Why You SHOULDN’T Use Details in Geometry Dash…

[@browniex5120]

Literally, optimization is honestly the thing that many creators don’t use in their levels. People should do that more.

[@moonl1314]

Limbo needs a huge optimization update

[@AustynL]

​@@moonl1314 yeah ive heard about how terribly optimized limbo is

[@llamasandalpacas]

Yeah I'm quite guilty of this

[@no-one6790]

Same with AAA-games

[@Nsquare_01]

Yeah, literally like huge player percentage of the game uses low performance devices (like me) and most creators seems to ignore that thing entirely

[@falkeborg9432]

This is why I love levels like Past, it doesn’t focus on how much there is to look at but more how the existing ones look. It has a basically empty block design but the genius colors and the gameplay compensate for it.

[@smallw2003]

The one that starts in the sky?

[@falkeborg9432]

@@smallw2003 Ye

[@Flaaroni]

Finally someone talked about this. I've seen more levels try to look too detailed than ones that aren't enough

[@Prometheus_Alt]

You're neglecting a crucial detail: That hota's infamy comes PRECISELY from overusing objects. I'm pretty sure he's over-adding details on purpose, it's his signature. It's similar to how stormfly is known for making hell levels and krmal is known for making levels with unorthodox gp.

[@Prometheus_Alt]

That being said, I think overusing details in general is a bad thing, but to use hota as an example for this is probably not apt

[@GDCreatorSchool]

Although Hota is known for using so many objects, it is not an efficient way to make details at all. It doesn’t necessarily make it a good thing either.

[@asphore]

​@The GD Creator School so now you're trying to make subjectivity objective, I pretty much disagree with the video as creating a level is everyone's freedom, even if I do get the argument that something clean will look better, people are allowed to create their own level themes and atmospheres no matter how little they're following these kinds of "rules"

[@ERRR0RR]

​@@GDCreatorSchool Who cares about efficiency or how "objectively" good it is if the result is something mesmerising and completely unique

[@vulna9150]

@@asphore as someone who makes intensely detailed stuff, the style can be almost ruined if objects are spammed in ways that don't make sense, the video aims to let people know that highly detailed sections need to have a purpose, because it won't look good if it is detailed for the sake of it.

[@ElectrifyXD]

Im Electrify, and I approve of this message

[@Zapact]

I'm Zapact, and I approve of this message.

[@Ila_Aras]

I've never played geometry dash, and I approve of this message.

[@cubedcubedcubed]

I am Cubie, and I approve of this message.

[@K3nTG]

Im message, and I approve this KenTG

[@goldenboy86gd]

im approve, and i message of this gold86star

[@alanhasmemes]

Could you make a tutorial on optimisation? Like what types of objects are the heaviest on your computer and basic strategies to cut down object count and lag?

[@GDCreatorSchool]

That’s planned for the future ^^

[@manfacegamingreal]

I love modern style but I adore how Devourer De Dieux looks.

[@prolygamesstudios3443]

Too bad.

[@CyrianT]

