0:00:02.530,0:00:07.000 Super Mario Maker 2 came out just a few days[br]ago. 0:00:07.000,0:00:11.650 This game lets you try your hand at level[br]design, by giving you the tools to make your 0:00:11.650,0:00:13.920 own Mario stages. 0:00:13.920,0:00:19.130 And then you can upload your courses to the[br]web, and see what randos online think of your 0:00:19.130,0:00:20.260 design skills. 0:00:20.260,0:00:25.580 The game gives you all the tools you need[br]to make auto-scrolling levels, boss battles, 0:00:25.580,0:00:27.980 crazy puzzles, silly jokes, and more. 0:00:27.980,0:00:33.090 But when you first open “make mode”, you’re[br]almost certainly going to be asking yourself 0:00:33.090,0:00:36.900 the question: “uhh, where do I even begin?” 0:00:36.900,0:00:42.100 So I thought I’d put together a tutorial[br]that can help you get your first level made 0:00:42.109,0:00:43.109 and published. 0:00:43.109,0:00:48.660 And it should hopefully be a legitimately[br]good, Mario-style level, and not just your 0:00:48.660,0:00:53.980 name written in coins, a bunch of pipes that[br]shower you with cash, or twenty eight goombas 0:00:53.980,0:00:55.239 on a seesaw. 0:00:55.239,0:01:00.170 And then, once you’ve cleared that hurdle[br]and made your first stage, you’ll have a 0:01:00.170,0:01:05.010 better understanding of what works and what[br]doesn’t, you’ll know more tricks you can 0:01:05.010,0:01:09.461 employ, you’ll have tried most of the game’s[br]tools, and you’ll be well on your way to 0:01:09.461,0:01:15.400 making an amazing stage, getting hired by[br]Nintendo, and looking for apartments in Kyoto 0:01:15.400,0:01:16.400 by the end of the week. 0:01:16.400,0:01:19.380 Sound good? Then let’s get started. 0:01:19.380,0:01:24.100 Step One. Choose a main mechanic. 0:01:24.119,0:01:29.049 One of the biggest mistakes you can make in[br]Mario Maker 2, is to just fill your level 0:01:29.049,0:01:31.960 with every single object in the tool box. 0:01:31.960,0:01:37.850 You know, put a giant spike column here, throw[br]in a few bumpers there, mix in a couple see 0:01:37.850,0:01:41.990 saws, and finish off with a gauntlet of Banzai[br]bills. 0:01:41.990,0:01:46.840 These levels are often completely unfocused[br]and, critically, they don’t have enough 0:01:46.840,0:01:51.700 time to introduce each idea or explore it[br]to its full extent. 0:01:51.700,0:01:57.539 So instead, look through the toolbox and find[br]just one mechanic that you can use as your 0:01:57.539,0:02:00.289 central theme for the stage. 0:02:00.289,0:02:02.090 Perhaps it’s a note block. 0:02:02.090,0:02:03.170 Or a trampoline. 0:02:03.170,0:02:05.640 Or on/off switches. 0:02:05.640,0:02:06.890 Or the snake block. 0:02:06.890,0:02:11.009 This doesn’t mean that you can’t use any[br]other items in your level: it just gives us 0:02:11.009,0:02:13.940 a strong foundation to build on. 0:02:13.940,0:02:18.170 For this stage I’m making, I’m going to[br]check out these swinging claws. 0:02:18.170,0:02:19.700 They look like fun. 0:02:19.700,0:02:23.459 Step Two. Consider every evolution. 0:02:23.459,0:02:29.629 The next step is to think about how this one[br]mechanic could be made more interesting or difficult. 0:02:29.629,0:02:34.629 So the most basic way to present this swinging[br]claw is to have one in the middle of a large 0:02:34.629,0:02:40.220 gap: and then have Mario jump into the claw,[br]swing over, and jump out to the other side. 0:02:40.220,0:02:43.209 But perhaps we could have multiple[br]claws in the gap. 0:02:43.209,0:02:45.019 Maybe at different heights. 0:02:45.019,0:02:47.730 Perhaps put a platform to jump over in the[br]middle of them. 0:02:47.730,0:02:50.060 Or a floating enemy. And so on. 0:02:50.060,0:02:54.940 We’re trying to find ways of saying “okay,[br]so you know how to deal with this mechanic: 0:02:54.940,0:02:58.459 but how do you fare when I do this?” 0:02:58.459,0:03:02.409 Some twists will be boring, some will be way[br]too hard. 0:03:02.409,0:03:06.909 So make these different permutations in a[br]test bed yourself, and find out which ones 0:03:06.909,0:03:08.680 provide the best experience. 0:03:08.680,0:03:13.170 Step Three. Introduce the mechanic. 0:03:13.170,0:03:16.500 Okay, so let’s get building the actual level. 0:03:16.500,0:03:19.880 The first step should always be to introduce[br]the mechanic to the 0:03:19.880,0:03:22.660 player in a safe and controlled manner. 