[Thorn]

Since this flew so well on IRC tonight, I figured I might as well make a topic.

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/christopher.lowe7/sage/scrap5.html
This links to a fangame that serves as an easy-to-use level designer and tester.  It's great for all those sketches you had on paper.  You can use sprites from Emerald Hill, Marble Garden, and Mushroom Hill.  It comes with a level, aptly named "test level", that you can play in to see how it all works.  I seriously recommend this.  I pitched it a while ago to no avail, but RPG worked his magic charm on the chat and got everyone to try it.

http://groups.msn.com/SonicDIYLevels/documents.msnw?fc_p=%2FLevels&fc_a=0
This is an MSN group I was in over a year ago (yes, this existed well before TSC caught wind).  It has DIY files that you can use, and you can submit your own.  It's kinda dead, but I'd like to bring it back to life.  Members only, but it's free, so don't worry about crap happening if you join.  The levels are from pros and ams at design, so be patient if you hit utter crap (although I think mine is good... back me up, please?).

So, what are you waiting for?  Stop staring at this post, and stop staring at my lame avatar, and go check it out!

EDIT: *shot by RPG for saying "magic charm"*

[eggFL]

Oh now look what you did. I am playing with this.

[Spinballwizard]

Squee! This is fun.

Any levels I've made can be found here.

Contents:
Fungal Paradise Act 1

[eggFL]

Squee! This is fun.

Any levels I've made can be found here.

Contents:
Fungal Paradise Act 1

I dl'ed it, and when I tried to extract it, it said the file was corrupt. :[

[Bilan]

^^Same.

[Thorn]

Same here.

FIX IT FIX IT FIX IT FIX IT FIX IT FIX IT FIX IT FIX IT FIX IT FIX IT FIX IT FIX IT FIX IT FIX IT FIX IT FIX IT FIX IT FIX IT FIX IT FIX IT FIX IT FIX IT FIX IT FIX IT FIX IT FIX IT FIX IT FIX IT FIX IT FIX IT FIX IT FIX IT FIX IT FIX IT FIX IT FIX IT

...sorry.  I'm sick of the same levels on Genesis over and over, so I can't wait to see yours.

[Sonichero]

I downloaded this game yesterday and ive already made my first level. Its not that great but here it is.

http://www.freewebtown.com/jtef/silent%20meadow%201.diy

[Bilan]

^^I like it :o

[Thorn]

So, RPG jsut gave me the idea to have a "level rating" topic.  And I agree.

It's simple.  Put a level in the group, or give a link to it in this topic.  That puts it up for rating.  Cake, no?  Link us to music if you want a particular song for the level.

To rate someone else's (not your own) level, give it a 1-10 score.  Keep these ideas in mind (they have no particular weights, so bias as you wish):

• Sonic-y-ness: Does it play like a Sonic level should?  Are there ample rings, badniks, etc.?  Does it look like it was made by/for a masochist or sadist?  Is there more than one main route?
• Length: You spend more than 20 seconds in the level, right?  Is it possible to skip giant chunks of the level due to bad spring/air current placement?  Or, worse yet, does the level take 10 minutes to load?  Are you barely making it to the goal in the 5 minutes alloted before a Time Over?
• Aesthetics: Does it look nice?  Do the different level sprites blend well, and is the background fitting?  Are shrubs/trees/backdrops used on occasion without overkill?  Are there some caves, or does the whole level have an open-air feel?

Any level made by a TSC member is up for rating.  If I can get in touch with the former members from the MSN Group, there's a chance their level will go up too (just not yet).  Give reasons for why you scored as you did.

