Getting Inspired
Getting Inspired
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Inspiration is key to refining your level vision after you've finished a basic plan. It can motivate you to create, give you new ideas, and provide insights on how to make something. This guide explains how you can get inspired as you create.
Made by TDP9 & Komatic5
Required Guide: Getting Ideas
Easy Difficulty
Short (8-10 Minutes)
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
This guide has a video version of it which you can watch here
Pre-inspiration Work
Pre-inspiration Work
Before looking for inspiration, it’s important to establish what you want to accomplish. You need to understand what you want to create in a level, whether it is gameplay, gimmicks, decoration, or even choosing a song.
Figure out how you want your level to look/play, and have an idea of what you want to convey from your level. Once you have this in mind, you can search for inspiration in places that most likely have what you want.
If you’re struggling to make a level idea, the inspiration process can be helpful for that to an extent. Note however, that the more nebulous and broad your goals are, the less useful any particular inspiration will be.
Finding Inspiration
Finding Inspiration
You can find inspiration from many places, and it can strike at any time. The best sources will intrigue you and be enjoyable. It’s also a good idea to branch out with your inspiration when making unfamiliar things.
First, other levels can be a huge inspiration. You can try finding levels with similar ideas to yours, or just play random ones as you wish. Take note of any interesting ideas you come across during this process.
Pros
Pros
Levels inside GD can suggest ways to implement specific ideas into your level, something you’ll find valuable if you’re new to the editor.
Cons
Cons
Your level may be less original, just because there’s a limited amount of content you can find inside the game.
The internet and other media – movies, videos, outside art, and games – are very useful when finding inspiration. These are usually more varied than what you’ll find inside GD, and aren’t restrained by what exists in the game either. Just using Google will give you plenty of sources.
Pros
Pros
Outside content is much more abundant than what you’ll find inside the game, and can often be higher quality as well - providing you with something to look up to.
Cons
Cons
Most outside media isn’t limited the same way that GD is. You may have to simplify how you use inspiration to make something feasible for a level.
Talking to other people is a reliable way to get inspiration. You can get pointers for specific media or ideas, and that can bring a unique outlook that you haven’t considered before.
Pros
Pros
Other people have inspiration sources of their own, and can also help you when it comes to implementation.
Cons
Cons
Different people have different tastes, so another person’s inspiration might not fit your level at all.
Finally, just try going outside. Nature is a huge source of inspiration for many, and for good reason; it’s a calming environment and spending time away from the game will change how you view it afterwards.
Pros
Pros
Real life is often one of the best inspirations, and there is a great deal of diversity in the world – that means more potential inspiration.
Cons
Cons
Depending on your location and circumstances, it may be difficult or impossible to visit places that are relevant to your project.
Using Inspiration
Using Inspiration
Be sure to save your inspiration sources so you don’t lose them. A Discord server or your phone’s library is a good place to store your inspiration. If you’re dealing with a real life place, I recommend recording images & videos to take with you.
When you start building, be sure to put your own twist on the content from your inspiration. Don’t steal from other people, of course. The more inspiration you can find, the more original ideas you’ll be able to make, which will help with this issue.
For example, let's say we want to make a block design that looks like a planter box or a small garden. A quick Google search could get this image:
If we just use this specific image, there’s only so much you can really add that’s usable for a block. It’s well known that gardens have plants like flowers, so nothing really changes here.
However, let’s say we get a lot more images, like the ones below:
All of a sudden we have a lot more references for this block. We can make wooden boxes with different designs, like in the first two images or make pots like in the last one. We could even make different designs that different types of plants if we wanted. The design below takes some inspiration from the first two images, as you can see.
Final Tips
Final Tips
Keep your mind healthy. Take care of your body and mind, whether it is through exercise or by doing strategy-heavy tasks. Good mental health helps a lot when taking in sources of inspiration.
Be flexible. Sometimes you won't always find exactly what you want, and that's okay. Keeping your standards flexible will help you be more receptive to inspiration. Some of the most iconic levels and ideas were formed because the inspiration came from completely unexpected places.
Be patient. Inspiration isn't guaranteed to be instantaneous. It really can come at any time. If you stay calm and patient, inspiration will be easier to come by. It may take a while, but eventually it will happen.
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