In Rayman´s Designer engine, the A to B typical goal of a platformer videogame is also accompanied by a primary task of collecting blue orbs called "tings", normally 100 tings you must collect if you want to reach the goal sign and consider the level finished. As that, you can take advantage of the mechanic by creating obligatory paths that could be left behind if it wasn´t for the obligatory collectibles that the blue tings are.
I am explaining this because all of my levels designed here have this property. As a special trait exclusive from my creations, I also made another optional collectible which are 100 dark blue tings scattered across the map. These dark blue tings have the function of guiding you across the level, they aren´t mandatory to collect and don´t affect the game whatsoever.
This is the second map I created, called "Pin eraser". The motif of the name is because the end part where the goal sign is located is a vast eraser full of drawing pins (and other nastiness).
This level is what the trope considers it a "marathon level". Very large levels where most of the roster of enemies, textures and mechanics can be found in one single map. This is such a map, taking around 7 minutes to finish it. Well, at least there isn´t backtracking at all!
Another thing I´d like to point in the level is that is a "horror vacui" place. The world itself, a place where the terrain is stationery materials with a full wooden wall as a background, was inspiring to add multitude of staff in and out of your reach. Also, the map will have Rayman for a long time reduced of size (with a mechanic event that reduces Rayman half of his size, making his movements half the reach but also allowing him to cross areas too narrow to cross in normal size).
All this high "full furniture" going level, and the horizontal extension, tries to give a narrow feeling of crossing a very populated area of elements.
The last section, however, is a fresh breeze for all the extremety of elements previously. The last part, the Pin eraser that gives the name of the map, it´s actually more devoid of objects and elements, going in a semi-straight line to the end (having to avoid some enemies who will attack from the rear).
Video gameplay show. One long level I made (and one of the firsts as well). Here are the Image´s World (or Imagination World as I used to call it). This level introduces most Picture City events and obstacles with a heavy inspiration from Original Rayman and Brain Games (all those many elements surrounding you, the narrow feeling or the feeling you have painting stuff left, right, down and up you, for example).
The name of the map is because the last surface Rayman walks in is full of drawing pins, in & out the eraser:
I have decided to leave my footprint as amateur level designer on the platformer Rayman here in my artistic blog. So here´s my first map I created for the mapper engine of Rayman. In Rayman´s Designer engine, the A to B typical goal of a platformer videogame is also accompanied by a primary task of collecting blue orbs called "tings", normally 100 tings you must collect if you want to reach the goal sign and consider the level finished. As that, you can take advantage of the mechanic by creating obligatory paths that could be left behind if it wasn´t for the obligatory collectibles that the blue tings are.
I am explaining this because all of my levels designed here have this property. As a special trait exclusive from my creations, I also made another optional collectible which are 100 dark blue tings scattered across the map. These dark blue tings have the function of guiding you across the level, they aren´t mandatory to collect and don´t affect the game whatsoever.
Now an explanation of the level itself: The start point is on the top left of the map, the start is hectic, full of slow-pacing bullets coming from the right. Quickly you must follow the blue orbs (tings) to make your way of the level. Rayman (the character the player controls) make a free fall following the trail of tings to the bottom of the map, for which he must obtain all the remaining tings in some few small platforms and using another event to rise up to the top of the map again.
I certainly don´t consider this a very fun move for a platformer level, for it makes an unnecessaary enlargement of a stage. A long level doesn´t precisely mean a good level and it´s something I tried to avoid in future maps but that in my first creations it was painfully common, especially at the beginning of the level.
Moving on, Rayman follows the top of the level across vines and platforms full of basic mooks. At the end he must make another freefall to the second half of the map. This level I try to make a two split part: an upper part, as in, the top of the rainforest and the lowest part, where the swamps are. It helps the attention to detail by adding vines, leaves and plants to symbolize the "top" and the "walls" of the level, as if the top was so thick that Rayman can´t go further up.
Second half is a series of jumps from small island to other small island following a similar pattern as you climb up. Here also Rayman can go back to the beginning of the level in case he missed some tings to collect.
As you go upper the platforms, the climbing becomes more challenging, and for one last challenge you must cross a couple of small caves full of falling prickly fruits.
This challenge is again another enlargement to collect the last 3 tings of the level. While it´s another enlargement, I must say that at least it doesn´t feel as cheap as the first. Only problem is that the return path is the same, and backtracking can be a very bad choice for level designing, I recognize it.
Once everything is collected Rayman must go to the remaining path, which is a short road devoid of enemies except for the strong flower plant (a high tier enemy in Rayman´s roster) guarding the exit.
Here I attach the video gameplay of the map where all the parts are shown. Rayman must go from atop the trees to the deepest of the swamp! Notice the two freefalls in the level:
I´m not pointing anything or anyone nor I´m deviating to conspiracies. I´m not shilling and I don´t represent anything, any movement or whatever. Give this picture any interpretation you want, I went full random when I thought about this idea.
Also, Winnie the Pooh is just an innocent cartoon for children, isn´t it?
Also. Why do I have to explain anything? I´m in a free country, dang it!
Another of my rescued pictures from the long past I decided to take a small breath on them. This time about a fantasy landscape from certain videogame I used to enjoy when I was kid.
