Welcome to the Atelier! Here, you can let whatever creative ideas you’ve had churning in that hamster wheel you call a brain be turned into reality. But making a level is one half of it, the other half is making sure you don’t make something impossible or ungodly infuriating to play. In this section, we’re not going to go over how to make levels or what levels are allowed, oh no - create to your heart’s content! We’re going over what to avoid when creating a level, that way you don’t end up making something you perceive to be simple but in reality is just complete torture; as well as just some overall useful techniques to make your time in the Atelier as smooth as possible!

This is one of two guides - the other going over the more advanced gameplay tricks of the game. You can check that out here!

I’ve spent more time in the Atelier than the total time I have taken a shower, and I’ve learned quite a lot. I have made many a mistake while making levels, and thus am now passing down this advice to you. But one thing that I simply cannot stress enough to you is the following…




DO. NOT. BLOCK. THE TRAMPOLINES.

Trampolines are NOT made for precision in any way, shape, or form. They are made for getting up to an area or a way to consistently start off something in your level. The reason this fact exists is because trampolines cancel all forms of momentum upon launch and will launch you straight in the direction they are facing.




This is especially the case for the green trampolines. Blue trampolines are a much more subdued and weaker variant but still do the same as their green counterpart with much less force, so of course follow these words with them as well. When you hit either trampoline, there is a point where you are unable to move left or right, as seen above. Meaning, if you were to put any type of hazard in the way of this vulnerable position, you’ve basically just made something entirely impossible.




They both also have a fixed height as well [blue having ~7 squares, green having 16.5]. Same as before, if you put any kind of hazard in the way of this fixed height with no possible way to avoid it, you’ll soon find out what happens when an immovable object meets an unstoppable force. Yeah, no one will have a fun time if you do this. So just like. Don’t.

It’s also worth mentioning that Flingers act the same way as trampolines, only with both variants boasting a larger launch distance, so the above still applies to Flingers as well.

Paths. These extra thick lines and dots are a very versatile way of making some really creative things, from moving platforms to a single gimmick that plagues the entire level. But I’m not here to explain how these work, that’s what the tutorial is for. Instead, I’m gonna share a few tips and tricks I use paths for that don't involve their main purpose!




You thought we were done talking about trampolines? Think again because here we have a helpful way to avoid making undodgeable situations! Here, I’m using paths to determine the point where I cannot put a hazard in order to avoid an impossible situation. This is but one example of many other things you can use paths for!




Another example is here, these paths are being used as a measurement for where the obstacles are being placed to remind us later where they go or just in case the pieces are moved at some point in time and you won’t remember where they were.

You just made something. And it’s gorgeous! Took many hours to make, it even looks all nice and fancy with decoration. Not to mention it’s perfectly centered and flush with the level borders! But wait, you have to move ALL of it because you decided to for no discernible reason and nothing can change your mind. But that would involve painstakingly moving everything around for hours. And you can’t use grid snap to center it again due to you not using the grid for anything other than centering something in the middle. Though, that doesn’t mean you can’t use grid snap at all…




Here we have an absolute work of art that needs to be moved to the center. Thank you, I know it’s immaculate, but that’s not the point. The point is you can simply move anything to any precise spot on the grid by putting two pieces on the sides. While you could just select it all and meticulously place it in the center while your hand decides that of all the times in your life it decided to start twitching, it chose now - what if I told you that there’s no need to do that?




If you put two of the exact same pieces (I personally like using vertical radiators) on each side, specifically in the same amount of squares apart from the center of the creation on both the left and right, you can just select it all with those pieces and put them right in the center! If it can’t quite make it there, simply readjust the side pieces in the grid until it’s perfect. Not the most insane thing known to man, but still a nice little trick to use to move any part of your level around and it still needs to be centered even though you never use the grid snap, like myself.

…that’s it. Go play the game.