0:03:22.660,0:03:27.300 So while the stage will generally involve[br]swinging over perilous, insta-death, bottomless 0:03:27.310,0:03:31.739 pits - for the very first instance of these[br]claws, we’re going to give Mario the chance 0:03:31.739,0:03:34.840 to fall onto safe ground, and try again. 0:03:34.840,0:03:38.750 But it’s important to make sure that the[br]player can’t just cheat their way across. 0:03:38.750,0:03:44.090 They have to prove that they’ve used and[br]understood the mechanic before they can move on. 0:03:44.090,0:03:49.180 So I’m going raise the wall, and raise the[br]claw, to force Mario into the claw’s grip. 0:03:49.180,0:03:53.739 Step Four. Ramp up the challenge. 0:03:53.739,0:03:55.980 Remember those evolutions we explored earlier? 0:03:55.980,0:03:58.129 It’s now time to bring them in. 0:03:58.129,0:04:01.719 Or, at least, the four or five best ones. 0:04:01.719,0:04:06.060 So after mastering the mechanic in its most[br]basic form, the player will now have to 0:04:06.060,0:04:10.569 contend with all sorts of extra challenges,[br]twists, and complexities. 0:04:10.569,0:04:16.299 Ideally, the mechanics should ramp up in challenge[br]quite smoothly, with a gentle difficulty curve. 0:04:16.299,0:04:20.830 It’s not always possible to get a perfect[br]hierarchy of challenge in these things, but 0:04:20.830,0:04:25.930 something that definitely makes things harder[br]is when the obstacle extends beyond the camera. 0:04:25.930,0:04:30.000 This means the player can’t get a good look[br]at what’s to come and plan their movement: 0:04:30.000,0:04:34.030 and instead has to play reactively to whatever[br]dangers crop up. 0:04:34.030,0:04:36.500 Leave those for the end of this section. 0:04:36.500,0:04:39.820 Oh, and make sure you give the player time to rest. 0:04:39.820,0:04:45.060 Don’t just jump from one challenge to another,[br]but create moments of downtime. 0:04:45.060,0:04:50.110 This provides moments to take a rest, and[br]gives the level a modulated pace of tension 0:04:50.110,0:04:55.860 and release that is way more fun to play than[br]just constant non-stop action. 0:04:55.860,0:04:59.690 Step Five. Find combinatorial mechanics. 0:04:59.690,0:05:03.880 Okay, so now the level has a main mechanic[br]and it ramps up neatly. 0:05:03.880,0:05:07.069 Sweet. That’s the first half sorted. 0:05:07.069,0:05:09.539 Chuck down a checkpoint, and let’s move[br]on. 0:05:09.540,0:05:15.960 Now, the goal is to find other parts in the[br]toolbox that combine well with your primary mechanic. 0:05:16.000,0:05:20.340 With the swinging claw, I found that you can[br]put it on one of these tracks. 0:05:20.340,0:05:24.520 And from there, you can have the tracks fork[br]off into two lines - which is controlled by 0:05:24.520,0:05:26.169 an on/off switch. 0:05:26.169,0:05:30.440 You can also have the claw drop off the end[br]of a track, and then automatically latch onto 0:05:30.440,0:05:33.020 a track that runs below. 0:05:33.020,0:05:37.419 Swinging claws can also hold things other[br]than Mario, such as trampolines, enemies, 0:05:37.419,0:05:39.150 and exploding bombs. 0:05:39.150,0:05:43.330 Perhaps you could chuck a bomb into the claw[br]and have it blow through a wall, so Mario 0:05:43.330,0:05:44.920 can make progress. 0:05:44.920,0:05:48.440 What happens if a bullet bill fires into a[br]claw? 0:05:48.440,0:05:50.460 Hm, interesting. 0:05:50.460,0:05:54.020 This is all about experimentation and playing[br]around. 0:05:54.020,0:05:58.360 Just like how Jonathan Blow made levels for[br]Braid by playing around with the game’s 0:05:58.360,0:06:03.540 basic ruleset and hunting for interesting[br]consequences, you too are trying to find surprising 0:06:03.540,0:06:08.300 outcomes of combining Mario Maker’s parts. 0:06:08.300,0:06:13.830 Step Six. Create the second half. 0:06:13.830,0:06:17.979 So now the player has shown that they have[br]mastered the basic mechanic, we can use these 0:06:17.979,0:06:23.300 combinatorial set-ups to make the second half[br]of the stage even more interesting. 0:06:23.300,0:06:27.570 The process is largely the same: we want to[br]start by giving the player a chance to explore 0:06:27.570,0:06:29.819 this idea in a safe environment. 0:06:29.819,0:06:32.729 And then ramp up in complexity throughout[br]the stage. 