1 00:00:02,530 --> 00:00:07,000 Super Mario Maker 2 came out just a few days ago. 2 00:00:07,000 --> 00:00:11,650 This game lets you try your hand at level design, by giving you the tools to make your 3 00:00:11,650 --> 00:00:13,920 own Mario stages. 4 00:00:13,920 --> 00:00:19,130 And then you can upload your courses to the web, and see what randos online think of your 5 00:00:19,130 --> 00:00:20,260 design skills. 6 00:00:20,260 --> 00:00:25,580 The game gives you all the tools you need to make auto-scrolling levels, boss battles, 7 00:00:25,580 --> 00:00:27,980 crazy puzzles, silly jokes, and more. 8 00:00:27,980 --> 00:00:33,090 But when you first open “make mode”, you’re almost certainly going to be asking yourself 9 00:00:33,090 --> 00:00:36,900 the question: “uhh, where do I even begin?” 10 00:00:36,900 --> 00:00:42,100 So I thought I’d put together a tutorial that can help you get your first level made 11 00:00:42,109 --> 00:00:43,109 and published. 12 00:00:43,109 --> 00:00:48,660 And it should hopefully be a legitimately good, Mario-style level, and not just your 13 00:00:48,660 --> 00:00:53,980 name written in coins, a bunch of pipes that shower you with cash, or twenty eight goombas 14 00:00:53,980 --> 00:00:55,239 on a seesaw. 15 00:00:55,239 --> 00:01:00,170 And then, once you’ve cleared that hurdle and made your first stage, you’ll have a 16 00:01:00,170 --> 00:01:05,010 better understanding of what works and what doesn’t, you’ll know more tricks you can 17 00:01:05,010 --> 00:01:09,461 employ, you’ll have tried most of the game’s tools, and you’ll be well on your way to 18 00:01:09,461 --> 00:01:15,400 making an amazing stage, getting hired by Nintendo, and looking for apartments in Kyoto 19 00:01:15,400 --> 00:01:16,400 by the end of the week. 20 00:01:16,400 --> 00:01:19,380 Sound good? Then let’s get started. 21 00:01:19,380 --> 00:01:24,100 Step One. Choose a main mechanic. 22 00:01:24,119 --> 00:01:29,049 One of the biggest mistakes you can make in Mario Maker 2, is to just fill your level 23 00:01:29,049 --> 00:01:31,960 with every single object in the tool box. 24 00:01:31,960 --> 00:01:37,850 You know, put a giant spike column here, throw in a few bumpers there, mix in a couple see 25 00:01:37,850 --> 00:01:41,990 saws, and finish off with a gauntlet of Banzai bills. 26 00:01:41,990 --> 00:01:46,840 These levels are often completely unfocused and, critically, they don’t have enough 27 00:01:46,840 --> 00:01:51,700 time to introduce each idea or explore it to its full extent. 28 00:01:51,700 --> 00:01:57,539 So instead, look through the toolbox and find just one mechanic that you can use as your 29 00:01:57,539 --> 00:02:00,289 central theme for the stage. 30 00:02:00,289 --> 00:02:02,090 Perhaps it’s a note block. 31 00:02:02,090 --> 00:02:03,170 Or a trampoline. 32 00:02:03,170 --> 00:02:05,640 Or on/off switches. 33 00:02:05,640 --> 00:02:06,890 Or the snake block. 34 00:02:06,890 --> 00:02:11,009 This doesn’t mean that you can’t use any other items in your level: it just gives us 35 00:02:11,009 --> 00:02:13,940 a strong foundation to build on. 36 00:02:13,940 --> 00:02:18,170 For this stage I’m making, I’m going to check out these swinging claws. 37 00:02:18,170 --> 00:02:19,700 They look like fun. 38 00:02:19,700 --> 00:02:23,459 Step Two. Consider every evolution. 39 00:02:23,459 --> 00:02:29,629 The next step is to think about how this one mechanic could be made more interesting or difficult. 40 00:02:29,629 --> 00:02:34,629 So the most basic way to present this swinging claw is to have one in the middle of a large 41 00:02:34,629 --> 00:02:40,220 gap: and then have Mario jump into the claw, swing over, and jump out to the other side. 42 00:02:40,220 --> 00:02:43,209 But perhaps we could have multiple claws in the gap. 43 00:02:43,209 --> 00:02:45,019 Maybe at different heights. 