The best analogy I can find to easy levels is children’s literature. Books for kids are not difficult, intentionally so. However, they have a great story, illustrations, and overall make for a good reading experience without super complex vocabulary. The best pieces of children’s literature are the ones that children and adults alike can pick up and find something meaningful out of.
i just played your level to see if it had the same problems as what cologne mentioned but honestly, that felt like a good 2 star idk why that got 3 but thanls for the extra star and orbs ig
@drakondra autos should just be 0 stars, it's literally auto, why should you earn anything? The entire point of auto levels is that they're a neat little spectacle, or they're a means of making a level one might not be able to beat able to be watched. You don't tap the screen, you don't earn anything, so you don't get stars. If you're going to auto levels to get free stars git gud.
Next time Mr. colon is teaching my math class I'll just scream "GENERATION RETRO IS BEST LEVEL" so i can guarantee that i won't be learning math for the rest of the lesson
Everyone has a topic that they could rant aggressively about for an hour. Even your real math teacher; they're normal people too. Figure out what it is for your real teachers and you could actually do this.
Honestly, I do think that 99% of the issues mentioned occur solely because of the fear of getting a 3* It can come across as a really unfair and out-of-the-creators-control way of failing the challenge of building a 2* since you can't fully predict exactly what mods will send it for or what Rob will actually rate it as. Especially since mods don't all view things like difficulty the exact same, all it takes is one mod to send it for 3*, or even for Rob to override a 2* mod send and rate it 3* anyways, and the creator's work is viewed as wasted. (Obviously it's not, you still got a rated level) I think it's a little unfortunate that to give yourself the best chance at a 2* you have to write it out in the name, description, or even in the level itself. That said, solid video, good points.
I have a theory, RobTop had beef with whoever created Level Easy, so he lowered the difficulty standards via mind control and made Level Easy normal, proving Robert Toplas’s power over the Dashlands.
I'm so excited what will Colon have to say about this, considering the fact that easy online levels are too easy compared to easy main levels. And also, almost every easy level is too boring to play through for some people because it only just need like a couple of clicks to complete the level.
On the line of people committing to making a 2 star lvl, I remember a point in time where there was a kind of race to get the first Epic 2 star. So people were making levels that would look as intense as a harder level but still was easy enough to get the 2 star rate. People were doing everything they could to not accidentally make an epic 3 star instead, which happened to a lot of these lvls that attempted an epic 2 star. That's where I personally noticed the design trend of impressive visuals but TONS of safe guards and barely any inputs.
That's an extremely good and interesting point. In the end Izhar won this competition to make the first epic 2*, but the level definitely does feel much more handholdy than most things that came before it.
DHaner makes REALLY fun easy levels. I’ve replayed Dreamy so many times because of how it plays and looks. Rush is awesome as well, and what you said about Cloudy is 100% accurate. Also, I’m also making a 2-star level that I finished the layout for and have been struggling to decorate. Hopefully, it can be somewhat memorable as the others I mentioned above.
@memesong21 i think what they were trying to say is that they're tired of decoration being the big priority, and that gameplay in general just feels more like an afterthought regardless of difficulty. it's absolutely possible to make a level that's both visually incredible and fun, but those two things typically don't exist in the same level
Hi there, creator of Tenebrous here (found at 17:13). I'd like to just say I'm very grateful to hear that you enjoyed my level for what it is, I really tried to make something both easy yet not feel extremely lifeless like so many 2 star levels have become these days. I've had a few "failed 2 stars" and it's been extremely frustrating to see the turn that "easy" levels have taken these days, I really hope an upward trend of easy levels with proper gameplay can return past this video as I genuinely do miss what older levels had to offer. I'm glad this has become a bit more of a talking point. And again, I really appreciate the fact you enjoyed my level, and thank you for showing it here! :)
Thanks for the comment and great level! Gameplay was nice, I wrote in my notes that the flying sections were a bit empty but it wasn't very long so it's not a big deal. Cube sections were on point
The "Target Audience" thing is very interesting. It reminds me of how kids' shows usually treat the child watching as if they know absolutely nothing, which isn't true. Children still hold some level of social awareness (and can tell when they're being talked down to), and it's often underestimated or forgotten in regards to children's media. As a result, it becomes irritating and unconstructive for parents, and an unconstructive mess for the child. A loss-loss. Bluey: *_hold my beer_*
Yeah true, for example: your 10 when your in 5th grade, yet when you look up “books for 10 year olds” you get baby books for 2nd graders, but when you look up “books for 5th graders” you get actual books good for that level.
10:00 *THIS* here is exactly why I love DiamondDemon935 levels. He only makes art level, and almost never uses indicators. Yet you are easily able to tell what is and isn't gameplay. It's because he has mastered how to separate gameplay from the background/foreground elements. Look at his level Nyx to see what I'm talking about. Then you have MCres on the other hand where it is literately textbook of what NOT to do. Look at Beyond The Summit for example. It is impossible to tell what is and isn't gameplay.
@GDColon Thanks for giving my comment a heart 💗 I HIGHLY urge you Colon to go check out Nyx on his channel it is genuinely an amazing level. Even 2003devin commented on it.
