World 3 / Quest 13

Level Design

Easy. Medium. Hard. Three levels, and you decide what 'hard' means.

Badge: The Goldilocks Ramp

You’ll learn

• Levels as data: a list of positions Coach reads to build the level
• The Goldilocks Ramp: making level 2 'just right'
• Designing for someone who isn't you

Briefing

Start prompt

Steps

1. 1

   Your level becomes a list

   Ask Coach to pull your level out into a list (a file called levels.js): platforms, enemies, spikes, coins, key, door — each as a position. Then ask Coach to show you the list and explain one line of it. You're about to edit this list to make new levels.

   Say this to Coach

   Turn my current level into a list in a file called levels.js — platforms, enemies, spikes, coins, key, and door, each with positions. Make the game build the level from that list. Then show me the list and explain what one platform line means.

   Copy
2. 2

   Level 1: the easy one

   Your current level is probably medium. Make Level 1 easier: fewer enemies (maybe zero), wider platforms, the key somewhere obvious, no spikes under gaps. Its job is to teach the controls without hurting anyone. Say exactly what to remove.

   Say this to Coach

   Make a Level 1 that's easier than my current level: no spikes, at most 1 enemy, wider platforms with smaller gaps, and the key in an easy spot. Its job is to teach jumping. Keep my current level as Level 2.

   Copy
3. 3

   Level 3: the hard one

   Now the hard level. Ask for options on what makes a platformer level hard (Coach will say things like: smaller platforms, enemies near the key, spikes under jumps, a long jump you have to time). Pick three of those ideas and put them in Level 3.

   Say this to Coach

   Give me 5 ways to make a platformer level harder without just adding more enemies. I'll pick 3 and you build Level 3 with them.

   Copy
4. 4

   Connect the levels

   Finishing a level's door should load the next one. After Level 3: a 'YOU WIN' screen with total coins. Add the level number to the HUD.

   Say this to Coach

   When I finish a level's door, load the next level. Show the level number in the HUD. After Level 3, show a YOU WIN screen with my total coins across all levels and a restart on SPACE.

   Copy
5. 5

   The family playtest

   Find a family member. All three levels, in a row. You know the rules: watch, don't help. Write down: which level they lost lives on, where they got stuck, and where they smiled. If they breezed through Level 3 — it's not hard enough. If they quit on Level 2 — it's too hard.

   Say this to Coach

   Make a PLAYTEST-LEVELS.md file with a line for each level: lives lost, where they got stuck, where they smiled. I'll fill it in after I watch someone play all three.

   Copy
6. 6

   Adjust the ramp

   Look at your notes. Was Level 2 'just right'? Change ONE thing on ONE level based on what you saw. Then checkpoint 'three-levels'.

   Say this to Coach

   Here's what I saw: Level 1 was easy and they never lost a life, Level 2 cost them two lives, Level 3 made them quit at the long jump. Change one thing: make the long jump in Level 3 one step shorter. Then save a checkpoint called 'three-levels'.

   Copy

Side quests +10 XP each

Stuck?

• Level 2 broke when Coach made the list? Go back to checkpoint 'level-one' and say: "Turn the level into a list again, but test that it looks exactly the same first."
• Next level doesn't load? Say what you see: "I expected Level 2 to load after the door, but the screen went blank."
• Level 3 is impossible even for you? That's useful. Remove one hard thing at a time until you can beat it — barely.

More ways to get unstuck