Fun fact, the drills are actually Impact Man himself. Apparently, according to the enemy list in Mega Man 11, he can split himself into the three drills, and they each have their own personalities as well. So when the drills appear throughout the level, its Impact Man taking potshots at you, and when they appear in the boss fight, its him assembling himself to fight you.
But seriously, this is the best editing in any GMTK video. I watch it twice so I could pay attention to the content. Dunno if that's a bad thing, but since I also edit video, I kept trying to figure out how I'd do similar kinds of editing in my own stuff.
I really wonder how Mark puts these together. Doing this all in After Effects is possible but it seems like it'd take forever. Plus, he's included gosh-darned 3D animation in some videos too.
Torch man's level is almost like a mini class. The earlier rooms teach you how to deal with each problem individually, and then room 14 is like a final exam, where you have to deal with each problem interchangeably. I genuinely think good teachers would make good game designers.
Thank you Mark for this. For me, as a developer of a platformer myself, I'm constantly worried about how much variety I need in my levels so they won't feel stale or boring. This helped me to see that smarter, more throughout design helps to alleviate some of the issues. Thanks again for this video and have a good day.
Mark, this is easily some of your best work. Both the content and editing are phenomenal! Coming from a developer who has several moderate to successful games on both Steam and console(s), you are doing some amazing and worthwhile work. This helps gamers of all backgrounds, thank you :)
Hey, I developed INK (2015) by myself. Then developed HackyZack (2016) with a team of six. We published our buddy's game, High Noon Revolver (2016), as well. I've been on a two-year hiatus of working as a contractor at larger studios like Microsoft and Nintendo. Recently returned to Indie development and will be releasing a new title on PC and Switch within the next 6-8 months. Much love to Mark and his fans!
Having just recently worked my way through the first Mega Man Legacy Collection, it's nice to see this layered level design is being upheld. Also, thanks for the Halo 3 vid shoutout!
Your editing never ceases to amaze me. Have you ever considered doing an effects breakdown? It'd be awesome to see how you make things like the Level breakdown j this game, or the dependancy graphs in Boss Keys. As always, awesome work! Keep it up!
I was able to identify a few moments, like the checkpoint rooms for quick breaks after fighting the mini-bosses, where I went "ah, I see why that's there" when I played the game. However, this video covered a lot of design patterns that I never noticed before, like how the moving platforms and flying pile drivers in Impact Man's stage are introduced separately and repeatedly before they all come together in one room. Level design can clearly do wonders to tell players what to anticipate when it's done right.
There's a fan game called Mega Man Maker and I've been having fun making levels in that game, but looking back, I wished that I've watched this video sooner. I wasn't at all the best level creator. But this is REALLY good insight on what makes a good stage. And it's something I think a lot of people designing levels can learn from.
Megaman 11 wouldn’t have been a thing if previous megaman games didn’t exist I can really feel that this game combines every idea from the megaman games into one solid game which might be the last megaman game that we’ll ever get
Another game that I can think of that does something similar is Tearaway. It has huge level design variation and introduces different mechanics slowly, focusing on one mechanic at a time while intuitively combining them in later stages.
I really love how you not only provide really well thought out and insightful content, but also use really good animations and design to convey everything in a clear manner. The editing is really good! Keep it up!
Megaman 11 also seems to be a nod to the classic megaman 1 stages where rooms are progressively hard; showing you an easy room with a new mechanic or enemy and then ramping up the difficulty to test you. Its a fitting theme for megaman's return and I can now see why I enjoy it.
To be honest, I'd genuinely like to see a video on Mighty No 9 and its Level Design... if it really is as bad as people said. Cause why not learn what mistakes to avoid, too...?
I enjoy the overall positivity of the channel, with focus on what is well done and how to bring more of that to the forefront. While I am guilty of being overly critical far too often, I like the break from constant negativity and harping on what doesn't work/isn't liked that are all over the internet, in the constructive analyses that Mark Brown seems to routinely deliver.
Admittedly I had to play through the game on Casual first because I was having so much trouble on Normal, but I appreciated the game more and more as I kept playing it and this video really crystallized some of the design elements I really admired, although it IS really tough at times even after playing those stages multiple times
Hi. I'm a game developer and teach level design at a college. This is exactly what I'm trying to teach the students and this video would be a lot of help to them. Thanks! Amazing work.
Very interesting how added complexity in enemy design seems to allow the designers more layouts/experiences with fewer elements. Thanks for pointing out the multiple interactions with foes like the mushroom hotplate and the carrot tank!
yisssss this is exactly the kinda thing i like seeing in a GMTK vid! first you breaking down the basic room structures of acid man's level, then the mechanical elements of Impact Man's levels, then doing a comprehensive breakdown of Torch Man's level was really very engaging for me. And i'm not even really a fan of Mega Man either! :P
The Messenger had some really intriguing and unique game mechanics and designs, wrapped nicely with killer writing and a lot of variety. It goes back and forth from linear to non-linear level design and introduces new elements with a very good sense of pacing. I think it'd make for some great analysis. I keep seeing streamers who have trouble pulling themselves away from the game, even before its main gimmick comes into play.