(Edit as of 4th February 2024: I realized I was quite wrong on some things, so I modified and improved this comment. I'm sorry if it sounded bad.) Hello, I'm the merger of Dévoreur de Dieux by Hota1991. I wrote a review of the level, it's 17 pages long. I'd say your video is right about nearly everything and is one of the best ones that talked about Khorne and Dévoreur de Dieux. But I don’t like the way it portrays Hota’s levels, and I think it misses the point of Hota’s “virtues”, I should say. I've heard a lot of complains about DDD, and here's what I noticed: It's an universal fact that the level is hard to admire fully. No one catches all the details, not even me. This is what you mean by the details that can lead to the level being less “recognizable”. The level can be properly seen at slow speed or fixed images, but since it is so detailed, at 100% speed, the details look like they’re mashing together. This is one of the disadvantages of making super detailed levels. It is a valid concern. In fact, I even experience that with my own levels, it usually happens to me that I make a good looking structure, but since it is in the editor and that my style focuses on variety, texturing and details, I don’t even notice any of it while playtesting. This is the reason why you might find comments under Hota’s videos saying that it looks like a “mash of pixels”. But I’d say this is more of a problem in the short run, because not only even if you don’t notice or recognize every little detail, the level can still look beautiful, but you also constantly notice new details and more of the level, and this adds up with time. There are two types of reactions towards this level: -To think it is bad because the details aren't clear to see, and that it could've been made more obvious. -Or people can think that the level is better than they see it is, they acknowledge that they've only witnessed a portion of it, and that they'll see far more of it eventually. I think that the second option is the way the level was meant to be looked like. Yes, I agree, it's a good thing to make your levels less detailed because it makes it easier to direct the eye this way, that doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing to overdecorate, like in Dévoreur de Dieux where it ends up making the level more interesting and more diverse and more complex of an experience. For Hota, it was better in a lot of ways to not worry about the object count, it was more fulfilling to make, and it made the level better. It is unique, and it took the creator 400+ hours to make. Also Dévoreur de Dieux having 1.4M objects and Khorne having 1M objects somehow wasn't intentional, it's just that Hota doesn't care about the object count (and you know that already). For this level, I think optimization should be considered as bonus points that it didn’t get, not as a fundamental, because for once and exceptionnally, it’s not one. TLDR: Good video, overdetailing has one major disadvantage being that it's hard to clearly see all of it, but with time, this gets oughtweighted by the advantages of overdecoration. It wasn't made for the object count.

[@prolygamesstudios3443]

i aint reading all that.

[@t918theblade]

thank you so much for making this. gameplay is WAYYY MORE IMPORTANT than visuals in my opinion. Creators like bli or knots actually manage to make visually stunning levels paired with amazing gameplay.

[@FoZard]

Something people don't consider enough is that GD players do NOT look at the detail when beating a level since they focus on not dying (obviously) so adding too much detail doesn't serve a purpose from a player's perspective. So, detail is added pretty much just for viewers on KZbin. The problem with that is that video compression makes the detail almost completely impossible to see. That's not even mentioning how so many levels, such as Bismarck, every APTeam level, and Ocular Miracle, the level is so fast-paced that you can't even see the detail as the viewer unless you watch it in slow motion. A more underrated, but much better, type of detail is the type of detail Funnygame used to put in his levels. For example, in La Campanella, the notes in the first ship are the ACTUAL notes from the song. In Mountain King, the spike obstacles in the first ship are all aligned with the notes of the song. This type of detail may be less visually impressive but make levels have much more personality than just making 4K photorealistic 9 zillion object block design.

[@pludee_76]

This is exactly what « design » means, and i agree with the fact that in gd many creators tend to forget it. A reminder like this video is always good.

[@Sparktwee]

Wow, this brings some reflection for me. Cause personally, I like my clarity over details so that it can be object-light, mobile-friendly and playable. However, I end up taking that too far and end up not adding enough details to clarify my themes (it ends up having a "layout-y style" in a sense).

[@pixizkiel]

Yay! I’ve been waiting for a video to dive into detail density for quite some time, glad to see it you touch on many of the topics to what makes good design in levels. Hope to see more videos touch on other topics in regards to design later on! c=

[@V0RTA]

My summary : Make a level that is ratable so I can get the UFO.

[@mollof7893]

Same

[@galofuf]

a lot of the time i be as mobile friendly as possible. that being for example 2 nexus uploads that both have "??K Objects" in the title, which may seem like a big deal, but in reality i only care. Optimisation is surely one of the most underlooked creating aspects in the entire game, and I really wish to see more people taking this into consideration. That way i also unexpectedly became friends with bli, so you can find me in the Change Of Scene credits :v

[@scrapzgd1343]

holy fuck i found the galofuf comment

[@galofuf]

@@scrapzgd1343 rtg

[@greenguydubstep]

EXACTLY. some new creators just spam random clouds objects in their art for no prupose at all. i feel like they do this just to have more objects. the clouds could apport in some textures and shading but NO ONE will notice them.

