2D Mega Man Level 1 V.2 Feedback

 What went right?

• I added some additional platforming which made the level longer, a bit more difficult, and more fun. 

• The highest amount of difficulty was placed at the end so that the level was still easy overall, but gradually became more challenging.

• I wanted platforming to be the star of the show (or level, rather), and so making it really strong was the most important part of the design process.

• Like the last version, the worldbuilding/environmental storytelling was really appreciated. 

• The environment should complement and be integrated into the platforming, and it seems like my level was successful in this. 

• Using the given assets and game mechanics and turning them into a themed level was a fun challenge. It made me consider assets in a way I may not have before.

What went wrong?

• Too many enemies. 

• This is an introductory level and shouldn’t be too difficult. My level went from not quite having enough challenge enemy-wise to too much. 

• I would rather the challenge of the level come from platforming than enemies, since I personally find that more fun and that’s my style of level designing. 

• If the platforming is good, myriads of enemies aren’t really necessary. The enemies should also complement the platforming rather than turn the screen into a bullet-hell. 

• Some areas are still difficult to access or see. 

• Playtesters often failed to notice secondary pathways. The use of paths that split or jut off is important to the design of my level, so it’s a big problem if play-testers can’t find them. 

• Some areas are supposed to be hard to access, but they reveal great rewards. There’s a purpose to camouflage in that case. A regular pathway, though, should be obvious.

• Little tricks by the enemies (Such as an enemy being on the ground where you land) were a hit or a miss. 

• Sometimes they added an additional fun challenge, but usually they were just frustrating. 

• Anything in the level that is random and not based in skill is bound to irritate the player. The level needs to be fair and achievable to be fun.

Improvements

• To add some more platforming challenge and environmental storytelling, add a bit more quicksand to the level. 

• My fellow level designers utilized quicksand quite a bit in their levels and I really enjoyed it as a game mechanic. I barely used any, so adding some more might be fun. 

• Other environmental traps would be good to add too, but quicksand fits the aesthetic the best. 

• Even more platforming!

• Especially after playing some other version 2 designs, I have some more ideas for great platforming design. This is the highlight of the level and there is room for more.

• One of the games I play-tested utilized breakable blocks that Mega Man needed to shoot to access the next area. I think this is a great idea that both adds some challenge and fits into the environment, and would love to add it myself.

• Removing any cheap tricks that aren’t really dependent on skill, but rather random chance, would improve the level. 

• It can definitely be hard to tell which enemies fall into this category when playing your own level, since you know what’s coming up. Play-testers really helped me see which enemies were fair or unfair.

• Players get frustrated or bored when the game feels like it’s out of their control. Placing enemies unfairly to purposely “trick” the player removes that sense of control, and thus the overall playability of the game.

• Add arrows, ladders, or other visual cues to make secondary pathways obvious.

• Even if the second path isn’t immediately obvious on the screen, new visual cues will direct players in that direction.

• Ladders or a dilapidated sign post would fit best narratively.