How to Create A GOOD Platformer Level in Geometry Dash 2.2 

Colon made super gd gem hunt 64 so he's permanently banned from talking about platformers and you'll have to listen to me instead. Edit: nvm Zip Lash is peak go play it

Also a side note: MOBILE PLAYERS HAVE MOVEMENT BUTTONS AT THE BOTTOM CORNERS - please try to avoid placing important factors there, my fingers cover it and i can’t see it at ALL

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="55">0:55</a> im on a mindcap video my life is now complete

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="1272">21:12</a> omg he said the word

fun fact about La Citadel; the deco of the white section of the level is just taken from a platformer puzzle game called Gris. game remakes need to stop

Oh, my levels :0 <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="106">1:46</a> and <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="889">14:49</a>

When i was creating flower peak (thanks for showing in the video), mobile playtesters found a lot of stuff and bugs. If you create a level PLEASE bring mobile playtesters! This is very important, as they have different aspect ratio and controls. Consider that some gimmicks are much harder on phone controls, and optimise your levels.

La Citadel really pissed you off...

Something to add to pacing: I think more players need to learn how to use the Item Persist trigger, as it allows creators to skip stuff like cutscenes after they've watched it already once. The ability to activate shortcuts or have multi-trigger checkpoints can also help with pacing in some cases.

Idk why but it feels uncanny seeing MindCap actually giving out tips.

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="88">1:28</a> hey, that's mine!! To be honest, I admit that the beginning of Coin Temple is boring, but probably everyone who played and completed it knows that in 5-6 minutes you already have a decent amount of income, and it no longer becomes as tedious as the beginning Also, tycoons in general are intended to be played for a long time (like, days, weeks, or even years), so i tried to make it as compact as possible, but not that much so you complete the level in a few minutes If someone is wondering, i'm already making a sequel for Coin Temple, and it will have more things than just a tycoon. I can assure you that it will be much better than the first!

Thank you Freakycap for this tutorial😈😈

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="217">3:37</a> hey i know that level

Random person: How the heck do you create a lots of enjoyable plataformer levels!? Me: A pyramid taught me :)

Mindcap spends 22 minutes explaining why La Citadel is a bad level

People remaking other games in GD got old very quickly. The moment 2.2 came out everyone just copied Terraria bosses instead of trying to experiment and make new and creative bosses in their platformer levels.

one thing with the camera in <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="771">12:51</a>, the game it is bacing off of is called jump king, and one of the gimmicks of that level is the way camera works. just something I noticed :)

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="229">3:49</a> thank you oh great MindCap for not totally obliterating my GD career by roasting my level 🙏🙏🙏🙏

As a moongrinder myself, I agree with a lot of the points in this video. For difficulty, SO many levels, notably demons, will not be that hard until the last few rooms where the difficulty just spikes higher than mt everest. Levels like The Abyss, The Towerverse, Launch Factory, etc do this, and made my experience on them miserable. Also I am tired of these unnecessary long cutscenes with no checkpoint after. A prime example of this is in Dungeon Treasures, a platformer EXTREME DEMON where in the middle of a decently long checkpoint, there is a 20 second cutscene that you have to play through EVERY TIME. This level also has many hazards that blend in, but this problem is way more common in non demon platformers. Just because the level is easy, doesn't mean you should do this!!! There doesn't seem to be much playtesting in platformers that is done, or playtesting that isn't done correctly, and its become a huge issue. This is especially necessary with gimmicky platformers. I played a platformer demon once with a weird gimmick which wasn't that bad in itself, except for when the gimmick completely broke on the last level and I need to restart the ENTIRE LEVEL. With levels like this, I sometimes wonder if I should still moongrind, but the only thing that makes me keep doing it is the uncommon but amazing levels that I play along the way. More people need to watch this and learn from this, may people start making good platformers. Godspeed Mindcap 🙏

The transition from MindCap losing his mind over La Citadel to giving out tips in hope that less people will have to experience what he did is extremely funny

Honestly game remakes don't have to be bad, I think it can be interesting to see new takes on some of your fav games. Problem is most game remakes are just trying to be the most 1 to 1 they can be... Which obviously will always end up worse than the og game

Another note on the camera: if your level does not have a <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="184">3:4</a> mode option (or is not designed around <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="184">3:4</a>), many users will not be able to see gameplay on the edges of the screen. If this happens, your level will get mauled in the comments.

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="719">11:59</a> gaster under mail

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="1133">18:53</a> just reminded me that Juke's Towers of Hell is a pretty good base for gd platformers since the base moveset is a one-speed movement and a one-height jump

guys i don't think mindcap liked playing citadel very much

La Citadel should be called: Mindcap disapproved

Gotta love la citadel for being the level of all time Also <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="575">9:35</a> boss rush in a silly mindcap video, game completed

the community needs this imo, 5500 moons later and there's still bad levels getting rated.

You can clearly see that the citadel had negative impact on Mindcap's mental health

great video! your points are spot-on, i hope more platformer creators see this and implement your suggestions.

