As I’ve been making Spirits of Metropolis, I had one goal: completely obliterate the competition. To do this, I had one mission: cram as much stuff as possible in the $10 price point.
As I start to finish and wrap up the game however, I have stood back to see if the heap of options and modes really have improved the game…or only add a bulletpoint to the game features. One of these is the level editor.
It was my intention to have a full level editor compassing all modes, and a level selector that allowed you to browse through custom levels, including “official” levels from me. My friend who is testing the game told me…you don’t really need a level editor. There’s so much content as it is. If it’s more trouble to add, why bother? Well, I told him that I wanted this game to be above and beyond what other games offer.
But then I realized something: how does a level editor make any sense when the core gameplay is random?
Let’s think about that for a second. Let’s take a racing game and a game like Tetris, and both have level editors. With the racing game, you have no idea what kind of car the player will choose, or how experienced they are with the game. Yet you’ll make curves and obstacles designed around the way you play, and perhaps tweak it a bit to make it easier for inexperienced players. Some will love the level, others may not like it as much, but you feel confident that the people that DID like it played it the way you do. The people that like the track will experience it the same way you built it every time. You have a solid design.
Now take Tetris. Say the level editor lets you place “garbage blocks” in midair to impede players. So you place a wide variety of blocks, some that might take some tricky maneuvering skills. But the order and type of block you receive in the main game is always random. So if I have a great Tetris level, it might not be so great if I randomly got a majority of long lines, or extremely hard if I only got the L-blocks. Others will have random experiences too. I might love the level in one playthough, but experience a bad one the next time. It’s utterly random.
That’s the problem with Spirits of Metropolis: at it’s core, it’s a random puzzle game like Tetris. I can influence and contain the randomness up to a point (how many white gems you get, the time limit, etc.) but it’s still a different experience every time. A level editor won’t work.
One gameplay type that ISN’T random is Puzzle Mode, and a level editor makes perfect sense for that mode. So, I’m strongly considering having just a “Puzzle Editor” for the final game, because that’s where people can make some amazing content. That’s where it’s going to really shine.
I’m quitting my job next week with three days off this week in order to focus on games full time. I’m betting the farm on Spirits and my future games, and I hope you guys will enjoy them as much as I enjoy creating them. Stay tuned for more info on the final version!
Hmm… I see your point but I still think that you should allow the editor to function with other modes just so that people have that option, IF it isn’t too much trouble for you. If it slows down your progress on the game to do that, I’d do what you’re planning on doing. Good luck with the games, too, I hope it works out for you. I’ll definitely be buying a copy of Spirits after it comes out.
I was wondering what the purpose of the level editor would be. When I tried the beta, I figured it would only be for puzzle mode, or perhaps the one where the board is always the same.
I still haven’t played the beta properly, so I have no idea what you’re talking about. =D
But I did notice you’re quitting your job; what job is it?
In terms of a level editor for the core-gameplay. Ask yourself this, if its the randomness the makes the game fun, why bother having more then one level in the main game mode? Doesn’t seem much fun when you put it that way. Have a look at World of Goo, absolutely incredible “random” game, but most of the reviewers agree the thing that it’s missing most is a level editor. So personally, I’d opt for a level editor, but that’s just my opinion.
And Joe: Starbucks (Unless Chubaroony has multiple jobs)
I completely agree with LostOverThere. This game strikes me as one that would be a good candidate for a level editor. I don’t consider the levels “random” because the layout of the board is always the same for each level. Colors wouldn’t need edited except in certain modes, but the main modes I would probably make levels of anyway are irridescence, stained glass, pattern, and darkness modes, which are the least-random ones, especially in terms of level design. Think about this as well–without a level editor, how is anyone supposed to make their own puzzles? This could possibly be a huge disappointment factor for the more puzzle-oriented fans of SoM (ahem–such as myself).
Whoops, I missed the last part about having just a Puzzle Editor. Um…I still think having too much content is better than not enough. If it seems in the least part feasible to get it done and have it in the game, then I say why not?
I hate World Of Goo. The puzzle part has no puzzle, and the action part is horribly implemented. And the little voices are freaking annoying.
I think the level editor should work for all game modes. It wouldn’t be too hard to implement, and people will complain if it doesn’t. If the core gameplay is really that random, why is there even more than one level for each mode?
My opinion of the gameplay is as such: the CORE gameplay is pretty random. But the game modes provide interesting twists, and different levels can present different problems. Iridescense, Pattern, and Stained Glass play *very* differently depending on the level design.
Even the layout of an Arcade or Shifter (yeah, I know, you nixed Shifter, but it’s still there for the level editor – you said it would be! DON’T LIE TO ME, DAVID GALINDO!) level has a considerable effect on how it plays.
Come on, man. You can’t make a level editor for Puzzle and not make a level editor for everything else. (And if you don’t make a level editor, that would be a world of suck.)
Hey! You didn’t tell me your blog software didn’t like line breaks!
And now you look like a fool.
A bloody fool.
Mwahaha.
Gah so many decisions! I CANT TAKE IT MAN!
BTW, Shifter is gone from the editor for sure. That mode was just a bland idea all around.
I liked it. -_-
I’ve never seen minmay so passionate about something. I think its great!
I must add though, although I would enjoy seeing a level editor, I wouldn’t be overly bothered if it was missing one.
There will be a puzzle editor. I’m still thinking about the level editor. It’s not as easy as you guys are making it out to be. :p
There is one thing you guys still don’t know about the game that might make up for the lack of a complete level editor…I’ll post more about that later this week.
Random puzzle generator? Nah, I don’t think that would console me at all.
Come on, you’ve already missed your deadline again. May as well spend the extra time adding something that will make people like the game more. And that will get you more money.
The idea of programming a random puzzle generator has made my head explode. So no, nothing like that.