For room 14 in Torch Man's stage, I found it easier to use Scrambe thunder to entirely get rid of colander headed-mushrooms to earn extra time, the energy pellet isn't quite worth it. Also if you use a Power Gear tundra storm, you can freeze the flames for a short time, letting you do those tricky platforms much better with speed gear if needed.
Your tightly woven and succinct breakdowns of Mega Man 11's Level Design make this an excellent educational and entertaining video. In short: kudos for checking out the Blue Bomber's newest entry !
Hey Mark I've been working on a video game for a couple of years now and recently your videos have given me a lot of ideas for the game ( hell the way life works in the game is completely because of your videos on health and death in video games)
Mark, I just discover your channel and watched the video about Spider Man and this one, I got stunned by how deep you go in an explanation. Congrats man, and I'm going to watch a lot of your videos
Yass! Legacy games definitely have a lot of gamy cross-pollination. Some even have "achievement"-like systems that tie into the actual gameplay of further players of the game.
Well, of course the biggest thing would be the influence of pen and paper RPGs on video game RPGs. There's a lot to talk about, how the intricacy of the pen and paper games actually required the video game RPGs to be limited, and to what degrees and in what ways Eastern vs. Western etc. Apart from those, there really isn't much, outside of puzzle games. Most video games are unique to, well, video games, with only a handful of exceptions.
sounds more like an extra credits video than a Mark Brown video. Idk why but I think it's because extra credits make videos to point out stuff almost randomly while Mark Brown goes really intensive on trying to be constructive for the medium.
Once again, your editing is unrivaled. So, mixing of basic room layouts + variety in challenge that is introduced Nintendo/Mario style. *Your comparison of this criteria with the symphony of the music is so apt.* Music YTer Sideways did a video on "repetition" in music and the parallels to that and games is rather eerie. It also gave me on idea on why certain enthusiasts have different tastes in games and the idea of how games should be like. As in, a person grown on Nintendo and platformers and stuff would have a different perception in gaming than someone grown on say Point-n-clicks or cRPGs
This video truly made me realize why i kept coming back to mega man 11 after completing it. Its not my favorite mega man game but it is still loads of fun. The gimmicks like the wall of fire in torch mans stage were frustrating but fun (especially with tundra mans weapon, im a dirty cheater i know lol). You should make a video about the smart enemy placement in mega man because simply placing enemies in weird places makes fir such a fun experience
Music is a perfect analogy. When arranging Flash Man from MM2 for orchestra, I used the level's pacing as a very literal basis for the composition and it worked very well.
Your feedback reminds me of how I praise the Wiiware game Bit Trip Runner. It's a side-scrolling platforming course-clear game with progressively unlocked movement abilities. You get a new ability every 2 levels with the level design set up requiring you to use the new abilities multiple times, essentially making its pacing "here's a new power. Used to it now? Good, here's another new power", and it adds new obstacles every other level, and stacks them on top of abilities you should already be used to.
Hey im a really big fan of game makers toolkit. I got inspiration to make my channel by watching the mario maker video a while back. I want to be able to talk about level design just like mark. Mark you are awesome thank you.
Excellent video as always! I've only played the first and second game but even there you can see this type of layout in the levels. Few other video game series have so many main entries without any drastic changes in gameplay that they really get the opportunity to hone their ideas to perfection. The only other ones I can think of off the top of my head are Super Mario and maybe Kirby.
Speaking of unique platformers RAIN WORLD!! the focus of the game is for sure survival and exploration, but I really loved how all the environments were interesting to traverse in different directions (since you'll often backtrack) while also presenting interesting opportunities to fight or avoid enemies.
Great video explaining the basics of level design in a Mega Man game. Personally I like to see level design in a more organic way without necessarily following strict rules all the time (Like what you say about not following a set formula all the time). One thing I think is really important though, like you said, is having a limited number of different enemy types. It gives the level its theme and it avoids overwhelming the player with too many different gimmicks. Your example about the miniboss repeating with barely any differences in Mega Man 2 is a reason why I have trouble with some of the level design in games like Symphony of the Night. Having you fight the same enemy 4 times in the same corridor without any variations.
My first real platformer game was Crash Bandicoot 3, that did some interesting things with variety in the levels across their specific themes. I particularly remember the dinosaur levels that kept adding more stuff, culminating in being chased by a triceratops while riding a baby t-rex. Good stuff.
This was very helpful, thank you for the analysis! It seems like the vast majority of "2d platformer level design analysis" is just a reiteration of Introduce-Expand-Twist-Conclude, so talking about the different types of rooms and such was a very nice and different approach. Visualizing the order of room types and the mechanics in specific rooms for levels was VERY nice! Keep up the great work And I would love to see Shovel Knight analysis like this!
Do a video about level design that encourages exploration but doesn’t make the player feel lost. I feel like a fantastic example is the classic tactic used in Zelda and Metroid of making an area of a level visible but blocking you from being able to get to it from your current location. I think this is also interesting to look at in context of linear games vs more open path games. Metroid Fusion does a fantastic job of juggling linearity by telling you where to head next, thus not rushing you and allowing you to explore and learn about the sectored off space station in reference to your abilities, gear, and memory of where you’ve been.
