PR2 Level Making Guide

[Overbeing]

The thing that makes Platform Racing 2 such a great game and allows it to still capture people's interest today is its' Level Editor. We have endless content to play and the only limit to what we can make is our imagination. You are probably here because you want to make a level, and as someone who has made at least one level before, I have some advice.

Once you have made a level, consider entering it in the contest Level of the Week. There are some great prizes for winning and you lose nothing if you don't win. So, may as well enter, right?

Start with a concept. Focusing a level to showcase a specific theme or idea, and fully exploring it is going to make the level memorable and allowing it to stand out.

When starting a level, one of the things I'm thinking about is where I want the balance between Aesthetic and Gameplay, and how Accessible I want the level to be.

Gameplay:
There are some archetypes that are common with levels.

Ways people play:
It is good to decide early if you want the level to be primarily built for single player, multiplayer or work well for both.


Multiplayer:

-Casual Race. If a level is being designed to be a multiplayer race, the best way to show that is by adding in items. Having random items in the race adds variance, which gives the level replayability and adds in a fun casual element that will have groups of players playing it again and again. Good examples of this is the level Item Advantage and Luna Temple V.3. I think the thing that made Luna Temple successful is that it has some "rubberbanding" built into the level. A crumble block here, a brick to punch through and a bomb as an obstacle slows down the player in front to prevent any breakaways. Without these elements, the interaction stops once a player has broken away from the pack while the rest of the players are stuck behind battling one another.


-Technical Race. In a level like this, you want to lower variance as much as possible. The level should play the same way every time and the better player should win. This type of level should have rewarding gameplay that is a bit more tricky to navigate, but satisfying to get right. A group of players should want to play this level over and over to master it, then show off their skills in a race with others. 
Consider a hat machine. Hats can often mess with the gameplay of a technical level anyway. A Hat Machine that puts all of the hats at the end of a level is a great way to incentivize players to replay over and over and compete for the exp.

-Teamwork. The most noteworthy example of this is Trap levels, but there are also some teamwork levels that separate the players and they need to work together to free one another to get to the finish as a team. Trap levels have difficult elements that if a player fails, traps them. But if just one of the players makes it to the next checkpoint, they can go back and free all of the players who got trapped. This makes the level much more of a team effort where it isn't about racing to the finish, it is about working together to achieve a common goal.


-Battle. Death Matches and Hat Attack levels are great fun when you have a group together. These are each game modes that can be switched to to make the level no longer a race. In general, keep them fairly small and consider ways to make the players come together instead of giving them too much room to run away. I like to have few infinite item blocks, but many single use item blocks. That way once the game has gone on long enough, in order to reload, the players have to go to riskier areas to use the infinite item block(s) to get weapons.


Single Player:

-Walk in the woods. What I mean by that is that the level is prioritizing an aesthetic theme over the gameplay. These types of levels also work well for multiplayer racing, but they aren't necessarily trying to stand out as a race. When making a level like this, I will usually pick a place or a biome and use a good amount of art to bring the idea to life. A walk in the woods, some special effects or maybe a visit to the Roman Empire. A good background in the back layers can go a long way in a level like this.


-Story driven. Much like the previous category, Story driven levels also tend to make fine racing levels, but tend to have a narrative going on and often use a lot of text. A good example of this is Mfdom's RvsB series. When making a level like this, too much text can really slow down the gameplay. A healthy mix of showing the story in the art and telling the story with the text is usually more effective.


-Challenge levels. Often referred to as Frust(Frustration) levels or trials if they are especially difficult, a challenge level isn't about how fast you can race through it. It is about getting to the end at all. There are two approaches to this, having a timer that is set to a challenging time to beat, or giving the player unlimited time (by setting the time to 0) but making it difficult enough that it is like getting to the top of Mount Everest. When making a level like this, it is helpful to have a set difficulty in mind and try to keep it fairly consistent. Frust levels in particular are known for having a lot of Safety Nets as obsacles.
Is the level being made for beginners, players that have the basics down, experienced players, enfranchised players or pro players? Try not to have large difficulty spikes in the level. Don't have a level where most of the tricks can be done by a player that knows the basics, but then throw out a trick that only an enfranchised player would know how to get through. (Unless you also include a guide to teach them how to do it.)