0:06:32.729,0:06:36.080 So I’m gonna start with the claw on a simple[br]track. 0:06:36.080,0:06:38.009 But then have multiple tracks at different[br]heights. 0:06:38.009,0:06:40.699 And introduce ideas from there. 0:06:40.699,0:06:43.449 Sometimes an idea just won’t come together. 0:06:43.449,0:06:48.349 I had this mad plan to have it so a claw picked[br]up a bob-omb, and then you have to hit the 0:06:48.349,0:06:52.370 on/off switch at the right time to make the[br]claw fall down to the track below and carry 0:06:52.370,0:06:55.190 the bob-omb to a wall so it can blow a hole[br]through. 0:06:55.190,0:07:00.209 But with the timing, the camera, the way the[br]claw drops stuff when Mario is underneath 0:07:00.209,0:07:01.750 - it just didn’t quite work. 0:07:01.750,0:07:06.270 Don’t be afraid to kill your best ideas[br]if they’re being uncooperative. 0:07:06.270,0:07:08.260 Or change them substantially. 0:07:08.260,0:07:12.660 The end goal is often a good chance to make[br]one final test. 0:07:12.660,0:07:17.110 Most of the Mario Maker game styles have a[br]flagpole, or similar, which rewards the player 0:07:17.110,0:07:19.770 with more points if they touch the top. 0:07:19.770,0:07:25.220 So you can make a really difficult final platforming[br]puzzle to get to the top and reward your best 0:07:25.220,0:07:30.139 players: while those who can’t hit those[br]highs can just touch the bottom of the goal. 0:07:30.139,0:07:34.750 Another idea worth considering, is to go back[br]to the first half of the level and drop in 0:07:34.750,0:07:37.180 small clues and hints of what’s to come. 0:07:37.180,0:07:41.539 It makes the latter half feel more cohesive[br]to the level as a whole, and can also be used 0:07:41.539,0:07:43.470 to avoid surprises. 0:07:43.470,0:07:47.790 So in the first half, I introduce the on/off[br]block, which should help players know what 0:07:47.790,0:07:51.600 to do when they come across the same block[br]at the end of the level. 0:07:51.600,0:07:55.700 Step Seven. Add in enemies and items. 0:07:55.700,0:08:00.500 A Mario level is never just an endless gauntlet[br]of platforming mechanics. 0:08:00.509,0:08:05.069 There are also enemy encounters, which can[br]be used to ramp up complexity, or provide 0:08:05.069,0:08:06.690 a change of pace. 0:08:06.690,0:08:10.490 But, as with everything in game design: less is[br]more. 0:08:10.490,0:08:14.960 Sprinkle in a few enemies, rather than filling[br]the screen with bullet bills and goombas and 0:08:14.960,0:08:15.960 bob-ombs. 0:08:15.960,0:08:20.870 And don’t forget items, like coins and 1-up[br]mushrooms, which can be used to show players 0:08:20.870,0:08:22.040 the way to go. 0:08:22.040,0:08:26.740 Items are a good way to reward the most skilled,[br]or reckless players. 0:08:26.740,0:08:31.610 Make getting from the start to the finish[br]a relatively easy-going experience: but then 0:08:31.610,0:08:37.460 add in extra coins and pick-ups in areas that[br]require more skill to reach. 0:08:37.460,0:08:42.360 Step Eight. Playtest and bugfix 0:08:42.360,0:08:47.180 Don’t wait until your level is available[br]to the world online, to get your stage in 0:08:47.180,0:08:48.440 front of people. 0:08:48.440,0:08:53.020 You know your level inside and out: you’ve[br]been working on it for hours, after all, and 0:08:53.020,0:08:55.480 you know every single pixel, like the back[br]of your hand. 0:08:55.480,0:09:01.420 But someone who plays the stage for the very[br]first time could easily be confused, lost, 0:09:01.420,0:09:04.080 or find the stage way too demanding. 0:09:04.080,0:09:09.510 So get your friends, your mum, your brother,[br]and their friends to try your stage first. 0:09:09.510,0:09:14.060 Watch what they do, ask them for their feedback,[br]and make changes to your stage. 0:09:14.060,0:09:18.960 You can also playtest your own level by purposefully[br]trying to break the game. 0:09:18.960,0:09:23.690 If you can bypass a lot of your challenges[br]and ignore all of your hard-work, then you 0:09:23.690,0:09:26.680 might need to add in some extra parts to block[br]access. 0:09:26.680,0:09:30.230 Here are three things you always need to check: 0:09:30.230,0:09:35.220 First: Make sure that Mario can’t simply[br]sail over your obstacles entirely, with his 0:09:35.220,0:09:37.390 utterly massive jump. 0:09:37.390,0:09:41.980 You might need to stretch out gaps and add[br]in blocks and slopes to stop this from happening. 