0:00:01.530,0:00:05.240 Hey. I’m Mark Brown, and this is Game Maker’s[br]Toolkit. 0:00:05.240,0:00:09.830 I’ve done a bunch of videos on my channel[br]about platformer level design, but it has 0:00:09.830,0:00:14.910 almost always been through the lens of Nintendo[br]games - which have a pretty reliable formula 0:00:14.910,0:00:16.309 at this point. 0:00:16.309,0:00:21.040 Each stage introduces a new gameplay mechanic[br]- and that idea is explored through a series 0:00:21.040,0:00:22.890 of escalating challenges. 0:00:22.890,0:00:26.800 And then, the mechanic is thrown away - never[br]to be seen again. 0:00:26.800,0:00:29.110 And that’s certainly one way to do it. 0:00:29.110,0:00:30.580 But, it’s not the only approach. 0:00:30.580,0:00:34.480 So, let’s take a look at a platformer that[br]does things quite differently: 0:00:34.480,0:00:38.640 Ubisoft’s Rayman Legends. 0:00:38.640,0:00:41.289 So this game has plenty of unique ideas. 0:00:41.289,0:00:44.820 But the game’s standout mechanics aren’t[br]ditched as soon as they’re developed 0:00:44.820,0:00:49.539 - instead, they’re often carried through[br]an entire world’s worth of levels. 0:00:49.539,0:00:54.770 In world two, Toad Story, practically every[br]level is about updrafts that you can fly in. 0:00:54.770,0:00:59.679 And in world three, Fiesta de los Muertos,[br]a bunch of the levels are about digging through 0:00:59.679,0:01:00.729 big chunks of cake. 0:01:00.729,0:01:09.180 But if you ask me, the best example is from[br]world four: 20,000 Lums Under the Sea. 0:01:09.180,0:01:15.100 This world is a sneaky spy thriller, with[br]James Bond style music, and stealthy gameplay 0:01:15.100,0:01:18.560 that’s maybe closer to Splinter Cell than[br]Rayman. 0:01:18.560,0:01:23.939 The main mechanic for this world is the sentry,[br]which is a sort of mechanised security system 0:01:23.939,0:01:28.100 that casts a green light - or red, if Rayman[br]gets too close. 0:01:28.100,0:01:32.110 And if Rayman stays in the red light for too[br]long, he’ll be zapped. 0:01:32.110,0:01:36.230 So it’s all about sneaking past the sentry[br]at the right moment. 0:01:36.230,0:01:38.190 There are ones that flicker on and off. 0:01:38.190,0:01:42.700 And ones that move, so you need to hide behind[br]bits of the level that cut off the sentry’s 0:01:42.700,0:01:43.700 light. 0:01:43.700,0:01:47.719 They appear in almost every stage in this[br]world, but each level has a unique twist on 0:01:47.719,0:01:48.719 the idea. 0:01:48.719,0:01:53.670 They’re introduced in level one, The Mysterious[br]Inflatable Island, where you avoid the lights 0:01:53.670,0:01:56.289 by swimming past them. 0:01:56.289,0:02:01.500 Then in stage two, The Deadly Lights, we use[br]this tiny green guy called Murphy to press 0:02:01.500,0:02:05.460 buttons and pop up barriers to obstruct the[br]sentry’s lights. 0:02:05.460,0:02:08.770 (This makes more sense if you’re playing[br]on a console like the Wii U where you can 0:02:08.770,0:02:11.670 physically poke, grab and move stuff with[br]the touchscreen. 0:02:11.670,0:02:14.909 It’s a bit janky on the other consoles where[br]you just press a button.) 0:02:14.909,0:02:16.099 Anyway. 0:02:16.099,0:02:19.280 Stage three, The Mansion of the Deep, is different[br]again. 0:02:19.280,0:02:23.819 The level starts with no sentries, but then[br]you hit a power button and must go back through 0:02:23.819,0:02:27.590 the same rooms but now thinking about stealth. 0:02:27.590,0:02:32.360 Level four, Infiltration Station, brings back[br]Murphy, but now you have full control over 0:02:32.360,0:02:36.880 the level as you move bits of the stage to[br]create cover, or even move the sentries themselves. 