For our first intro into Mega Man level design, we were given the following requirements: ten minute time, quicksand, falling platforms, breakable blocks, mm1 and mm6 enemies, health and checkpoints only, and a western theme. I had several classmates playtest my level in class.
The level was split into five sections with four checkpoints between them. The first section introduces breakable blocks, enemies, quicksand, and platforming, all at a slow and easy pace. The second section adds more platforming and enemies, increasing the challenge slightly. The third section introduces sliding and has more platforming. The fourth introduces a few more enemies, and the last section introduces falling platforms.
Overall, it went really well. The level was fairly linear, and players had no trouble figuring out where to go. Players rarely died, and most were able to complete the level with little difficulties. Players were able to flow through the encounters without getting stuck and by making good use of the mechanics.
For breakable blocks, players had no trouble breaking them to clear their path or find hidden areas. I added lots of sections where enemies are positioned atop breakable blocks, and all players realized that they could shoot out the blocks under enemies to cause them to fall, defeating them with much more ease. This worked perfectly.
I added quicksand as a hazard at the bottom of levels that was much more forgiving than death pits. It’s much easier since players can jump back out with a charitable timer before they sink. This also worked perfectly as intended, as players were still challenged by platforming but in a very easy, non-punishing way that had lots of room for error.
Players were also able to complete the segments with falling platforms without much difficulty. All players enjoyed discovering that they could defeat tough enemies by crushing them with falling blocks. The first encounter like this worked as intended every time, with players going for the health pickup and killing the first tough enemy with the blocks. This meant that in the second encounter, they knew what to do right away.
Players were able to slide under blocks with ease, but not everyone thought to slide under enemy projectiles. However, none of the projectiles were damaging enough for this to be too harsh.
Checkpoints were spaced well, with about three to four screens between each. The secret areas rewarded players with health, but often times this wasn’t especially needed. All the elements were introduced at a comfortable pace to get players used to each, and nobody had difficulty understanding how they worked or what to do.
There were several notes I took as players playtested the level for some improvements:
Checkpoints need health pickups, so players going through the whole thing in one attempt can replenish their health without dying to reset their health being the optimal strategy.
A few difficult encounters could benefit from having more health pickups.
A few platforms at the start of the level could be a bit bigger.
A few areas had the respawning enemies get in the way, so they should be adjusted.
One player got out of bounds underneath the quicksand in one area, so that needs to be fixed.
Those were the major takeaways I found to improve the level. However, the fundamental design was highly successful. The enemies were the right amount of difficult, the platforming was intuitive in most places, the circulation elements and path forwards was obvious to all the playtesters.
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