44 00:02:45,019 --> 00:02:47,730 Perhaps put a platform to jump over in the middle of them. 45 00:02:47,730 --> 00:02:50,060 Or a floating enemy. And so on. 46 00:02:50,060 --> 00:02:54,940 We’re trying to find ways of saying “okay, so you know how to deal with this mechanic: 47 00:02:54,940 --> 00:02:58,459 but how do you fare when I do this?” 48 00:02:58,459 --> 00:03:02,409 Some twists will be boring, some will be way too hard. 49 00:03:02,409 --> 00:03:06,909 So make these different permutations in a test bed yourself, and find out which ones 50 00:03:06,909 --> 00:03:08,680 provide the best experience. 51 00:03:08,680 --> 00:03:13,170 Step Three. Introduce the mechanic. 52 00:03:13,170 --> 00:03:16,500 Okay, so let’s get building the actual level. 53 00:03:16,500 --> 00:03:19,880 The first step should always be to introduce the mechanic to the 54 00:03:19,880 --> 00:03:22,660 player in a safe and controlled manner. 55 00:03:22,660 --> 00:03:27,300 So while the stage will generally involve swinging over perilous, insta-death, bottomless 56 00:03:27,310 --> 00:03:31,739 pits - for the very first instance of these claws, we’re going to give Mario the chance 57 00:03:31,739 --> 00:03:34,840 to fall onto safe ground, and try again. 58 00:03:34,840 --> 00:03:38,750 But it’s important to make sure that the player can’t just cheat their way across. 59 00:03:38,750 --> 00:03:44,090 They have to prove that they’ve used and understood the mechanic before they can move on. 60 00:03:44,090 --> 00:03:49,180 So I’m going raise the wall, and raise the claw, to force Mario into the claw’s grip. 61 00:03:49,180 --> 00:03:53,739 Step Four. Ramp up the challenge. 62 00:03:53,739 --> 00:03:55,980 Remember those evolutions we explored earlier? 63 00:03:55,980 --> 00:03:58,129 It’s now time to bring them in. 64 00:03:58,129 --> 00:04:01,719 Or, at least, the four or five best ones. 65 00:04:01,719 --> 00:04:06,060 So after mastering the mechanic in its most basic form, the player will now have to 66 00:04:06,060 --> 00:04:10,569 contend with all sorts of extra challenges, twists, and complexities. 67 00:04:10,569 --> 00:04:16,299 Ideally, the mechanics should ramp up in challenge quite smoothly, with a gentle difficulty curve. 68 00:04:16,299 --> 00:04:20,830 It’s not always possible to get a perfect hierarchy of challenge in these things, but 69 00:04:20,830 --> 00:04:25,930 something that definitely makes things harder is when the obstacle extends beyond the camera. 70 00:04:25,930 --> 00:04:30,000 This means the player can’t get a good look at what’s to come and plan their movement: 71 00:04:30,000 --> 00:04:34,030 and instead has to play reactively to whatever dangers crop up. 72 00:04:34,030 --> 00:04:36,500 Leave those for the end of this section. 73 00:04:36,500 --> 00:04:39,820 Oh, and make sure you give the player time to rest. 74 00:04:39,820 --> 00:04:45,060 Don’t just jump from one challenge to another, but create moments of downtime. 75 00:04:45,060 --> 00:04:50,110 This provides moments to take a rest, and gives the level a modulated pace of tension 76 00:04:50,110 --> 00:04:55,860 and release that is way more fun to play than just constant non-stop action. 77 00:04:55,860 --> 00:04:59,690 Step Five. Find combinatorial mechanics. 78 00:04:59,690 --> 00:05:03,880 Okay, so now the level has a main mechanic and it ramps up neatly. 79 00:05:03,880 --> 00:05:07,069 Sweet. That’s the first half sorted. 80 00:05:07,069 --> 00:05:09,539 Chuck down a checkpoint, and let’s move on. 81 00:05:09,540 --> 00:05:15,960 Now, the goal is to find other parts in the toolbox that combine well with your primary mechanic. 