Megaman Levels

 October 20, 2021

Megaman Level 2

What went right?

(Annotated Map of Level)

The play through of this level was very successful. Players liked the design and look of the level, they enjoyed the way the level used the background tiles to convey the jungle theme. The level was broken up into different areas differentiated by different abilities that would be used to complete that section of the level. The initial area of the map doesn’t incorporate any abilities and focuses on using the base mechanics of Megaman. Enemies are scattered throughout this section of the map and platforms players have to traverse and overcome. Once players move past this section of the map they are introduced to the ability Super. A. To utilize this mechanic best I designed the level to have platforms that can only be traversed by using the ability successfully. Once players move past this area the players are introduced to the O. Slider ability. The O. Slider ability was used to create a section where players would surf the level while hitting enemies and overcoming obstacles. Players responded well to this section of the map, many of them were unaware that the ability could be used in this manner.

What went wrong?

Unfortunately in the last stretch of the level that utilizes the O. Slider there was a potential soft lock. Players began this section with full energy but if they failed the section enough times they would run out of energy and be able to complete the level. While this didn’t have to all the players it did occur to a couple of the players. Creating a new iteration of the level I would add an energy pickup for the players at the spawn so they would be able to continue the section until they are able to successfully complete it.

How might you improve your level next time?

The overall playtest of the level was successful and players enjoyed the variation of mechanics introduced in each section. However there are some improvements that I would make. I would add some energy pickups along different points of the O. Slider sections so players couldn’t potentially get soft locked. In the last O. Slider section of the map I would stretch it out so players can enjoy the surfing mechanic for a longer period of time. I would also decrease the challenge of this section so players wouldn’t die as frequently. I would also like to find ways to better implement some of the enemies. There are some enemies that blow air and interact with the sliding mechanic of the O. Slider. I would like to incorporate this enemy in a way that increases the player speed through some of the surfing sections.

Was the critical path obvious?

During playtesting none of the players became confused about which direction they should be moving in. But to prevent the players from feeling like the level was monotonous I would implement different mechanics and levels designs. The beginning of the level is designed to look like dense forest. The players then move to caves with waterfalls. After leaving the waterfall area the players move up above the jungle canopy. Player testers enjoyed the variation of scenery and felt the level still felt cohesive to the jungle theme overall.

Were there circulation elements?

The design of this level moves the player in a linear direction. After completing a section the players would find a checkpoint in which they could take a moment before moving onto the next mechanic. I used checkpoints as a visual indication of progression. I also paired checkpoints with abilities so players would understand that the section they were in was going to use the ability they picked up.

Was it obvious where players were supposed to go?

During the playtesting players found traversing the level easy to understand. I designed the level and checkpoints in a way that players would keep momentum throughout the play through. The level didn’t have any branching paths or areas that would make the player backtrack. The primary pathing of the level was from left to right. The level utilized height to vary the play of the design.

____________________________________________________________

October 20, 2021

   2D Megaman Level V2

What went right?

As this was the second iteration of the level I took the feedback from the first playtest and implemented changes that were asked for. I used the successful aspects of the first play through and extended the length of the level to make the play time longer. During the first play through I noticed players were choosing one path over the other every time. To help fix this issue I moved the player spawn closer to the second path so players would see both pathways as soon as they started playing. I also found that the platforms to reach the upper pathway were very noticeable and players would jump up them very quickly and easily. To help make players choose either path equally I made the upper pathway more challenging. I also used floor blocks that would blend with the background to obscure the path a little more. Doing both of these things pushed more players to the lower pathway while players that noticed the upper pathway felt like it was a hidden secret and enjoyed it more.

What went wrong?

After the initial playtest the players became more acclimated to the jumping mechanics and were able to speed through the jumping sections quicker than they did during the first playthrough. This cut down my level playtime significantly, my average level playtime was about 4-5 minutes shorter than I expected players to make it through the level. On the second playtest I made the level about twice the length of the first playtest and because players knew the pathways and how to traverse the level they still averaged about 4-5 minutes. Playtesters were playing through the initial section faster and making their way through the new section quickly. During the playtest of the new section some players conveyed that the sections were fairly difficult. I did a lot of research on Megaman level design to see how levels were constructed in the game. I took some of the better Megaman design mechanics and tried to imitate them in my newer level sections. But playtesters found the sections that were more in sync with the actual game design too challenging.

How might you improve your level next time?

Next time I’ll increase the length of the level again and update some areas that the playtesters felt needed a checkpoint. In the new sections of my map I would have the player traverse three rooms before reaching the next checkpoint. I felt this was an adequate spacing between checkpoints but playertesters felt it was too many rooms without a checkpoint. I may change the design of these rooms to have a room in between in which the player can have a moment to recover from the challenges of the previous areas. 

