Theory of Elma: Lev design

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Lousku
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Theory of Elma: Lev design

Post by Lousku »

- Development of a mind and a lev design style correlate directly: design styles subconsciously represent visualizations of our world views. Or the two are just on the same level of mind hierarchy.
- Lev design is fun for many people because it's the same as discussing philosophy.
- This is the reason why many of us keep making unliked levels while being perfectly capable of making norm fun levs. Or that's just me.
- The way this is hidden in reality shows why some people like pics and others don't: pics only fit the scale of certain people's visualizations.

Am I insane?
then again i don't know anything
maybe easier not to think abouut alöl things thought than not things thought ... or something..=?
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Re: Theory of Elma: Lev design

Post by Igge »

i like making levels
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Re: Theory of Elma: Lev design

Post by Pingywings »

i wander what table levs represent in my subconcious mind or something
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Re: Theory of Elma: Lev design

Post by pawq »

I can't make levels, no mind? :(
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Re: Theory of Elma: Lev design

Post by A.K.B. »

There are few kuskis who really find their "voice" in levelmaking. Insaneguy was one of them. BarTek another.

Off the top of my head:

Insaneguy
Olliz
Fuida
BarTek
Ville_J

there are probably a few more somewhere in there.
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Re: Theory of Elma: Lev design

Post by 8-ball »

TL is another dude with seemingly endless creativity. A visionary in his own way. Does it correlate with his growth as a human being? Well, nothing seems to indicate that.

I've been able to detect certain patterns in my own levelmaking that I never noticed before. Such as the spiral design technique - starting from a small detail like a small hang and building a whole complex level around it in a spiral manner. What does that mean? Dunno.
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Re: Theory of Elma: Lev design

Post by Zweq »

- i like chaos in all the major arts: music, pictur, elma. chaos is interesting, let there be chaos, just like in the universe.
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Re: Theory of Elma: Lev design

Post by BlaZtek »

I use two diff types of designing when it comes to visual. Sometimes I use the pictures and masks to create a little nice world.
Then on the other hand I use perfect goodeye angels for every vertex.
Both of these styles takes a lot of time. And it often makes me forget things like flow and playabilaty.

LeeLand once challenged me to make a lev with my eyes closed, it turned out to be some of my best levs. It has changed my lev making alot.
Nowdays I draw the whole lev, and do eye mesuring along the way, It works!

FinMan changed my lev making some too, when he said I should drop the short cuts, he also said that Its better to make visuals in vertexes instead of mask and pictures... Like insaineguy did.

To note, I always put kuskie somewhere and start making the lev that way...
Lev making just make elma for me, I can sit making a lev in 4 hours and have fun all the way :lol:

I wish more ppl would care some for visuals, and quit making those 10 sec made levs... Most of them is crap imo.
Zero and Zebra should also be mentioned, they have shaped my designing aspect.

My top 5 designer list:

*Sla
*Jappe2
*Chip
*?
*?

Then again, im sure there have ben many good designers that I've never heard of.

Plz more care about lev making :D
Unlike Zweq I dont like chaos if thats what he ment with his own levs :|
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Re: Theory of Elma: Lev design

Post by anpdad »

imo lousku is thinking too deep and coming to untrue generalizations :p But obviously any type of creativity is heavily influenced by our views and perception of world (and vice versa, though with lesser impact most of the time), i don't think developments of them are on the same level though.

I tend to use chaos in levs like zweq, but only just as one of easy methods to get a level that will make battlers think out of teh box. When put against an unorthodox design, player is bound to do things he's not used to do in order to win, and it's fascinating to witness the process of solving the chaos out and finding some order in it. I find it incredibly inspiring when discoveries are made, or something unexpected is done (not only in elma, it's one of the main things in life that make me happy). Usually instead of using chaos though, i try to make simple-looking levs to achieve the same effect, but in this case it's easy to overlook something and produce brainless lev instead of a brainfuck lev. Most mans hate both types though xD, so lately i've been making simple hoylas, they're nice and easy to drive and smooth winrecs are asthetically pleasing to watch.
I don't really like designing process, i do it solely for the end product. That's why i dont decorate levs, even though i like pics and grass, they add some cosy atmosphere into lev.

