{"author_link":"\/users\/mod-wiz","author_name":"MoD_Wiz","author_uid":"mod-wiz","comments":[],"epoch":1745453084,"event":"LD57","format":"md","ldjam_node_id":415252,"likes":2,"metadata":{"p_key":"211569","p_author":"MoD_Wiz","p_authorkey":"1410475","p_urlkey":"451393","p_title":"The things I learned during this Jam part 2.","p_cat":"LDJam ","p_event":"LD57","p_time":"1745453084","p_likes":"2","p_comments":"0","p_status":"WAYBACK","us_key":"1410475","us_name":"MoD_Wiz","us_username":"mod-wiz","event_start":"1743811200","event_key":"111","event_name":"Ludum Dare 57"},"node":{"_collation":{"body_sanitizer":"TextUtils::SanitizeHTML via existing importer","event":"LD57","removed_author":false},"_superparent":406845,"_trust":1,"author":410475,"body":"This time I want to write about things I learned about level design and communication while doing my game for this jam - Water Cat.\u2028\n**I will spoil some levels and solutions for my game!**\n\nSo I welcome you to [PLAY IT](https:\/\/ldjam.com\/events\/ludum-dare\/57\/game-and-physics-water-cat) and beat my game if you haven\u2019t yet for better understanding of this post, it\u2019s a short puzzle-platformer, takes 5-10 minutes it seems, according to comments. Thanks everybody who left comments and ratings!\nWell without further delay here we go:\n\nImportant mechanic and basis for puzzles of my game is buoyancy and changing water level in the rooms. And while I explained controls and basic mechanics in text, **buoyancy is actually never expertly explained in text!** ** It\u2019s only demonstrated to player through level\/puzzle design.**\u2028\u2028The fact that keys float is the key (pun intended) to solving puzzles and is firstly demonstrated to the player early in game on this level:\u2028\n\n![WC01.png](\/\/\/raw\/b63\/46\/z\/6c6c5.png)\n\nAnd the knowledge that key float is not exactly needed to solve this puzzle, but to beat this level player need to rise the water level and this makes key float and this information is once again demonstrated shortly after even more explicitly.\n\n![WC3.png](\/\/\/raw\/b63\/46\/z\/6c6c6.png)\n\nAnd the player gains understanding of this mechanics almost on an automatic level.\n\nSo the lesson is **it\u2019s possible to communicate gameplay ideas\/rules (that have some complexity) through level design alone without pointing to it with text or interface.** And people have a very good ability to pick on it in almost subconscious way. I think I underestimated this in this project and slightly overdone repetition of information in level design, so some people felt (rightly so) that the puzzle design is slightly repetitive as the result.\n**So don\u2019t underestimate the ability of player to pick up on rules through puzzle design**, I will try not to next time!\n\n\nUs a counter example **the information that boxes sink is also important**, but I actually failed to communicate it properly on a first try.\u2028The level where this information was important was design this way:\n\n![Demo5.gif](\/\/\/raw\/b63\/46\/z\/6c6c9.gif)\n\nAnd it\u2019s frustrating if you don\u2019t know difference between boxes and keys.\n\nSo I added a pillar below the switches rising part of level, it solved some other problems, but most importantly **now player is observed that box doesn\u2019t float when water level rises** as one of the first actions.  And this gives this needed knowledge to the player! The level in the final game:\n\n![Demo3.gif](\/\/\/raw\/b63\/46\/z\/6c6c8.gif)\n\nSo I guess lesson is **don't forget to show player the information you try to communicate.** And also small changes in level design can have a huge consequences!\n\nMaybe this information is quite obvious, but for me it was something that I learned during this jam and I am sharing it. Firstly I wanted to explain all mechanics through text, but it was unnecessary and **explaining through level design is more effective and more fun** at lest this is what is my conclusion.\n\nThat is it. Thank you for reading!