Joe Danger

Joe Danger

26 ratings
How to make levels in Sandbox!
By Hello Games
Get a kickstart to your new career as a Joe Danger level designer! This guide to Sandbox mode will introduce you to how it works, and provide tips and tricks on creating the most testing and fun levels from the very people who made the game!
   
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Introduction
In Sandbox mode you can make levels that you can play and share with others using Steam Workshop! Hit a button and you’ll flip between playing and editing, so you can easily playtest as you go along. Joe Danger's developer, Hello Games, used this very editor to make the levels that ship with the game, so you have the same power at your fingertips!

Simply pick an environment and a vehicle, and you can start making the most devious, crazy and fun levels you can think of! This guide will help kickstart your Joe Danger level editing career!
Getting started
Select Sandbox from the main menu and you'll jump straight into an empty level, with Joe set up and ready to ride. This is the level running live. To jump into Edit mode, hit the Y button if you're using a gamepad or Enter if you're using mouse/keyboard!

NB If you’re playing with a gamepad and use A to select Movie Maker mode, you’ll disable mouse/keyboard control. If you'd prefer to use mouse/keyboard, press Enter and you’ll use Sandbox mode that way instead.
Making a level
Once you enter edit mode, you’ll notice the camera move to view the level from the side. If you’re using a mouse/keyboard, you can move around the level by holding the right mouse button and dragging. With gamepad, use left stick.


To place an object hit X on gamepad, or click on the spanner icon to bring up the object selection screen. Select with A/mouse button. With gamepad, you can use the left and right triggers and bumpers to orientate many objects so they look the way you want them. Use the right stick to shift between lanes, and click in on the right stick to zoom the view in and out.

With mouse/keyboard, click the icons around the object to adjust its orientation, and use your mouse wheel to switch between lanes.

The key to making a good level is deciding what kind of gameplay you want it to offer!

Want to make a mad dash? Put a Coin Dash object in with some boost pads, and some lane switchers to make players have to dodge and weave their way through the course.

A precision run filled with danger? Use bounce pads to send players flying, and make them land on narrow hovering ledges. Liberally sprinkle with buzzsaws and spikes to bring tears to their eyes.


A hunt for stars? Hide stars under objects and high above, so players have to explore the level fully to win.

Or you can mix and match! The beauty of Sandbox is that you can build anything you want with a varied selection of tools. Experiment, then play it, tweak and play it again to make sure it’s fun (and finishable).

The game automatically puts an finish line in a little way after the last objects you’ve placed, so you don’t need to worry about making sure that’s there, and if you want you can move the start line back to make more space.
Tips and tricks
  • ‘Soft move’ (left stick + right move / shift + middle mouse) is essential to making a good level and is fantastic for precision placement or decoration.
  • After making a level a great way to give it an edge is to put some time into decorating it using props such as barrels, cones or buses. This will make your level beautiful or even funny and can help the player know where to go. For example, when placing a lane switch, fill the opposite lane with something like a trapped robot to give a reason why Joe had to swerve!
  • Use ministars and other collectibles to lead the player through your level. If you want them to boost off of a ramp, lead the player down to a target or if you want them to get a bit too close to that shark tank for comfort, collectibles are the answer.
  • When selecting props in order to move or delete them, it can sometimes be hard to get the one you want. Use left stick or middle mouse to scroll through objects and grab the one you want more easily.
  • Take note of how high Joe’s bike can jump, and how far he can jump. Put items just out of reach, unless you’re boosting, to add extra challenge. To start you off, Joe’s double jump is just high enough to get him over a hurdle with a bomb under it…
  • Using square blocks as platforms to create an extra height plane adds an exciting dimension to levels.
  • Ever play the career and think, “Hmmm, what if that target was on the side of that bus surrounded by spikes…?” Make it so!
  • Play your level over and over to make it perfect!

One of our favourite Joe Danger levels has to be Insert Disk 2. It contains loads of cruel ideas for how to make a great challenge – examine it to see how flexible the Joe Danger toolset is!


Most importantly, though, HAVE FUN!
7 Comments
kubdotnet 9 Jul, 2014 @ 1:29pm 
cool
Hello Games  [author] 27 Jun, 2013 @ 4:56am 
Hello everyone! Thank you for your kind words, they are very much appreciated! :D

In reply to your question Luminous_Defex, a new screenshot is taken every time you save the level (So you can take one of your favourite bit or even a side view in Edit Mode). Then when you re-upload the level the image will update along with it.

As for the in game name; this will always remain as the name you originally generated. This is our way of making sure the in game names for levels are always friendly for everyone.

Hope that helps!
Luminous_Defex 27 Jun, 2013 @ 4:15am 
Hello and thanks for this awesome guide. I want to ask if there is a way to edit the name and the screenshot of an already published game. I refer to the name that appears inside the game not the steam workshop's name.
The Professor 26 Jun, 2013 @ 6:41pm 
Also thanks for the port, i have you game on both xbox and ps3, really great game.
The Professor 26 Jun, 2013 @ 6:40pm 
Great Guide, thanks alot.
セブン-イレブン 26 Jun, 2013 @ 6:20am 
oke
Engage with Zorp!!! 25 Jun, 2013 @ 11:13am 
Thanks guys! I'm so happy you've ported this to PC :D I'm lovin it so far!