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Re: Theory of Elma: Lev design

Post by Igge »

anpdad wrote:When put against an unorthodox design, player is bound to do things he's not used to do in order to win, and it's fascinating to witness the process of solving the chaos out and finding some order in it.
This is why I like zamppe levs and not so much my own. The worst ones are the best ones usually, because there is no flow whatsoever, only mongo things like balancing on spikes and whatnot. Feels like you're a nab who hasn't played the game ever before, and its a very cool experience. It's like you have to re-learn the bike and physics all over again.

However, whenever I try to make cool levs like that, I always find some style I think is fun and I polish it, which is very bad in the end. The cool thing is how unpolished they are, but I just can't bring myself to leave a level like that, even though I know it's funnier. It's some kind of OCD I guess.
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Re: Theory of Elma: Lev design

Post by Ruben »

A.K.B. wrote:There are few kuskis who really find their "voice" in levelmaking. Insaneguy was one of them. BarTek another.

Off the top of my head:

Insaneguy
Olliz
Fuida
BarTek
Ville_J

there are probably a few more somewhere in there.
You can tell Olliz had fun making levs, with his crazy-ass LGRs n' shit. The styles were always painfully obvious, but a lot of fun.

I miss Skint0r from that list though, I've had lots of fun with his levs, and they all look damn beautiful.
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Re: Theory of Elma: Lev design

Post by A.K.B. »

I would include Skint0r for sure.

They are all in the elma "romantic" style as it were... with exception to insaneguy, who was more a neoclassicist, leaning on the avant-garde.

TL on the other hand is just a failing student in comparison to these Beethovens of level design.
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Re: Theory of Elma: Lev design

Post by Grace »

Well of course there are different styles of lev design, as with everything. There is your current trend of chaos seen in TL/anpik/zweq levels that plenty of people love, then there's just pure playability such as your skint0r, CommonSeb, then you have your more polishing designers such as Igge, myself, zebra, umiz etc.

I think comparing between these categories is impossible but defining strong lines is also hard.
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Re: Theory of Elma: Lev design

Post by snajdig »

Lou made me thinking about it. I think could be something in it but not by all. For instance there are people making tons of levs. I am sure levs mean nothing to them.
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Re: Theory of Elma: Lev design

Post by Chris »

There are 3 types of levels:
-someone got crazy idea, make lev, collect popcorn, battle level and see what happens :D
-levels made without any effort :roll:
-carefully tested and preplanned shit, requires a lot of time and effort

It's all about effort and and having fun as designer (spying is fun). I battle some crazy levs to spy and see how people are fighting with my design or I make something very quick because people want lev, but spying in such a levs isn't fun.
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Re: Theory of Elma: Lev design

Post by Lousku »

Xarthok wrote:TL is another dude with seemingly endless creativity. A visionary in his own way. Does it correlate with his growth as a human being? Well, nothing seems to indicate that.
Really? To me it seems like he's stuck in loops; all of his levels are made of a small group of patterns. Maybe I'm forgetting some major part of his levels. But it seems like better mood results in more unique levels. This would correlate with the idea that depression is simply lack of emotion.
Haruhi wrote:Well of course there are different styles of lev design, as with everything. There is your current trend of chaos seen in TL/anpik/zweq levels that plenty of people love,
Weird. I don't think there's much of anything in common between Zweq and TL levs. Maybe something in chaotic visual style, but playing is much more limited in TL's levs.
anpdad wrote:imo lousku is thinking too deep and coming to untrue generalizations :p
Yeah, I tend to do that.
Igge wrote:However, whenever I try to make cool levs like that, I always find some style I think is fun and I polish it, which is very bad in the end. The cool thing is how unpolished they are, but I just can't bring myself to leave a level like that, even though I know it's funnier. It's some kind of OCD I guess.
I'll take this as a sign that forcefully making sense of the world gives mostly bad results.
then again i don't know anything
maybe easier not to think abouut alöl things thought than not things thought ... or something..=?
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Re: Theory of Elma: Lev design

Post by snajdig »

OMG
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Re: Theory of Elma: Lev design

Post by snajdig »

btw i also have abstract thougts about different things
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Re: Theory of Elma: Lev design

Post by analcactus »

A.K.B. wrote:There are few kuskis who really find their "voice" in levelmaking. Insaneguy was one of them. BarTek another.

