Sloping Level Design in 3d: How do?

[Chaos Warp]

Unless the game is like "Sonic Runs Faster Unleashed", I think it should be fine. If we think back to the days before S_RFU, the pace used to be alot slower (though faster than most other platformers). Having the camera back up, or pan around a little when entering a section of level that prefers it won't throw you around too bad.

EDIT:And Unleashed-on seems to prove that even at top speeds, if the game intends to devote to a massively different camera angle for a while, it doesn't hurt your brain.

Well, I always figured the slopes could be used to gain Unleashed speed instead of the boost........

[Rusty Spy]

I'm in agreement with Walker. I don't see how a minor camera shift for Sonic would be anymore disorienting than switching from first person to third person and back at a moments notice.

If anything, for Sonic it should be even more fluid since the camera shift would be even less jarring.

[Diogenes]

I would call it less bad, but I would not say it isn't a problem. e: Or rather, the kind of camera change is less jarring, but the fact that Sonic is expected to handle it at high speeds without interruption magnifies how jarring it is.

And Unleashed mostly got around camera changes by taking away control for a second or two, or by just making things so simple you are basically just holding boost and would have to actively fuck up. That is not what I want to see.

Edited April 5, 2012 by Diogenes

[azoo]

Create areas that expand, while keeping those expanding setpieces to mostly flat or directly angular terrain. Since more emphasized slopes and curved terrain becomes more of a risk of being thrown off course, you must compromise a way in which you can keep it in three dimensions and allow open movement, while also making sure Sonic doesn't stray from course due to how spinning and et cetera effects movement.

This could be a problem, considering that you don't want to border Sonic in with a linear, forward path; considering that's almost similar to making it 2D but.. not. You have to make sure there are alternate tiers you can explore from higher and lower areas, or amongst the sides. That way you don't feel closed in by walls surrounding the area.

It's a hard subject to explain, and sometimes depends on what kind of stage we're talking about.

[Chaos Warp]

It's a hard subject to explain, and sometimes depends on what kind of stage we're talking about.

Speaking of that: I feel that city stages will be the hardest to translate to slope-y level design, considering their entire structure is made of blocks.

[azoo]

Speaking of that: I feel that city stages will be the hardest to translate to slope-y level design, considering their entire structure is made of blocks.

Actually, not really. Too help reinstate what I was saying earlier, let me pick up what Sparks wrote on Retro:

Level Theme and How it Affects the Layout

(This is probably a point I should be emphasizing much more) You should always be aware of the kind of zone you're making. Just the theme of the zone will make the layout of the zone.

Look at how the terrain is handled in each of these grass zones. It isn't just a sudden slope. It goes up like a real hill, be it a steep hill or a small, steady rise. It looks like realistic terrain but at the same time still smoothly curved for the most part. In these kinds of zones, even the straight paths have a bit of bumps in them, much like real earth. Now lets look at zones with man-made floors.

Entirely different scenario here. Floors are at direct angles or straightaways. Ruins are also man made, but depending on how ruined they are, they might follow the hill type mentioned above (Aquatic Ruin, Marble Garden), or the more obvious man-made pattern here (Sky Sanctuary, Hidden Palace), or in some cases, a mixture of both (Marble, Sandopolis).

It's your zone though, this is where you start making the calls for your designs. How will your loops loop? How will your slopes be designed? Try to look at other Sonic zones, and expand on those ideas, or even do all new ones. Make crazy loop designs we've never seen before! Make a tally-whacker loop next to adderall pill shaped slopes for all I care.

Ultimately though, each zone should look unique. Oil Ocean and Metropolis have the same kind of small slopes, but their theme and scenery makes each one stand out from the other. Emerald Hill has slopes at a similar angle as those too, but they're much more bumpy and slope-y, like real grass. If you keep these things in mind when making the tiles for the level, or drawing it out, then the level will practically form itself.

Edited April 5, 2012 by Azukara

[Chaos Walker]

Thoughts?

[Scar]

@Chaos Walker

No. Its the same as Heroes, but with curvature. I.e slopes are there, that's good, but they're floating over a massive chasm.

I think the best way to start is to just create a cube or sphere and call the space within that cube or sphere the area in which the level is. Make sure the floor isn't flat.

The rest is up to the imagination really.

[Diogenes]

Thoughts?

It's got some decent curvy geometry, but aside from that it's still got the same kind of problems as 3D Sonic games; primarily that it's a bunch of narrow paths floating in a void. You need room to move around and play with Sonic's abilities without dying for every single mistake.

[Chaos Warp]

It's got some decent curvy geometry, but aside from that it's still got the same kind of problems as 3D Sonic games; primarily that it's a bunch of narrow paths floating in a void. You need room to move around and play with Sonic's abilities without dying for every single mistake.

Edited April 6, 2012 by Chaos Warp