Using Gamemodes

Choosing a gamemode for your level is the first step of the gameplay process. Gamemodes aren’t just some neat visual thing that makes gameplay look cool, they affect every aspect of the level itself, from the structuring of the layout to even exclusive game mechanics. If you understand the benefits of each gamemode and how to use them properly, you will set yourself up to becoming a great gameplay creator! 

In this guide, we'll explain how you can choose and use gamemodes well in your gameplay. 

All gamemodes have universal features that they all share, which we'll go through below. These constitute some of the game's mechanics, as was described in the last lesson.

Every single gamemode in the editor responds to the press of a button or tap of the screen (hopefully you already knew that :P). This is commonly referred to as a click, but the action of clicking also requires you to release the button or your finger. Depending on the gamemode, the icon can do many different things within the time it takes you to let go. 

• Ball, UFO, Spider, and Swing all have a one-time action whenever you click. If you keep holding, not much else happens. 

• Cube is different from the gamemodes above because holding down the jump button will allow it to keep jumping.

• Ship and Wave respond to clicks AND holds, which you can steer depending on the amount of time you hold.

• Robot is sort of a mix where you can hold down the button/screen to perform a longer action, but cannot repeat it if you hold beyond that. 

In this section, we’ll define a jump as a movement that always causes the icon to go up from its current gravity. While some gamemodes have a more traditional jump, others take a more unique approach: 

• Cube, UFO, and Robot all clearly have a normal jump.

• Ship and Wave “jump” in the sense that the icon will constantly move itself upward depending on its gravity.

• Ball, Spider, and Swing don’t jump, but instead change their own gravity. 

Acceleration means how much an icon speeds up or slows down. In Geometry Dash, this means whether our gamemodes can speed up or slow down their speed depending on the player’s input. 

• Spider and Wave move up and down, but do not have acceleration.

• Cube, Ball, and UFO have acceleration, but not because of the player’s input.

• Ship, Robot, and Swing respond to the player’s input and can change the direction of their acceleration. 

Up to this point, we’ve mostly talked about how gamemodes act on the ground, but some can do much more. The amount of control you have, or action to make the icon move, without touching the ground or an orb depends on your gamemode. 

• Cube, Ball, and Spider give you no control in the air.

• Robot gives you temporary air control while you keep holding.

• All other gamemodes give you full control of the icon when in the air. 

All gamemodes will die if they hit the side of a block or touch a hazard, such as spikes and saws. However, some gamemodes have other special conditions that kill the player when other events occur. 

• Cube, Robot, and Spider crash when hitting their head on the bottom of a block. (Note that an H Block will prevent the Cube and Robot from crashing when placed over the corresponding block)

• Wave will crash when touching any surface of a block. (Note that a D Block will prevent the Wave from crashing when touching the top or bottom of the corresponding block) 

The mechanics we’ve shown here are great reasons to choose one gamemode over another. If you want a gameplay section where the player should hold their clicks for longer, use Ship. If you want the player to have mid-air control while following a set path, use UFO. If you want the player to respond by changing their gravity, use Ball or Spider.

That being said, gameplay creators don’t always think about what mechanics they intend to use for the sake of playability; instead, they can also consider how the song feels. This is crucial once topics like sync come up more. Some songs have precise beats and melodies, while other songs have blurry chords meshed together. In that case, it’s better to match the gamemode’s mechanics with the song’s sound and atmosphere instead of treating it like background music.

Here are some suggestions on gamemodes to use based on the song choice or core mechanics. Remember, this is not a set of rules to follow, and we encourage you to get creative with how you use gamemodes; these are just some guidelines to get you started. 

• Cube is best for snappy gameplay with limited control.

• Robot is best for slower paced gameplay with a bit more control.

• Ship is best for midair gameplay that requires an understanding of game physics.

• UFO is best for snappy midair gameplay with a set jump path.

• Wave is best for snappy midair gameplay that has a lot of control.

• Ball is best for gravity switching gameplay that has a delay between platforms.

• Spider is best for gravity switching gameplay that has immediate response times.

• Swing is best for gravity switching gameplay in midair which requires an understanding of game physics.

As a beginner, you should start small with only a few gamemodes in each section of your level. Once you get more comfortable with the mechanics, you can add more (or make gamemode switches more frequent) to create more variety in your gameplay, as necessary.