Thoughts about levels

[Aknts]

Originally Posted by Loriel

This sounds exactly right to me. When I build levels, I try to leave the paths that I would actually expect players to take relatively free of both physical and optical clutter. I suppose the idea is that I try to use "detailing" not to make everything look pretty, but to guide the player through the levels and give hints about the underlying layout.

To contradict the OP, I actually think that tile errors are a huge deal, because they bring the player's attention to the fact that stuff is actually composed of tiles, and break the immersion into the game world. Of course, as long as players get drawn over the sides of tile-based trees and cannot pass behind pillars and everything, establishing immersion in the environment in the first place is probably somewhat tricky.

Of course, what do I know, I have not built anything interesting in years, or much less seen what other people do with their worlds.

Well I must suck then because I have never made a level without a tile error. As much as I used to make levels most of the time I didn't notice tile errors, unless the whole level was bad.

[Vega001]

Originally Posted by Aknts

Well I must suck then because I have never made a level without a tile error. As much as I used to make levels most of the time I didn't notice tile errors, unless the whole level was bad.

Different people consider different things tile errors. For example, the small amount of green grass surrounding a top-left, wooden-roof corner would look out of place when placed within a group of tiles with no grass. Because this can be corrected by using an appropriate tileset (a tileset other than pics1.png) or by using an NPC with an appropriate image, some might consider not doing so to be a tile error. However, others would argue that as there is no solution given the tileset they are using (pics1.png for example) then it is an "issue" and can not be avoided; ergo it is not a tile error.

I try to compromise on this issue when reviewing levels. An example of this is the use of pole bottoms. In the pics1.png tileset, pole bottoms (found just before the start of the castle tiles) have small amounts of grass at the bottom corners. When individuals use these tiles in areas with no surrounding grass, I point it out as an issue of style because some level makers do not consider the use of NPCs part of leveling, and given the constraints of the pics1.png tileset, it is an understandable "error."

Even so, I believe the amount of tile errors in a level is largely dependent upon the preferences of the individual that designed the level. I would consider myself fairly strict on tile errors so when I am leveling, I usually subconsciously check for tile errors every time I place tiles. Even when I am "finished" making a level, I usually go over it a few times to check for errors and style issues.

It certainly is nothing to make someone consider themself to "suck" at leveling.