As a top unrated platformer list player, this was actually really good. It isn't just shitting on a certain type of level like I expected, but it's actually really good general advice that could apply not just in GD, but in game and level design in general. It covers everything it needs to in good detail, and addresses common problems that plague the platformer scene. Amazing video!

Alternate title: how to not make "la citadel" by robotronx

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="326">5:26</a> hahah didn't expect my level Brownie to make it in :D

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="1085">18:05</a> then they realise it just doesnt WHAT

That last part about game recreations is so true, I find vanilla feeling platformers that are just parkouring way more enjoyable than game recreations because they're much more functional and less janky, if you ant to make a one of a kind platformer with some unique mode or ability, make sure it works well so playing your level is not an actively bad experience.

Thank you for getting me into geometry dash with this tutorial. I have now beaten bass cave

A lot of this information reminds me of making a good Mario Maker level and that seems like a good start. Of course, there’s a lot more to it here since you have much more complete control than a small selection of preprogrammed assets, but the general design principles largely line up. Good video! Also now that I think about it, if we all took that philosophy to heart of “gameplay first” in ALL levels, classic and platformer, I swear everyone would have so much more fun playing the game. So many levels feel like they were made for decoration first, gameplay second if not third or fourth, and it shows.

Its good to see you Mindcap! Great tutorial👌

i was really needing to find a video like this to motivate me to continue my platformer thanks mindcap

Thank you for releasing this! I needed advice for making enjoyable platformer GP.

tysm for making this amazing video mindcap, this was extremely helpful

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="1042">17:22</a>, a problem creatorcreepy had with semiquaver is there’s actually a server side limit of songs and sfx for a level, and it will just not let you upload it. (Limit is 10 songs and 1000 sfx)

your point about letting the player know what they're getting into applies to EVERYTHING. if you want to make a memory platformer, it's probably best to cater to what memory players like. for rage platformers, try to see what makes people like rage games. as i said once before, rules are made to be broken

YES I LOVE BREAkOUT REDUX I'm so glad you got the recognition you deserved, even if it is only from that one, singular project which everyone has heard about and nothing else.

when robtop adds save on exit checkpoints, i think the hate will die down for platformer levels with long lengths hopefullym bigger doesnt mean better everyone, we all need to take a break and thats whta save on exit checkpoints will help for

Very good video! Thanks!

Pretty good points! I'm pretty high up on the moons leaderboard and a lot of the issues I've had you issued here, I hope a lot of platformer creators take note of these

Nice solid video for the foundations of platformer! Perhaps one thing you could have touched upon further is how to keep the player engaged with a level, such as the difficulty curve of the level or the combination / evolution of mechanics.

I'd say this video works just as well outside of gd platformer mode and can stand on its own as a general game design tutorial. When the update came out I wasn't surprised to see people struggle to grasp how much more complex it is making a functional platformer level compared to classic mode, in a way you might as well be making a whole platformer game with a huge amount of pre-existing foundations and you can't afford to approach it like a standard gd level in the slightest. We'll probably continue to see level with questionable pacing and cameras for a very long time, but I'm glad you made this video, it's pretty good learning material for this stuff.

20 gazillion views in 8 seconds? Bro did not fall off 😎 🤑

Honestly very cool, I hope the community makes a ton of use of this video

thanks for the tutorial, definitely going to use this anytime

Ty for this video I needed this rn 🤗

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="198">3:18</a> i didn't think my level would get in a mindcap video today lol thanks for the feedback tho! tbh i speedran the building process of the level when the update dropped so i could get it out while everyone was first playing platformer levels lol i agree the gameplay could be more beginner friendly so i'll look out for that on my future projects!

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="107">1:47</a> THANK YOU seriously I roll my eyes every time someone on Twitter justify bad checkpoint placements when they are just a very dumb way to artificially increase the difficulty like there are so many people who think they know about game design and don't know something as basic as the fear of losing progress

One of the best GD levels I've ever seen, you're a slightly more level-headed GD Colon and have a vaguely similar style of feedback as him, which I really like. -[Even though yes, considering he made the trainwreck that is ''supa GD diamond hunter 69,'' he officially has no rights to criticize the platformer levels]- Overall your suggestions are really valuable, constructive and worthwhile. I especially loved the point about the overall difficulty+leaving a good initial impression and the _M O V E T H E B O X_ gag was hilarious. Plus, I am very happy that Le Citadel is getting the dunking it oh so much deserves.

great advice!!! also the cookie run music in this video was a jumpscare and a half i was NOT expecting that

thank you for talking about level pacing. so many awesome platformers with ridiculous cutscenes and animations and everything

i’m saving this video for whenever i decide to start making my first ever platformer. it is a genuine lifesaver and i’m sure it’ll help me and many other aspiring platformer creators. thanks mindcap ❤

Also SO MANY platformers with static cameras don’t even use the camera guide to look at what everyone with different screen sizes will see. There are so many levels just unplayable on iPad because the gameplay is completely blind

Finally a new video MINDCAP OR MINDCRAFT!!!

