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2D Side Scroller : Level Design


The Spirit level isn't as fun as it sounds


The way I designed the levels was I drew out my idea using the Tilemap and one tile. Then I added in any special features such as boxes and hazards using different colour tiles as place holders. This created the basic shape of the level and allowed me to tweak it quickly as well as have the character dropped into it to test things such as can the player make this jump. All without having to worry about aesthetics yet. I got this idea from grey boxing, used mostly in 3D games it blocks out the physical features of your level or map to allow you to see more clearly the spaces that you are developing.
Then once I had made any revision I would go through and paint over with the correct tiles test the level again and finally replace the place holders with the real objects such as boxes and spike blocks. Finally adding backgrounds.

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