If this type of level interests you as a player, Check out the JV contest Trial and Error

-Speedrun. A speedrun level is all about gameplay. Just like a Technical Race, it is a level that someone should want to play over and over to get better and faster. A good way to facilitate this is by having some target times for the player to beat or by having a leaderboard in the level that players can submit a time to. Focus on gameplay and try to create some rewarding parts that when done well, can save some time. Don't add elements that are too inconsistent, especially near the beginning. Otherwise players will be resetting over and over in the start just to get it right, or it will ruin too many good runs and will just get frustrating instead of rewarding.


If this type of level interests you as a player, Check out the JV contest Goliathe Grand Prix Deluxe
And let me know if Speedrunner of the Week ever gets back up and running. I'll add a link here.

-Puzzle. Puzzle levels often include plenty of Pathfinding elements, Glitches or even a Quiz. They are about solving something blocking their way and making it to the end with clever thinking. It is good to have a target difficulty in mind when it comes to solving the level. Make sure there isn't a part in it that is much harder than the rest. When publishing a puzzle level, it is helpful to make it clear that it is a puzzle, not a race. Players can get frustrated trying to brute force it and when they feel lost in it. If you can make it clear with the title of the level, the description of the level and at the start of the level, people who aren't in the mood for a puzzle can move on, while the rest of the players can prepare the correct mindset. 
If you want your level to be more accessible, make sure to have simple stripped down versions of tricks in isolation first before you use them in combinations. You can see this in use in my level Perspective, where a player cannot start playing the level before they have to go through a Fake Block. This lets the player know that there are fake blocks in the level and to keep an eye out for them. In my level Push Puzzle 3, I make sure to teach the player about hitting brick blocks with a sword that is behind another solid block block first, then have a similar section in the puzzle later that they need to find. That way they are in the mindset of what having a sword will do for them once they are thrown back into the level with one.
Do your best to reduce ways for a player to get stuck. 


-Aesthetic. These types of levels are not about racing or gameplay by the player at all. The most common types are Art Gallery, Don't Move, Hold Right, Hotel or Animation levels. Show the player something cool or some pretty art. These levels are very accessible to all skill levels, but tend to be popular with a newer player or a younger player. Show off what you can do and make them want to make one themselves!


As a player, consider going into the settings, clicking on Art and selecting Lossless Art. This will stop the art from Pixelizing and reducing quality when you are playing levels. It also means that you don't have to worry about adding too much art yourself and ruining all of it before your level is done.


When choosing what type of level to make, consider mixing and matching some of these common approaches. Make a Puzzle Challenge level or an Aesthetic Technical Race. 

Aesthetic:

Often what makes a well designed level an amazing level for me is the aesthetic of the level. This can be done by the way you use block, especially the ones that are not being used by the player, and by using the art tools.
Try using 2 different basic blocks to add a more natural feel and some visual interest You don't need to be an artist to make a level look nice. Some effective and simple decorations can go a long way. A great example is Pursue by ZRD or Dusk Raiders by Overbeing.



To do something similar, I recommend finding a simple color palate and just decorating. 

The places to put in the most work are the Start, the Climax, and the Finish.

When someone loads into the level, considering what they see and what info that will give them. Do your best to set the scene and convey what type of level that they are loading into. Make it memorable. If they have played it before, they should be thinking, "oh yeah, I remember this, it looks nice!". I like to add my logo at the beginning of a level. I have seen it be effective when watching racers make videos. They load into the level, see the logo and think, "I've seen that before, I remember liking their levels". It allows you to brand yourself and to set an expectation and help people identify your levels as a group.

The Climax of the level and the Start or Finish can be the same part. But the Climax to me is what people will think back on when they played the level. What will they picture in their head when they think back? Having one section in your level that is meant to impress visually can be really effective.