I find it a little funny that Torch Man was used as the "let's dissect how this system works" example, because those fire rooms have one big turning point: the walls of flame can be doused with Tundra Man's weapon. So it becomes a bit of a gamble as to whether or not you're willing to trade a slightly easier experience in the stage for not having the boss weakness when fighting Torch Man proper, or vice versa. I can't think of any other levels off the top of my head that have the option of "turning off" one of the main gimmicks, and I can't tell if that's a good thing or a bad thing.
There's Block Man's stage as Gustavo mentions, and there is also the fact that the minibosses seem to have the same weakness as the main boss of the current stage. To be honest, this is something I like, the idea that you can either have an easier time now and have to worry about collecting weapon energy to refill those powers, or you can have a much harder time in the stage but then relatively breeze through the boss due to a plethora of weapon power. There needs to be more incentive for each weapon's use in a stage in Megaman games, aside from one weapon just being overpowered and/or unique attack area and one weapon acts as a shield while the others are mostly useless. This is something I rather like about GeminiLaser's Megaman videos as he showcases EXCELLENT usage of every power to show how they COULD make things easier (though points out the times he had to engineer the situation to allow the ideal and coolest usage of a weapon).
This is actually a good thing. It allows for more replayability. I remember Mega Man 7 doing the exact same thing only that game actually has collectibles.
Strong recommendation of taking a look at the Umihara Kawase series of games which while having a few small twists such as rocket jumping has remained consistent and very unique for its mechanics and design. As a platformer where jumping is a secondary action it's a game that couldn't stick to standard platformer conventions.
I think the Classic Style of Sonic games would be a great fit for one of your videos since those games do an excellent job at mixing in classic platforming with speedy physics-based movement in a unique way that gives those games a great sense of flow.
Spyro is a platformer that really digs deep into enemy interaction, it also has a glide mechanic that changes the feel of scope of a 3d platformer, it also has great music - - - designed for repeated listening. Please consider mentioning it.
For a unique platformer, I recommend looking at Master Spy. It introduces new mechanics in every stage, and it has a steep but fair learning curve. More importantly, subsequent playthroughs allow you to hone your skills and see real improvement without making it feel like your beating your head against the wall. My first playthrough took several hours to complete, and now I can consistently beat it in under half an hour. (Detailed graphics and killer soundtrack is a plus)
2:32 interesting analysis, have never before looked at these at such a high level, thanks for sharing. Some time ago I saw a similar video about the first mega man and super mario bros level which gives some super interesting tipps on how good level design should support the player in learning mechanics withouth those tedious tutorials we often get nowadays.
3:26 Whoa! You can destroy those things!? I replayed the game several times, and I never knew you could do that! This game just keeps getting better, and still, no one gives it the time of day!
As a rule of thumb, the robot master stages can be done a lot easier by using the weapon that robot master is weak to. For example, in Block Man’s level you can destroy the giant stone walls in the conveyor belts with Chain Blast. Each mini boss also has a weapon weakness, and every enemy has damage charts for each different weapon. Not only are all the weapons great on their own, but the game also encourages testing them on every situation.
hey man. i love your videos. ive only recently discovered you and have since been obsessed with watching your videos. as a hardcore gamer myself, your topics are highly interesting and educational. it really makes me look at games in a different way and helps explain a lot of subtil design choices, that i could not quite put my finger on in the past.
Would love a video that looks at Castlevania III and Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon's character-switching mechanic and explores how each character approaches obstacles differently.
Hi mark. After watching the video you asked for other possible games with good or interesting level design and I thought, maybe as a spin off episode or something. You could could look at how storytelling and theme can emerge from good level design and what aspects are needed in order to build a story through the levels themselves. Just food for thought. Really love the content you make!
"I'm looking for games that do something quite unique from here on out." I know you've already spoken of Celeste, but I think there's a lot of good stuff that could be pulled from there. One-hit kills with immediate respawning, collectibles that always expand on mechanics, teaching you about moves you already have only when necessary, remixed versions of levels for increased challenge, a lot of depth from what really only amounts to three "actions" (jump, dash, climb). Might be worth exploring for the series.
I would like to see a breakdown on what kind of layered/build up design each game uses by genre -- like metroidvanias, zelda clones, fps, platformers, etc. The concept is clear enough--but what type of elements pair well together vs ones that don't? It's an easy enough concept to grasp but like colors, sometimes figuring out which ones compliment vs contrast can be tricky.
this isnt super related, but i think an episode on variety and players sort of choosing your own mechanics might be cool. like how choosing pins in the world ebds with you changes how you approach combat, or the weapons in monster hunter or even just how good fighting games make choosing different characters feel like completely different games. just a suggestion, i absolutely love all your videos
Hi Mark, I’d just like to say that I love your work. I’m currently making a game that was directly inspired by your video on Detective Games. Keep up the good work!
Will you do a video on player expression? I mean stuff like designing your farm in stardew, planing and executing hits in hitman or designing your perfect base in dwarf fortress. I have noticed that there are a lot of games that try to allow for player expression, but it just ends up feeling meaningless and flat, with a clear "right" way and a lot of useless ways. I always wondered why that is.