82 00:05:16,000 --> 00:05:20,340 With the swinging claw, I found that you can put it on one of these tracks. 83 00:05:20,340 --> 00:05:24,520 And from there, you can have the tracks fork off into two lines - which is controlled by 84 00:05:24,520 --> 00:05:26,169 an on/off switch. 85 00:05:26,169 --> 00:05:30,440 You can also have the claw drop off the end of a track, and then automatically latch onto 86 00:05:30,440 --> 00:05:33,020 a track that runs below. 87 00:05:33,020 --> 00:05:37,419 Swinging claws can also hold things other than Mario, such as trampolines, enemies, 88 00:05:37,419 --> 00:05:39,150 and exploding bombs. 89 00:05:39,150 --> 00:05:43,330 Perhaps you could chuck a bomb into the claw and have it blow through a wall, so Mario 90 00:05:43,330 --> 00:05:44,920 can make progress. 91 00:05:44,920 --> 00:05:48,440 What happens if a bullet bill fires into a claw? 92 00:05:48,440 --> 00:05:50,460 Hm, interesting. 93 00:05:50,460 --> 00:05:54,020 This is all about experimentation and playing around. 94 00:05:54,020 --> 00:05:58,360 Just like how Jonathan Blow made levels for Braid by playing around with the game’s 95 00:05:58,360 --> 00:06:03,540 basic ruleset and hunting for interesting consequences, you too are trying to find surprising 96 00:06:03,540 --> 00:06:08,300 outcomes of combining Mario Maker’s parts. 97 00:06:08,300 --> 00:06:13,830 Step Six. Create the second half. 98 00:06:13,830 --> 00:06:17,979 So now the player has shown that they have mastered the basic mechanic, we can use these 99 00:06:17,979 --> 00:06:23,300 combinatorial set-ups to make the second half of the stage even more interesting. 100 00:06:23,300 --> 00:06:27,570 The process is largely the same: we want to start by giving the player a chance to explore 101 00:06:27,570 --> 00:06:29,819 this idea in a safe environment. 102 00:06:29,819 --> 00:06:32,729 And then ramp up in complexity throughout the stage. 103 00:06:32,729 --> 00:06:36,080 So I’m gonna start with the claw on a simple track. 104 00:06:36,080 --> 00:06:38,009 But then have multiple tracks at different heights. 105 00:06:38,009 --> 00:06:40,699 And introduce ideas from there. 106 00:06:40,699 --> 00:06:43,449 Sometimes an idea just won’t come together. 107 00:06:43,449 --> 00:06:48,349 I had this mad plan to have it so a claw picked up a bob-omb, and then you have to hit the 108 00:06:48,349 --> 00:06:52,370 on/off switch at the right time to make the claw fall down to the track below and carry 109 00:06:52,370 --> 00:06:55,190 the bob-omb to a wall so it can blow a hole through. 110 00:06:55,190 --> 00:07:00,209 But with the timing, the camera, the way the claw drops stuff when Mario is underneath 111 00:07:00,209 --> 00:07:01,750 - it just didn’t quite work. 112 00:07:01,750 --> 00:07:06,270 Don’t be afraid to kill your best ideas if they’re being uncooperative. 113 00:07:06,270 --> 00:07:08,260 Or change them substantially. 114 00:07:08,260 --> 00:07:12,660 The end goal is often a good chance to make one final test. 115 00:07:12,660 --> 00:07:17,110 Most of the Mario Maker game styles have a flagpole, or similar, which rewards the player 116 00:07:17,110 --> 00:07:19,770 with more points if they touch the top. 117 00:07:19,770 --> 00:07:25,220 So you can make a really difficult final platforming puzzle to get to the top and reward your best 118 00:07:25,220 --> 00:07:30,139 players: while those who can’t hit those highs can just touch the bottom of the goal. 119 00:07:30,139 --> 00:07:34,750 Another idea worth considering, is to go back to the first half of the level and drop in 120 00:07:34,750 --> 00:07:37,180 small clues and hints of what’s to come. 121 00:07:37,180 --> 00:07:41,539 It makes the latter half feel more cohesive to the level as a whole, and can also be used 122 00:07:41,539 --> 00:07:43,470 to avoid surprises. 