\n\n[PART ONE](https:\/\/ldjam.com\/events\/ludum-dare\/57\/game-and-physics-water-cat\/the-lessons-i-learned-during-this-jam-part-1) is here if you are interested.","comments":0,"created":"2025-04-23T23:51:27Z","files":[],"files-timestamp":0,"id":415252,"love":2,"love-timestamp":"2025-04-24T18:02:46Z","meta":[],"modified":"2025-04-24T18:02:46Z","name":"The things I learned during this Jam part 2.","node-timestamp":"2025-04-24T00:16:02Z","parent":410591,"parents":[1,5,9,406845,410591],"path":"\/events\/ludum-dare\/57\/game-and-physics-water-cat\/the-things-i-learned-during-this-jam-part-2","published":"2025-04-24T00:04:44Z","scope":"public","slug":"the-things-i-learned-during-this-jam-part-2","subsubtype":"","subtype":"","type":"post","version":1311946},"node_metadata":{"n_key":"415252","n_urlkey":"451393","n_parent":"410591","n_path":"\/events\/ludum-dare\/57\/game-and-physics-water-cat\/the-things-i-learned-during-this-jam-part-2","n_slug":"the-things-i-learned-during-this","n_type":"post","n_subtype":"","n_subsubtype":"","n_author":"410475","n_created":"1745452287","n_modified":"1745517766","n_version":"1311946","n_status":"WAYBACK"},"source_url":"https:\/\/ldjam.com\/events\/ludum-dare\/57\/game-and-physics-water-cat\/the-things-i-learned-during-this-jam-part-2","text":"This time I want to write about things I learned about level design and communication while doing my game for this jam - Water Cat.\u2028\n**I will spoil some levels and solutions for my game!**\n\nSo I welcome you to [PLAY IT](https:\/\/ldjam.com\/events\/ludum-dare\/57\/game-and-physics-water-cat) and beat my game if you haven\u2019t yet for better understanding of this post, it\u2019s a short puzzle-platformer, takes 5-10 minutes it seems, according to comments. Thanks everybody who left comments and ratings!\nWell without further delay here we go:\n\nImportant mechanic and basis for puzzles of my game is buoyancy and changing water level in the rooms. And while I explained controls and basic mechanics in text, **buoyancy is actually never expertly explained in text!** ** It\u2019s only demonstrated to player through level\/puzzle design.**\u2028\u2028The fact that keys float is the key (pun intended) to solving puzzles and is firstly demonstrated to the player early in game on this level:\u2028\n\n![WC01.png](\/\/\/raw\/b63\/46\/z\/6c6c5.png)\n\nAnd the knowledge that key float is not exactly needed to solve this puzzle, but to beat this level player need to rise the water level and this makes key float and this information is once again demonstrated shortly after even more explicitly.\n\n![WC3.png](\/\/\/raw\/b63\/46\/z\/6c6c6.png)\n\nAnd the player gains understanding of this mechanics almost on an automatic level.\n\nSo the lesson is **it\u2019s possible to communicate gameplay ideas\/rules (that have some complexity) through level design alone without pointing to it with text or interface.** And people have a very good ability to pick on it in almost subconscious way. I think I underestimated this in this project and slightly overdone repetition of information in level design, so some people felt (rightly so) that the puzzle design is slightly repetitive as the result.\n**So don\u2019t underestimate the ability of player to pick up on rules through puzzle design**, I will try not to next time!\n\n\nUs a counter example **the information that boxes sink is also important**, but I actually failed to communicate it properly on a first try.\u2028The level where this information was important was design this way:\n\n![Demo5.gif](\/\/\/raw\/b63\/46\/z\/6c6c9.gif)\n\nAnd it\u2019s frustrating if you don\u2019t know difference between boxes and keys.\n\nSo I added a pillar below the switches rising part of level, it solved some other problems, but most importantly **now player is observed that box doesn\u2019t float when water level rises** as one of the first actions.  And this gives this needed knowledge to the player! The level in the final game:\n\n![Demo3.gif](\/\/\/raw\/b63\/46\/z\/6c6c8.gif)\n\nSo I guess lesson is **don't forget to show player the information you try to communicate.** And also small changes in level design can have a huge consequences!\n\nMaybe this information is quite obvious, but for me it was something that I learned during this jam and I am sharing it. Firstly I wanted to explain all mechanics through text, but it was unnecessary and **explaining through level design is more effective and more fun** at lest this is what is my conclusion.\n\nThat is it. Thank you for reading!\n\n[PART ONE](https:\/\/ldjam.com\/events\/ludum-dare\/57\/game-and-physics-water-cat\/the-lessons-i-learned-during-this-jam-part-1) is here if you are interested.","title":"The things I learned during this Jam part 2.","wayback_source":[]}