Yep, it will make an original subject for a game design video ! Also, I agree with @Zerarch77, most of the time player expression is either used in online games to let players distinguish themselves and feel unique, or player expression becomes rather meaningless when put in a clear input/output same system where what you really want is do the necessary to complete the mission, and not express yourself. I think rewarding and even just evaluating criterias based on player expressions is difficult at its base. "Expression" is not as clear as inputs and outcomes to deal with and for it to be interesting it'll have to be a core part of the gameplay. This topic is also sprawling to a lot of other topics like defining what's the different type of players expression and everything, but I'll let Mark do that in a future video ;) In the mean time, a game that makes a good step toward interesting mechanic in player expression is Parkasaurus with it's creation of dinosaurs pens asking you to match certain condition for the good being of your dinosaurs :)
When there's a clear right way, the challenge becomes a puzzle. When there are a lot or infinite amount of good solutions, it becomes a optimization problem that allows the player for a lot of creativity and expression. Usually optimizations problems dont have a clear right solution because the player doesnt have all the data to find the best solution, like when putting together a card deck while you dont know what kinds of decks will your oponents play, or finding the best place and structure for your base in dwarf fortress in a procedurally generated world.
This is a new perspective for Mega Man 11 that I havent seen yet. Usually the reaction is "good, not great" and critiques over its boring level design. Nice to see something fresh!
Awesome breakdown. I'm glad Mega Man returned to its roots rather seamlessly. I wonder if Freedom Planet would be different enough to look into. With three unique playstyles, surely there's something to say about it.
it's not just "don't shoot the owl", it's "some fire enemies are better left alive in some circumstances", and then the mushroom is a lesson of "you can create 'flame out' circumstance in which the mushroom, if left aliive, becomes a platform".
about torchman's level. Tundra storm stops the fire which is obvious. however if you shoot the owl and make the room completely dark. you can use the Elctric weapon to light up your way. as a matter of fact, using it on a suspended platform with no enemies makes the move circle the platform repeatedly for quite some time and lights up the entire room
Those graphics for the room layout designs... Those are going to be the next useful chart!
storyboards? I heard they're pretty good...
Fun fact, the drills are actually Impact Man himself. Apparently, according to the enemy list in Mega Man 11, he can split himself into the three drills, and they each have their own personalities as well. So when the drills appear throughout the level, its Impact Man taking potshots at you, and when they appear in the boss fight, its him assembling himself to fight you.
Transformers' Combiners but CAPCOM did it.
That's some deep megaman lore right here
Kinda like how in Rock Force you fight Charade Man as a mid-boss before fighting him as a boss.
So Impact Man is a megazord?
@@michaelkindt3288 Yes
4:02 This editing is so good my god
there should be a "somethingporn" for this kind of editing, I swear it looks almost too good
But seriously, this is the best editing in any GMTK video. I watch it twice so I could pay attention to the content. Dunno if that's a bad thing, but since I also edit video, I kept trying to figure out how I'd do similar kinds of editing in my own stuff.
I really wonder how Mark puts these together. Doing this all in After Effects is possible but it seems like it'd take forever. Plus, he's included gosh-darned 3D animation in some videos too.
@@austin-school-of-game-design
MM11 lends itself very well to masking off characters with a blank background, I did the same thing myself.
I really enjoyed that slanted look during the room description sequence.
Torch man's level is almost like a mini class. The earlier rooms teach you how to deal with each problem individually, and then room 14 is like a final exam, where you have to deal with each problem interchangeably. I genuinely think good teachers would make good game designers.
I don't get what designing dames has to do with any of this, but hey, maybe they would!
mostlyokay thanks for the catch and for the Tom and Jerry flashbacks 😂
The first room in Torch Man's stage throws 4 unique enemy types and the tent obstacle at the player. Still it's all spaced out and introduced nicely.
Would game designers would make good teachers?
+Zerach this one is
The graphics in these videos get better with each one
Thank you Mark for this. For me, as a developer of a platformer myself, I'm constantly worried about how much variety I need in my levels so they won't feel stale or boring. This helped me to see that smarter, more throughout design helps to alleviate some of the issues. Thanks again for this video and have a good day.
All the best with your game! :]
Don't take inspiration out of the annoying level design from classic megaman.
@@Raylightsen Classic Mega Man is fun as hell, you big baby.
Mark, this is easily some of your best work. Both the content and editing are phenomenal! Coming from a developer who has several moderate to successful games on both Steam and console(s), you are doing some amazing and worthwhile work. This helps gamers of all backgrounds, thank you :)
Yo wat games u have? 🤔
Been looking for some new games to play
Hey, I developed INK (2015) by myself. Then developed HackyZack (2016) with a team of six. We published our buddy's game, High Noon Revolver (2016), as well.
I've been on a two-year hiatus of working as a contractor at larger studios like Microsoft and Nintendo.
Recently returned to Indie development and will be releasing a new title on PC and Switch within the next 6-8 months.
Much love to Mark and his fans!
just saw those games. Ink is really good.
Having just recently worked my way through the first Mega Man Legacy Collection, it's nice to see this layered level design is being upheld. Also, thanks for the Halo 3 vid shoutout!