I have been waiting for someone actually making a proper guide of how to make actual good platformer in depth, thank you for this 🙏

Mindcap really went full Colon mode with this one

Another tip that is more technical, is that you should care about DIFFERENT SIZE RATIOS! You should build your level in a way that it doesn't glitches out when someone with a different aspect ratio than yours gets to play it, this was a mistake I made with my first platformer level and most sections are unplayable due to the camera being bugged out, its also the reason why making smooth camera transitions between static screens is so hard, because it will always be focused on different points on different screens. You should try having an eye for it whenever you can avoid it AND use the UI trigger smartly cause it actually lets you work for different ratios at once!

This is fire! 🔥

Oh my god! I love your level breakout redux!

no way a serious video from MindCap

Thank you MindlessCrap, this is a great tutorial.

I think one thing that people should start doing more with cutscenes, espeically door openings, is to do what super smash bros does when a fighter goes offscreen, add a bubble that shows a smaller animation of the door opening with an arrow pointing to where it happened, that would make so you see what happened, where it happened, without taking away your controls at all, AND it's super easy to do!!

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="1152">19:12</a> do i smell a rain world remake ?

On difficulty, one important part to me is making the difficulty consistent in longer levels. If a level only gets hard after 30 minutes of gameplay, It can be incredibly frustrating, because if you want to quit, you waste those 30 minutes.

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="1145">19:05</a> is a masterclass of how to share a really negative opinion. It’s not at all different in substance from the Mario Maker tweets from Allodoxa, but the form you gave it made it much more palatable and even enjoyable to listen to. You combined critique and comedy in a way that made me much more sympathetic to your point. In addition to this, because you don’t have the reputation of being an incessant prick, really negative opinions like this feel much more genuine and that you’re not just being assertive to bring people down or because you get a kick out of being mean.

this is a great video

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="28">0:28</a> I like how he said he wants a “fun creating experience for YOU”.

Good tutorial! Platformer mode is the epitome of gameplay over decoration.

Oh a mind cap video

thank you for being unique content

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="382">6:22</a> THAT IS MY LEvEL OMG THANK YOUUU

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="1103">18:23</a> Thank god someone finally said it! Creators really need to take this advice! When I'm on a break i simply play platformer and expect 5 to 10 minutes gameplay, not an hour gameplay. It would be best if Creator informed us how long or how many rooms in your platformer level!

Thank you for the information, now ill surely make some banger platformers

TIP: spots after cutscenes are the best for checkpoints. If you dont want to add a checkpoint after a cutscene, use persistent items to make the cutscene play only the first time you encounter it. Persistant items can be very useful

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="750">12:30</a> imagine watching 1 second camera pan for 2024 times before completing one platformer level

Could you make one on how to make fun extremes/ fun precision?

you really cooked with this guide, gj capmind

bro saw the kinds of platformers being made and knew he had to make a tutorial

Nothing changes that RobTop needs to stop rating trash. He doesn't have time to go through platformer levels? Neither do the mods? Then why implement this in the first place? So many problems go back to the fundamental issue, which is one guy insisting he has to police his game to ensure quality, which ironically is hurting the quality because he's not doing a great job at it. Edit: Oh and I am not a disgruntled platformer play, I have had issues with the way RobTop does things for the longest time. Haven't touched platformer since day 1 release, and this video is a perfect example as to why. I knew it would be a fustercluck.

im excited to play the level

gotta love the fact mindcap uploaded this 7 minutes after i got my first platformer rated

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="278">4:38</a> you're probably the first creator that realises how much importance rob places on difficulty suggestions. I mean this is a guy who rated cherry christmas (a medium demon) 7 stars because as a joke the creator suggested 3 stars

This video is a godsend. There are so many things platformer creators could learn from this and maybe if I ever feel like building one myself then I will definitely keep this in mind. Side note: Limbo is fukin awesome

As someone who hasn’t and will not make platformer levels, this video is very epic.

What I see some creators don't care about is playablity, some levels are overly decorated but doesn't have good gp and at times it causes players to hate on the level because of how unplayable it is Creators over look this and feel people hate them for no reason, make your levels playable and then you won't face the harsh backlash... Also great video btw I love how you explained everything very well and detailed ❤

Im creating Platformer Extremes based off Elements. (My own) First is Fire Second is Ice Third Shadow Fourth Toxic And Fifth something special. Then i realized gauntlets have these exact themes, so i changed it too: Fire, Ice, Toxic, Shadow, Lava, Raindow, Ultimate. Then i found out about Paths... 10 special/original platformer extremes with one being close to finishing and second (2h+ deathless ice-styled) started. What do you think about this Idea MindCap?

Very quick!

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="22">0:22</a> holy this refernece... Now I feel old

I think he made this because of the rage he had on the other platformers.

Mindcap, I have an idea: When you create a platformer with multiple endings, do the moving spawn group bug to make the beginning scene get skipped after winning the level

From a game design perspective this is an amazing tutorial. All platformer creators should watch this lol

Please do more tutorials ❤ Specifically on deco 😉

woah its mindcap