0:02:36.880,0:02:42.810 And then level five, Elevator Ambush, the[br]sentries are still present but the stealth 0:02:42.810,0:02:47.720 gameplay takes a bit of a backseat to a more[br]action-packed fist fight against these new 0:02:47.720,0:02:49.170 frogmen enemies. 0:02:49.170,0:02:53.780 Because, obviously, there’s more to this[br]world than just one mechanic. 0:02:53.780,0:03:00.140 Level one also introduces us to spiky navel[br]mines, and frogmen who fire electrical blasts. 0:03:00.140,0:03:05.860 Level three adds laser tripwires, giant crushing[br]pipes, and two extra underwater creatures: 0:03:05.860,0:03:08.910 jellyfish and these freaky worm things. 0:03:08.910,0:03:11.760 And level five adds another enemy type. 0:03:11.760,0:03:15.200 Plus weird shark guys who throw objects across[br]the room. 0:03:15.200,0:03:19.280 And missiles, which were briefly seen in the[br]boss fight from Toad Story. 0:03:19.280,0:03:24.190 What’s clever is that most of these mechanics[br]are introduced on their own, but then go on 0:03:24.190,0:03:27.500 to appear in tandem with the sentries. 0:03:27.500,0:03:30.180 Enemies pop up in areas guarded by the sentries. 0:03:30.180,0:03:34.150 The nightmare worms create fast-moving, and[br]oddly-shaped cover. 0:03:34.150,0:03:35.480 And so on. 0:03:35.480,0:03:40.590 And then, after five stages of build up, all[br]of these ideas come together in the sixth 0:03:40.590,0:03:46.069 stage, There’s Always a Bigger Fish, which[br]is a manic, fast-paced chase sequence that 0:03:46.069,0:03:48.590 uses almost every mechanic we’ve seen so[br]far. 0:03:48.590,0:03:52.610 There are navel mines, sentries, missiles,[br]frogmen, shark dudes, and 0:03:52.610,0:03:53.620 laser tripwires. 0:03:53.620,0:03:59.150 And yet, it’s totally doable - simply because,[br]the game has spent a lot of time carefully 0:03:59.150,0:04:02.329 building up this vocabulary of different mechanics. 0:04:02.329,0:04:07.050 The player has learned what these things look[br]like, what they do, and how to deal with them 0:04:07.050,0:04:09.280 - even at great speed. 0:04:11.800,0:04:15.540 Because, if you don’t do the necessary prep[br]work, the player won’t have the skills to 0:04:15.540,0:04:18.430 deal with these mechanics when put under pressure. 0:04:18.430,0:04:22.840 And as an example of this happening, you need[br]look no further than Rayman Legends itself. 0:04:22.840,0:04:27.870 The game’s got these brilliant musical stages[br]at the end of each world, but, for whatever 0:04:27.870,0:04:32.840 reason, they often have slightly different[br]mechanics to the rest of the levels - mechanics 0:04:32.840,0:04:35.340 which haven’t always been fully established. 0:04:35.340,0:04:39.389 So in Mariachi Madness, you’ll be running[br]through the level at breakneck speed and suddenly 0:04:39.389,0:04:43.690 see a creature that you’ve never seen before[br]and need to figure out what that is and what 0:04:43.690,0:04:47.930 you need to do in a split second and, yeah,[br]I didn’t react quickly enough. 0:04:47.930,0:04:49.460 And that didn’t feel good. 0:04:49.460,0:04:53.690 So introducing mechanics early isn’t just[br]responsible level design - but it also gives 0:04:53.690,0:04:58.820 players an opportunity feel a sense of flow,[br]and mastery - that isn’t halted by trial 0:04:58.820,0:05:00.500 and error deaths. 0:05:00.500,0:05:04.870 That stage in 20,000 Lums feels amazing because[br]you’re going really fast and nailing all 0:05:04.870,0:05:08.710 of these challenges - but that’s only possible[br]because you’re familiar with everything 0:05:08.710,0:05:10.610 the level has to throw at you. 0:05:10.610,0:05:15.310 That level is then followed by a boss fight, and[br]then a swim back to the surface for the musical 0:05:15.310,0:05:20.780 number - taking you full circle, to the island[br]you started on in level one. 0:05:22.200,0:05:26.620 Now. Not every world is like this in Rayman Legends. 