The Finish is the last thing the player sees. Consider giving them something to look at at the end of your level. You can ask them to rate 5, to check out your other levels or to favorite your level. Something impressive at the end can increase the rating they will give it and if they will come back again.

I made a small Art Guide here that I probably should polish up and expand on, but there are a ton of resources out there for drawing and drawing on a computer out there on the internet.

Accessibility:

Consider who your target audience is, and if you are ok excluding any section of the player base. Different players have different skill and knowledge levels, as well as different types of levels that ththeththey want to play.

Newbies: They just loaded into the game. 
Give them a reason to load in a second time. Help grow the community.

Intermediate: They know their basics. They are getting the hang of the controls, the blocks, the items and the hats. They are leveling up and are starting to get in their stride. 
Make sure to teach any complicated mechanics in an efficient and isolated environment. Once you have shown them a mechanic in it's basic form, then you can build on it by adding complexity. Help them to master the basics and to start learning some fun tricks.

Experienced: They have mastered the basics and learned a few tricks, but there is still a lot that they don't know.
For a player like this, you can throw just about anything at them. A nice moderate challenge or some common exploits and mechanics are fair game.

Enfranchised and/or Pro: They know just about everything there is to know. They can take on nearly any challange.
Players like this typically aren't very interested in basic or simple gameplay. They want to see something new. They want a challenge. They want to push a good level to its' limits. So design them something to sink their teeth into. (Hello pro players! you guys scare me.(in the good way.))

Designing a level that is engaging to as many skill levels as possible is a great goal to have, but a lot of the player base now days is the Enfranchised player. If you want your level to have a dedicated audience, it is a good idea to cater to them.

How long should your level be?

I think this is such an easy thing to get wrong. It is always unfortunate when a great level is the wrong length. I'm still learning myself, but I do have a lot of thoughts on it. I think a lot of level makers make their levels longer than they should, but it is subjective. My opinion may very well be wrong.

I think a good average length should be around of 2 minutes when done efficiently, and doesn't usually need to take much more than 4 minutes. The type of level that you are making will change this a lot.

As for setting a timer, set it to way more than a player would need unless it is meant to be a challenge. Setting the timer to 0 is a great way to reduce the chance of sad players.
Even for a difficult map. I'd give at least 50% more time than you can casually complete the level in.

Short:
If you want someone to play the level over and over, consider making it on the shorter side. A good short level is about mastering the level. The more precise the level, the shorter it should be. I made a series on my profile The Duck where I made many very precise levels that are meant to be speed run. I made them quite short because it allows the player to strive for perfection. Performing very precise movements for minutes on end is very exhausting. It turns into more of a marathon instead of a sprint. The longer the level is, the less likely it will get replayed over and over.
Aesthetic levels are often shorter too. A lot of work goes into the art on an Art Gallery. and a lot of technical work goes into designing a Don't Move. Keeping them short is a great idea.
Another level that shines when it is short is Guide levels. Tutorials that introduce a concept, a new glitch or something worth practicing all shine in a shorter form level.

Long:
Sometimes a marathon is what you are going for. A longer level isn't meant to be perfected, it is about the endurance to make it to the end. Another reason some levels get long is because they are using a concept that needs to be introduced, then they slowly increase the complicated of it so that they are able to use it in more complicated ways by the end of it.


General Advice:

Make what interests you. There is value in designing something that you think the active players would be interested in, but if you design it well and have fun doing it, you have already succeeded and benefited the community.

Make it memorable. Make sure it has something in it that makes it stand out from your other levels, from other peoples levels and from other levels with similar concepts. 
One good way to do this is to have an Identity. An Identity is a gameplay feature that stands out. It could be something you repeat throughout a level, or just a solid section at the climax of the level that may be a bit more difficult than the rest.
Another good way to do this is with art. Decorate a level in a way that sets it apart. Don't make it generic.