"its impossible to tell what is and isn't gameplay" For a level with gameplay as technical as what's in that level, and for a level this difficult, I really don't think that matters. By the way i REALLY HOPE you're not criticising CONNECT for this same reason because there is a really really good reason as to why it's impossible to distinguish deco and gameplay (no it's not the points i mentioned earlier). its not like it should be a rule to make it possible to tell deco and gameplay apart but thats besides the point
@N3bulAlt To clarify, I am thoroughly enjoy most of his levels. (but I don't like him as a person (separate art from artist) but that's a whole different topic) If I didn't like his levels, I wouldn't have bothered to become first victor of Beyond The Summit. The only one's I don't like are Psychedelic, LDM, and The Room. And Yes, I am criticizing all of his levels for the same reason, that includes connect (kinda, that one is more of a semi-memory level, so I give that one a pass) I personally don't mind it, because his levels are Demons, like bruh, people who complain about "no indicators" in a demon level, I don't know what they expected, it's a demon level, it's supposed to be hard, not sightreadable, you're supposed to practice the level, and know it like the back of your hand. I'm significantly more lenient with sightreadability on demon levels. Tldr I think the easier the level is, the more sightreadable it should be, once you start getting into the demon difficulties, it doesn't matter, because you're gonna practice them anyways.
i haven’t played GD in years since I get too distracted by the pretty colors of modern levels to actually play the game but I keep watching these essays good stuff, keep it up
When two point O came out, I challenged myself to complete EVERY 2* Level publically available at that time. It was a surprisingly fun task and even easier than considered, because there aren't that many levels deemed "easy" compared to other difficulties. Even though it is evident that some are way harder than they should, especially coin-wise, it still took quite a while. As a side note, I lost track in the meantime and have not further concluded the challenge
Potter wasps (or mason wasps), the Eumeninae, are a cosmopolitan wasp group currently considered a subfamily of Vespidae, but sometimes recognized in the past as a separate family, Eumenidae.
Ok, another point, an idea is to make a level easy for new players, but have an optional coin route for more experienced players, such as iPhone redux. If you do it normally, yeah, it’s 2 stars, but if you get the coin it’s basically a medium demon, so it’s a pretty cool level that I think could be taken away from, maybe make it easier to understand that it’s a coin route and doesn’t kill you, but besides that it’s a really cool concept
honestly, good points! back when i made "hollow lands" i just wanted something with this overwhelming atmosphere but looking back i could have done so much more. if i ever decide to make an easy level again, this is the video i'm gonna rewatch
2:58 That's so true, as someone who has beat every single platformer level difficulty, I can confirm that only platformer extreme demons are perfectly rated, everything else is too overrated, especially the platformer hard and insane demons.
Coming from someone who has made a modern day 2 star, I wanted to make a level that literally anyone could beat, like my mom. I wanted her to play a level I’ve made without testing her patience too much. I also just wanted to be creative with decoration and atmosphere without worrying about gameplay, on top of the fact that I had never made a 2 star and thought it would be fun to do.
I played a level called Ayu, which is basically a generic 2 star, in that it requires only one click. But there was more to it than I thought. And I found out about it when I turned hitboxes on. As it turns out, there’s so many guard rails in place that it’s LITERALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO DIE. This applies to all the parts. And for some reason the One Robot part is the ONLY place where you can die, and it’s also the only spot that actually has an obstacle.
Here’s an idea for how to check if a level has been built to be too hard for 2 stars, have a friend who doesn’t play GD a lot and isn’t nearly as skilled to playtest it. If they think it’s a fair easy stage then you did it, if they struggle at certain sections too much it might be worth looking at to see if you accidentally made it harder than it should be for the rating. I’m working on an easier stage right now and my plan is to have my brother test it since he barely plays GD but understands the basics.
Hijacking the pinned comment to tell you to GO BUY A COLON PLUSHIE!!!! He is cute and silly and won't be around much longer www.makeship.com/products/gd-colon-2-2-plush
6:52 I actually find it really interesting you used Jane by twigxcabaret as an example of a "boring" 2* level when quite a few people, myself included, kinda resonated with the emotion that level brought out and were glad it wasn't babyproofed unlike many of the other examples youve given. So seeing probably one of my favourite 2* levels ever get used as an example of a "boring" level when, to me at least, it has all of the things that makes a level not boring was certainly a "YOOO THIS LEVEL GOT USED IN A GD COLOGN- oh..." moment with that aside, I've definitely felt like something was missing from most of the 2* levels we see today, things just felt off. This video definitely described my thoughts perfectly, but it also brought in some really good points that I've never thought about before, and now I'm kinda feeling inspired to take 2* levels in a wild direction. Not that I'm gonna be a skilled enough creator to pull them off, but at least I have the ideas.
This is very much so a personal opinion, so take it with a grain of salt, but I honestly really dislike when creators forcefully change aspects about their levels because they feel that it's not meeting the criteria that they originally set out to follow. It can easily cause a lot of the problems outlined by this video such as gameplay being way too easy and boring and often limits a lot of the creativity that a level could've had. Whether you see it this way or not, creating levels in Geometry Dash is essentially an art and a lot of the best art out their dares to break conventions (granted they do so in the right way). Art wasn't meant to be restricted and if something isn't turning out exactly the way you imagined it, you shouldn't always take it as a bad thing as people tend to, but rather a happy accident that brings about something new. At the end of the day, we are all just trying to have fun or express ourselves, so it shouldn't matter if things end up going a little differently than intended. It should only matter that we had an enjoyable experience doing what we actually enjoy :)
I really, really liked this video. Really good points all around and good advice on how to improve things. As both a creator and Moderator I've recently been striving to be a bit more mindful of that kinda stuff when it comes to difficulty. As someone who has made easy levels that baby you in the past, this video made me want to make 2 stars a lot more, and to focus and enjoy the process of making the gameplay for them. Great work :)
Finally someone spoke about this and made a video, it's an issue I remember complaining a lot in various circles I'd talk back when I'd star grind a lot of non-demon levels. I really don't like the path easy levels took in 2.1, and while it's gotten a little better, there used to be a time around early-mid 2.1, where 2-3* stars either had invisible slopes everywhere, making the gameplay entirely braindead to beat, or they'd be semi-auto levels with just a few jumps, like if the creator remembered halfway through the level that they weren't meant to make the level auto. At this point, why not just make it automatic? It always felt incredibly forced and I pretty much agree with the points you specified with this kind of level design. As an experienced player a lot of these levels bored me to death, because there was so little input required that I'd often just get distracted and die to something I haven't paid attention, because there's an obstacle every 10 seconds. Either the level should have a few more hazards, or just make it engaging in some other way that requires paying attention. These levels are also not really that helpful for newer players. The official levels feel good, because while being relatively easy compared to the rest of the game, they teach you the basics and you get a better understanding of the game. Making the level extremely handholdy feels like an insult to them, implying they can't figure out how to pass an obstacle. I know that's not the intention for creators, but it sometimes feels like it, and it doesn't help them improve at the game. Easy levels were at quite a decline for a long time and it's been a bit better compared to early-mid 2.1, but I feel like there's still some improvement that can be done. I really miss easy levels that required actual effort to complete.
