Okay! day 2 is WORLD DAY. to start with I need to design:
 - enemies
 - passive threats and challenges (spikes, platforms etc)
 - the hub (safe area)
 - aesthetic character of each wing of the hive, and how they interconnect
 - boss fights, if any?

I'll also need to scope the game to a scale I can manage. the main scoping decision here is "how many crystals?". Five? Seven? Twelve?

Major features I can ignore for now and keep as stretch goals:
- ammo system
- difficulty settings
- boss fights
- cutscenes
- parallax background
- purple glow shader

Time to start on WORLD DESIGN

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RESEARCH
===================

what references do I want to use? I want a nest of twisty action-platformer passages that do a range of cool stuff involving double jumps, wallslides/walljumps, etc etc. and also have enemies coming at you from various directions. let's check out: castlevania, megaman, rain world

CASTLEVANIA SOTN: platforming here is minor. we have a few different kinds of area

general layouts:
- open corridor or field. emphasises combat with enemies along the way
- platform arena - an area 2-3 screens high with platforms and stairs to navigate
- tower - a vertical connector to jump up/fall down. emphasises platforming
- stairs - alternative to platforming. used for areas where combat has a vertical element

obstacles:
- large tanky enemies
- small (popcorn) enemies
- ranged attackers
- flying enemies
- small enemies on a fixed pattern, essentially bullets to dodge
- narrow platforms for precision
- unstable platforms (clock tower!)

special features:
- broken bridges to jump over
- gladiatorial combat arena!
- outer wall - massive vertical area up the right hand border
- clock tower! with the cogs and pendulums! crazy special platforming blocks
key takeaway: in a combat-platformer, the platforming can and should be fairly basic
also, the way SOTN's dodge mechanic must be abused for speedruns is awful

okay. MEGAMAN. which megaman game has the best level design? THE INTERNET tells me it's megaman 2, so let's find out!

general layouts:
- each level is approx 24 screens long. that sets up approx 2 minutes travel time per boss
- combat corridor: fairly open horizontal corridor with stuff to fight
- platforming corridor: typically over a deadly drop (void; spikes; lava), but sometimes over a "trap" drop that requires a redo. emphasises platforming. close 1-width platforms with vertical mixups for precision, or longer platforms and bigger jumps. may use drop platforms. may use megaman's appearing blocks
- navigation challenge: tight winding corridors, possibly a few routes, probably has traps
- maze: messy disorienting multiple routes, often blind choices, pickups in weird places
- tank arena: a single screen with a tank enemy in it for you to fight past. basically a miniboss
- downwards tower: mix of navigation challenges and mazes, but being forced downwards by gravity adds tempo and forces you to play aggressively
- upwards tower: uses ladders. reverse of downwards tower, the upwards climb slows you down; makes regular enemies safer because you can always back off, but movement forcers (slow flyers?) are much more dangerous
- upwards maze: jumping between multiple ladders to climb through a multi-route maze
- ability puzzle: in the final stretch, you have all the items - so game can test you on e.g. using platforms to climb an extra-tall obstacle, or uncrossable gap

obstacles:
- tanky enemies (placed in the way. targets player, usually has projectiles. obstacle to fight past)
- patrol enemies (guard their platform, attack player if nearby; may be avoidable)
- trap enemies (fixed point, shoots at stuff nearby; usually avoidable)
- slow flyer (gradually moves towards player, may be infinite. adds lots of pressure to move!)
- damage blocks (spikes, mines)
- precision platforming
- moving platforms/lifts
- conveyors! scary in both directions, especially when combined with platforming over drops
- appearing platforms
- acid drips. timed hazards to dodge through

special features:
- boss arenas. 1 screen, usually with an irregular floor. boss always has a way to move from side to side to mix things up
- flickering lights. an area that goes dark periodically :3 i love this!
- underwater section - low gravity. immediately has a spike roof to mess with you
- cloudy area - clouds obscure gameplay layer
- moving-platform screen: you have to ride a moving platform around a convoluted path while fighting off slow-flyers D:
- dragon chase: end-stretch boss that chases you across a precision platforming section!
- node boss: gotta blow up several weakpoints around a single-screen maze to win

you know what, i feel like i have enough material to move on now

GET EQUIPPED
WITH
LEVEL DESIGN

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ELEMENTS TO USE
===================

what tools do I want for level design?
- traps - spikes are boring but effective. dripping acid seems good too
- wide platforms!
- precision platforms!
- deadly drops! essential for high-pressure platforming
- box blocks you can break with melee/gun attacks. because it's cool

- passive enemies - basic crawlers are pretty slow and easy to deal with
- aggressive assault - advanced crawlers will chase you across screens and mess you up
- slow flyers that approach you gently, forcing movement/response. bats!
- fast flyers (twitch gaming!) - HL2 manhack style!
- ranged enemies (priority hazards) - spitters! they use ballistics against you~
- tanky enemies that block you. SHAMBLER

how does this combine into large-scale screen design?

screens should be 16 x 8 tiles. that allows 1 tile visible overlap between screens

MOVEMENT FOCUS
- safe zone - low-tension section for pacing
- horizontal platforming - platforming area, low combat spawns, drop below into lethal/trap/deathpit
- vertical platforming - tower with platforms. climb slowly or drop fast
- navigation challenge - tight windy area that uses lots of trick jumps and spikes. low combat

COMBAT FOCUS
- horizontal combat - horizontal areas with lots of enemy spawn points, low platforming
- arena - a single screen (or short corridor) that spawns tank enemies
- deathpit - a dead-end single screen with lots of enemy spawns, high combat intensity. avoid!

MIXED USE
- free zones - open hubs with multiple through-routes and moderate enemy spawns. mixed combat/platforming
- crystal chamber - bossfight zone for getting crystal

how do these large-scale areas combine into a world map?
TIER 1: a high tech platforming-focused hub area surrounded by airlocks. safe zone
TIER 2: main hive. a densely networked area. constant spawns, nowhere is safe. interconnecting areas should be the most dangerous, as they're shortcuts
TIER 3: crystal mission. a linear branch out from the hive to a crystal chamber. no/low combat spawns here until return trip
ROUTE LENGTH: each crystal should have 2-3 phases of dedicated challenges, so 4-6 screens. ideally these screens will feel different on approach and return (so, emphasise verticality in these parts. or give access to higher routes from one side only)

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MAP DESIGN
==============

what's a good starter map, then?
2 crystals (minimum to test choice of path)
both on the same side of the hub, to test cross routes.

CRYSTAL 1: tight navigation challenge into precision platforming over a trap drop/deathpit.
CRYSTAL 2: vertical descent into a horizontal combat area.

let's make a map!

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FINAL DESIGN PASS
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must dos:
1. basic intro and title
  * title
  * movement instructions (wasd+mouse)
  * "collect five crystals" (tab: open map)
  * ON EACH SPOKE: right click: melee/double jump
  * the hive awakens (left click: fire)
2. add 3 more crystal spawns
  * 3
  - 4
  - 5
3. ending - get 5 crystals, return to core
