I playtested the shit out of They Follow because I took the criticism of Hopsichord being style over game play and Break the Bank sort of ending without really building on its ideas, (and the fact everyone missed the secret giant diamond) to heart.
But even still, the moment I saw the level streamed I immediately came across a bit that I thought I'd signposted well enough, and could have easily made even more plain to the player by simply placing a p-switch in view and only using a pipe to provide a new one.
So while it's obvious that there's no feedback like seeing someone play your level blind - that's not something you can do by yourself, and by spending so long testing my level there's some extra things I've learned in the process that I think are worth sharing. Some of it may be really obvious to many of you, and you may disagree, but just different things to consider.
While most everyone learns that a level is never as easy as you think it is, there's another less obvious trap you can fall into that leads directly to this problem.
As a designer, you will play the same section over and over again and may make a perfectly good chunk of level way harder than it needs to be, or chuck it out entirely just because you've become bored of it.
If you've become bored of something, ask yourself why?
Did it suddenly stop being good, or did you just get too good at it?
Is it actually bad or just something you're sick of doing because you've not played the back end of your level half as much?
If after asking these questions you still want to change it, first try editing the section down so you get to the "more interesting" bit faster or just see if there's ways to make things more aesthetically pleasing or gameplay diverse without chucking harder enemies, pits or one hit kills at the player that don't need to be there yet, or at all.
A player should always feel at fault for his deaths and unless it's a puzzle or kaizo level, the player should always know exactly why they died and how they could have prevented it. The way we're all forcing this game to bend and turn to get it to do new things can be an issue when the game doesn't cooperate. Which leads me to...
If something happens once every 50 times that fucks up your design, consider how you can achieve the same goal while ensuring it works pretty much 100% of the time.
Every level can be better if you apply 1-1 thinking to it.
1-1s can have difficulty but they always introduce the player to whatever they will face step by step, they don't make assumptions. Mario 64 introduced so much all at once that its 1-1 is an enemy free playground, so again unless you're kaizo, teach whatever mechanic to the player in a forgiving way before you punish them for not knowing it.
If you have an unusual mechanic, don't wait too long to introduce it. Either tease it so the player knows what is coming, or introduce it quickly so you can let the player understand without having to redo half the level.
Play your level without running, play your level never not running. The way things spawn can be weird and this is not only a great way to see how and when things pop out, but it's a good way to see your own level in a fresh way.
You can create the illusion of difficulty to up tension and increase the chance of player error without chucking speeding obstacles or adding asshole moments. Having enemies and obstacles in view, that normally wouldn't touch the player or are typically not a big deal can provide a wrinkle which messes a player up in way a way they won't take out on the level (just don't make things too busy)
Weird mushrooms have a 1 in 10 chance of replacing Super Mushrooms in Mario 1 style, assume many players of your level will get one instead. If your level is broken by them in a way you don't like, remember a Mystery Mushroom will provide the same brick breaking/extra hit functionality.
Try not to use arrows and one way blocks after the fact, design with them in mind from the start.
If you've discovered your level is confusing or you don't want a player to go backwards, it's generally better practice to figure out how to direct or push the player in a direction organically.
Your player will jump in every obvious death hole and will go back to places you don't want them to. They will do this all while never finding your secret areas.
So don't make the coolest stuff in your level a secret.
We all wish checkpoints existed, but they don't in any way most will understand. So if you want to make a longer level, I'd suggest avoiding too many pits and one hit kills (especially later on), while regularly providing a power-up before each major section. Regardless of if someone likes your level or not, beats it or throws in the towel because it's too hard - you don't want people giving up simply because what lay ahead is simply too long and the act of getting to the bit that stopped them again too much of a chore.
You have lots of good ideas and a limited amount of uploads, but don't chuck everything into the one level. Focus on one or a few ideas as one really well done mechanic is worth 10 half-baked ones that don't all fit together.
If you're stuck for ideas, play levels from communities you enjoy. Watch live streams (and watch more than your own level being played) , expose yourself to new things and allow yourself to be inspired. Don't push something out just because you're out of ideas.
