76 posts
Discord: I don't have one...
Creator Points: 000
Favorite Level: Never be alone
Hardest Demon: 00eaff
Mini-Profile Background: ffffff
Mini-Profile Name Color: {"image":"https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSBCETQhdRK_lCIj8w8ejOzFndGNJbjmyzQob1zUrOFoGQvVcuF","color":"000000"}
|
Post by ΔŦɯɟŦƔ۩ on Jan 1, 2017 5:00:21 GMT -5
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 13, 2017 19:41:22 GMT -5
Sorry this is a very late review; I'm trying to go to the very back and review all of the levels that seem to have been forgotten === Gameplay === //Readability This section is concerned with how readable your level is; as in, how well can I, the player, determine where to go without trial and error. For the most part, reading the level is not difficult. However, at 11%-17%, the invisibility of the orbs here seems a little out of place. The clouds don't really convey the idea that you need to click there, but rather, seem as though they should be solid platforms. In fact, that section using the ball gamemode makes it seem like the clouds are aligned to be platforms, but then again, all of this is just implication, and could be interpreted differently between players. Also, the portal that leads into that section has an orb inside itself that needs to be hit, but there isn't really any indication to the orb being there, as it's hard to see. The difficulty of the level doesn't really permit hiding objects this way, and just leads to annoyances. Overall, I would recommend making the gameplay a bit more obvious here, by adding at least some opaqueness to the orbs or changing the design a bit. //Layout The layout of the gamemodes and how they play out in relation to the level as a whole. I don't see much of a problem with the first part; no gamemode is abused or overused. However, in terms of the actual layout of each section, there is a lot to be improved upon. The gameplay difficulty is incredibly scattered throughout the level. Nothing else in the level is nearly as difficult as the wave with the moving blocks and semi-tight saw placements. Difficulty constancy is important for a level, and should only be broken when it helps the tone of the level; for instance, if the music suddenly picks up and gets more intense, the level should probably reflect that. The wave in your level does reflect the change in music well, but then... nothing else afterwards is really that difficult. The gameplay itself though, is not the best. There are a few things I would recommend changing. 1. First, what you're going to find very quickly, is that people here dislike long, unnecessary auto sections in levels. Your level as two of these (the sections with the gravity pad spams). I would highly recommend filling these areas in with gameplay. It takes longer and requires more effort, but it is much more fun for the player. 2. The gameplay is also very repetitive and, at some points, a little dull. The easier the level, the harder it is to make intriguing gameplay. It isn't impossible, though. I assume you were going for a bit of an easier level here. However, there are sections that are just not really enjoyable to play through. 46% - 70% is the best example of this. The player rarely does much other than just keep the icon in the middle of the screen, which isn't really fun for more than a couple seconds. I would, again, recommend adding a few more obstacles and such to spice up the gameplay a bit, as the gameplay is what motivates the player to keep playing the level! 3. Finally, there are a couple of bugs with the gameplay (or at least, what I would see as bugs). At 19%, you can skip both green orbs and make it through the level just fine. At 47%, you can rest and glide on the blocks at the bottom of the screen without dying. These are minor, but imply that the level wasn't really polished, which is not quite what a player wants to think while trying to beat a level.
//Synchronization The level, unfortunately, isn't very well synchronized with the music. When building your level, I would dedicate a lot of effort specifically towards creating well-synced gameplay. Geometry Dash is, above all else, a rhythm game. It's very hard to make a non-rhythmic level that does well in the community. In the beginning parts of your level, there a few things that do go well with the music. That does degrade later into the level, though. 46% - 70%, as mentioned above, has very little to even sync gameplay to. As I said, try to add more to those sections of the level, and lead the player into gameplay that matches clicks and movements with the music. Synchronization is integral to having a fun level, so I would definitely recommend focusing on creating good synchronization. === Design === //Block Design This section is concerned only with the blocks, not the colors or effects. There's not much to say here, because, well, there aren't many blocks. I would really, really advise adding more blocks to your level (mostly as bases for obstacles or, sometimes, as obstacles themselves). Most of the block design that is present, though, is very basic. The best block design that you have in your level is at 46%, though it isn't anything amazingly special. Definitely add more blocks and try to create some intricate designs within them; it takes a lot of empty space out of your level, which is almost always a good thing. //Additional Decoration This refers to decoration outside of the blocks. You have quite a lot of it, however it is often used in a lack-luster way; obvious copy/pasting, spamming objects, and so forth. In the future, I would recommend nailing down specific designs for each section and trying to make them feel unique and interesting. Here, you limit the design to mostly just gradient pieces and other misc. background objects. There's a lot of potential, it just needs to be more thoughtfully placed in my opinion. Also, I would look into removing the fade on certain blocks. For instance, the effect at 6% would be improved if the front and back ends didn't fade away, revealing the level behind them. This can be disabled in the lower left corner of the "edit group" button, named "Don't Fade". //Colors The colors seem to be fairly haphazardly chosen without much interest in how they appear relative to each other. I would try to create a good looking palette before even decorating the level, and then try to stick to the palette. That way, you can worry about balancing the colors and making the level look good without quickly trying to find colors that look nice. Also, as a general tip, avoid dark yellow like the plague. It almost never looks good. === Conclusion === I hope that this doesn't turn you away from level creation; just remember that it is largely a learning process. I strongly recommend checking out other successful creators to see what they do and how they do it. Check for more recent levels, since as the game grows, so do peoples' expectations. And keep in mind, making genuinely good levels often takes a long time; up to weeks or even months on end, of course depending on how much time you dedicate to making them. Don't rush yourself or feel like you're a bad creator because it takes you too long, that extra effort would solve a lot of problems I see present in your level. I would categorize this as "Needs Improvement".
|
|
|
Post by kiriE on Jun 15, 2017 15:23:47 GMT -5
Outstanding review Approved, moving to Needs Improvement.
|
|