Your editing never ceases to amaze me. Have you ever considered doing an effects breakdown? It'd be awesome to see how you make things like the Level breakdown j this game, or the dependancy graphs in Boss Keys. As always, awesome work! Keep it up!
Thanks! I do editing tutorials and breakdowns on my Patreon sometimes. Maybe one day I'll release a Video Maker's Toolkit on UA-cam...
@@GMTK OOooooo Foreshadowing
@@lukadjordjevic2576 Wished it didn't have to be due to a global pandemic
I was able to identify a few moments, like the checkpoint rooms for quick breaks after fighting the mini-bosses, where I went "ah, I see why that's there" when I played the game. However, this video covered a lot of design patterns that I never noticed before, like how the moving platforms and flying pile drivers in Impact Man's stage are introduced separately and repeatedly before they all come together in one room. Level design can clearly do wonders to tell players what to anticipate when it's done right.
"fight a reanimated mammoth skeleton."
I love video games.
I mean... You can fight an *un-* animated mammoth skeleton, but it wouldn't be nearly as challenging!😁
@@KickyFut
I prefer preanimated.
There's a fan game called Mega Man Maker and I've been having fun making levels in that game, but looking back, I wished that I've watched this video sooner. I wasn't at all the best level creator. But this is REALLY good insight on what makes a good stage. And it's something I think a lot of people designing levels can learn from.
Megaman 11 wouldn’t have been a thing if previous megaman games didn’t exist I can really feel that this game combines every idea from the megaman games into one solid game which might be the last megaman game that we’ll ever get
I *really* like the approach of reducing each 'screen' to an archetypal challenge and mapping their layout through each level.
Those drills are in the Impact Man boss fight because they are Impact Man. Read his description paragraph in the game.
Another game that I can think of that does something similar is Tearaway. It has huge level design variation and introduces different mechanics slowly, focusing on one mechanic at a time while intuitively combining them in later stages.
It is an amazing game
I've played it at least 3 times, I'm about 1/4 of the way through a 4th play through
The level design on this series is MEGA.
I really love how you not only provide really well thought out and insightful content, but also use really good animations and design to convey everything in a clear manner. The editing is really good! Keep it up!
5:50 I THOUGHT RUSH WAS THE ONLY WAY
Wow, I'm a dummy
Megaman 11 also seems to be a nod to the classic megaman 1 stages where rooms are progressively hard; showing you an easy room with a new mechanic or enemy and then ramping up the difficulty to test you. Its a fitting theme for megaman's return and I can now see why I enjoy it.
Would you ever do a sereies on _bad_ game design?
I wouldn't rule it out! Maybe a level design video on Bubsy or something :P
To be honest, I'd genuinely like to see a video on Mighty No 9 and its Level Design... if it really is as bad as people said.
Cause why not learn what mistakes to avoid, too...?
_What could possibly go wrong?_
I enjoy the overall positivity of the channel, with focus on what is well done and how to bring more of that to the forefront. While I am guilty of being overly critical far too often, I like the break from constant negativity and harping on what doesn't work/isn't liked that are all over the internet, in the constructive analyses that Mark Brown seems to routinely deliver.
Check out Game Soup's video on Mighty number 9, they nailed everything
ua-cam.com/video/TJSJ2d_xnzg/v-deo.html
I would love to see your take on how kirby designs its levels. I think the games are pretty underrated.
Now make a "create a megaman level with megaman maker" contest, like you did with mario maker!
Ooo I’ve always wanted to learn to do a MegaMan rom hack
Just don't call it megaman.
Haha if there was a contest I'd enter for sure.
Super Two U
magmmlcom.ipage.com
Make A Good Mega Man Level, it’s a contest that already exists.
Admittedly I had to play through the game on Casual first because I was having so much trouble on Normal, but I appreciated the game more and more as I kept playing it and this video really crystallized some of the design elements I really admired, although it IS really tough at times even after playing those stages multiple times
A pleasant surprise showing off how Mega Man 11 nailed room layout.
Hi. I'm a game developer and teach level design at a college. This is exactly what I'm trying to teach the students and this video would be a lot of help to them. Thanks! Amazing work.
Very interesting how added complexity in enemy design seems to allow the designers more layouts/experiences with fewer elements. Thanks for pointing out the multiple interactions with foes like the mushroom hotplate and the carrot tank!
yisssss this is exactly the kinda thing i like seeing in a GMTK vid! first you breaking down the basic room structures of acid man's level, then the mechanical elements of Impact Man's levels, then doing a comprehensive breakdown of Torch Man's level was really very engaging for me. And i'm not even really a fan of Mega Man either! :P
subprogram32 Mega Man 11 is a great game, though a bit on the harder side. Check it out if you like platformers!
The Messenger had some really intriguing and unique game mechanics and designs, wrapped nicely with killer writing and a lot of variety. It goes back and forth from linear to non-linear level design and introduces new elements with a very good sense of pacing. I think it'd make for some great analysis. I keep seeing streamers who have trouble pulling themselves away from the game, even before its main gimmick comes into play.
Awesome video with lots of good map and level designing tips.
I'm very glad someone on Reddit suggested your channel.
This is your 100th video! Congratulations! Thank you for such an amazing channel! Looking forward to a 100 more videos!