123 00:07:43,470 --> 00:07:47,790 So in the first half, I introduce the on/off block, which should help players know what 124 00:07:47,790 --> 00:07:51,600 to do when they come across the same block at the end of the level. 125 00:07:51,600 --> 00:07:55,700 Step Seven. Add in enemies and items. 126 00:07:55,700 --> 00:08:00,500 A Mario level is never just an endless gauntlet of platforming mechanics. 127 00:08:00,509 --> 00:08:05,069 There are also enemy encounters, which can be used to ramp up complexity, or provide 128 00:08:05,069 --> 00:08:06,690 a change of pace. 129 00:08:06,690 --> 00:08:10,490 But, as with everything in game design: less is more. 130 00:08:10,490 --> 00:08:14,960 Sprinkle in a few enemies, rather than filling the screen with bullet bills and goombas and 131 00:08:14,960 --> 00:08:15,960 bob-ombs. 132 00:08:15,960 --> 00:08:20,870 And don’t forget items, like coins and 1-up mushrooms, which can be used to show players 133 00:08:20,870 --> 00:08:22,040 the way to go. 134 00:08:22,040 --> 00:08:26,740 Items are a good way to reward the most skilled, or reckless players. 135 00:08:26,740 --> 00:08:31,610 Make getting from the start to the finish a relatively easy-going experience: but then 136 00:08:31,610 --> 00:08:37,460 add in extra coins and pick-ups in areas that require more skill to reach. 137 00:08:37,460 --> 00:08:42,360 Step Eight. Playtest and bugfix 138 00:08:42,360 --> 00:08:47,180 Don’t wait until your level is available to the world online, to get your stage in 139 00:08:47,180 --> 00:08:48,440 front of people. 140 00:08:48,440 --> 00:08:53,020 You know your level inside and out: you’ve been working on it for hours, after all, and 141 00:08:53,020 --> 00:08:55,480 you know every single pixel, like the back of your hand. 142 00:08:55,480 --> 00:09:01,420 But someone who plays the stage for the very first time could easily be confused, lost, 143 00:09:01,420 --> 00:09:04,080 or find the stage way too demanding. 144 00:09:04,080 --> 00:09:09,510 So get your friends, your mum, your brother, and their friends to try your stage first. 145 00:09:09,510 --> 00:09:14,060 Watch what they do, ask them for their feedback, and make changes to your stage. 146 00:09:14,060 --> 00:09:18,960 You can also playtest your own level by purposefully trying to break the game. 147 00:09:18,960 --> 00:09:23,690 If you can bypass a lot of your challenges and ignore all of your hard-work, then you 148 00:09:23,690 --> 00:09:26,680 might need to add in some extra parts to block access. 149 00:09:26,680 --> 00:09:30,230 Here are three things you always need to check: 150 00:09:30,230 --> 00:09:35,220 First: Make sure that Mario can’t simply sail over your obstacles entirely, with his 151 00:09:35,220 --> 00:09:37,390 utterly massive jump. 152 00:09:37,390 --> 00:09:41,980 You might need to stretch out gaps and add in blocks and slopes to stop this from happening. 153 00:09:41,980 --> 00:09:47,750 Second: While you, as a Mario expert, probably always run at full speed through your levels 154 00:09:47,750 --> 00:09:50,460 - many newbie players won’t. 155 00:09:50,460 --> 00:09:54,960 So make sure your stage can be completed at Mario’s normal speed, by forcing yourself 156 00:09:54,960 --> 00:09:58,800 to play through your stage without touching the run button at all. 157 00:09:58,800 --> 00:10:02,740 Third: What happens if you don’t get something right first time? 158 00:10:02,740 --> 00:10:07,340 Imagine a jump like this, where you bounce on a Koopa to clear a gap. 159 00:10:07,340 --> 00:10:12,550 That’s cool if you make the gap, but what if you don’t and end up killing the Koopa? 160 00:10:12,550 --> 00:10:15,020 The level is now impossible to finish. 161 00:10:15,020 --> 00:10:17,280 That’s just bad design. 