10:05 actually as someone with autism who gets super overstimulated by excessive visuals, I actually see these as a fantastic accessibility addition. Leves like eyespywithmylittleeye are unplayable for people like me as it's simply too overstimulating and make it unreadable, so jump indicators make a level I flat out can't read into one that I can This isn't to invalidate your opinion, but in a world where I can choose, I rather high detailed levels have indicators instead of not. Robtop style levels can get away with not having these, as they simply lack much decoration to begin with, but art levels or levels covered with decorations NEED these for me, even for the easy ones, or else it's unplayable for people like me.
as someone who likely has autism myself (not diagnosed yet so won't say I defo do but I suspect it and am gonna be getting a diagnosis soonish), the thing I wonder is is the issue the detailed visuals inherently though or more the visuals blending with the gameplay due to the creator not thinking about how to make the gameplay clearly stick out from the art? cuz 99% of levels with detailed visuals have that problem so there's like nothing or barely anything to compare to I mean yea I get autism is different for everyone, but, I still can't help but wonder that I've only seen a handful of detailed levels without that problem, and I wish there were more also I don't rly think eyespywithmylittleeye is a good example since that is literally intended to be flashy and crazy and the creator obviously knew it wouldn't be readable without indicators. A level that fails to be readable then has indicators added to it is different to a level that was never intended to be readable without indicators in the first place
my personal take on it is that, well, im autistic as well . but actually have quite the hatred of indicators . indicatorslop, i call 'em (i use this word for all levels with any indicators, not just ones that 99% consist of spam clicking buffer inputs). being handheld with no opt out always annoyes me. and i have attempted detailed levels, going into the editor and removing every little bit of assistance. every indicator, every ship path, every pad to assist with transitions .. guess what ? even w/o indicators its still easy because 99% of modern gameplay is buffering. so yea, thats my two cents; the spectrum is different for everyone of course, but you get my point. i am not trying to invalidate your opinion or personal experience with them; i started in 1.9 back when you were expected to do a lot more learning of a lvl, this is just me sharing my OWN personal opinion if that wasnt clear enough.
15:03 I dont know why but that message by the creator feels so sad (?). It almost sounds desperate, the way they had to add the failsafes to their level for.. who knows how many other levels they wanted 2 star for makes me think it is both from the creators and standards for rating levels that bounced off each other to get it to where it is. Things like the downtime, cushioned and slow gameplay and songs became the norm for 2 stars probably because it made it the most easy to differentiate, and it became normal to mods that THIS was the level of easy creators had to make, it was just gradually getting so cushioned to the point where its practically auto then yup yup,, I definitley agree when creators need to know who theyre making the level for, it would always confuse me when they do that bait and switch in a really chill level (a fast dual part, knowing what a certain orb is, fake spikes etc) when up until then its been the usual safe guards and ??? As someone who wants to create levels someday, I really enjoyed this video! I shall now place down all 512 of my guard rails.
@CerebreloSetae i remember playing kappaclysm and it taking me 1000att and i thought i could never beat hard lvls, but im now at a point where i have beaten cataclysm and have 92% on bb with 23 deaths past 70%. youll get somewhere if you keep trying wish you luck :)
That part about jump indicators made me pretty happy. I’ve hated them for so long and everyone treats me like I’m crazy when I talk to them about how indicators are horrendous game design. They’re insulting to the player and compensating for unreadable decoration, they make levels so much more unfun for me, and it makes me sad seeing even some of the best gd creators like Bli, plaguing their level and bogging them down with jump indicators. I hope the gd creator community as a whole comes to their senses and stops using them, but for now i appreciate your video possibly convincing people to not have them, and put more effort into making the gameplay readable in a natural way with block design and values.
Well, jump indicators do help with timings for the new players, I don't care if jump indicators are on easy-hard levels as those are the lvls noobs usually play. The problem is when it's used badly like using it where the path is blantnatly obvious or if they are used on orbs or pads, also visibility of it is important while not making it too "dominant" to the deco or gameplay. They should be encouraged but they should not baby you but to help you.
@Malamesa The problem is, input indicators can very easily become a crutch if used carelessly, both for the players and the level creators. Over time, as players are more accustomed to ii's, they become an excuse for creators to not bother making their levels sightreadable, and an excuse for the players to not bother sightreading; and this is a problem that will continue to occur as people use ii's no matter how well.
@Tr0lliPop yeah should've mentioned that it should be also done right. I've seen many not sightreable levels with jump indicators. Jump indicators can hinder progress with reading gameplay as you rely on the indicators, if no indicators you are screwed if you are lacking reading skills. In my defense it was just a core aspect of it, for people to learn timings which is why I only agree with them on easier levels due to noobs usually playing it.
finally, someone else who also hates indicators! yay! yay! yeaaaah! (i just go into the editor, delete all the indicators, and then beat the no-indicator version. you ought to try that way)
i like how much attention you put into crediting levels that are used as background footage. it usually annoys me when i'm like "oo that level looks cool i wanna support the creator" and then it's credited nowhere,no id,no creator name or level name. you put the level name,the creator name, the id, AND the star rating.awesome video as always cologne
![Stereo Madness Isn't Sightreadable [April Fools]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/8hJ6ZtzH5Wc/mqdefault.jpg)
The best analogy I can find to easy levels is children’s literature. Books for kids are not difficult, intentionally so. However, they have a great story, illustrations, and overall make for a good reading experience without super complex vocabulary. The best pieces of children’s literature are the ones that children and adults alike can pick up and find something meaningful out of.