For room 14 in Torch Man's stage, I found it easier to use Scrambe thunder to entirely get rid of colander headed-mushrooms to earn extra time, the energy pellet isn't quite worth it. Also if you use a Power Gear tundra storm, you can freeze the flames for a short time, letting you do those tricky platforms much better with speed gear if needed.
Your tightly woven and succinct breakdowns of Mega Man 11's Level Design make this an excellent educational and entertaining video.
In short: kudos for checking out the Blue Bomber's newest entry !
Level Design video are the BEST, well edited and demonstrated (MUCH appreciated these rooms layout).
Hey Mark I've been working on a video game for a couple of years now and recently your videos have given me a lot of ideas for the game ( hell the way life works in the game is completely because of your videos on health and death in video games)
Mark, I just discover your channel and watched the video about Spider Man and this one, I got stunned by how deep you go in an explanation. Congrats man, and I'm going to watch a lot of your videos
The interactions of the power-up that is the boss weakness with the stage hazards are very good too.
Wow! Nice analysis !! I'm creating a megaman fan game that definitely will use your video to study our level design!!!
Just gonna mark it and come back to watch it when I finish the game. This gonna be a really good one, I can tell.
Video idea: How boardgames have influenced video-game design and vice-versa.
Yass! Legacy games definitely have a lot of gamy cross-pollination. Some even have "achievement"-like systems that tie into the actual gameplay of further players of the game.
So you want a video on the Binding of Isaac? ;)
Well, of course the biggest thing would be the influence of pen and paper RPGs on video game RPGs.
There's a lot to talk about, how the intricacy of the pen and paper games actually required the video game RPGs to be limited, and to what degrees and in what ways Eastern vs. Western etc.
Apart from those, there really isn't much, outside of puzzle games. Most video games are unique to, well, video games, with only a handful of exceptions.
sounds more like an extra credits video than a Mark Brown video. Idk why but I think it's because extra credits make videos to point out stuff almost randomly while Mark Brown goes really intensive on trying to be constructive for the medium.
@@SaberToothPortillaI mean there’s thousands of board game video games as well. It’s not just RPGs.
This video is a MUST-SEE forall video games creator! It's so inspiring! Thank you for that Mark...
Once again, your editing is unrivaled.
So, mixing of basic room layouts + variety in challenge that is introduced Nintendo/Mario style. *Your comparison of this criteria with the symphony of the music is so apt.* Music YTer Sideways did a video on "repetition" in music and the parallels to that and games is rather eerie.
It also gave me on idea on why certain enthusiasts have different tastes in games and the idea of how games should be like. As in, a person grown on Nintendo and platformers and stuff would have a different perception in gaming than someone grown on say Point-n-clicks or cRPGs
This video truly made me realize why i kept coming back to mega man 11 after completing it. Its not my favorite mega man game but it is still loads of fun. The gimmicks like the wall of fire in torch mans stage were frustrating but fun (especially with tundra mans weapon, im a dirty cheater i know lol). You should make a video about the smart enemy placement in mega man because simply placing enemies in weird places makes fir such a fun experience
Flinthook was pretty cool. I loved the grappling hook + slowtime mechanics.
Music is a perfect analogy. When arranging Flash Man from MM2 for orchestra, I used the level's pacing as a very literal basis for the composition and it worked very well.
Have to love the way you disply everything. Congratulations, looks and feels so good!
The best video game analysis videos I've ever come across.
Stellar editing on this one, Mark!! Absolutely loved this game, and loved hearing you talk about it!
Your feedback reminds me of how I praise the Wiiware game Bit Trip Runner. It's a side-scrolling platforming course-clear game with progressively unlocked movement abilities. You get a new ability every 2 levels with the level design set up requiring you to use the new abilities multiple times, essentially making its pacing "here's a new power. Used to it now? Good, here's another new power", and it adds new obstacles every other level, and stacks them on top of abilities you should already be used to.
Hey im a really big fan of game makers toolkit. I got inspiration to make my channel by watching the mario maker video a while back. I want to be able to talk about level design just like mark. Mark you are awesome thank you.
Excellent video as always! I've only played the first and second game but even there you can see this type of layout in the levels. Few other video game series have so many main entries without any drastic changes in gameplay that they really get the opportunity to hone their ideas to perfection. The only other ones I can think of off the top of my head are Super Mario and maybe Kirby.
Absolutely awesome. Came here via Atmos Game's video. Thanks for great content.
Speaking of unique platformers RAIN WORLD!! the focus of the game is for sure survival and exploration, but I really loved how all the environments were interesting to traverse in different directions (since you'll often backtrack) while also presenting interesting opportunities to fight or avoid enemies.
Great video explaining the basics of level design in a Mega Man game. Personally I like to see level design in a more organic way without necessarily following strict rules all the time (Like what you say about not following a set formula all the time).
One thing I think is really important though, like you said, is having a limited number of different enemy types. It gives the level its theme and it avoids overwhelming the player with too many different gimmicks.
Your example about the miniboss repeating with barely any differences in Mega Man 2 is a reason why I have trouble with some of the level design in games like Symphony of the Night. Having you fight the same enemy 4 times in the same corridor without any variations.
