   side scrolling level ideas.
  hey guys..first of all... i completely forgot that i was even a member here.. suprised that my account is still activated, lol, but thanks, because  then i dont have to go though signing up :D*ahem* hello again~anyway..me and a friend want to make a side scrolling shooter (or RPG, we still havent decided, lol :P) for a software project.we havent started yet, still thinking about ideas blah blah blah, but thats not important yet..im gonna be the coder, and i feel fairly confident in my abilites to make games (however, i never seem to finish my projects, so ive got nothing to show my skill ;_; )and she's gonna be the artist/level designer. (shes not that good at coding anything)their might be a third member, for testing/management/sounds, thats irreleventi was thinking about the levels. as far as i can see, most other side scrollers use tile based maps, and i suppose it would be alright (although i havent found a good editor yet :/, and i dont like mappy) i was thinking that it limits the creativity to an extent..i was wondering if theres any other good methods of level creation for side scrollers? i was also thinking that i could write up a quick little app that exports different sprites and the co-ords/rotation of them into a file, along with bounding box info, etc.( i actually got the idea from: >this video )(also, that i pretty much only just thought about that.. still thinking of other random bits and pieces about it)so should i try to write up my own level file? or should i just stick with the tile based ones in mappy, etc..tbh - i would feel more comfortable with my own level file, but i fear that i might be going in the opposite direction and/or wasting time   
Quote:Original post by Fir3flyme and a friend want to make a side scrolling shooter (or RPG, we still havent decided, lol :P) ... we havent started yet, still thinking about ideas ... not important yet.. ...i was wondering if theres any other good methods of level creation for side scrollers? ... i would feel more comfortable with my own level file, but i fear that i might be going in the opposite direction and/or wasting timeUntil you decide what your game is, these questions are irrelevant.  It's like asking how you should arrange the furniture in the living room of the house you're planning to build when all you have is a blank blueprint.   ;Quote:Original post by _fastcallUntil you decide what your game is, this question is irrelevant.so you're saying the type of level that the game uses is based on whether its a shooter or a RPG type of game?...;Quote:Original post by Fir3flyso you're saying the type of level that the game uses is based on whether its a shooter or a RPG type of game?No, because there are RPG games that use tile-based levels (old school RPGs), and there are also RPG games that use non-tile-based levels (such as modern 3D RPGs).  More broadly, the type of level the game uses is the type of level the game requires.  Until you know what your game requires, the type of level the game will require is unknown.In other words, you should spend more energy figuring out what your game is going to be about; the details of the levels and etc are a side-effect of this process.   ;Quote:Original post by _fastcall... there are RPG games that use tile-based levels (old school RPGs), and there are also RPG games that use non-tile-based levels (such as modern 3D RPGs).Quote:Original post by Fir3fly... a side scrolling shooter (or RPG ...the game is going to be a side scroller.. hence it requires a level.EDIT: i suppose it is my fault, i should of cleared up a little bit   ;  You may need to write your game design/requirements/feature lists down with enough details. and design your level file format which fit your requirements.if your game just need tilemaps.you can use any exist editors. but if you need something more than tilemaps. you need to write your own level editor to edit you own level file format. It is not that hard if you use C# or some rad tools to make it.   ;Quote:Original post by Yuki001if your game just need tilemaps.you can use any exist editors. but if you need something more than tilemaps. you need to write your own level editor to edit you own level file format. It is not that hard if you use C# or some rad tools to make it.rightio.this is the kind of answer i wanted :Pi dont know C#, but im guessing it would be easy enough to make a level editor...but im not too sure if the benefits of a nicer world/etc is worth the time..the thing is, the game is going to be very simple (maybe some doors/switches, but thats about it)would it too intensive(in terms of making it, and on hardware) to make a level that is basically one large image (but split into sections/culled/etc)?hmm, (thinking more about this idea) would it be a good idea to have:-general map info-background image-sprites (doors, clouds, trees)-doodad info (where the sprites are, and rotation, etc)-bounding boxes (where the ground, walls, and roofs are)-middle layer-top layercompiled into a level file? then just read it/otimize it/etc etc as(sorry about all the noobish questions, i havent made my own level file yet, so im just trying to suss it out with the help from you guys)would that be the right way to go?   ;  If this is your first 'proper' game (ie. ignoring smaller stuff like tetris) then you're probably best starting with something tile-based. It's a good, dependable choice with lots of existing information and tools available on the internet for it. Plus you'll learn a whole lot about the advantages and disadvantages of a tile approach. Writing your own level editor isn't hard, but it's not easy either, and it'll suck up a whole lot of time that you could be spending writing your game.Plus, if you actually get something playable and decide that your world looks too blocky due to using tiles then you can always go back and add a non-tile layer alongside it (either free positioned sprites to break up the 'grid' look, or adding non-tile objects and surfaces to interact with).   ;  awesomethanks for the advice guys.. ill stick it out with the tiles..   