Takashi Iizuka's levels

Slopes, maybe -- especially to keep up the ability to gain speed without spamming boost pads. Loops, not so much.

Iizuka's not a totally horrid game designer or art director, but like Sakurai buys into his own hype too much. If he wasn't trying to do so much we could have a game that like the original NiGHTS or Smash Bros. might be considered a masterpiece by critics, but when he does we get something that looks good on paper or in his head.

 

Well, if that resume listed is indeed accurate, then from what I can tell, Iizuka really is a master of the visceral experience, but has problems when crafting an interactive experience. Is he in the wrong field? Should he be designing rollercoasters for theme parks or tracks for racing games? I don't know.

Sonic is about a balance between the visceral and the interactive. I think there needs to be another designer to counter Iizuka's penchant for rollercoaster tracks. I noticed in Sonic Adventure, it lists Lost World as a part of Iizuka's handiwork. Tell me, does that include the inner chamber where Sonic runs up the walls to go from room to room? I think that's one of the better-designed aspects of Sonic Adventure, even though that's also where the camera is at its worst. I can believe Iizuka crafted the Snake ride part, the waterfall part, and the big rock. But I have a hunch someone else designed the inner chamber...

 

Green Hill Zone resents and is appalled by this statement, sir.

 

Designers can collaborate on sections of a game fyi - its not as strict as designer one works up until the scene change, then hands it over. In fact, the scene changed in sonic adventure were mainly dictated by hardware limitations - once the texture library or level geometry started getting to big to be loaded into ram all in one piece, it had to be split. This is illustrated most clearly in levels that were designed as one piece, then split (Egg Carrier, Station Square, Ice Cap)

 

So, the fact that there are multiple paths (Which you admit) doesn't at least make it multilinear? (Not the same as being simply linear)

Or, how about the fact that GHZ has about three main paths that can cross-over at points (Enabling you to, say, join the upper path from the lower one by jumping at the right angle off a slope)?

I stand by what I implied; Sonic was not designed to be linear. Thank you :3

 

The "roller coaster" thing has been my main gripe ever since those damn grind rails were introduced. Unleashed finally made them fun but until then it was just sit back and grind. WHOLE LEVELS centered on grinding.

Level design should actually take into account the way a game controls. If you know that the jump is floaty, camera twitchy, and commands unresponsive, make the levels accordingly. The idea of "yeah the physics and controls and camera suck...but the levels were well designed!" is a paradox. No, if the levels were well designed then everything ELSE wouldn't have stood out so bad.

And the comment below really shows the mindset one has to have. "Playing the game by actually controlling my character and navigating a level is too complicated and annoying." is essentially what he's saying.

 

Reading the above post you sound as though you consider anything that goes from a start to a goal linear, no matter how many split paths and alternate routes and wildly different ways there are to get to the goal.

You haven't be looking properly then, because that is also the reason I hate Sonic 3 & Knuckles. Also it doesn't matter what year it is or what dimension the game is in. Why would levels in 2008 have to be longer than ones in the early 90s if they were just as fun, well-designed or with as much replay value?

Unofrtunately. All these things are also what has driven the series into the ground.

I wish he did. Instead of making alternate paths for the different formations or allowing them to cross the same areas in widly different ways, all the team feature yielded at the end was certain points in the stages that forced you to switch to fly to cross an inevitable abyss, shoot a target, or punch some enemies for a door to open. Which is a terrible use of the concept and thus it's not only a stupid idea in the first place, but also badly executed!

HEY LET'S TAKE MY SHITTY LINEAR ROLLERCOASTERS AND ADD GUNS

And that is what Sonic is not and never was about. (Linearity.) As I said, he should be hired by an amusement park to design wild rides, but please get his sorry ass out of my Sonic franchise.

The first parts of Crisis City were bad. Now only because the boarding controls are horribly bugged but also because those segments are awfully linear. Furthermore, I said I like all of Sonic R's levels (sans RE), naming the S06 ones afterwards and adding that they were a step into the right direction, but not reaching the level pf perfection Sonic R's courses did. And I do not see how that open, convoluted forest lake of Sonic's TJ or Kingdom Valley's start with its various paths on different heights and the two sides of the valley are linear, to name just a few.

Die.

 

You're saying that in Sonic games, good levels make you just go in the same direction? I've had it with this thread. :/

 

You guys bumped it into another page! But yeah, he pretty much thinks that having to actually play the game is annoying which is why he loves the simplistic layouts these days. Not to mention he just admitted that most of his "research" is just done by Youtube videos, and not actually...you know...playing the levels.

 

the main problem with non-linearity is what I call the ice cap act 2 effect - All one has to do to beat the level in 10 seconds is spinjump up to a path that takes you right to the end.

Also, sonic levels should not only have multiple paths, but multiple end points as well.

 

Are you forced to take the quick route? Then how is act that there is one a flaw?

 

No, but having routes that literally break the game kill the replay value. Its really hard to not use the fastest route through a level when you're on a timer.

 

Non-linear =/= Labyrinthine and/or confusing.

The difference between Green Hill and Iizuka's design phylosophy is the difference between a skatepark and a rollercoaster. A skatepark is more fun the better you can skate and, when you're good, going from point A from point B is a total blast with a lot of possibilities and options. A rollercoaster, on the opposite, is a guaranteed romp but one that you have no control over.

 

Iizuka green-lighted Shadow and authorized that raping of the original NiGHTS in the sham of a sequel on Wii. You won't find much love for him here.