Level Design
One aspect of being a designer, being able to manage the level design so that the player can traverse it without problems.
Bubble Graph
It is a rule when designing a level that it should never start with the level itself.
A level should be designed by first thinking on the purpose of the level and then tracing a path and sequence of events that will guide the player towards the main goal.
This is best done by first making a bubble graph where every bubble is a piece of the environment that contains important pieces of the level.
We could design for instance an initial bubble that is a room, linking to a second one that contains a key for a third one that is locked by that key.
By having a blueprint of sorts of the scene, we can avoid having locks, like placing a key inside a room that can't be accessed without it.
The bubble graph helps in keeping the level cohesive, and most importantly, inssuring that most, if not every, places on the scene actually need to be there and doesn't slow the pacing.
Graph Papers
Another good tool for level design is using a graph paper, or graph tool.
A level is reliant on sizes, being all of them related to the main character's size or mechanics that allow it to traverse the area. It is vital that all sizes match so that the game doens't feel disproportional or locks the player into an impossible to reach region.
Graphs papers or tools are great for this, since it allows the designer to block the scene using the squares in a more even way and not making mistakes with the sizes, which could cost a lot of time and money to fix.
Flow
The flow of the game consists on the actions the player has to take in order to advance to the next point.
In order for a level to feel good, this flow can't be too fast or drag itself for too long. If a room is there for the player to simply get a key, there is no need for multiple platforms leading nowhere. The key should be obvious inside the scene, even if it is hidden it should still be visible in a place that makes sense and not somewhere the player would never think of looking at.
If the motif of a room is simple, exiting it should also be simple. Making the player go through an entire labrynth for an item and then force a huge backtrack is pointless and will drag the scene for too long.
In contrast, just having a room for a key on the ground is also pointless, unless there is another point for it, like hints towards another puzzle.
A good game flow makes every piece serve its purpose and just be done.
Backtrack and Exits
Backtracking is another point to pay attention to when building the level.
Some game genres are based around it, most commonly the metroidvania genres.
This means that the pieces of the level should be able to be traversed back and forth without too much of a waste of time, and most importantly, actually be possible at all.
Making a mistake when calculating sizes of platforms could make the first journey completely fine, but impossible to get out of.
When creating a level, special attention should always be made into making most places traversable back and forth, since the player might go back in it even if it wasn't meant to. This can be skipped if a room is a one-time only kind of room.
Backtracking is usually a bad thing inside of a game, because it means that a game is being dragged on as an excuse for cheap gameplay time.
It can be done right as an exploration device, as most games do, in moderation, and if so, it would be better if it was shorter the second time around.
