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[GiffE]

I've been rewriting from scratch the framework for my game.  Recently I've been given much thought to how I want to layout the world.

My goal is to create a level and editor that has the same visual appeal of the indie games Limbo or Feist:


My question is how do you create more organic, realistic looking (2D) level such as that?
I imagine much of the a lot details are a freely placed "entity" based system, which I don't have an issue with.  But what about the terrain in which the player walks on? It seems very smooth.

Before I was using a very strict tile-based system.  Fixed size 2D array with corresponding tiles linearly drawn.  I found it creates a very boxy result and I can't imagine using tiles to create a world like that.  The curves just seem so much more natural than having a collection of variably angled tiles. I've even had freely placed images (rotation, scale, and position), but I'm not sure how to get the desired result using them.  (for instance smooth collision across the top seems like it would be exceedingly difficult, even WITH the box2D implementation I have)

What methods are there to laying out a level that I'm missing?  Is it a series of Polygons (where the mapper can move around vertices?) That seems like it would be unbearably hard to edit unless some clever methods were made that I'm unaware of.

[BlueSweatshirt]

A typical method I'm aware of is one where the editor can freely place and manipulate predefined geometry sections and fit them together. Another of which is where vertices and be individually placed and linked together to form either shape or line geometry masks.

Usually the geometry mask is separate from the visual representation which allows a bit more freedom/laziness when it comes to the smoothness of your collision masks in comparison to your visual representation.

[ham and brie]

Using an existing 2D vector art package, it shouldn't especially hard to author both the collision shape and visuals. Possibly initially authored as smooth splines, then reduced to having straight edges. Then there are formats you can save as that aren't too hard to import to then use in a game.

[Ludophonic]

My goal is to create a level and editor that has the same visual appeal of the indie games Limbo or Feist:

What methods are there to laying out a level that I'm missing?  Is it a series of Polygons (where the mapper can move around vertices?) That seems like it would be unbearably hard to edit unless some clever methods were made that I'm unaware of.

Limbo is actually all rendered in 3D. You can see it a few places. I'm not really familiar with Feist, but a quick look at the website shows that they're using Unity. So it's probably using 3D techniques also.

They've probably created their levels in a very shallow 3D within something like Maya or Max and exported from there. And then locked the character to a plane perpendicular to the camera view in order to create their "2D" game using a 3D engine.

[GiffE]

My goal is to create a level and editor that has the same visual appeal of the indie games Limbo or Feist:

What methods are there to laying out a level that I'm missing?  Is it a series of Polygons (where the mapper can move around vertices?) That seems like it would be unbearably hard to edit unless some clever methods were made that I'm unaware of.

Limbo is actually all rendered in 3D. You can see it a few places. I'm not really familiar with Feist, but a quick look at the website shows that they're using Unity. So it's probably using 3D techniques also.

They've probably created their levels in a very shallow 3D within something like Maya or Max and exported from there. And then locked the character to a plane perpendicular to the camera view in order to create their "2D" game using a 3D engine.

Your probably quite right! (I didn't notice that they were though) However I can't imagine a similar effect couldn't be accomplished in 2D, and was hoping there were some tricks to smoothing it out.

Right now I'm looking at as Jack Sanders described a freely placed premade (or user made) geometry + collision mask to smooth out the movement. I suppose that's the easiest way to get it done.

[Moczan]

You could handle collision with lines, it's super fast and easy and you can cheat smoothness by just having more smaller lines (3D geometry does it too!). And since we decoupled logic from graphics, your artist can go all crazy on levels as long as you cover this terrain with your lines.

[Serk]

I read this tutorial that perhaps you might find helpful:
http://javilop.com/gamedev/c-game-programming-tutorial-non-tile-based-arbitrary-positioned-entity-engine-editor-like-in-braid-or-aquaria-games/

[GiffE]

I read this tutorial that perhaps you might find helpful:
http://javilop.com/gamedev/c-game-programming-tutorial-non-tile-based-arbitrary-positioned-entity-engine-editor-like-in-braid-or-aquaria-games/

Thanks guys!  Yea Serk I've seen that link, (even implemented it), however It doesn't really go into collision which I was wondering a good way to do.  But if I have the artist plop verts around and connect them, I can manage the collision that way.