Hi. This is the thread for discussion about difficulty in the Knorpse. I'm going to put down some things I've learned from making EK2 and J Project. I am doing this because there are some first timers signing up and I'd like to give them the benefit of my and the other vets experience. Obviously, this is a discussion thread, so post your ideas/thoughts.
So! You've just discovered Evil Fire! Wow! What a cool effect! I know! I'll make a room/boss filled with like fifty of them and --
HOLD IT!
Guess what? Evil fires are random. Why? Because the timing on their firing rate is random. This isn't really a problem if you're got one or two fires in a room. But if you put a whole lot of them, especially at angles that surround the player, you're basically guaranteeing that the player is going to die multiple times through no fault of their own.
Evil fires are not the only "random" culprits. There are lots of things in the enemy files (like wall shooters) that should be used with restraint. A good rule of thumb is this: If you're having trouble with your own room, you should probably tone it down. You made it, after all, so you know everything about it. The player is not going to have that benefit.
But what about rooms that are just really fucking hard but have no random elements? Like IWTBG? you ask.
Well, those are better, but can still be frustrating to play, because generally you have to do them over and over and over until you get them right. The way to make these types of rooms a LOT LESS FRUSTRATING FOR THE PLAYER is to place a save point right before and right after the room. That way, the player can attempt until he gets it right without having to replay content, and once he does get it right, he doesn't have to do it again.
Oh, so I should put a save point in every room, then?
Nope. It's fine to be stingy with your save points as long as the rooms you're making are easy or medium in difficulty. Here's a good way to look at it:
Did you make this room with the idea in mind that the player would have to play it multiple times in order to learn and then surpass it? Save point before and after.
Did you make this room with the idea in mind that the player could fairly easily get through it on his first try? No save point.
You'll notice I use a lot of the enemy types in the ROBOTS file in my areas. This is because they are almost all without exception deterministic in behavior. The hoses have some SLIGHT randomness in their spread, but not enough to bother me, usually. I'd still recommend restraint in using them, however, just because they tend to be popular. Oh, and don't make a room that has two quick firing hoses supporting each other on a flat plane. It's been done already.
Anyway, to sum up; This knorpse should be about fun. Not about making people Frocto tear his hair out. I'm going to be doing the endgame stuff, and my stuff should be the hardest stuff the player has to get through.
All that being said, don't feel like I'm trying to take control of your area. You should feel free to design what you want to.
Also, if you really want to make a hard area, feel free to do so, and then make it optional! This can be as simple as making Easy/Hard versions of your area and letting the player decide which to play. Personally, I'd love it if this knorpse had some really difficult areas for me to test myself on.
STILL UNSURE?
Have someone playtest. This is the silver bullet of bad level design. Having an outside perspective can really teach you a lot.