me? This how it's often done. Go no further that the Works in Progress board on the Platform Builder Forums. I've wondered why this is the case, and how to fix it. In this tutorial, we'll look at some methods I've come up with to make a great game, and stick to that great game.
Step #1: Create your game idea
Most people seem to come up with a plot, and just decide very quickly some basics of how the game will play. That's nice and all, but people don't come up with a complete game plan. Without a game plan, you won't have any goals set, and will quickly lose inspiration. Create a gameplan that contians details such as the number of levels your game will include. If it is your first game, I suggest you make a 10 level game or so if the levels are average sized. Add more if the levels are short and easy. Also, in your gameplan, specify what each world or level will contain. Like level 1 may contain gruppies, pluggers, and other enemies. Where as level 2 contains more complex enemies like Statix. Also, set a mechanic that the level features. Level 1 probably is just simple with no main mechanic, but level 2 may introduce a new power-up or something of that nature.
Step #2: Designing Levels
Once you start level 1, you may have an idea for your level, or may not know where to even begin.
Common mistakes in level designing:
People don't usually have much of anything new to offer in later levels. Stuff gets repetitive, thus making a not so great game. Sure, new enemies are added and stuff, but they don't really have much purpose. People also use too much of the same enemy and sometimes just add a swarm of enemies. These ideas ruin levels, and make the game boring to play. Some people don't connect tilesets properly, or mix tons of stuff that simply don't mix.
How to make levels quickly, and make them great:
Use your gameplan. Come up with a creative mechanic. That mechanic may be platforms that appear then disappear, or something like that. If you start making a level, then come up with a mechanic, the mechanic may not work in the level that well. Thus you will have to start over in making your level.
Design your level on paper first. If you start doing it within the program, you will likely end up with a level that isn't as good as it could have been. If you do it on paper first, when you actually make the level on Platform Builder you may decide to change it for the better.
That's pretty much it for now. More to come!
