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Game Maker's Toolkit - How (and why) Spelunky makes its own levels
🕑 Added 2016-04-12 18:32:17 +0000 UTC Spelunky will always keep you guessing, by making a fresh set of 16 levels every time you play. In this episode we look at how creator Derek Yu strikes a balance between random and authored levels to make stages that always feel fun and fair - and why it's important that this game never gives you the same level twice.
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Game Maker's Toolkit
Hey! Yeah, I wanted to focus more on it as a platformer than a roguelike (though, it obviously is one). I haven't actually played those two you mentioned so I guess I'll have to get to them, and then come back to this topic when I know more! Thanks for the recommendations, Nicholas.
It's interesting you seem to be avoiding the word 'roguelike' in this video. True enough, it is not a turn-based RPG dungeon diver like most of the well established roguelike titles, but after the resurgence of the genre it certainly has been finding its way into other gameplay modes. Risk of Rain would be a good example of another platformer roguelike. This video seems to be comparing Spelunky to Metroidvania platforming games, but personally I'm more curious about how you think Derek Yu's balance between randomness and authored content is distinctly different from the titans of the roguelike genre. In my opinion, Risk of Rain created levels that could fairly challenge the player across many different entire distinct classes, and I've often marveled at that. Dungeon Crawl is an ancient addiction of mine as well that still updates from time to time and continues to strike an amazing balance. In fact, I would venture that any roguelike that isn't achieving this balance well would realistically flop. Either way, I love this style of game, and I'm happy to see this and future explorations of this style of game.