Really nice way of putting it!
@GDColon I agree
True
pretty perfect analogy i feel like
@Idiotwhoshouldshutupuser handle checks out
Spent 20 minutes talking to Colon about 3 stars only for him to say that he meant 2 stars...
20 mins of nothing
Wasted 20 minutes.
20 minutes that you'll never get back
you were only off by 1
Lol, 20 minutes talking to Colon is still worth it
NOOOOOOOO YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO OBEY ME!
The 7 human triggers: 13:53
I KNEW SOMEONE WOULD DO THIS 💀💀💀💀💀💀💀
EXACTLY
that's what I was gonna say bro
hi muscar
take my like, *just take it.*
22:19 the one frame of the invader being red is pure gold
Evil
jajajaja you have not win
you… DIED!
@The_Moth1 NOOOOO!!!!
U have not win🎉
erm actually its 3.5 frames (3 red frames, 1 frame where both red and green variants are visible) ☝🤓
what he said happened to me 😭 my only rated level (which has like 23 clicks) got rated 3* when i requested 2
R.I.P
Rip
Dang😭
i just played your level to see if it had the same problems as what cologne mentioned but honestly, that felt like a good 2 star idk why that got 3 but thanls for the extra star and orbs ig
@DolphinII_lmao you're welcome
Rob can't make "very easy difficulty" because 1 star is auto, 2 stars is easy and 1.5 stars is impossible to make
@drakondra autos should just be 0 stars, it's literally auto, why should you earn anything?
The entire point of auto levels is that they're a neat little spectacle, or they're a means of making a level one might not be able to beat able to be watched. You don't tap the screen, you don't earn anything, so you don't get stars. If you're going to auto levels to get free stars git gud.
We could make 4 star levels normal and easy levels 3 levels
@kriegorianbecause you used 1 minute of your time to watch it
@kriegorianif autos were 0 stars, a majority of them wouldn’t receive they attention they ended up getting
@TheThunderBat no?no one is going to do an auto for the whopping 1 star the give.they'l play them because theyre visually awesome.
Next time Mr. colon is teaching my math class I'll just scream "GENERATION RETRO IS BEST LEVEL" so i can guarantee that i won't be learning math for the rest of the lesson
You’ll be learning how to platforms though
learn convolution
good point
"learn game design now or die"
Colonge probably
Everyone has a topic that they could rant aggressively about for an hour. Even your real math teacher; they're normal people too.
Figure out what it is for your real teachers and you could actually do this.
Honestly, I do think that 99% of the issues mentioned occur solely because of the fear of getting a 3*
It can come across as a really unfair and out-of-the-creators-control way of failing the challenge of building a 2* since you can't fully predict exactly what mods will send it for or what Rob will actually rate it as.
Especially since mods don't all view things like difficulty the exact same, all it takes is one mod to send it for 3*, or even for Rob to override a 2* mod send and rate it 3* anyways, and the creator's work is viewed as wasted. (Obviously it's not, you still got a rated level)
I think it's a little unfortunate that to give yourself the best chance at a 2* you have to write it out in the name, description, or even in the level itself.
That said, solid video, good points.
Jesus is King, He died on the cross for you! Repent for your sins and you will be saved!
@RazelolYT since when was this relevant? thank you but why?
@QuileBiake bot
@nether_bat you sure? he has posts and videos
@RazelolYT couldn't care less
13:53 “The sense of seeing a proper 2 star level, it fills you with determination.”
NO! YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO OBEY ME!!
*The seven Geometry Dash triggers*
omega creator
L-levels? Who needs levels with stars like these?
*finale song plays*
DRIVING IN MY CAR, RIGHT AFTER A SHADER TRIGGER
easy levels are getting so easy that the moderators are ranking at least a little bit challenging level is rated normal.
I have a theory, RobTop had beef with whoever created Level Easy, so he lowered the difficulty standards via mind control and made Level Easy normal, proving Robert Toplas’s power over the Dashlands.
K
Acheron
@dfghjdf0what does acheron have to do with this comment
@darkidk341 Acheron
@darkidk341Acheron
Flowey: Noooo! You're supposed to obey ME!
The seven geometry dash triggers:
please get pinned please get pinned
@bloonsalchemist3734 seven?
Alpha animate collision move spawn pulse toggle
@JaymcJefty there are more triggers-
dun dududun dun dun dududun dun dun dududun dun dun dun dun dun
I'm so excited what will Colon have to say about this, considering the fact that easy online levels are too easy compared to easy main levels. And also, almost every easy level is too boring to play through for some people because it only just need like a couple of clicks to complete the level.
like a saw an easier stereo madness get rated normal. does this mean stereo madness is 4*?
@fazaazafg DONALD TRUMP IS BETTER THAN MRBEAST 😂😂😂🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
DONALD TRUMP IS BETTER THAN MRBEAST 😂😂😂🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
DONALD TRUMP IS BETTER THAN MRBEAST 😂😂😂🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
DONALD TRUMP IS BETTER THAN MRBEAST 😂😂😂🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
22:20 you died colon
Dont ask why, but heres 500 php
phillipines person? Cause if yes, i'm a phillipines person too!