Current levels up for rating:
All of RPG's levels (Turbo Hill Zone, Jungle Peril Zone Act 2, Jungle Coaster Zone Act 1)
My two levels (1 and 2, but 2 (EDIT)is on the group)
Spinballwizard's level (Fungal Paradise Act 1)
Sonichero's level (Silent Meadow 1)
Any other levels made by TSC members (I have some, but no ratings until they have web links)

And now, how I rate them:
Turbo Hill Zone: EDIT: 7/10  Not bad for a first, but the drops right onto spikes were... removed as soon as I rated this a six.
Jungle Peril Zone Act 2: 7/10  Definite evidence of improvement.  More platforming, but an equal amount of running.
Jungle Coaster Zone Act 1: 8/10  Props for the sheer amount of time it takes to get a level like this to work.
Fungal Paradise Act 1: 0/10  Can't rate a corrupt file, can I?
Silent Meadow 1: 7/10  Clever paths and ramps, but needs more than just Emerald Hill sprites... unless you're theming it like that.

Well, get to rating!

[Sonichero]

I was thinking of the same idea.

*Goes to download and play the rest of the levels*

[Thorn]

*has a realization*
Anybody want music?
Everyone has WinRAR, right?

[Sonichero]

Ok, rating time :O

1 zone:- 8/10 Nicly laid out and multipule routes but some badly placed badniks and the fact that you get stuck on some loops let it down though.

Turbo hill zone:- 4/10 Not bad for a first try bad there are a few badly placed spikes and some parts of the level look "dull", but some parts are quite fun and rewards are well given imo.

Jungle coaster zone act 1:- 6/10 Where are the badniks and deathpits? This level is really well put together in the way of slopes and loops though. (maybe the best ive seen)

Jungle peril zone act 2:- 3/10 I really dont like this level, the level follows the same route and require too much platform jumping. On a good note the badniks are very well placed imo.

Silent meadow:- 10/10 Because I made it

[Thorn]

^Last minute re-reading of the rules?  Also, you're making me think about being less generous with the way I score.  Lots of low scores.

BTW, I struggled with the glitches in 1 for a long time.  The source of the glitch is the Marble Garden loop piece, which I plan to remove in the future.

EDIT: 2 is up in the group.  It isn't as good as 1, but as a plus, I worked on it co-op with another person.  Two different people's styles in one level.  The Emerald Hill/Marble Garden section is mostly mine, the Mushroom Hill section is mostly Meisme's.

[Bilan]

Turbo hill zone:- 4/10 Not bad for a first try bad there are a few badly placed spikes and some parts of the level look "dull", but some parts are quite fun and rewards are well given imo.

I meant to edit those out a few days ago before I released it but I forgot :X, the current version over at the MSN Groups has the spikes gone

Jungle coaster zone act 1:- 6/10 Where are the badniks and deathpits? This level is really well put together in the way of slopes and loops though. (maybe the best ive seen)

I tried putting badniks in but it just completely ruined the entire flow of the level, as for deathpits, they ruined it either, being propelled over a pit by a spring<<<<rolling through multiple loops, twisting through other paths and running on the ceiling >_>

Jungle peril zone act 2:- 3/10 I really dont like this level, the level follows the same route and require too much platform jumping. On a good note the badniks are very well placed imo

Yeah you just suck at this one amirite >_>

Meh, atleast its not SLOW, as in if you are you fall and die :D >_>

EDIT: Time for me to give this rating shiz a shot!

Here we go!

"1"- 7.8/10

I liked this one a lot, had a nice 'feel' to it, no cheap jumps over pits/spikes, the only major gripe I had was with a few of the loops, but thas nothing that cant be solved.

"2" - 9.0/10

All I have to say here is "<3".

"Silent Meadows 1" - 6.9/10

I really liked this one to begin with, but after awhile it started to get slightly repetitive. Also it has lots of rings :o

[Thorn]

*renames topic to "ITT we make excuses about our suckage level designs"*

*shot by RPG yet again*

[Sonichero]

Turbo hill zone:- 4/10 Not bad for a first try bad there are a few badly placed spikes and some parts of the level look "dull", but some parts are quite fun and rewards are well given imo.

I meant to edit those out a few days ago before I released it but I forgot :X, the current version over at the MSN Groups has the spikes gone

The Dl does not seem to work for me, it opens a text file instead =/

Jungle coaster zone act 1:- 6/10 Where are the badniks and deathpits? This level is really well put together in the way of slopes and loops though. (maybe the best ive seen)

I tried putting badniks in but it just completely ruined the entire flow of the level, as for deathpits, they ruined it either, being propelled over a pit by a spring<<<<rolling through multiple loops, twisting through other paths and running on the ceiling >_>

Meh point taken...

