>>3480 Just don't make me go around in circles and having keys and door on opposite sites of buildings

what ever arcane studio does, moving arround the maps feels really immersive. can't really tell what exactly they do to cachieve that effect tho.

>>3480 The level should have shortcuts that are opened up through progress. This cuts down travel time as the game progresses and gives the player a sense of pride and accomplishments.

>>3506 What about linear levels?

Only good part of this piece of shit game >>3507 I mean, when it comes to shmups and similar arcadey genres, level design has barely anything to do with geometry and more with how you set up the mood, the setting and encounters/obstacles for the player to struggle against, almost like you're 'directing' the action as if it was a movie. You can barely tell anything about how it plays from a static image that just shows the pretty pixels.

>>3531 The .webp menace strikes again

Armored Armadillo's and Overdrive Ostrich's stages from Mega Man X1 and X2 are two of my favorite stages in the whole Mega Man franchise. Maybe it's because I love going fast! On the other hand, I have always hated the bike segments in Mega Man 5, X4, and X5. Like many others, I also dislike the mine cart stages that Rareware seemed to have a fetish for in all the Donkey Kong Country games. The difference is in Mega Man X and X2's speed-focused stages the player has the option to stop, slow down, or leave third ride entirely. The other stages, on the other hand, are entirely on-rails autoscrollers that limit the player's controls. Thesis: Removing already-established control from the player for the sake of spectacle is bad game/level design.