Platforming games are for most of us one of the first introductions to Video Games. After all, who doesn’t know titles like ‘Super Mario’, ‘Crash Bandicoot’ or ‘Castlevania’? But mastering the art of creating a well-crafted platformer is a whole different topic. There is way more to developing a Jump ‘n’ Run than just letting the player press a simple jump button to make the game feel good and run smoothly. There is a lot of fine tuning done in the background and we’re going to show you tips and tricks on how to create the perfect platformer.
What are Platforming Games?
A platforming game, also called Jump ‘n’ Run, is a genre of video game that primarily focuses on the traversal of characters or objects across a series of platforms, obstacles, enemies, and challenges. These games often emphasize precise timing, jumping, dashing, and spatial awareness as the player navigates their way through the different stages. The most important aspect of Jump ‘n’ Runs is the flawless and flexible movement that often makes or breaks the game’s success.
Other typical characteristics of a platformer are the various collectibles placed throughout the levels and many puzzles that evolve around the core jumping mechanic of the game. Certain skills like dashes and double jumps, ledge grabs, boosts and more also often compliment the gameplay.
Platformer Essentials – Tips & Tricks
A lot of games have platforming parts in them nowadays but they often feel rather clunky and frustrating. Either the controls are off or the movement just doesn’t feel right which causes the player to fall over and over again until they close the game to cool off. To make a Jump ‘n’ Run feel smooth and fun it needs a lot of fine tuning and polishing throughout the development. We’re going to show you some of the essentials you should keep in mind during the development of your game to make sure you create the perfect platformer you envisioned.
Anti Gravity Apex
With this method you slow down the fall speed at the top of the jump, allowing the player to have more control over the character. Don’t overdo it. In most cases the slow down is hardly noticeable while playing but it gives your audience more time to adjust their jumps.
Assist Missed Jumps
This might sound like cheating at first but it really is a trick to keep the player from being frustrated because he either missed a jump because of one little pixel or he ran off the platform because he went a tad too far. A lot of games do this by using ledge grabs while others adjust the hitbox a bit by either extending it a bit over the actual platform, adjusting the corners of the hitbox to be a slope or by simply lifting the players up a little. What of those things you chose depends on the speed of your game. If you want it to feel fast paced and smooth we highly recommend to stay away from ledge grabs since they slow down the pace by a lot but if it’s more of an explorative puzzle game you can definitely go for it.
Boost Semi-Solid Platforms
Semi-solid platforms can be passed through both directions either by jumping up on them or crouching down to fall through them. If the player jumps up and almost reaches the semi-solid platform either lower the gravity or give them a subtle boost to push them through it so that they can stand on top of the platform. To create the perfect platformer you also need to make it very clear which platforms are semi-solid and which aren’t to keep the player from having to go through trial and error to figure it out.
Bumped Head Correction
Everyone knows how frustrating it can be when you hit your head in a Jump ‘n’ run game and your character falls back down, completely taking away the flow you had prior. This can be especially frustrating if you barely missed the jump. That’s the reason why a lot of platformers implement a feature, where your character gets nudged slightly horizontally to keep the player from falling back down immediately. Some games also make a slight slope out of the hitbox to help them slide along instead of bumping their head.
Camera Adjustments
You should give the player the option to pivot the camera up or down if they are standing still so they can look at what lies ahead. Another great way to support the player is if you zoom the camera out while they are falling down somewhere or even move it towards the falling directions to give them extra time to adjust for upcoming challenges.
Clamp Falling Speed
This basically means to give the character in the game a restricted falling speed, keeping them from going down too fast especially during larger drops. If it would fall too fast, the player would have a hard time reacting to upcoming obstacles or even land on the goal platform.
Corner Clip on Jumps
This allows the feet of the character to pass through the platform when it has an upwards trajectory. This not only allows you to keep up the pace but also prevents the frustration in case of the legs bumping against the corner and stopping the player in his tracks which keeps him from going further upwards.
Coyote Time
Like the coyote in the good old ‘Roadrunner’ cartoons, this enables the character to be able to jump even after they have run off a ledge. This gives the player a small buffer if they perform a last moment jump for maximum distance and also lets controls feel way more responsive. It is hardly noticeable because this only lasts a few frames but it can be a real game changer that makes the platformer a lot more fun.
Early Fall
Giving your player the ability to choose when to end their jump gives them more control over where they are going to land. If a player lets go of the jump button, the character should descend immediately, enabling more precise platforming. This way your audience can easily dodge obstacles or enemies while also being able to aim more easily for small gaps. To create the perfect platformer, small things like this can make or break the experience of your game so always keep them in mind.
Holding Crouch to Stay on Ledge
A lot of games like Minecraft also use this feature to keep the player from falling down. Holding down the crouch button (often Ctrl) slows the character down and allows them to crouch through narrow passageways or sneak through enemies. Adding the feature of not letting players fall down from a ledge in this mode lets them focus on other aspects of the area without the worry of accidentally running off the platform.
Jump Buffering
Another technique to make a platformer feel more responsive is the so-called Jump Buffering. If the player presses jump mere moments before the character hits the ground, it will automatically trigger the jump as soon as they land. This keeps the momentum of the jumps going and avoids the feeling of the controller not taking in the input on the exact moment your player needs them if they pressed it a tiny bit too early.
Speed Apex
The so-called ‘Speed Apex’ lets the player turn mid air which highly improves their control over the jump. While it might be unrealistic to be able to simply change directions, it makes a lot of sense in the world of games. After all, a Jump ‘n’ Run would hardly be as fun if it would be using real physics and characters could only jump as far as the average person.
Sticky Feet on Land
This little trick keeps players from sliding off the surface after landing on them. If they press backwards on landing they receive a large amount of friction which makes jumping onto small platforms a lot easier and less frustrating.
Variable Jump Height
This might sound very obvious but giving the player the option to vary their jump height and width allows for a more interesting gameplay and puzzle options. It also makes the jumps feel more natural and encourages the players to maintain their speed through the level.
Modern Platforming Games like ‘Celeste’, ‘Hollow Knight’ and ‘Ori and the Blind Forest’ show that if you take all those things into account, that playing a Jump ‘n’ Run can feel very smooth, fun and rewarding. Even though this genre often seems rather simple and easy to make, to create the perfect platformer is all about the details. A good pace and smooth gameplay are key to keep your players engaged for hours and really let them immerse themselves into the world you created.
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Understand Game Balancing: The Ying & Yang of Game Development
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