Jungle peril zone act 2:- 3/10 I really dont like this level, the level follows the same route and require too much platform jumping. On a good note the badniks are very well placed imo

Yeah you just suck at this one amirite >_>

Meh, atleast its not SLOW, as in if you are you fall and die :D >_>

Maybe but they just make the level annoying imo but thats just me =P

"Silent Meadows 1" - 6.9/10

I really liked this one to begin with, but after awhile it started to get slightly repetitive. Also it has lots of rings :o

Yeah, I found out thats what you get when you try and make a level out of emerald hill tiles, and there is lots of rings in the level because uh... I love rings >_>

Anyway moving on....

2 zone:- 7/10 not as good as 1 imo. This level feels a lot like jungle coaster just a bit longer.

[Bilan]

2 zone:- 7/10 not as good as 1 imo. This level feels a lot like jungle coaster just a bit longer.

Thats a good thing amirite >_>

Also, I have no idea why the DL doesnt work, its fine for me o_0

Also you need to get in IRC sometime.

[Sonichero]

2 zone:- 7/10 not as good as 1 imo. This level feels a lot like jungle coaster just a bit longer.

Thats a good thing amirite >_>

Also, I have no idea why the DL doesnt work, its fine for me o_0

It works now. I think it didnt work because I had to use ie last night because firefox kept crashing. Moved your rate up to 6/10.

Also you need to get in IRC sometime.

Ill be on when I have the time/when I feel like it most likley

Also Ive made yet another new level :O

http://www.freewebtown.com/jtef/green%20fusion%20zone.diy

[eggFL]

oh man you are all such good level designers!

(1.diy) - AWESOME. Lengthy and satisfying. Starts off slow, ends at high speed. Pretty, and wins for having floors and ceilings. 9/10

(2.diy) - Nice speedy stage. I think I like this more than than jungle coaster. Kind of barren though, no enemies. Not as pretty as 1.diy but I liked how you changed the floor graphics as you progressed. Excellent use of falling platforms. (a trick a bunch of these stages seem to be using, gasp) 7/10

(jade mountain) - Meh, kind of basic, the bridges look cheap. Reminds me of Cheese Bridge from Super Mario World. 5/10

(jungle coaster zone act 1) - nicely done thrill ride. btw, I also tested using springs as boosters. >_> 6/10

(jungle peril zone act 2) - I got a game over :P I'll beat it next time.

(green fusion zone) - great level. great job mixing some indoor environment in there. Very lengthy, too. 9/10

(test level) - short but sweet, and it felt a lot like a real Sonic level. 6/10

(silent meadow 1) - Pretty good. Many half-loops. Man those are some huge loops. Was this intended for Super Sonic? I've activated Stickykeys a couple of times. 6/10

(underground) - Cute idea, but badly executed. Too difficult and cheap. A lot of weird physics in this level make it worse. The handlebar room felt like I shouldn't have been able to proceed. I also lol'ed when a trail of rings from a diagonal red spring led to an item in a nook above, but it really made me kiss some ceiling spikes and fall back down to the floor. I'd say you pulled a Shadow a Hedgehog on this one. 4.9/10

Anyway, pressure's on to make my level super cool.

[douglas]

I have to say most of the levels either are too fast (press right adventure ftl? says the advance 2 champ mind) or too slow and not Sonicy.  My golden rule of level design is always you should be able to see what's about to kill you before it does, so's you don't feel tricked or cheated by the game, and flying off the edge at some of the endings doesn't fall under that and frustrated me.  Also, I like levels with "flow" - you should be able (note: not required) to blast through them quickly if you know them (Sonic 2 is the best example of this I reckon).