Be able to describe it in a few words, and consider using those words for the title. Being able to describe what a level is in just a few words means that it has a strong sense of identity.

Name it accordingly and use the description box. People should know what type of level that they are entering. Is it hard, a puzzle, long or just art?

Balance between gameplay and aesthetic. Often the more you design a level around aesthetic, the less interesting the actual gameplay tends to be. There are some very fun levels with no art, and an art gallery is great, but tends to lack gameplay. Find the right balance for your level to help it shine and show off what makes it great.

Flow and tempo: 
Unless the level is designed around pathfinding, do your best to telegraph where the player is meant to go. This is best done by adding blocks to stop a player from going the wrong way, but some arrows can help too.
Use a variety of movements. I will get bored of a level that has me holding forward and occasionally pressing jump. Make me go left, right, up, down, zigzag, slow down, speed up and use use items.
Unless it is designed to be a tedious level, don't throw an element at me that stops me in my tracks and makes me need to try it over and over. I have a race to win, players want to keep up the tempo and keep moving in a race.

Test your level. Then test it again. Then test it again. So many times when I play levels by new players, I wonder if they ever even played their own level. When I am making a level, I am playing it over and over as I'm making it. I'm adjusting parts where the flow breaks and fixing parts that are tedious or unnecessary.
Test for default stats and for more realistic stats. most players playing today have very high stats, if the enfranchised player is your target audience, test the level using stats like they use. But make sure that your level is still possible using default stats or with low accelleration.
Also consider what your level will look like to people who didn't design it. You made it, you know the route. How will players with fresh eyes approach parts of your level. Most of your level's plays will probably be from people playing them for the first time. Make sure that it is clear where to go and what to do. Try playing with other players and just watching how they play. They will find things that you never considered, because they can't see your level in the way you do yet.

When making levels, the question of Quality vs Quantity is always in play. How long should you spend decorating a level? How long should you spend refining the route? Not every level needs to be a masterpiece. You can always add more decoration later if people are really liking the level anyways. And if you get bogged down with a masterpiece that you are working on, take a break and make something a little bit more simple and light, then come back to it when you have the motivation again.

Break the rules: as long as you have a good understanding of why some of these rules and guidelines exist, break them. Throw it all out the window and do what you want.

Consider introducing or designing around a Gimmick. Build a Jetpack level. A Time Block level. Change the gravity. Put every glitch you can think of. Make the minimap a hamster. Make levels that explore one thing to its' full potential. I'll make your level unique, memorable and stand out from the rest.

Block hats that break the level. Some levels shouldn't allow every hat. Think about what hat abilities don't work well in your level and make sure to disallow them in the level's settings.

Keep in mind that a player can jump onto a wall 4 blocks by default and they can hit a block with their head that is 7 blocks high. Some players will decrease their jump slightly which will let them jump onto a 4 block high wall faster, but not be able to hit the 7 block high one with their head. Some players will even increase their jump so that they can jump 5 blocks high, but I wouldn't recommend designing around that fact.

Be sure to customize Item Blocks. Be sure that the player has easy access to the item they need at the right time.
Make sure you use Single Use Item Blocks and Infinite use Item Blocks in the correct places.

Branching paths in a level can be fun. Try to have them be the same length to complete. Otherwise, having a short but difficult path and a longer but easier path is typically a great option. You could also give a player who goes through a longer path some type of reward, like stat blocks or item blocks. Just make it clear at the fork in the road what the player is choosing between.

Stat blocks are a fun reward to find along the path of a level, especially for newer players and lower level players. But high level players will often ignore them because they can mess with their stats in a negative way too. A high level player will already have high stats that they like and may not want the extra jump stat.
Don't get carried away with how many you add (if any at all). And try to place them mostly in the first half of the race. They don't do much good at the end when you wont have time to make good use of them.
One issue they can cause is that they will change the jump stat. Your level design should be taking their default jump stat into account. A player that has raised their jump by 10 will start to jump an extra block height. Consider planning for this and having a planned route for both the players who take the extra stats and those that don't. Test the level with both stat distributions.