0:05:26.630,0:05:31.970 Some worlds are linked by a theme, like world[br]one’s castle, rather than a game mechanic. 0:05:31.970,0:05:36.900 And there are plenty of one-off ideas, like[br]a level about spreading guacamole, and a twisting 0:05:36.900,0:05:41.850 labyrinth stage, that are thrown away at the[br]end of the level - just like a Mario mechanic. 0:05:41.850,0:05:47.170 But 20,000 Lums demonstrates some real benefits[br]to keeping a mechanic around for longer than 0:05:47.170,0:05:48.540 just one level. 0:05:48.540,0:05:51.669 It means that idea can be explored exhaustively. 0:05:51.669,0:05:56.150 The sentries are seen in endless variations,[br]and they slowly ramp up in difficulty. 0:05:56.150,0:05:58.230 They start to move more quickly. 0:05:58.230,0:05:59.660 The cover gets smaller. 0:05:59.660,0:06:02.430 They appear in pairs, or mix with other mechanics. 0:06:02.430,0:06:06.530 And instead of just waiting for an opportunity[br]to proceed, you have to move in lockstep with 0:06:06.530,0:06:08.200 the cover to stay hidden. 0:06:08.200,0:06:11.789 You’ll see even more variants in the world’s[br]secret rooms. 0:06:11.789,0:06:15.930 And if you want to go for bonus pick-ups like[br]coins and kidnapped Teensies, you’ll have 0:06:15.930,0:06:19.949 to put yourself at risk and deal with even[br]more challenging sentries. 0:06:19.949,0:06:23.860 Keeping a mechanic around also means it can[br]appear in much more difficult scenarios - and 0:06:23.860,0:06:27.070 the player will be able to deal with it - in[br]masterful fashion. 0:06:27.070,0:06:31.290 In Mario, you’ve got to wait until the end-game[br]bonus stages to ever face a mechanic in a 0:06:31.290,0:06:32.290 more tricky set-up. 0:06:32.290,0:06:38.110 A mechanic can also be a thread to create[br]a wider narrative progression for the world. 0:06:38.110,0:06:42.419 The sentries are prominent at the start of[br]20,000 Lums Under the Sea, where Rayman is 0:06:42.419,0:06:47.300 using stealth to get around - but they disappear[br]towards the end as - in classic spy movie 0:06:47.300,0:06:51.349 fashion - all hell breaks lose for the action-packed[br]finale. 0:06:51.349,0:06:52.349 And finally. 0:06:52.349,0:06:55.000 And this one might be handy for any indie[br]developers watching. 0:06:55.000,0:07:00.099 It’s also surely a tad more economical to[br]keep an idea around for more than one level 0:07:00.099,0:07:02.930 - than developing 100 different game mechanics. 0:07:02.930,0:07:06.020 We can’t all be Nintendo, can we? 0:07:07.720,0:07:08.740 Hey, thanks for watching. 0:07:08.750,0:07:13.699 I also want to say thanks to Rayman level[br]designer Chris McEntee who chatted to me about 0:07:13.699,0:07:15.660 the creation of this world. 0:07:15.660,0:07:20.919 I asked him whether the mechanic informed[br]the theme, or if the theme lead to the mechanic 0:07:20.919,0:07:23.770 - and he told me that it was kind of a mix[br]of the two. 0:07:23.770,0:07:28.729 The gameplay team was prototyping the sentry[br]and the art team did some Jules Verne style 0:07:28.729,0:07:34.820 underwater artwork - and these came together[br]for a world about sneaking through an underwater base. 0:07:34.820,0:07:39.979 Apparently there was a real back and forth[br]of art and gameplay inspiring each other throughout 0:07:39.979,0:07:42.580 the creation of Rayman Legends. 0:07:42.580,0:07:47.180 Chris is now working on the Ori and the Blind[br]Forest sequel, meaning I’m even more excited 0:07:47.180,0:07:48.860 about that game.