[@hmmmm3351]

I cant decorate to begin with so I'm doing great following these guidelines!

[@NerdlabsSci]

Personally I enjoy adding unnecessary amounts of detail to my gd art. I make a lot of space backgrounds, and while they would look almost the same if I used tiny corner pieces for the really small and faraway stars, I like to make it realistic by making even the tiniest of dots their own detailed galaxy or star so the level looks just as good no matter how closely you look. I do agree though that using objects for the sake of object count like in hota’s levels isn’t good, but using more objects to make things more extremely realistic and detailed isn’t a problem.

[@proxyrhine]

i do not care. i will overdecorate however much i want. i will create the most detailed level ever. no one can stop me.

[@prolygamesstudios3443]

says the guy with 200 subscribers comparing himself to the guy with 2000 subscribers lmao

[@proxyrhine]

@@prolygamesstudios3443 SAYS THE GUY THAT TOOK MY FUCKING JOKE SERIOUSLY LMAO oh and also WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU COMPARING SUBSCRIBERS???

[@prolygamesstudios3443]

@@Sparks2490 was I comparing myself to this cat guy? no I wasn't. I wasn't saying "i'm better than you". I was just making a point

[@adaptablerubenvideos3097]

In my opinion level should have detail but not to much because this causes levels to become unplayable for most people except the ones with a 1000 dollar+ pc

[@unoriginalname1028]

While i agree overdecorated levels often arent the way to go, i much prefer them to the current style of solid color background/ground trend which has been common in a lot of levels. And personally i dont see how the hive is overdecorated.

[@Dolphe]

I disagree I think we should try to make every level 10000000 objects minimum y’all just aren’t dedicated enough

[@laskouide_newragingbulls]

the most obvious joke

[@francisjosephcutamora8530]

Less is more but props to the effort It shows dedication to put that number of objects and it consumes months or years to build now that is i called masterpiece I prefer chaotic energy because I like extreme demon as they should be khorne is a masterpiece

[@zyro.]

great video, id recommend getting a new mic as the current one sounds funky, keep up the grind my guy

[@vulna9150]

in short: make it make sense kids

[@francisjosephcutamora8530]

Extreme Demon:Okay too much details for confusion lets add that one

[@WhiteFlashGD]

As fun as burning devices is, it's true that adding details just to increase the object count can take a lot away from a level in many cases. Details that contribute to the level can be beneficial but focusing all your efforts into making a hyperdetailed mess only ruins the level in most cases. However, I personally think that it's not a massive issue as long as you enjoy creating the level (Though idk who enjoys making 1M+ object levels)

[@veggiepiranha5201]

Detail for the win!!!! Jk jk tbh I agree with a lot of this I'll just say details are good but how you use it is important prolly. The part where there is the actual gameplay should have the most attention to detail imo because you need the player to focus on it. However, foreground and background can be generally a bit less detailed. The further away the background is in the parallax, the less detail it should have because detail gets abstracted and blurred the further away an object is. Make sure to know where specifically you want to focus your attention when making levels and add the most details there.

[@Ila_Aras]

what level were you playing in the bg?

[@laskouide_newragingbulls]

Yea finally someone tell this,im tired of this kind of people dont like stuff like red mug or Madeline,the thing with dévoreur de dieux is he doing details for made details,some parts even looks like verdant landscape but very mesy,and also other details levels like white space try to make a lot of details (the floating arts) for abstraction,tell a story or for charm but most of the time it didn't work,is just mesy and not that good However i think some levels doo it pretty well because he make sense (ex: terminal remparency, light it Up,kocmoc...) But still Pepole should be focused more on optimisation

[@tanhrs8711]

Cool video !! But buy a new microphone !

[@Bloxxers_rclNotAClanner]

Is 2003devin's style messy or nah?

