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[Glaiel-Gamer]

Ok I just got the basics of closure (flash: http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/480006) working in a c++ engine I made from scratch recently. And I was able to hack scrolling in to see how it would feel.

Anyway the game just doesn't feel right with scrolling. Like, I didn't exactly put any sort of complex camera in, but the problems inherent in a simple camera wouldn't go away with a more complex one. The game, being a puzzle game, requires the player to know whats going on in the entirety of the level (despite the level being shrouded in darkness), and scrolling kinda obstructs the vision more than the game wants it to be.

So basically my question, is it possible to have a single-screen game feel as professional as other platformers if I focus on making the single screen you play on varied and visually impressive?

[pgil]

I don't see why not. Knytt stories has no scrolling, and its levels look amazing.

[increpare]

well given how strong you were in closure with visuals, i think you should be able to pull it off if you put in work.

one thing that might be possible, or might not be, depending on how 3d your game is, would be to position the camera so that you can always see the whole level, but that when you're nearer the edges it'd take them at an angle so the player would take up more screen-space.

[Chris Z]

Oh wow, didn't play Closure til just now.  Very cool game mechanic.

[FatHat]

I don't think there's anything unprofessional looking about having a static camera, but I wonder if maybe you could try something other than just scrolling to make things more natural, like maybe have the camera slowly pan out from the scene to give you a more expanded view?

[Super-Dot]

Scrolling seems kind of frivolous in Closure, since the gameplay works nicely with one screen. Something that could work is putting a margin (of blankness or nice scenery or something) around all the levels, so that all the gameplay still stays onscreen but the levels scroll anyway. I think it works great without scrolling, though.

[Kegluneq]

Our lil' community project, Balding's Quest, has no scrolling, and the levels look veeeery nice.

[sandjack]

N is a single screen puzzle platformer that doesn't even use fancy graphics to look/feel professional. Started out as a flash game and became a commercial game, with versions for XBLA, DS, and PSP.

[ஒழுக்கின்மை (Paul Eres)]

You could use Zelda 1 style scrolling: a series of rooms, each which scroll into the other, but each which are focused on that room.