0:09:41.980,0:09:47.750 Second: While you, as a Mario expert, probably[br]always run at full speed through your levels 0:09:47.750,0:09:50.460 - many newbie players won’t. 0:09:50.460,0:09:54.960 So make sure your stage can be completed at[br]Mario’s normal speed, by forcing yourself 0:09:54.960,0:09:58.800 to play through your stage without touching[br]the run button at all. 0:09:58.800,0:10:02.740 Third: What happens if you don’t get something[br]right first time? 0:10:02.740,0:10:07.340 Imagine a jump like this, where you bounce[br]on a Koopa to clear a gap. 0:10:07.340,0:10:12.550 That’s cool if you make the gap, but what[br]if you don’t and end up killing the Koopa? 0:10:12.550,0:10:15.020 The level is now impossible to finish. 0:10:15.020,0:10:17.280 That’s just bad design. 0:10:17.280,0:10:22.160 There are some easy ways to fix this, though,[br]such as having enemies, p-blocks, trampolines, 0:10:22.160,0:10:25.220 and so on, infinitely pop out of pipes. 0:10:25.220,0:10:31.060 Or just using indestructible stage elements[br]like, in this case, a note block. 0:10:31.060,0:10:34.300 Step Nine. Do your research 0:10:34.300,0:10:39.360 Now you’re in a level-making mood, this[br]is the perfect time to boot up your favourite 0:10:39.370,0:10:41.810 Mario games and play through some stages. 0:10:41.810,0:10:46.590 You’ll no longer just be a passive player:[br]but you’ll be actively looking for level-making 0:10:46.590,0:10:48.180 tips and strategies. 0:10:48.180,0:10:53.810 So look at how Nintendo introduces, evolves,[br]and twists its ideas across each level. 0:10:53.810,0:10:56.430 Consider the placement of enemies and items. 0:10:56.430,0:10:59.890 Look at how it paces each stage with moments[br]of action, and moments of rest. 0:10:59.890,0:11:02.330 There’s no need to stop at Mario, mind you. 0:11:02.330,0:11:05.800 As I’ve shown on Game Maker’s Toolkit,[br]there’s plenty to learn from games like 0:11:05.800,0:11:10.730 Mega Man and Rayman, and games I’ve yet[br]to cover like Celeste and Shovel Knight. 0:11:10.730,0:11:15.670 Mario will be the most useful because Mario[br]Maker, obviously, has the same mechanics and 0:11:15.670,0:11:20.920 player physics, but good level design is good[br]level design, and is almost always universally 0:11:20.920,0:11:22.440 applicable. 0:11:22.440,0:11:27.150 So replay these games with a more analytical[br]eye, and see if theres anything you can learn 0:11:27.150,0:11:30.280 to make your own course even better. 0:11:30.280,0:11:34.240 Step Ten. Start again 0:11:34.240,0:11:39.370 Okay, so now you’ve made your first stage[br]you’re ready to try new things. 0:11:39.370,0:11:44.260 You could repeat this tutorial with a different[br]mechanic, or flex your creative muscles and 0:11:44.260,0:11:46.370 see what else you can produce. 0:11:46.370,0:11:50.520 Perhaps you want to be more like Donkey Kong[br]Country: Tropical Freeze, and explore multiple 0:11:50.520,0:11:52.810 mechanics throughout your stage. 0:11:52.810,0:11:56.680 Perhaps you want to try the weirdo twists[br]you get when you enter night mode, toy with 0:11:56.680,0:12:01.370 the water levels in the forest and castle[br]theme, or change the clear condition. 0:12:01.370,0:12:06.640 Or maybe you want to build a level around[br]a thematic concept, or a Mario skill, rather 0:12:06.640,0:12:08.540 than strictly around a mechanic. 0:12:08.540,0:12:13.330 It’s all up to you, now - but hopefully[br]these basic tips will prove useful no matter 0:12:13.330,0:12:15.020 what you make. 0:12:15.020,0:12:20.100 Introducing mechanics, proper pacing, adding[br]surprising twists, and rewarding skill - these 0:12:20.100,0:12:23.260 are all things that every good level design[br]will include. 0:12:23.260,0:12:28.320 So, make some cool stuff and leave your level[br]codes in the comments below. 0:12:28.320,0:12:34.990 I’ll play as many stages as I can next week[br]- on July 10th at 7PM BST, on a livestream 0:12:34.990,0:12:36.740 here on YouTube. 0:12:36.740,0:12:40.960 You guys and gals can help me out by playing[br]levels in the comments and giving a thumbs 0:12:40.960,0:12:42.820 up to the ones you like best. 0:12:42.820,0:12:44.550 Thanks for watching and happy building!