[@As4w7]

I feel like some overused details make levels unnecessarily difficult, like playing the layout for Zodiac, V.S. the actual version Zodiac does do a pretty good job but I think there are a couple moments where its overused

[@heyimnewth]

As someone that never maked an detailed level i can confirm that this is accurate

[@willacheson5682]

I have never made An detailed level

[@Vexilo5]

Ah, therefore my layout should obviously get rated :clueless:

[@BelastetGD]

You explained everything perfectly man.

[@MicroChipsOG]

0:34 bruh 🤨

[@Anomalocaris555]

Counterargument : Overdecoration can be funny, like Glowy

[@NickAndriadze]

The title is a tad misleading, it really should say ''shouldn't abuse details'' rather than ''shouldn't use.'' Details are extremely important and this video clearly acknowledges that, it's overdecoration that's the issue.

[@GDCreatorSchool]

You misunderstand - the title is saying this video shows some invalid reasons to use details.

[@francisjosephcutamora8530]

Lets be real too much details is good if it is well made and its fun to watch it is mesmerizing but too confusing when you actually play Thats is why extreme demons are detailed to distract your focus

[@SSBGD]

The legend koma is back at it again!

[@Sn1hx]

its ok too use confusing and weird decoration, in some very specific cases. For example, save as by pahc is a very weird and confusing level in block design and movements but they tell a story. In other cases, you need more design or else the level will look ugly no matter what, but i must agree with you as most of your points make alot of sense

[@THEL05]

This just depends on where you want to go with your level. Hota has his own style and that’s fine. There are tons of levels out there : some of them are overdetailed, some are underdetailed and some are perfectly balanced. I think that’s a good thing.

[@v0id3d55]

I agree with most of the tips, except not using details to fill in empty spaces. When it’s empty, it’s kinda bland.

[@GDCreatorSchool]

You can use large structures to fill in empty spaces far more efficiently than details can. Additionally, some empty space is helpful so a player isn’t constantly overwhelmed by detail everywhere.

[@progressman95]

can I still make core deco

[@GDCreatorSchool]

As long as your details all have a real reason to exist ^^

[@killerkitten8946]

THANK YOU. this was very helpful and something i will be more mindful of in my next level :)

[@smadman]

I can't create high detailed levels bc I play on the Xiaomi:D And I think it's good, bc weak phone make me optimise my levels. Btw your video is cool, good luck!

[@GDCreatorSchool]

Thank you!

[@ryukigx8749]

0:35 ayo what was that???

[@ITHrealXD]

CULUC: hold my beer

[@notmyproblem2722]

0:35 🤨📸

[@Flubon11]

Daily levels are so hard not because they are actually hard, but because you cant tell what object is what since there is too much detail

[@prolygamesstudios3443]

tell that to everyone in the comments section.

[@PlyixeMC]

no worries i dont even know how to decorate that much, i just use 1.0 - 2.0 simple decoration

[@eCtImanD]

0:34 AYOOOOOOOOOO 😳😳😳

[@heyimnewth]

Legend is back

[@terrorApan]

I like the simple but creative level the most

[@slyveonnumeros]

For me atleast details is something more to put on blocks and some moving objects, may be on background but a lot less and not so much deco on one thing and mostly on a bunch of things because you dont wanna have 40000k items in one block.

[@proxyrhine]

40000k is 40 million

[@slyveonnumeros]

@@proxyrhine yeah, i know, i know...

[@Proxysweden]

Happy to be early to a channel that will grow immensely during 2023!

[@alephcake]

make whatever the fuck you enjoy, end of debate.

[@3PowerMechs]

Bro showed change of scene one of the best demons

[@lool8421]

overusing details very often just makes the level unplayable on low-end devices and makes levels less sightreadable and what's the point of decorating something that is just meaningless? like sure, make the level overall good, but honestly... if a level doesn't show anything, it's just full of glow and random blocks... what even is the point in decor if it's just so meaningless besides not looking like a layout?

[@redmondgd]

Koma's voice?