Having said that, they're still all good fun and the rollercoaster levels are just mental (in the good way).  Don't mind me, I'm a nitpicker and I've done more studying of level design from a game designer's point of view than is healthy >_>

[eggFL]

I hope you will like my stage, douglas, it's different from the others. :D

btw questions for the level makers:

Is there a limit to how long a level can be? The level editor scrolls only to a certain length, can I make it longer? Because I want to make a super lengthy high speed level. (in addition to my current idea)

edit: I read the guide that comes with it and it says 'You have a total area of 30000x5000 pixels to use.' so I'm guessing I can't make it bigger. Should 30000 be more than large enough for my stage? Did you guys use up all that space in your levels?

Hey I should try loading your stages in the editor...

edit: Wait I guess I can't.

[Bilan]

Should 30000 be more than large enough for my stage? Did you guys use up all that space in your levels?

Yes and no.

And thats because you need the password to load a particular level

[eggFL]

Yea I realized about the passwords. It's too bad tho I can't just look at the level in the editor to see all the shortcuts and items and stuff, without editing anything. Oh well no big deal.

My level is coming along very nicely. I was halfway through an MSpaint map when this topic started (as well as testing obstacles in a test level) and I decided to make it act 1 of a 2-part zone for the contest. (then after that maybe a nice speed stage as a single level, since my zone is a relatively slow one) I'm halfway done making act 1. Can't wait! Oh and it's good to know you didn't use up all the space. I intend on doing so with the speed stage.

And btw an important piece of advice:
http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/3103/sonicdiylesson4qy.jpg

Otherwise Sonic would randomly come to a complete on those points. Almost ruined my stage since I'm playing perfectionist atm, thankfully I was able to patch it up without having to relevel the entire damn stage. >_>

[Thorn]

^Gotta love how the manual TELLS you to use round pieces at the base of 45° slopes.

Also, may I say you're a very generous grader.  Which is good, 'cuz nobody likes to feel stupid.

[Bilan]

http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/3103/sonicdiylesson4qy.jpg

That is awesome.

[Thorn]

Question: how many people here are even half-interested in the DIY contest in Competition Central?  I just want a general idea how many submissions the judges will be dealing with.

[eggFL]

I guess I missed that part in the manual.

I guess maybe I'm too nice since this is all new and fun for me. >_>; And I maybe I underestimated how easy it is to make levels on this.

And of course, I'm interested in the contest. Though, I just hope I will be able to submit at least both acts before the due date. (as well as my game idea for magnum's contest. damnit.)

[Spinballwizard]

Props to RPG for easy upload. These actually work. X)

http://www.soniccenter.org/ARRPEEGEE/SDUI/FungalParadiseZone.zip
(Contains Acts 1 and 2)

I'll rate the ones I have so far. I'll check back in the topic later (it's 2am, gimme a break)

Turbo Hill Zone (ARRPEEGEE): 5/10 - Not a bad design overall, but there are a couple of very annoying traps. One's in the upward portion, where if you don't get a good jump off the falling platforms, you're stuck going on this spring-filled route. It's filled with annoying spring traps and in one part there's only a small chance you can get through the half-loop in order to proceed upwards. I also hate it when levels end on a death, as THZ does if you spin dash to the end and don't slow down before the stop.

Jungle Peril Zone Act 2 (ARRPEEGEE) 5/10 - Not too bad... once you get past the beginning. If you're too slow and a platform falls, there goes your life. I also found one spot where you can get stuck.

Jungle Coaster Zone Act 1 (ARRPEEGEE) 8/10 - Fast, loopy, somewhat scenic, but missing something: Obstacles. Badniks. Monitors. Spikes. See what I mean?

Green Forest (ARRPEEGEE) 9/10 - Very nice rendition of Green Forest. It's been a while since I've played it, but it ain't bad. If only there were a way to implement the vines. (Maybe you should try White Jungle some time?)

Haven't played others' yet; I'll play 'em tomorrow.

[Bilan]

Ive since fixed the problem with the end of Turbo Hill X)

Also Ill rate the levels I haven't yet when I get round to it~

[Sonichero]

Ive finished silent meadow act 2 and improved a bit on act 1.

http://www.freewebtown.com/jtef/silent%20meadow%201.diy <- act 1
http://www.freewebtown.com/jtef/silent%20meadow%202.diy <- act 2