How to Mode Transitions good: Lumpy's Guide
May 26, 2016 16:38:04 GMT -5
Navianya, VeXyn, and 14 more like this
Post by Lumpy on May 26, 2016 16:38:04 GMT -5
Lumpy's Guide to Being a Better Creator
When and How Often to Properly use Mode Transitions
(issue #1, May 26)
When and How Often to Properly use Mode Transitions
(issue #1, May 26)
[READ THE NEXT ONE HERE: gdforum.freeforums.net/thread/28937/fun-fair-transitions-lumpys-guide]
Mode transitions are an important aspect of every level. They ensure that the gameplay throughout the level is lively and interesting and each mode section provides a landmark that players can refer to when talking about the level. For clarity, define a mode transitions as a change of gamemode, when going through one of the 6 (or soon to be 7, with the upcoming spider mode) main gameplay portals. Size changes and dual/undual portals do significantly impact gameplay, but not in the same way gamemode portals do, so will be excluded from the definition.
So, when and how often should you use mode transitions? Let’s start with when.
The most common places mode transitions are used is when the music used in the level progresses. When I say the music progresses, I mean something about it changes, usually when the end of a set of bars is reached, for example a new instrument is added, it gets quieter, the melody gets higher-pitched, etc. Just about every featured level has a mode transition when this happens, and most creators realize the importance of this very early on. Not having a mode transitions are a music progression point (unless there are a LOT of musical progression points) can make the level unnecessarily repetitive.
Additionally, not all songs are lively. Some are repetitive and maintain the exact same beat, maybe with only very minor changes, for over 20 seconds. That is too long for just one gamemode– at the point the section will start to feel repetitive and dull. Sometimes, it’s good to have a mode change at the halfway point of this repetitive part or parts, to reduce the monotony. The short segment below is an example of this usage:
You should also use mode transitions where you think it will help with music sync. Especially with jumpy song genres like dubstep that have a variety of sounds in some parts, sometimes you don’t want to confine just one gamemode to a certain part. For example, perhaps a low growl in the song may be good with a ship part, or maybe a particularly fast drum of the melody would suit a fast ball part. Use whatever you think syncs the music best, but keep in mind overdoing this can make the level too confusing, especially if you’re building an easy level. The short segment below is an example of this usage:
So, now, how often should you use mode transitions? This depends highly on the feel you want your level to have and the difficulty of the level. The more mode transitions, the more gameplay changes that the player has to comprehend and react to. So, easy levels should generally have less transitions because less-skilled players are still getting used to the physics of each gamemode and it might confuse them. Demons can have a lot more if you want it to be a tense, exciting demon, but a simple, mellow demon may be better off with less. Again, this all depends on the song oftentimes.
Certain parts of a level, you may want to be more dynamic than others, to make the level intense and the player nervous. Many mode transitions in a level can accomplish this. When you place these mode transitions, keep music sync in mind, however– if you have a lot of them for this reason, you might want to be laxer but you should try to have the mode transitions at least positioned at least at a bar in the music or at specific points in the melody that work well. Playtest, playtest, playtest, decide what works best. The short segment below is an example of this usage:
Finally, you may want a couple mode transitions in rapid succession at a transitions. This may be some combination of either the transition would normally be awkward and/or buggy without this transitional mode section, or because you just want to add flair to the level in order to make a certain point more dramatic. Usually this transitional mode section has no gameplay or is just something simple, like one orb jump or holding to fly up. The short segment below is an example of this usage:
There you have it. But… is there a time when you could have bad mode transitions? Certainly! Take a look at these two videos:
The first one is a not-so-good attempt at a lively section. That part of the music used may or may not be appropriate for a lot of mode transitions, but if the creator wanted a lot of them to make that section more dynamic, exciting, or difficult, they should’ve done it at the bars of the music (where it changes pitch) to retain music sync and regularity. The second one just has way too many transitions, it unnecessarily reduces the quality of the gameplay and is kinda confusing, even if it somewhat fits the music. The first example shown isn't actually that bad, its just less good, however the second example shown is kinda bad.
Some levels that do mode transitions really well in this aspect are Motion, Starship Showdown (sumsar), and Lonely Travel.
Thank you for reading and I hope this helped you! In the replies say what you want the next issue to be about. Hopefully I will be publishing this weekly on Thursdays, but if my schedule doesn’t work for that it will just be as often as I can.
Disclaimer: This article is written and edited by Lumpy, all level clips used are made by Lumpy, and all videos are recorded by Lumpy. No copyright claimed because that would be stupid