My first real platformer game was Crash Bandicoot 3, that did some interesting things with variety in the levels across their specific themes. I particularly remember the dinosaur levels that kept adding more stuff, culminating in being chased by a triceratops while riding a baby t-rex. Good stuff.
This was very helpful, thank you for the analysis! It seems like the vast majority of "2d platformer level design analysis" is just a reiteration of Introduce-Expand-Twist-Conclude, so talking about the different types of rooms and such was a very nice and different approach. Visualizing the order of room types and the mechanics in specific rooms for levels was VERY nice! Keep up the great work
And I would love to see Shovel Knight analysis like this!
Do a video about level design that encourages exploration but doesn’t make the player feel lost. I feel like a fantastic example is the classic tactic used in Zelda and Metroid of making an area of a level visible but blocking you from being able to get to it from your current location. I think this is also interesting to look at in context of linear games vs more open path games. Metroid Fusion does a fantastic job of juggling linearity by telling you where to head next, thus not rushing you and allowing you to explore and learn about the sectored off space station in reference to your abilities, gear, and memory of where you’ve been.
I find it a little funny that Torch Man was used as the "let's dissect how this system works" example, because those fire rooms have one big turning point: the walls of flame can be doused with Tundra Man's weapon. So it becomes a bit of a gamble as to whether or not you're willing to trade a slightly easier experience in the stage for not having the boss weakness when fighting Torch Man proper, or vice versa.
I can't think of any other levels off the top of my head that have the option of "turning off" one of the main gimmicks, and I can't tell if that's a good thing or a bad thing.
In Block Man's stage you can use Blast Man weapon to destroy the walls in the section where you have to run from the saws.
There's Block Man's stage as Gustavo mentions, and there is also the fact that the minibosses seem to have the same weakness as the main boss of the current stage. To be honest, this is something I like, the idea that you can either have an easier time now and have to worry about collecting weapon energy to refill those powers, or you can have a much harder time in the stage but then relatively breeze through the boss due to a plethora of weapon power. There needs to be more incentive for each weapon's use in a stage in Megaman games, aside from one weapon just being overpowered and/or unique attack area and one weapon acts as a shield while the others are mostly useless. This is something I rather like about GeminiLaser's Megaman videos as he showcases EXCELLENT usage of every power to show how they COULD make things easier (though points out the times he had to engineer the situation to allow the ideal and coolest usage of a weapon).
This is actually a good thing. It allows for more replayability. I remember Mega Man 7 doing the exact same thing only that game actually has collectibles.
Strong recommendation of taking a look at the Umihara Kawase series of games which while having a few small twists such as rocket jumping has remained consistent and very unique for its mechanics and design. As a platformer where jumping is a secondary action it's a game that couldn't stick to standard platformer conventions.
I think the Classic Style of Sonic games would be a great fit for one of your videos since those games do an excellent job at mixing in classic platforming with speedy physics-based movement in a unique way that gives those games a great sense of flow.
Torch Man's level is the best in the game. Everything I love about Mega Man comes together nicely in it.
Impressed with the editing. Good job man! Nice video
Spyro is a platformer that really digs deep into enemy interaction, it also has a glide mechanic that changes the feel of scope of a 3d platformer, it also has great music - - - designed for repeated listening. Please consider mentioning it.
The Swapper! very interesting level design because of interesting mechanics
For a unique platformer, I recommend looking at Master Spy. It introduces new mechanics in every stage, and it has a steep but fair learning curve. More importantly, subsequent playthroughs allow you to hone your skills and see real improvement without making it feel like your beating your head against the wall. My first playthrough took several hours to complete, and now I can consistently beat it in under half an hour. (Detailed graphics and killer soundtrack is a plus)
Your content is consistently the highest quality content around
2:32 interesting analysis, have never before looked at these at such a high level, thanks for sharing.
Some time ago I saw a similar video about the first mega man and super mario bros level which gives some super interesting tipps on how good level design should support the player in learning mechanics withouth those tedious tutorials we often get nowadays.
3:26 Whoa! You can destroy those things!? I replayed the game several times, and I never knew you could do that! This game just keeps getting better, and still, no one gives it the time of day!
As a rule of thumb, the robot master stages can be done a lot easier by using the weapon that robot master is weak to. For example, in Block Man’s level you can destroy the giant stone walls in the conveyor belts with Chain Blast. Each mini boss also has a weapon weakness, and every enemy has damage charts for each different weapon. Not only are all the weapons great on their own, but the game also encourages testing them on every situation.
hey man. i love your videos. ive only recently discovered you and have since been obsessed with watching your videos. as a hardcore gamer myself, your topics are highly interesting and educational. it really makes me look at games in a different way and helps explain a lot of subtil design choices, that i could not quite put my finger on in the past.
So much effort put and such a smart talk! I love it
Did anyone else ever notice that in acid man's stage, you can see him swimming through the acid pipes in the background.
loving the production value on this one mark!
Just remember, have fun and implement level mechanics responsibly. Also, I really liked the presentation of this video
Really loved your editing and presentation in this video.
Great analisis, awsome editing, didatic-like pace and objectiveness. Very nice content, as always.
Would love a video that looks at Castlevania III and Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon's character-switching mechanic and explores how each character approaches obstacles differently.