Underrated
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Bro has just 24 likes 😭🙏
bro gave 500 php files 😮
On the line of people committing to making a 2 star lvl, I remember a point in time where there was a kind of race to get the first Epic 2 star. So people were making levels that would look as intense as a harder level but still was easy enough to get the 2 star rate. People were doing everything they could to not accidentally make an epic 3 star instead, which happened to a lot of these lvls that attempted an epic 2 star. That's where I personally noticed the design trend of impressive visuals but TONS of safe guards and barely any inputs.
What level is the first epic 2 star?
@qowaxgamer9633iznite by izhar
That's an extremely good and interesting point. In the end Izhar won this competition to make the first epic 2*, but the level definitely does feel much more handholdy than most things that came before it.
DHaner makes REALLY fun easy levels. I’ve replayed Dreamy so many times because of how it plays and looks. Rush is awesome as well, and what you said about Cloudy is 100% accurate.
Also, I’m also making a 2-star level that I finished the layout for and have been struggling to decorate. Hopefully, it can be somewhat memorable as the others I mentioned above.
DHaner is goated they made some of my favourite easy demons
IKR??? Rush is awesome and so is Zircon
I sure wish people stopped focusing on decorating and instead made their levels fun
this. gd is about jumping over obstacles, not a goddamn art gallery
@randomannoyance auto levels for deco, easy level for gp
you do know those aren't mutually exclusive, right??
@memesong21 i think what they were trying to say is that they're tired of decoration being the big priority, and that gameplay in general just feels more like an afterthought regardless of difficulty. it's absolutely possible to make a level that's both visually incredible and fun, but those two things typically don't exist in the same level
Yeah like I've spent hours on some levels making good gameplay just to get made fun of for asking if it was rate worthy online
16:20 Yoo, new main level name leaked "Stereo Typical"
i find it funny that the skill ceiling is exponentially increasing while the skill floor is decreasing at the same rate
Wow
Fr
Rob likes difficulty variety ig?
@Zubigri how is this robtops fault???
@levi5468 he turn easy level really too easy so to get easy rating you should make easier levels
"Just make one. They're *EASY* "
Good one!
Hi there, creator of Tenebrous here (found at 17:13). I'd like to just say I'm very grateful to hear that you enjoyed my level for what it is, I really tried to make something both easy yet not feel extremely lifeless like so many 2 star levels have become these days. I've had a few "failed 2 stars" and it's been extremely frustrating to see the turn that "easy" levels have taken these days, I really hope an upward trend of easy levels with proper gameplay can return past this video as I genuinely do miss what older levels had to offer. I'm glad this has become a bit more of a talking point.
And again, I really appreciate the fact you enjoyed my level, and thank you for showing it here! :)
Thanks for the comment and great level! Gameplay was nice, I wrote in my notes that the flying sections were a bit empty but it wasn't very long so it's not a big deal. Cube sections were on point
Shoutout to the bot that stole this comment
100 like for this comment!
I’m definitely going to finish watching this later since easy & normal difficulty levels in Geometry Dash are ones I play the most.
15:47 level name is literally my name
11:31 the mini ufo part in retray sweating in nervousness
The "Target Audience" thing is very interesting. It reminds me of how kids' shows usually treat the child watching as if they know absolutely nothing, which isn't true. Children still hold some level of social awareness (and can tell when they're being talked down to), and it's often underestimated or forgotten in regards to children's media. As a result, it becomes irritating and unconstructive for parents, and an unconstructive mess for the child. A loss-loss.
Bluey: *_hold my beer_*
Yeah true, for example: your 10 when your in 5th grade, yet when you look up “books for 10 year olds” you get baby books for 2nd graders, but when you look up “books for 5th graders” you get actual books good for that level.
@C-u-b-e-i-s-l-i-f-e You're too young to be on this website
@desmeon your too old to be alive grandpa
@KingdomMayFivePadua Bro I’m only 19 😭😭😭
@desmeon you like spreading misinformation
10:00
*THIS* here is exactly why I love DiamondDemon935 levels. He only makes art level, and almost never uses indicators. Yet you are easily able to tell what is and isn't gameplay. It's because he has mastered how to separate gameplay from the background/foreground elements. Look at his level Nyx to see what I'm talking about.
Then you have MCres on the other hand where it is literately textbook of what NOT to do. Look at Beyond The Summit for example. It is impossible to tell what is and isn't gameplay.
Exactly!!
@GDColon Thanks for giving my comment a heart 💗
I HIGHLY urge you Colon to go check out Nyx on his channel it is genuinely an amazing level. Even 2003devin commented on it.
Yoo
"its impossible to tell what is and isn't gameplay"
For a level with gameplay as technical as what's in that level, and for a level this difficult, I really don't think that matters.
By the way i REALLY HOPE you're not criticising CONNECT for this same reason because there is a really really good reason as to why it's impossible to distinguish deco and gameplay (no it's not the points i mentioned earlier). its not like it should be a rule to make it possible to tell deco and gameplay apart but thats besides the point
@N3bulAlt
To clarify, I am thoroughly enjoy most of his levels. (but I don't like him as a person (separate art from artist) but that's a whole different topic) If I didn't like his levels, I wouldn't have bothered to become first victor of Beyond The Summit. The only one's I don't like are Psychedelic, LDM, and The Room. And Yes, I am criticizing all of his levels for the same reason, that includes connect (kinda, that one is more of a semi-memory level, so I give that one a pass)
I personally don't mind it, because his levels are Demons, like bruh, people who complain about "no indicators" in a demon level, I don't know what they expected, it's a demon level, it's supposed to be hard, not sightreadable, you're supposed to practice the level, and know it like the back of your hand. I'm significantly more lenient with sightreadability on demon levels.
Tldr I think the easier the level is, the more sightreadable it should be, once you start getting into the demon difficulties, it doesn't matter, because you're gonna practice them anyways.
i haven’t played GD in years since I get too distracted by the pretty colors of modern levels to actually play the game
but I keep watching these essays
good stuff, keep it up
Flowey:NO NO! YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO OBEY ME!
