First of tutorial levels
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I was persuaded to split up my design for a large Mole Munch tutorial level into smaller levels, and I belive this was fortunate because now when somebody tries the game they won´t need to deal with too much new information within a single level. It also allowed for some new dynamics when I decided to make the first level quite small and without any real danger to the player. Because the game only use the arrow keys, one key to dig and one key to throw all the controls can be explained with the loading screen so there is no need to explain the controls in the game. Still, it is undesirable for the player to encounter any real threat before mastering the controls. The first things on the first level a player will notice is strawberry plants, a hole connected to a tunnel, and being fenced in. The strawberry plants are there to let the player try picking them up, notice the satisfying sound that this prompts and get to watch their score increase. Also so the player isn´t fenced in with nothing. Now, the player isn´t really fenced in. This is just to make the player start digging early in the game and decrease the risk that the player might try to complete the level while staying above ground. The hole and tunnel are only there to indicate how the mole got inside the fence in the first place, further encouraging digging. Once transitioned to the below ground part of a level the player will notice throwable rocks and power ups besides the benefit of faster movement compared to above ground. The player will encounter fenced in vegetables, and on this level it´s possible to learn how to dig in and collect them without ever being in danger.
The level has a line of vegetables. It´s included to give the player a feel for how fast this can be collected in preparation of later levels when dangers are present and timing is important.
The only adversary in the first tutorial level is a sonic mole scare. It can´t kill the mole but emits a high frequency sound working like a force field, keeping the mole out of its area of influence.
Players will be supplied with plenty of throwable rocks underground, and this scare will stand out as the only threat of the level. This should prompt the player to throw a rock at it. This it the only risk of the level; should a player throw away all rocks without throwing one at the scare the vegetables inside its field can´t be collected thereby making the level uncompletable. I don´t think this can be avoided even with introducing the immortality power up enabling the player to walk through the sonic field, and I aim to save that power up for later levels. If somebody is hell-bent on getting stuck in this level they will unfortunately succeed.  |