Off the top of my head:

Insaneguy
Olliz
Fuida
BarTek
Ville_J

there are probably a few more somewhere in there.
u fuck
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Re: Theory of Elma: Lev design

Post by Lakimies »

i think all levs made in america are good. others are not.

only in america, god bless america
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Re: Theory of Elma: Lev design

Post by Pingywings »

we all know best levmakers are english gentle mans

edit: i have no memory of making this dry and pixel wasting comment at all, where the fak did it come from
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Re: Theory of Elma: Lev design

Post by A.K.B. »

analcactus wrote:
A.K.B. wrote:There are few kuskis who really find their "voice" in levelmaking. Insaneguy was one of them. BarTek another.

Off the top of my head:

Insaneguy
Olliz
Fuida
BarTek
Ville_J

there are probably a few more somewhere in there.
u fuck
I forgot - me, yes.
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Re: Theory of Elma: Lev design

Post by goofu »

There appears to be dishonest activity transpiring in this thread, and as a result, you will have to live without my input on the matter at hand. :beer:
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Re: Theory of Elma: Lev design

Post by A.K.B. »

That sounds grand goofu. Why can't we have an AUS elma meet with SmaXa aka Haruhi aka etc. etc. etc. etc.?
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Re: Theory of Elma: Lev design

Post by Lousku »

Made a video.

theory of elma: lev design, battles, battletime

I hope it's moar coherent than my original post here. :)

Discus.
then again i don't know anything
maybe easier not to think abouut alöl things thought than not things thought ... or something..=?
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Re: Theory of Elma: Lev design

Post by Tigro »

nicely done, pity only 240p quality (or will it go higher?);

Even if somebody makes level/balle that is generaly considered extremly good and enjoyable, statistically, 20% of people will not like it. So anything around 80% is great level, at 50% likability I consider level/balle good (as Lous mentioned level and balle are 2 different things), at 30% I will say the level was not so OK (under-average), but roughly every third person liked it, that´s good enough; below 30% Ill say the lev was bad, or players are bunch of losers.

p.s.: Lous, you seem a bit tired at the video, don´t you?
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Re: Theory of Elma: Lev design

Post by A.K.B. »

Fantastic work Lousku. Just listening now. :)
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Re: Theory of Elma: Lev design

Post by abruzzi »

brilliant insight and outcome, i'd like maybe more topics treated, nice Lou
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Re: Theory of Elma: Lev design

Post by abruzzi »

I, for example cannot entirely understand some Zero or Luther being overly angry when not won a battle, my goal when attending a battle is to make a satisfying run and to see as good rec as possible, so I'm very happy when I'm leading and someone beats my time.
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Re: Theory of Elma: Lev design

Post by Zweq »

they are winners, that's why they get angry. The only way you become a winner, is to get angry from loss, 2nd place is shit. Then the way your angriness is shown, is part of your personality and culture, some people don't show it too much and some people get less angry, but they still get angry, if they're winners. Personally I don't mind reading ppl writing 'excuses' and dissing lev to deepest shithole on the earth, it's just fun to read as long as there's no total rage with mongo personal insults etc
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Re: Theory of Elma: Lev design

Post by 8-ball »

indeed i think even indirectly blaming the lev for your failure is pretty pathetic
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Re: Theory of Elma: Lev design

Post by pawq »

What you have to bear in mind is that criticising levs does not always coincide with losing.
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Re: Theory of Elma: Lev design

Post by jonsykkel »

Pawq wrote:What you have to bear in mind is that criticising levs does not always coincide with losing.
well ye obviousli, but anyone with eyes and their monitor turned on can see the trend
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Re: Theory of Elma: Lev design

Post by pawq »

Yep. Although I don't understand people complaining or being surprised with this trend. Losing (or simply not doing well - not feeling a level) is naturally associated with negative feelings (mild irritation in some, fury in others), and that has to be poured out. You're (supposedly) the same all the time, so it's surely the level, isn't it?

