Take it from me. I've been developing ASM for 2 and almost a half years. I've had my share of trials, and it's been a lot of bumping into invisible walls. It's not easy. If you are new to game making and are wanting to make a game with any program, this guide is for you. I wrote a guide similar to this, but consider this the New and Improved guide.
Tip #1. Start out smallDreaming big for your first project is never a good idea. If you have some really cool ideas, then implement them into a later project. Don't forget those ideas! Just write them down in a TXT file or on a notepad or something. Don't lose those great ideas.
Your first game should be fairly short.
Do a short game that the average player could beat in about 10-20 minutes. I know, it seems like a waste of time making something that short, right? Well, not really. People enjoy really short games, and are very highly likely to replay them if they were really well made.
Why do a short game?
If you're a newbie, short games is how you can gain experience in building good levels. Because as soon as you complete your project, share it with other players. Any time someone leaves a bad review, take what they say to improve upon, and improve it. Unless that is, it's not their kind of game. Also, short projects shouldn't take super long to make, though it depends on the project.
#2. Designing GOOD LevelsWhen I started making ASM, my thought was that I needed to ditch Nintendo's successful level making formula. I thought I needed to fill in small spaces with a bunch of elements. Though IDK if you think like this, but in case you do, do NOT do that. That is what got ASM's first microdemo bad reviews. But then again, I wanted to showcase a bunch of ASM's features, which I didn't really want to make a super long level to do. You need to space stuff out, and make the first few levels easy for even people that are totally new to 2D platformers. Ease of play is important. If you want to make your first game hard, be sure to let players know of it's difficulty.
Let The Players Learn!
Be sure that even if your game is difficult, you let your players know what to do when they come upon a challenge. I do not recommend placing invisible solid blocks in random places. DO NOT create a challenge in which the player does not know how to overcome. If the player spends too long trying to overcome a challenge they don't know how to overcome, they will eventually get bored, and end the game.
Keep The Level Basic
Don't have 5 different main mechanics in the first few levels! The player will be confused, and it'll be too overwhelming. Keep the level basic having a minimum number of elements throughout the level. Save complex stuff for later on! You can start doing very complex stuff once the player has a solid understanding and experience of each of the mechanics presented in the level. But save it for the last bit of the game for a very interesting challenge.
Create A Variety of One Element!
If you create a special object that does something unique, be sure to not let this object be limited in 1 form. Create a variety of this object! Variety of elements is a very good way to keep the player interested in the game. Making more difficult elements as the game progresses will allow you to use the same mechanics, and make the game more interesting.
#3. Advertising Your GameMake sure your game has a good professional advertisement. Use proper grammar (if you need help, use Grammarly, or someone who knows English really well) and use a nice logo. If you need help making a logo, ask someone here who has artistic skills and they might help you. I'd be happy to help with the previously mentioned tasks in this section. Just PM me here on the forums. Know Your Players
Make sure you know what your target audience is. If it's a 2D Sidescrolling Platformer, then you need to narrow it down. Does your game have required activities that would not appeal to all 2D platformer players? Narrow these activities down till you can find something that works. Is this 2D sidescroller like Mario games, or is it a complicated puzzle? Is your game going to cause rage because of extreme difficulty? Make sure that in advertising, you're clear as to what your game contains.
I hope this guide helps! Please let me know if I made any spelling errors or if you are unclear on something, so that I can correct it.
Thank you!
