[Environmental] [Easy] Subway

My first level! I made this so I could learn to use the level editor, but I figured I should upload it because maybe someone on this forum has the same strange affinity for subways as I do. It's short, and very easy: no baddies, no water, no hard jumps. I hope you enjoy it.

UPDATE: Implemented some of Yohji's suggestions. I do realize the storyline is VERY flimsy, so if anyone's interested in helping me figure out a good one, contact me. I'd like the storyline to be told through logs, diaries etc., and to be kinda scary. Here's what I'd like to cover in the storyline:

What happened to the people who worked in the subway
Why was it abandoned in the first place
Why would the city want to destroy it instead of restore it
Why are the stairs to the museum collapsed
Why are there ghosts in Museum station

http://knyttlevels.com/levels/Yukabacera%20-%20Subway(upd).knytt.bin

PS: If you figure out these things, you get kudos from me:

Whatever is the icon for this level supposed to represent?

The station names, except Western and Eastern Terminus, are taken from a certain game. Which one?

Ask for hints if you need them.  

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EDIT: Oh and, if you have any ideas on how I could expand this level, please share them!

EDIT 2: WOW! I'm such an idiot. I forgot the link. I added it now.

plain. simple... glad u got the hang of the editor

btw u should close up this walkway on the right... or make sumthing on the other side... because theres a void there.

Wow, I really AM an idiot. Forgot to close that one up. Thanks for informing me, iza.

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God, what a terrific idea! I wish I thought of it first, I was kind of thinking of making a level with multiple environments and a hub... could've made a surreal subway!

Anyway, congratulations on completing your first level! I enjoyed the concept, but you should really work on your environments. There are many wonderful tilesets available to make much more realistic parks, subway stations, etc.

A couple of technical tips: (a) definitely make use of sounds. Just a little bit of tunnel wind sort of sound (atmosphere 4, for instance) in the subway, a little wind in the park, (b) definitely try to avoid resorting to invisible walls and such to block the player's progress - instead, work with your tileset and produce things blocking the path. Finally, (c) objects enliven the level. You could give the player the eye from the beginning, for instance, and put a ghost or two in one of the stations. A bird or an insect in the park. And so on.

upd: Also, you do realize some of the signs you put into the level are unreachable? Like the ones about . You only get the run powerup, so those are not possible to get to.

Yohji, thank you very much for the suggestions. I'll try and implement some of them right now .

Anyway, my comments on your tips:

(a) Yes, I wanted to use sounds, but I didn't for some reason. Thanks for the wind suggestion.
(b) Are you talking about that one wall between St. James and Archer St.? Yes, I thought that was a bad idea myself, but I just couldn't think of anything else.
(c) Great idea, I'll be sure to do that.

And thanks for notifying me about the unreachable signs. I'll fix that.

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EDIT: Forgot to give my comments on the tilesets. I have some ideas for another park tileset, but I didn't really see one that would be good for a subway station, so that's why I used Underwater Labyrinth. Do you have any suggestions? Thanks in advance!

Yohji, thank you very much for the suggestions. I'll try and implement some of them right now .

You're welcome 

(b) Are you talking about that one wall between St. James and Archer St.? Yes, I thought that was a bad idea myself, but I just couldn't think of anything else.

Um, I think it's all over the place, really; I kind of meant both invisible blocks and no climb things (no climb is particularly odd here because you never get the climb powerup!)

EDIT: Forgot to give my comments on the tilesets. I have some ideas for another park tileset, but I didn't really see one that would be good for a subway station, so that's why I used Underwater Labyrinth. Do you have any suggestions? Thanks in advance!

Well, the one that immediately springs to mind is Quincent Cartographer's tileset from "A Walk at Night", but that level is legendary, so I guess it'd be too recognizable. Then there's a level called "Marine", which I think had some suitable tilesets, but oddly enough it's not in the level archive... and I can't find it anywhere Maybe other people will have suggestions, it's just that after playing many levels you get to realize what tilesets are possible, you know?

I found Marine on http://www.cowmuffins.net/stuff/marine.zip .
Also, I'll see if A Walk At Night has some good tiles. (Who am I kidding, it DOES. I don't know if I'll use any of them though.)

About the no climb things: Maybe I could connect the surface areas somehow? I wanted to do that, but I also wanted to fool people into thinking there's a fair distance between the stations. Wow, what a problem.

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In the park outside "HIGH GREN" station, on the right side, you can jump up in the barrier and 'float' there, and then you can plain jump right over it and go to a void screen.

HIGH GREN? Shouldn't it be HIGH GREEN? I just checked both signs, the one in the park and one in the station and they both read HIGH GREEN... Anyway, thanks for informing me of the void. I'll fix that.

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