Were the challenges presented appropriate to the skill level of the player?

Playertesters became more skilled at the jumps I designed from the first playthrough and didn’t find it as difficult when playing through the second time. But they did find the new section difficult. I think this may be a result of becoming more accustomed to the mechanics and play style of Megaman. During the first playtest many of the playtesters had never played a Megaman game previously. After playtesting various levels playtesters became more accustomed to how the game works and how to play.

Was the critical path obvious?

Playtesters didn’t have any issues determining which directions they should go. I continued my design concepts and continued to design the level in a way that once a section was completed they would be unable to return to previous sections. During the initial playthrough I felt this was an aspect that was working for the game so I continued building levels in one way sections.

How was the overall flow?

The overall flow seemed to be paced appropriately for the player. While players would find areas they found difficult or challenging when they would die they weren’t far from a checkpoint so they were able to try the section again. Placing the checkpoints at strategic points in the game kept the players continuously in the action.

Were there circulation elements?

The initial part of my level has a semi linear design that would then turn into a linear design. As the player starts the level they have the option of choosing one of two paths. Then the level becomes linear and utilizes different elevations to vary the look and challenge of the map. The last section of the map sets the player moving up through a gauntlet of rooms heading toward the exit point.

Was it obvious where players were supposed to go?

Playtesters were able to successfully traverse the level and never became lost. I used checkpoints as a visual indicator of what direction they should be moving toward. I also designed the map to flow in one direction to help players keep momentum while playing. 

______________________________________________________

October 13, 2021

2D Megaman Level V1

What went right?

The goal of making this Megaman level was to introduce the player to basic gameplay mechanics. I primarily focused on the jumping mechanic and included many areas of the map that would require the play tester to overcome a jump. The play test was successful, while the level was challenging every play tester was able to make their way through the level and complete it successfully. The amount of enemies scattered throughout level was never overwhelming to the player and seemed to be spaced out enough that the play tester could focus on the single target before moving on to the next area.

What went wrong?

Play testers seemed to struggle with some of the jumping areas throughout my map. While the play testers were able to overcome the difficulty of the jumping areas they did die quite a few times attempting to get through the area. Play testers were very happy with the positioning of the checkpoints scattered throughout the level. The checkpoints were placed right before areas that would be more difficult for players so when they died they were able to immediately reattempt a more difficult section. 

How might you improve your level next time?

The level begins with two different paths that players can choose between. But all the play testers choose one path over the second path. Going forward for the level I will create more of a visual indication that will help make players aware of the option of a secondary path. To also help the player choose the secondary path over the upper path instead of using stationary platforms I will be using dropping platforms to increase the challenge of choosing that path. With the addition of dropping platforms it will focus more on the jumping mechanic and add an additional skill challenge for the players.

Were the challenges presented appropriate to the skill level of the player?

Play testers did find the level difficult but were able to overcome the challenge of the level and complete each section. The level was broken into different sections to present the player with different challenges. Sections of the map alternated between movement challenges and enemy areas. Allowing the player to focus on one element prevents play testers from getting too frustrated and allows for a bit of down time before moving to another difficult section.

Was the critical path obvious?

Play testers had no issues with understanding which direction they should follow to make progress in the level. I designed many of the sections in a way that once the section was completed players would be unable to turn back and reattempt the section. To prevent players from going backward or getting lost I would create variations in elevation. Once play testers would complete a section they would fall into a new area and be unable to jump high enough to return to a previous section. Creating each section in a way to prevent backtracking forced the play tester to focus on the forward moving progression.

How was the overall flow?

The overall flow of the level seemed to be paced appropriately for the player. When the play tester would encounter a more difficult and challenging movement area I would create an area that was easier and more enemy centric. Alternating between the two different play styles would prevent the play testers from becoming frustrated with a particular mechanic.

Were there circulation elements?

I alternated my level design between a semi linear design in the beginning and a linear design toward the end. The beginning of the map gives the player a choice of which direction they would like to go. Once the player has chosen their path and overcome it the two paths converge back together. Once the players move past the semi linear section of the map they move to a linear section of the map. The linear area of the map uses different elevations to vary the look and challenge for the players, but as players make progress through the section they are continually moving forward.

Was it obvious where players were supposed to go?

Play tester never became lost while they were playing. Players always knew which direction they should be moving toward to complete the level. Once a section was completed I would set a checkpoint as visual representation that they are moving in the correct direction.

____________________________________________________________