[@sunsrr]

someone finally said it

[@sanandreasgd7148]

Tbh the "natural style" deco pretty much ruined the way to make decorate in gd because now when a level use the modern style deco or many other, people will say "it's empty" or "boring".

[@sanandreasgd7148]

I'm not blaming Culuc but more like the people who overused his style

[@lecoindugamer7644]

How is says dévoreur de dieux 💀

[@TheBeast9417YT]

0:35 🗿

[@Zyronyix367]

"Devererdeder"

[@Iseenomacros]

W mic 🎙️

[@Silvow09]

Im Silvow, and I approve of this message

[@felixmcnuggets]

I never do detailed levels, because i suck at decoration and stuff.

[@jimmlmao]

I had to do it, I am now your 420th subscriber.

[@Poafy]

the way you pronounced it was funny lol

[@JustsomeLASAGA]

0:34 WTF ?

[@DSH__]

BRO the Mic is so funny

[@GRAVITYCRAFT499]

0:35 You know

[@cadenhenderson4322]

ehh it's an interesting point but terrible examples. A few of your good examples have over the top detail but still look mostly good. I think a better way to explain this would be to talk about textures instead of object counts. Levels like White Space are horribly laggy, have tons of detail, variety, and depth, but manage to look clean. Part of that is in actually leaving white space (haha), using flat shading in some areas, and removing detail to super foreground elements with "blur". And sometimes, messy is good and intentional, like in Rafer levels. The constant mess of layering weird textures gives it a really spunky vibe and injects some extra adrenaline into the level. The magical gameplay that rafer makes seems to guide the player through the level while dozens of incomprehensible objects are flying towards them. it makes playing these levels such a thrill.

[@GDCreatorSchool]

There is a lot of stuff which couldn’t be included in this video but still influences how deco looks; we plan to address those things in the future ^^

[@DeadCow04]

Wooooooooo gd creatir school has KZbin?

[@GDCreatorSchool]

We do!

[@DeadCow04]

@@GDCreatorSchool okay I feel like the video makes sense in some ways but the spikes in the thumbnail actually look pretty cool and in the right context could make a pretty cool spike design

[@GDCreatorSchool]

They are detailed for the sake of having details, which is very ineffective when it comes to decorating.

[@DeadCow04]

@@GDCreatorSchool yeah I agree I think all details should serve a purpose if it’s just there because you want more objects then it shouldn’t be ther

[@Haxx0rZ-]

I make little details

[@terminusfinity009]

u want rated level?

[@thepersonwhoasked9475]

0:35 ayo?

[@RiotFury]

some guy called dexzler stole ur thumbnail

[@GDCreatorSchool]

I see, thanks for letting me know

[@Blimp-g7l]

@@GDCreatorSchool im pretty sure he still has the same thumbnail for his STOP NOW!| The Do's and Don'ts of why OVERDECORATING your Levels: Why Simplicity Is Key w/@Cobgd#gd video

[@leojulirodriguez3794]

0:35

[@Johdanlop]

Damn, better go restart my level ;-;

[@GDCreatorSchool]

Alternatively, you could simplify it^^

[@Johdanlop]

@@GDCreatorSchool Im a "modern" creator, its what i do! :D

[@Johdanlop]

and thanks for some genuine ideas! Subscribed for the creator school trip! :3

[@callem1254]

Thank God I'm a Tech style creator and etc but not yet Hehe.

[@sgdg7777]

people cook different ways

[@gat-su8335]

Sus?0:35

[@awoken_444]

bass cave

[@Th3L3g3nd27]

Bro this mic ain’t it lol. Everything but the mic is good

[@aedenlewmaglinte3436]

Orgalorg

[@ashfalcons44]

1 million object levels are super messy and overrated

[@kyle1513]

ask vit pal

[@leojulirodriguez3794]

0.35

[@Crazey]

I'm the 1200th liker.

[@KlaroNebulous]

pls get out of your fridge

[@Gajendrakr2602]

My phone dies when i play Bloodlust💀💀💀

[@tacos3835]

get a new mic please