• Hey Guest! Ever feel like entering a Game Jam, but the time limit is always too much pressure? We get it... You lead a hectic life and dedicating 3 whole days to make a game just doesn't work for you! So, why not enter the GMC SLOW JAM? Take your time! Kick back and make your game over 4 months! Interested? Then just click here!

Idea when you can't think of something good

jazzzar

jazzzar

Member
OKAY, so i'm working on that puzzle game, on the level 35 out of total 40... Woke up today, turned on the laptop, tried to make a level, NOTHING comes to my head, i dunno how to make another one level, i have no more ideas at all, what can i do, 5 levels to go and i just can't think of anything more, what do you do in this cases, HELP!
 
S

Shihaisha

Guest
Release it with 35 levels. If your game becomes popular you always can add more levels later. If your gameplay isn't good enough, it won't matter even if you release it with 40 or 400 levels.
 
jazzzar

jazzzar

Member
Shihaisha said:
Release it with 35 levels. If your game becomes popular you always can add more levels later. If your gameplay isn't good enough, it won't matter even if you release it with 40 or 400 levels.
Click to expand...
Well, everyone who played it until now said that it is GREAT, and i want to release it with 40 levels just not to make it so short :(
 
Khao

Khao

Member
35 levels isn't really that different from 40. It's better to release 35 good, well designed levels than force yourself through creating something you're clearly not comfortable with, it'll be a real shame if there's a sudden drop in quality, especially if you're making the levels in order and these 5 levels would be the final ones.

Though if nothing else, if you really are desperate for advice, try creating one single big final puzzle that incorporates every single trick used throughout the whole game. Something extra hard that ultimately only makes sense because you already played the rest of the game. Essentially, a "final boss" puzzle, though still presented in the same way as the previous ones. Though something ilike that may or may not be possible depending on your mechanics.
 
The M

The M

Member
If you're not in a hurry, take a break. Do something entirely different, take a walk. You can't really force ideas and sometimes you need to get away from the problem in order to solve it. For five levels, perhaps you could add a new twist to get a theme to build around?
 
jazzzar

jazzzar

Member
Khao said:
35 levels isn't really that different from 40. It's better to release 35 good, well designed levels than force yourself through creating something you're clearly not comfortable with, it'll be a real shame if there's a sudden drop in quality, especially if you're making the levels in order and these 5 levels would be the final ones.

Though if nothing else, if you really are desperate for advice, try creating one single big final puzzle that incorporates every single trick used throughout the whole game. Something extra hard that ultimately only makes sense because you already played the rest of the game. Essentially, a "final boss" puzzle, though still presented in the same way as the previous ones. Though something ilike that may or may not be possible depending on your mechanics.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the advice,the final thing you said makes sense, appreciate your time
 
jazzzar

jazzzar

Member
The M said:
If you're not in a hurry, take a break. Do something entirely different, take a walk. You can't really force ideas and sometimes you need to get away from the problem in order to solve it. For five levels, perhaps you could add a new twist to get a theme to build around?
Click to expand...
Adding a twist is what i think of doing, today was a break day, i didn't touch gamemaker, but thought of a new twist for a long time and couldn't find anything that WORKS with my type of game
 
Z

zircher

Guest
Pesky AI player that jumps in if you wait too long and then starts moving things? ... gremlins, gotta hate'em.
 
D

Drewster

Guest
An extra 5 levels is a great reason to update to a later version?
Or maybe a level pack that someone can buy with IAP later?
Release early and often. :)

All your posts have made it sound interesting. PM me with a store link when you've released. :)
 
jazzzar

jazzzar

Member
Drewster said:
An extra 5 levels is a great reason to update to a later version?
Or maybe a level pack that someone can buy with IAP later?
Release early and often. :)

All your posts have made it sound interesting. PM me with a store link when you've released. :)
Click to expand...
Hey, you're everywhere man, thanks for your interest, i ended up adding a new twist which opened lots of doors for more levels, so i'm good, you can check the gameplay trailer here :
Have a nice sunday :)
 
D

Drewster

Guest
jazzzar said:
Hey, you're everywhere man, thanks for your interest, i ended up adding a new twist which opened lots of doors for more levels, so i'm good, you can check the gameplay trailer here :
Have a nice sunday :)
Click to expand...
Ahh!! looks good jazzzar!! :) Nice music too. Is it on the store yet? -- yes I know I could have just checked, but I was already typing here lol.
 
Genetix

Genetix

Member
My best advice (based on my exact same problems of hitting a mental roadblock) is to step away from the project for 24 hours. Go watch a movie, play some games, go outdoors... Don't even think about the game for awhile - UNTIL - all you can do is think about it, all of a sudden a great new idea hits you and you'll have renewed inspiration and concepts to flesh out. 1 day away, and make sure to come back to it. Once you replay the game after a bit of a break, you will also see it more from the eyes of a new player, rather then a developer.
 
jazzzar

jazzzar

Member
Genetix said:
My best advice (based on my exact same problems of hitting a mental roadblock) is to step away from the project for 24 hours. Go watch a movie, play some games, go outdoors... Don't even think about the game for awhile - UNTIL - all you can do is think about it, all of a sudden a great new idea hits you and you'll have renewed inspiration and concepts to flesh out. 1 day away, and make sure to come back to it. Once you replay the game after a bit of a break, you will also see it more from the eyes of a new player, rather then a developer.
Click to expand...
Although you're a bit late (the game is already published) thanks for this awesome reply, will keep this things in mind for my next game :)
 
S

StuffandThings85

Guest
I know I'm a tad late on this, but this is my advice for creating any sort of art. Just put something down, anything. Especially if you have some type of software to work with, you can always edit things later and figure it all out. The important thing is to just get your mind in a working mode by just doing something.

When trying to write a song, it's best to just record whatever comes to mind, instead of sitting there thinking "that might not work" or "I don't know..." This way, you can start to work out what you like or don't like about the project. If it looks good to you, great, if not, you can change it to something else. The same if you're trying to write something in Word, just type out whatever comes to mind and it can always be fine-tuned later.
 
Yal

Yal

šŸ§ *penguin noises*
GMC Elder
I get a lot of my level ideas IN the room editor... just place a bunch of blocks to get a general outline of the level, then gradually drill down and make actual level parts, individual challenge setpieces, and so on. It also helps if you try to make each level distinct from the previous ones... alternate between linear and open levels, horizontal and vertical, puzzle-based and action-based levels, dodging versus attacking, which gimmicks are included, and so on. IMO it also helps if you make each level about a single type of challenge as well. This also makes levels easier to remember for the players, too. SMB3 works really well with that, and if you ask a player about "the level where you jump between blocks that fall down when you step on them" or "the level with doors between the big side and the small side", they know exactly what level you're talking about (W1-3 and W4-7, respectively).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top