Things to avoid
Too many crumble blocks. Nothing has me leaving a level faster than a wall of 2 or 3 crumble blocks. I am no longer interested

Too many bomb blocks. Same reason. It is funny to see a character go flying all over the place, but I wouldn't call it good gameplay, and most players wouldn't want to play it again.

Hold right, press forward, forward and jump. If i am just holding a button or two for the entire race, I wouldn't exactly consider it much of a race. So if a race is what is being designed, mix up the movements.

Big empty spaces. Shorten it or add something to look at. 

Too short. Leaving people wanting more can be good, but if they get to the end and are disappointed that is wasn't longer, you should probably add a bit more. 

Too long. If the player is losing motivation to finish and interest in the level well before the finish line, you probably want to shorten it a bit.

Blind drops or jumps. The player should be able to see where they need to go next. If the place that they are landing is off screen, that can be a big design mistake. Either move the other end of the jump to make it visible, or use art to help guide their jump.

Too many super jumps. I give each level one free super jump. Beyond that, there better be a good reason for it. Super jumps tend to negatively impact the flow of a level.

Spikes in difficulty. If a level is meant to be playable by an intermediate player, make sure to not include anything that is above that players knowledge or skill level.

Sudden breaks in flow. If a level is flowing well and then the player is met with an element that slows the level way down, it can feel a bit jarring and feel unsatisfying.

Vanish blocks early in a race. Vanish blocks are great for a single player level, but if you have 4 players trying to race through, consider adding an extra layer below them for the player coming up next. Using them later in a level is also more effective because the players are more likely to have spread out and be less likely to be trying to use them at the same time. 

No safety nets below drop. If a player misses a jump, please don't make them wait a full 10 seconds to respawn. Place Safety nets under your whole level just in case to let the player keep racing faster.

Crawling. Crawling is soooooo slooooooow. Don't make the player crawl for seconds at a time, it isn't very fun.

Push blocks in multiplayer maps. Push Blocks are broken. They fall out of synchronization very easily. They can block players from proceeding, they can end up in the wrong spots. If a level is meant for multiplayer, I don't advise using them.

Don't set too high of a level requirement to play a level. I don't actually advise setting a level at all in most cases.

Fake blocks. They can be fun, but don't get carried away with them.

Difficult timer on a very long level. It feels bad to run out of time before a level is done. Unless you are designing a Frust/Trial challenge map, set a long timer or set the time to infinite by entering 0 as the time.

Unintentional Traps. Do your best to reduce ways that lock the player out from being able to finish.

Don't mess with gravity or stats of the player too much or for no good reason. People are used to the physics of the game and often prefer to just use the default physics and their set stats.

Don't use too many rotate blocks. They can be very slow and negatively impact the pace of the race. I only recommend using them if they are adding to some interesting gameplay.

There are very few cases where move blocks enhance a level. Be very careful when you add them to not disrupt the route and end up with trapped players.

Don't have lightning items available inside Infinite Use Item Blocks. Somebody will camp it and make the race unplayable... They just can't help themselves.


If you have any questions or think of anything else to add, feel free to post below.


I have also been working on a curated list of level recommendations. It focuses on some of the concepts I'll be talking about here, and it is why I was thinking about this topic to begin with. It is a WIP, but I figure I'll share what I have so far. O's Curated PR2 Levels. It is not the best levels of all time. It is not comprehensive. It is wrong and should feel wrong, but it is what I have so far. I am open to level and level maker suggestions to check out, but I encourage you to curate your own level suggestions list. I'd love to see them.

[Overbeing]

Reserved just in case.

Gold star to the first person to make a level breaking every rule they can.

[Dangevin]

There's a lot to unpack here!

Added this thread to the Useful Tips section of Level of the Week

[TRUC]

There's a lot to unpack here!

Added this thread to the Useful Tips section of Level of the Week

Might be worth the extra second to pin the thread as well, would be very fitting at the top of the PR2 section ^^