162 00:10:17,280 --> 00:10:22,160 There are some easy ways to fix this, though, such as having enemies, p-blocks, trampolines, 163 00:10:22,160 --> 00:10:25,220 and so on, infinitely pop out of pipes. 164 00:10:25,220 --> 00:10:31,060 Or just using indestructible stage elements like, in this case, a note block. 165 00:10:31,060 --> 00:10:34,300 Step Nine. Do your research 166 00:10:34,300 --> 00:10:39,360 Now you’re in a level-making mood, this is the perfect time to boot up your favourite 167 00:10:39,370 --> 00:10:41,810 Mario games and play through some stages. 168 00:10:41,810 --> 00:10:46,590 You’ll no longer just be a passive player: but you’ll be actively looking for level-making 169 00:10:46,590 --> 00:10:48,180 tips and strategies. 170 00:10:48,180 --> 00:10:53,810 So look at how Nintendo introduces, evolves, and twists its ideas across each level. 171 00:10:53,810 --> 00:10:56,430 Consider the placement of enemies and items. 172 00:10:56,430 --> 00:10:59,890 Look at how it paces each stage with moments of action, and moments of rest. 173 00:10:59,890 --> 00:11:02,330 There’s no need to stop at Mario, mind you. 174 00:11:02,330 --> 00:11:05,800 As I’ve shown on Game Maker’s Toolkit, there’s plenty to learn from games like 175 00:11:05,800 --> 00:11:10,730 Mega Man and Rayman, and games I’ve yet to cover like Celeste and Shovel Knight. 176 00:11:10,730 --> 00:11:15,670 Mario will be the most useful because Mario Maker, obviously, has the same mechanics and 177 00:11:15,670 --> 00:11:20,920 player physics, but good level design is good level design, and is almost always universally 178 00:11:20,920 --> 00:11:22,440 applicable. 179 00:11:22,440 --> 00:11:27,150 So replay these games with a more analytical eye, and see if theres anything you can learn 180 00:11:27,150 --> 00:11:30,280 to make your own course even better. 181 00:11:30,280 --> 00:11:34,240 Step Ten. Start again 182 00:11:34,240 --> 00:11:39,370 Okay, so now you’ve made your first stage you’re ready to try new things. 183 00:11:39,370 --> 00:11:44,260 You could repeat this tutorial with a different mechanic, or flex your creative muscles and 184 00:11:44,260 --> 00:11:46,370 see what else you can produce. 185 00:11:46,370 --> 00:11:50,520 Perhaps you want to be more like Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, and explore multiple 186 00:11:50,520 --> 00:11:52,810 mechanics throughout your stage. 187 00:11:52,810 --> 00:11:56,680 Perhaps you want to try the weirdo twists you get when you enter night mode, toy with 188 00:11:56,680 --> 00:12:01,370 the water levels in the forest and castle theme, or change the clear condition. 189 00:12:01,370 --> 00:12:06,640 Or maybe you want to build a level around a thematic concept, or a Mario skill, rather 190 00:12:06,640 --> 00:12:08,540 than strictly around a mechanic. 191 00:12:08,540 --> 00:12:13,330 It’s all up to you, now - but hopefully these basic tips will prove useful no matter 192 00:12:13,330 --> 00:12:15,020 what you make. 193 00:12:15,020 --> 00:12:20,100 Introducing mechanics, proper pacing, adding surprising twists, and rewarding skill - these 194 00:12:20,100 --> 00:12:23,260 are all things that every good level design will include. 195 00:12:23,260 --> 00:12:28,320 So, make some cool stuff and leave your level codes in the comments below. 196 00:12:28,320 --> 00:12:34,990 I’ll play as many stages as I can next week - on July 10th at 7PM BST, on a livestream 197 00:12:34,990 --> 00:12:36,740 here on YouTube. 198 00:12:36,740 --> 00:12:40,960 You guys and gals can help me out by playing levels in the comments and giving a thumbs 199 00:12:40,960 --> 00:12:42,820 up to the ones you like best. 200 00:12:42,820 --> 00:12:44,550 Thanks for watching and happy building!