The seven human triggers: 13:54
5:58 I swear I have died on that UFO part at least once
"That's Mr. Cologne to you!" was such a good joke lol.
11:51 rare footage of colon playing tidal wave
@0IiverTF2 got me there
tidal wave 2 stsr version
This is what I've been saying for a WHILE now. So glad this is being brought up more and more. We need more real Easy levels! Great video Colon. 🔥
Thank you so much!! I love your levels
You're genuinely one of my favorite creators too, keep making what you make Dubstep!
@GDColongiggity
2:40 this is so true most 9 stars i’ve played are harder than some easy demons 😭
6:18 BUCKLE YOUR PANTS MENTIONED!!!!
@MyHandleIsAplaceholder Ton 618 mentioned!! (Talking about the 6:18 part)
i squeal and kick my feet when colon uploads
When two point O came out, I challenged myself to complete EVERY 2* Level publically available at that time. It was a surprisingly fun task and even easier than considered, because there aren't that many levels deemed "easy" compared to other difficulties. Even though it is evident that some are way harder than they should, especially coin-wise, it still took quite a while. As a side note, I lost track in the meantime and have not further concluded the challenge
Xmas challenge 😁💀🤑
I also tried the same, but I kind of just stopped doing it along the way.
At 22:11 I looked at my second monitor and did a double take because I didn’t know he changed the background
6:13 hmmm... I think i know these guys
Power rangers?
@Ved55_5no lol they're the 6 main voicebanks from vocaloid
20:54 CHAOS CHAOS!
Catch me if you can!
Potter wasps (or mason wasps), the Eumeninae, are a cosmopolitan wasp group currently considered a subfamily of Vespidae, but sometimes recognized in the past as a separate family, Eumenidae.
@HEXXDmusic ok??
Ok, another point, an idea is to make a level easy for new players, but have an optional coin route for more experienced players, such as iPhone redux. If you do it normally, yeah, it’s 2 stars, but if you get the coin it’s basically a medium demon, so it’s a pretty cool level that I think could be taken away from, maybe make it easier to understand that it’s a coin route and doesn’t kill you, but besides that it’s a really cool concept
or the 2nd coin of Astra (4 moon platformer) but the 2nd coin also makes it a demon
honestly, good points!
back when i made "hollow lands" i just wanted something with this overwhelming atmosphere but looking back i could have done so much more.
if i ever decide to make an easy level again, this is the video i'm gonna rewatch
2:58 That's so true, as someone who has beat every single platformer level difficulty, I can confirm that only platformer extreme demons are perfectly rated, everything else is too overrated, especially the platformer hard and insane demons.
21:26 was genuinely expecting wobblewobble to start playing LOL
It turned from a good starter place to the challenge: How early can I die in the stages do to how handholding they are.
Coming from someone who has made a modern day 2 star, I wanted to make a level that literally anyone could beat, like my mom. I wanted her to play a level I’ve made without testing her patience too much. I also just wanted to be creative with decoration and atmosphere without worrying about gameplay, on top of the fact that I had never made a 2 star and thought it would be fun to do.
What's the ID?
What is the ID of the level, I'd love to play it
Dont wanna be stupid, but Keep it at 69
11:03 now someone should make a 2 star level where lakitu replaces the guard rails
I love watching Colons videos while laying on my stomach and kicking my legs back and forth :3
literally me :o
@proxy_1212 :3
@Qiizen :333
i feel called out
@proxy_1212 >:3
I played a level called Ayu, which is basically a generic 2 star, in that it requires only one click. But there was more to it than I thought. And I found out about it when I turned hitboxes on. As it turns out, there’s so many guard rails in place that it’s LITERALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO DIE. This applies to all the parts. And for some reason the One Robot part is the ONLY place where you can die, and it’s also the only spot that actually has an obstacle.
27:33 Celeste reference?
Here’s an idea for how to check if a level has been built to be too hard for 2 stars, have a friend who doesn’t play GD a lot and isn’t nearly as skilled to playtest it. If they think it’s a fair easy stage then you did it, if they struggle at certain sections too much it might be worth looking at to see if you accidentally made it harder than it should be for the rating. I’m working on an easier stage right now and my plan is to have my brother test it since he barely plays GD but understands the basics.
Hijacking the pinned comment to tell you to GO BUY A COLON PLUSHIE!!!! He is cute and silly and won't be around much longer
www.makeship.com/products/gd-colon-2-2-plush
hi
9 sec ago
HI COLON
Hi cologne
@GDColon no Im not buying furry
6:52 I actually find it really interesting you used Jane by twigxcabaret as an example of a "boring" 2* level when quite a few people, myself included, kinda resonated with the emotion that level brought out and were glad it wasn't babyproofed unlike many of the other examples youve given. So seeing probably one of my favourite 2* levels ever get used as an example of a "boring" level when, to me at least, it has all of the things that makes a level not boring was certainly a "YOOO THIS LEVEL GOT USED IN A GD COLOGN- oh..." moment
with that aside, I've definitely felt like something was missing from most of the 2* levels we see today, things just felt off. This video definitely described my thoughts perfectly, but it also brought in some really good points that I've never thought about before, and now I'm kinda feeling inspired to take 2* levels in a wild direction. Not that I'm gonna be a skilled enough creator to pull them off, but at least I have the ideas.
Take all the footage I use with a grain of salt. I recorded like 100 levels and didn't put that much thought into which ones I showed
@GDColon thats fine lol, if i were in the same position i'd probably wouldn't be any different
this is like colons first reaction to the last level of go up dash being easy as
Lucid dream brings back so many memories, this was my favorite level at the time it released, and the beginning of time song is so good even now.
Yep, I mean the rating system is scuffed as hell, no surprises there.
