Apr 9, 2010 at 11:27 AM
Join Date: May 25, 2009
Location: Sweden
Posts: 273
Age: 34
What all of us modders need to make is level design. Even mastering the script tags fully won't make a good mod, and thus shalt we learn ye basics of level design. However, limited in means of making anything we want, since adding completely new things to Cave Story requires programming knowledge and is much more advanced than just using what's already in it in creative means, we'll together have a look at what can be done with the stuff that's in the game. Good ideas will be edited into this post. When I get the urge.
Bank of ideas concerning level design (I have not came up with all of these ideas myself but rather stolen ideas from posts in this topic):
Feel free to use or submit ideas for level design.
Bank of ideas concerning level design (I have not came up with all of these ideas myself but rather stolen ideas from posts in this topic):
- A tile set to be a "Starblock tile" will change to the tile left of it when destroyed. That means you can have starblocks that changes into solid walls. Try using this for a maze.
- Hopping critters from the egg corridor will look perfect even when you're using the Weed spritesheet for the area. Flying critters will however not look perfect when you use the Eggs spritesheet...
- Remember to use uphills and downhills. Making a level built entirely of square pieces might look unprofessional. (Jenka's Nightmare does this mistake quite often.)
- Try to have some empty space around the level, solid walls or emptyness. Getting to the upper left corner of a level and being obscured by the HUD makes your level look unprofessional. (Jenka's Nightmare does this mistake quite often.)
- By default (if you don't edit tile types), enemies can't pass trough most of the chain/metal beam tiles that's used to make platforms look like they're not hovering but hanging. Protagnist can however pass trough these. This can be used to lock monsters in place.
- Try putting a bunch (6~8) of Star Blocks on top of each other and a treasure chest or life capsule on top. This makes a nice puzzle where the player has to shoot some of the blocks and jump from the rest of them.
- The Lv3 machine gun can be used to hover. There's no places in Cave Story where you need to use it, but it could be possible to design areas where you need that in your mod. (Especially with a limited ammo of, say, 25, this could prove quite challenging)!
- Most of those are just tricks, but as far as star blocks go, erasing the starblock pic in NpcSym makes the tile be drawn from the PrtFile like it would normally.
- room full of star blocks with only fireball can make for a devilish maze. Hide things behind the star blocks for a secret upon returning.
- PC press down to run script renders enemies harmless, utilize for puzzles
- Make structures (sometimes useless, sometimes not) that make the player think "hmm maybe there's a secret up there" just to explore the map more. Give rewards for really out of place areas
- rooms full of fans/running water really tosses a break from standard gameplay
- pausing the music in a cutscene adds to the mood
- Gravekeepers with no space to jump over them SCARY.
- Having the moving water from the core can make awesomeness happen, but only if used right.
- Don't do anything in excess. Especially flies and massive purple mountains.
Feel free to use or submit ideas for level design.