Level Select / HUB

Level Select / HUB

Super Mario World. SNES (1990)

From the beginning of our gaming crusades, it could be consiered that we have stumbled onto the Super Mario series at one time or another, with it's initial release date being September 13, 1985 to which we have had around 30 different variations - on all matters of platforms from its release until today, of the beloved plumbers magical kingdom.

Additionally with such a continuous success from its launch it could be considered that Shigeru Miyamoto (creator of the series), certainly knows how to create a successful game that is fun for all the family.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii (2009)

A common element found within these games that I most certainly find intriguing is the construction of the game world. It's primary mechanic being the level select screen. A most significant way to create a diverse world without neccessarily needing to create artistic elements such as, caves or cohesive environments in order for the player to know the difference from one level/area/sector to the next.

Additionally with this system, as developers we can further enhance this concept into creating a sub-game within our game itself, this being the collectable score system, where you could state within this level select screen, using a small UI template when hovered over or when the player is on that node, to such things as collective scores that perpetuates throughout the game, giving the player an overall completion, rather than level specific completion.

Although when both systems are combined it then becomes alot clearer to our user to what they have done, and a possible way to hone in on areas that are in need of extra attention.

To get a sense of some games that use similar mechanics, please check the link below:-

https://www.giantbomb.com/level-select-map/3015-8683/games/

With this thought in mind, that being most games are using some sort of lvel selection process within their games, why can't I.

To which in my BA I have already attempted creating a UI based level selection system, which from my experience back then, I was rather content with the success of the system, but to this day I am seriously aware of the implications to what would happen if I wanted to add in a new level dynamically, that in turn I would have to re-construct the system in order for it to validate and process runtime procedures to add more content into the game, unlike Super Mario above that is all pre constructed and packaged as a whole, but in later years they started added in hidden nodes that needed certain prerequisites in order to be attained.

For some scope on what I have previously created, there will be a video posted below.

Furthermore, I have also began starting a HUB version of a level selection area, to see if this version (commonly found in the Lego games) is just as, if not more engaging than the UI version of the level selection.