Fantastic video! Feels like you read my thoughts while making the level😂
Hopefully after this review we get to see more fun easy levels in the future
i love your stuff
@GDColon Thank youu😆
Love your content as well
12:31 Damn we really got luigi in geometry dash before silksong
Yoooooo
This is so r true, its like going to a park but you can’t use any slides because it hurts you
7:36 "Jorney for a waifu"
Lol
spelling error
14:28 bloodbath jumpscare
This is very much so a personal opinion, so take it with a grain of salt, but I honestly really dislike when creators forcefully change aspects about their levels because they feel that it's not meeting the criteria that they originally set out to follow. It can easily cause a lot of the problems outlined by this video such as gameplay being way too easy and boring and often limits a lot of the creativity that a level could've had. Whether you see it this way or not, creating levels in Geometry Dash is essentially an art and a lot of the best art out their dares to break conventions (granted they do so in the right way). Art wasn't meant to be restricted and if something isn't turning out exactly the way you imagined it, you shouldn't always take it as a bad thing as people tend to, but rather a happy accident that brings about something new. At the end of the day, we are all just trying to have fun or express ourselves, so it shouldn't matter if things end up going a little differently than intended. It should only matter that we had an enjoyable experience doing what we actually enjoy :)
As Bob Ross said. No mistakes, just happy little accidents.
He must have had a typo ordering their Starbucks and accidentally said they wanted a yappuccino
@CreationTheAnimator i'm sorry that you can't read 6 sentences
@THTB_lol lol
@CreationTheAnimator internet users can't read anything longer than a sentence without getting scared off. maybe we need to return to forums
18:03 slokes
he says slopes?
thanks for the tips! i will likely use them for fixing already existing easy levels i made!
6:17 WE DONT TALK ABOUT UBDATE 2.0
I really, really liked this video. Really good points all around and good advice on how to improve things. As both a creator and Moderator I've recently been striving to be a bit more mindful of that kinda stuff when it comes to difficulty. As someone who has made easy levels that baby you in the past, this video made me want to make 2 stars a lot more, and to focus and enjoy the process of making the gameplay for them. Great work :)
Thank you!
7:19 omg im iun a gd colgne bidao!?!?!?!?
Omg he hart my komint in lime fibe segungz
Finally someone spoke about this and made a video, it's an issue I remember complaining a lot in various circles I'd talk back when I'd star grind a lot of non-demon levels.
I really don't like the path easy levels took in 2.1, and while it's gotten a little better, there used to be a time around early-mid 2.1, where 2-3* stars either had invisible slopes everywhere, making the gameplay entirely braindead to beat, or they'd be semi-auto levels with just a few jumps, like if the creator remembered halfway through the level that they weren't meant to make the level auto. At this point, why not just make it automatic? It always felt incredibly forced and I pretty much agree with the points you specified with this kind of level design.
As an experienced player a lot of these levels bored me to death, because there was so little input required that I'd often just get distracted and die to something I haven't paid attention, because there's an obstacle every 10 seconds. Either the level should have a few more hazards, or just make it engaging in some other way that requires paying attention.
These levels are also not really that helpful for newer players. The official levels feel good, because while being relatively easy compared to the rest of the game, they teach you the basics and you get a better understanding of the game. Making the level extremely handholdy feels like an insult to them, implying they can't figure out how to pass an obstacle. I know that's not the intention for creators, but it sometimes feels like it, and it doesn't help them improve at the game.
Easy levels were at quite a decline for a long time and it's been a bit better compared to early-mid 2.1, but I feel like there's still some improvement that can be done. I really miss easy levels that required actual effort to complete.
13:20 "real eyes realize real lies" ahh
9:16 Hearing this while having instant respawn off hurts
10:24 what spikes 💔
27:07
i cant stop laughing at this
Same bro lmfao
Short answer: they went from easy to really easy.
Edit:
The songs were slower and calmer,
More Downtime,
Rarely Chained,
Jump Indicators,
Guard Rails.
I think it's the other way around
With the new shaders and 2.2 mechanics, now everything is kinda unpredictable tbh
@TheOm3ga963 nope
@TheOm3ga963 nope
@gdstar6917 oh then that means I suck
30 minutes saved
been waiting for you to talk about this issue, great video as usual
5:15 THIS PART SYNCS WITH THE BACKGROUND MUSIC LOL
10:05 actually as someone with autism who gets super overstimulated by excessive visuals, I actually see these as a fantastic accessibility addition. Leves like eyespywithmylittleeye are unplayable for people like me as it's simply too overstimulating and make it unreadable, so jump indicators make a level I flat out can't read into one that I can
This isn't to invalidate your opinion, but in a world where I can choose, I rather high detailed levels have indicators instead of not. Robtop style levels can get away with not having these, as they simply lack much decoration to begin with, but art levels or levels covered with decorations NEED these for me, even for the easy ones, or else it's unplayable for people like me.
my only less than 200 attempts demon still
It would be better to have a trigger orb at the start to add indicators then.
