It can happen, when you send your new level for the first time to your device, that the editor asks to fill in a Title and Description first, even when you have filled in both. It's a bug in the editor (I call it the Title bug), harmless but annoying. You can try changing, removing and refilling the title but nothing helps. All you can do is reload the editor. But what if you've already made a whole level? If you reload the editor you'll lose all your progress... so you can try reloading the editor in a new window without closing the current one. This way you have a pretty big chance that your level is still there. Just fill in the title and description again and send it to your device. But it's better to avoid than to cure so here's a good tip: everytime you start a new level, just fill in a title and description and add a coin or diamond to the side bar and send it to your device already. The bug can only happen the first time, so once you've sent it to your device you are safe for the rest of your level.

If you didn't know what title and description you would give it when you started your level and just filled in something random, don't forget to change it before you publish your level. Always check in the publish confirmation screen if your changed title and description went through (I've had it happen once that it didn't, so if that happens just reload the editor, change it again and send it again to your device)!  

Experiment! Try out the constraints and combine them on items. Check your work often on your device. The result may be different than what you expected. Experimenting is fun, and you can always discover something that hasn't been done in a level before.

You can just make a level, and then try to beat it yourself. Or you can plan how a level should be solved, start with your solution and make your level based around your solution. Work in stages: make one part then test it on your device and see how things work out. See where your items end up and continue making the next part based on that. This way you can make interesting brain teasers with lots of interactions like my Tomb Raider levels.

Test your level thoroughly! Don't be too quick to publish it once you've beat it yourself one time. It's more than likely there is more than one way to solve it. Always check that there are no easy and unintended solutions for your level. Try to solve it yourself in different ways and change your level to eliminate multiple solutions. If possible, let a friend or family play it, other people may think differently or see things that you missed.

Avoid letting the player make repetitive actions. Keep your level fun and interesting. Make a challenge instead of something easy and boring. 

Once you've published your level, send it again to your device. Do this before you close the editor, or it will be lost! This way you can still play and test it instead of having to wait untill it comes online. And you can still make changes if necessary and republish it. 

More hints and tips can be added here regurarly. Do you have one yourself, then let me know and I'll put it here with your name. Don't forget to join my FB group (see "Contact")... it would be nice to get a whole Pixel Rain community started! ;)

 I forgot to mention another bug that I found in the editor: If you reload the editor by reloading your browser, any existing constraints may be duplicated on the same object. Depending on the constraint, this may or may not affect the object's behavior. So if you need to reload the editor for any reason, do it by closing your browser and start it again. (added by Darken on june 26 2012)

Be original! It's OK to take an existing idea and change or improve it, but don't just copy an existing level. Don't make something that has already been done several times before. (added by Darken on june 29 2012)

I noticed the Level Editor got an update so that you don't have to fill in a Title and Description anymore. Of course it's still better to fill in your own title and description, because if you don't then Silicon Studio will fill in something in your place. Anyway, it's a smart way to get rid of the Title bug so you don't have to worry about that anymore. Just remember to check your title and description (if you filled in any) in the Publish confirmation screen. (added by Darken on july 1 2012)










 

Make a Free Website with Yola.