so hoptix is a weird game that demands weird level design, and i want to share how that works!
a lot of people think about platformer level design in terms of linear skill tests. this platform goes here, because it's time to test this specific thing. this test is harder, so it comes after, etc. this works great for games that are about challenges, teaching and testing.
hoptix isn't about that though! it's about the sandbox, freedom of motion, and discovering your own paths that feel satisfying to you personally. so how to go about level design instead? for me, i like to think about it in terms of lines of motion. when i place a platform, the next thing i do is imagine 2-4 things that might feel fun to do from there.
from there, i try to puzzle things out so that obstacles feel fun to approach from multiple angles, so that every platform has multiple intuitive entrances, and multiple intuitive exits, like a web.
here are a few paths interacting with the same obstacles in different ways. the red player likes to just hold a direction and go with the flow of what's in front of them, the green player likes to climb, and takes options that involve tricky upward jumps, and the blue player likes to move horizontally, but jump onto and off of rails and ramps when they see them.
this type of level design is great for less linear levels that are more about exploring or enjoying movement than about most efficiently getting to the end, but can also be used for any game with branching paths that intersect!