@awesomedude5558 As someone who also has autism, I feel the same way about highly-decorated levels. Jump indicators are a life-saver!
as someone who likely has autism myself (not diagnosed yet so won't say I defo do but I suspect it and am gonna be getting a diagnosis soonish), the thing I wonder is is the issue the detailed visuals inherently though or more the visuals blending with the gameplay due to the creator not thinking about how to make the gameplay clearly stick out from the art?
cuz 99% of levels with detailed visuals have that problem so there's like nothing or barely anything to compare to
I mean yea I get autism is different for everyone, but, I still can't help but wonder that
I've only seen a handful of detailed levels without that problem, and I wish there were more
also I don't rly think eyespywithmylittleeye is a good example since that is literally intended to be flashy and crazy and the creator obviously knew it wouldn't be readable without indicators. A level that fails to be readable then has indicators added to it is different to a level that was never intended to be readable without indicators in the first place
my personal take on it is that, well, im autistic as well . but actually have quite the hatred of indicators . indicatorslop, i call 'em (i use this word for all levels with any indicators, not just ones that 99% consist of spam clicking buffer inputs). being handheld with no opt out always annoyes me. and i have attempted detailed levels, going into the editor and removing every little bit of assistance. every indicator, every ship path, every pad to assist with transitions .. guess what ? even w/o indicators its still easy because 99% of modern gameplay is buffering.
so yea, thats my two cents; the spectrum is different for everyone of course, but you get my point.
i am not trying to invalidate your opinion or personal experience with them; i started in 1.9 back when you were expected to do a lot more learning of a lvl, this is just me sharing my OWN personal opinion if that wasnt clear enough.
15:03 I dont know why but that message by the creator feels so sad (?). It almost sounds desperate, the way they had to add the failsafes to their level for.. who knows how many other levels they wanted 2 star for makes me think it is both from the creators and standards for rating levels that bounced off each other to get it to where it is. Things like the downtime, cushioned and slow gameplay and songs became the norm for 2 stars probably because it made it the most easy to differentiate, and it became normal to mods that THIS was the level of easy creators had to make, it was just gradually getting so cushioned to the point where its practically auto then yup yup,,
I definitley agree when creators need to know who theyre making the level for, it would always confuse me when they do that bait and switch in a really chill level (a fast dual part, knowing what a certain orb is, fake spikes etc) when up until then its been the usual safe guards and ??? As someone who wants to create levels someday, I really enjoyed this video! I shall now place down all 512 of my guard rails.
can you make a deeper space videos please Colin
Me now being like oh no when I put a single invisible guard rail on a layout I made so you don’t die to a transition bug
I was playing ragdoll simulator on roblox when tidal wave came as the next background song
Also some medium demons are actually hard demons, like wannacry
i omori
wannacry is more of an easy demon then next cab imo
When it was at 17:14 I was screaming to myself "SAY CLOUDY, SAY CLOUDY" and then immediately he said cloudy
@BOO-pp2eb I love Cloudy, found it 2 years ago and it became one of my favorites
@yourm8markasomg same😂
27:27 I Laughed Out Loud Tf
I actually died in the ufo part in retray lol
4:19 if you spent your life too much for mathematics you will jump out from your chair at this moment
True reason: People are grinding creator points.
Harder to Insane is my barrier, i CANNOT do any demons, unless its an plat
@CerebreloSetae beat club step first it's not that hard
@thewas9971 Bro... i said me 😔
Same here bro
@CerebreloSetae i remember playing kappaclysm and it taking me 1000att and i thought i could never beat hard lvls, but im now at a point where i have beaten cataclysm and have 92% on bb with 23 deaths past 70%. youll get somewhere if you keep trying wish you luck :)
@Tecerect Thats nice!
5:15 that synced so well
5:23 aswell
I love colon yap sessions!!!! I’ve also wanted this issue to be brought to light for the past five years and I’m glad you’re doing this.
My tip from the information given woukd just be "dont be afraid of getting rated higher
That part about jump indicators made me pretty happy. I’ve hated them for so long and everyone treats me like I’m crazy when I talk to them about how indicators are horrendous game design. They’re insulting to the player and compensating for unreadable decoration, they make levels so much more unfun for me, and it makes me sad seeing even some of the best gd creators like Bli, plaguing their level and bogging them down with jump indicators.
I hope the gd creator community as a whole comes to their senses and stops using them, but for now i appreciate your video possibly convincing people to not have them, and put more effort into making the gameplay readable in a natural way with block design and values.
Well, jump indicators do help with timings for the new players, I don't care if jump indicators are on easy-hard levels as those are the lvls noobs usually play. The problem is when it's used badly like using it where the path is blantnatly obvious or if they are used on orbs or pads, also visibility of it is important while not making it too "dominant" to the deco or gameplay. They should be encouraged but they should not baby you but to help you.
@Malamesa The problem is, input indicators can very easily become a crutch if used carelessly, both for the players and the level creators. Over time, as players are more accustomed to ii's, they become an excuse for creators to not bother making their levels sightreadable, and an excuse for the players to not bother sightreading; and this is a problem that will continue to occur as people use ii's no matter how well.
@Tr0lliPop yeah should've mentioned that it should be also done right. I've seen many not sightreable levels with jump indicators. Jump indicators can hinder progress with reading gameplay as you rely on the indicators, if no indicators you are screwed if you are lacking reading skills. In my defense it was just a core aspect of it, for people to learn timings which is why I only agree with them on easier levels due to noobs usually playing it.
finally, someone else who also hates indicators! yay! yay! yeaaaah!
(i just go into the editor, delete all the indicators, and then beat the no-indicator version. you ought to try that way)
@cobalt2huyeah I do that usually with more difficult levels that would take me longer to beat
i like how much attention you put into crediting levels that are used as background footage.
it usually annoys me when i'm like "oo that level looks cool i wanna support the creator" and then it's credited nowhere,no id,no creator name or level name. you put the level name,the creator name, the id, AND the star rating.awesome video as always cologne
9:18 Thanks for the labeling cologne, i wouldn't have recognized that game without it ❤
If Mario, then only Bros!
good video. one of my favorites from your channel so far
this has made me wanna make a easy level with an energetic song ngl
21:08 bro why is that level called that
Ah yes the beautiful inverse proportion of difficulty, the easier a level is, the harder it is to make
consider the opposite: the harder a level is, the easier it is to make
2:50 how is that a hot take? everyone agrees with you
Fr
21:29 “That’s Mr. Cologne to you” 💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀
Agreed with everything wow. Very nice vid and definitely has some stuff I'll remember while making levels in the future :)