And anger coming from a simple failure is nothing less natural and expected, although it surely depends on one's competitiveness. Some play to enjoy, others always seek a victory, I suppose like in every other discipline :)
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Re: Theory of Elma: Lev design

Post by jonsykkel »

yeu im not surprised, is natural to get upset but im fel bad for the levmakers who are the ones keeping the scene runing when they always get to pay for that
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Re: Theory of Elma: Lev design

Post by pawq »

Yeah, I get what you mean. But do you really think it's harmful? I, for example, used to get a lot of criticism because I was a shitty designer, so I simply quit levmaking, there was no use. Others getting similar response may do the same, but I guess that in fact, the more criticism someone gets, the shitter he is at it. And it seems to me that those "proper" levmakers tend to ignore criticism (especially if it's mongo failure-related rage), or use it in a positive way. Is it otherwise?
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Re: Theory of Elma: Lev design

Post by jonsykkel »

probably not too harmful like that, but i think it can contribute to waterink down the levels by designers who tend to make a bit more unusual levs than the typikal 15min 30sec hoyl
one thing is the beisik "!lev 1 worst level ever" stuff which is just funy, i guess what annoys me is when certain mans try to "improve" the designing of others because the levs dont fit exatckly into their vision of what a batlelev should be, something which seems to be happening prety often
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Re: Theory of Elma: Lev design

Post by pawq »

jonsykkel wrote:i guess what annoys me is when certain mans try to "improve" the designing of others because the levs dont fit exatckly into their vision of what a batlelev should be, something which seems to be happening prety often
Can you give an example of such a situation? I think I know what you mean, but I can't really picture it
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Re: Theory of Elma: Lev design

Post by Grace »

jonsykkel wrote:probably not too harmful like that, but i think it can contribute to waterink down the levels by designers who tend to make a bit more unusual levs than the typikal 15min 30sec hoyl
one thing is the beisik "!lev 1 worst level ever" stuff which is just funy, i guess what annoys me is when certain mans try to "improve" the designing of others because the levs dont fit exatckly into their vision of what a batlelev should be, something which seems to be happening prety often
I guess this comes down to how it's portrayed, again. If criticism or suggestions are given in a constructive way ie:

End was bad and here is a suggestion of what i think might be better.

Then it can be really helpful to a designer.

People who've played my levs will note that i always ask straight after the battle whether or not it was a good lev and what i could do to improve it.
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Re: Theory of Elma: Lev design

Post by jonsykkel »

yes im talk about this kind of situation:
some battle ends
<man1> why the hel did you put this shortcut here?? retarded, noone likes that
<man2> this lev has only one style whats up with that??

i think not very constructive because the criticism is about stuff that some people enjoy and some dont, only subjective stuff
of course, telling some newcomer its nat a good idea to put hangs thiner than wheels and such is still a good idea, but the rest should be up to the designer in my onion
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Re: Theory of Elma: Lev design

Post by pawq »

Yeah I agree, but to be honest I haven't seen many feedback of this type :o usually it's either "worst lev ever", "best lev ever", or an equivalent :D
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Re: Theory of Elma: Lev design

Post by Tigro »

Luther wrote:Gay end.
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Re: Theory of Elma: Lev design

Post by Madness »

I don't really mind this criticism. When it's too harsh, I just drink a bottle of wine, cry into my pillow, pity myself for a while, swallow a bottle of antidepressants and eventually I always get over it and move on. The most important thing is simply not to take Elma too seriously.
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Re: Theory of Elma: Lev design

Post by Tigro »

Madness wrote:The most important thing is simply not to take Elma too seriously.
Poor Lousku http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwLVqwJZg-Q
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