Hi mark. After watching the video you asked for other possible games with good or interesting level design and I thought, maybe as a spin off episode or something. You could could look at how storytelling and theme can emerge from good level design and what aspects are needed in order to build a story through the levels themselves. Just food for thought.
Really love the content you make!
"I'm looking for games that do something quite unique from here on out." I know you've already spoken of Celeste, but I think there's a lot of good stuff that could be pulled from there. One-hit kills with immediate respawning, collectibles that always expand on mechanics, teaching you about moves you already have only when necessary, remixed versions of levels for increased challenge, a lot of depth from what really only amounts to three "actions" (jump, dash, climb). Might be worth exploring for the series.
I would like to see a breakdown on what kind of layered/build up design each game uses by genre -- like metroidvanias, zelda clones, fps, platformers, etc. The concept is clear enough--but what type of elements pair well together vs ones that don't? It's an easy enough concept to grasp but like colors, sometimes figuring out which ones compliment vs contrast can be tricky.
The End Is Nigh might be a cool one to do a video on
JUMP! JUMP! SLIDE! SLIDE!
Megaman 8, I miss that game
This has inspired me to make more Mega Maker levels.
Speaking of which, when is 1.5 coming out?
-Overused joke is overused-
Great vid, loved the analysis of one way to make fun and engaging platforming stages. Will apply to Mario / Mega Maker
Thank you for this. I really enjoy Mega Man games and 11 is among the best. I'm working my through Wily's Castle now.
this isnt super related, but i think an episode on variety and players sort of choosing your own mechanics might be cool. like how choosing pins in the world ebds with you changes how you approach combat, or the weapons in monster hunter or even just how good fighting games make choosing different characters feel like completely different games. just a suggestion, i absolutely love all your videos
That was so nicely visualized and presented, super interesting, thanksssss
You may want to look at Mighty Jill Off, it has slight issues, but the levels explore the mechanics in a very satisfying way.
Hi Mark, I’d just like to say that I love your work. I’m currently making a game that was directly inspired by your video on Detective Games. Keep up the good work!
Good luck!
This channel is very nice for doing research when making games. Thanks, Buddy! Keep it up!
The editing in this video is incredible!
For unique platformer suggestions, Thomas Was Alone is unique to me in how it conveys character with platforming mechanics.
Will you do a video on player expression? I mean stuff like designing your farm in stardew, planing and executing hits in hitman or designing your perfect base in dwarf fortress. I have noticed that there are a lot of games that try to allow for player expression, but it just ends up feeling meaningless and flat, with a clear "right" way and a lot of useless ways. I always wondered why that is.
Flat mechanics lead to flat expression, simple as that.
Yep, it will make an original subject for a game design video !
Also, I agree with @Zerarch77, most of the time player expression is either used in online games to let players distinguish themselves and feel unique, or player expression becomes rather meaningless when put in a clear input/output same system where what you really want is do the necessary to complete the mission, and not express yourself.
I think rewarding and even just evaluating criterias based on player expressions is difficult at its base. "Expression" is not as clear as inputs and outcomes to deal with and for it to be interesting it'll have to be a core part of the gameplay.
This topic is also sprawling to a lot of other topics like defining what's the different type of players expression and everything, but I'll let Mark do that in a future video ;)
In the mean time, a game that makes a good step toward interesting mechanic in player expression is Parkasaurus with it's creation of dinosaurs pens asking you to match certain condition for the good being of your dinosaurs :)
When there's a clear right way, the challenge becomes a puzzle. When there are a lot or infinite amount of good solutions, it becomes a optimization problem that allows the player for a lot of creativity and expression.
Usually optimizations problems dont have a clear right solution because the player doesnt have all the data to find the best solution, like when putting together a card deck while you dont know what kinds of decks will your oponents play, or finding the best place and structure for your base in dwarf fortress in a procedurally generated world.
As always, the visual aids are really welcome and appreciated.
This is a new perspective for Mega Man 11 that I havent seen yet. Usually the reaction is "good, not great" and critiques over its boring level design. Nice to see something fresh!
That level design sure as Hell doesn't look boring
0:01 His twelfth mainline entry (Mega Man and Bass is part of the classic series)
Awesome breakdown. I'm glad Mega Man returned to its roots rather seamlessly.
I wonder if Freedom Planet would be different enough to look into. With three unique playstyles, surely there's something to say about it.
it's not just "don't shoot the owl", it's "some fire enemies are better left alive in some circumstances", and then the mushroom is a lesson of "you can create 'flame out' circumstance in which the mushroom, if left aliive, becomes a platform".
10:50 I’m pretty sure that dog inspired the fire breathing phoenixes in Shovel Knight :)
about torchman's level. Tundra storm stops the fire which is obvious. however if you shoot the owl and make the room completely dark. you can use the Elctric weapon to light up your way. as a matter of fact, using it on a suspended platform with no enemies makes the move circle the platform repeatedly for quite some time and lights up the entire room
Hey Mark, when are you going to give Dwarf Fortress a look?
One day!
Doesn't that game require more than a mere glance?
I would suggest doing a video on the kirby series. There's some great design in the 3ds games.
Shon Jones, lol yah
do it!