Level Creation Guide

## What Makes a Good Level?

Perhaps you're here for the answer to this exact question. Read this entire guide before proceeding. Important tips will be bolded for your convenience.

Refer to the Greekrooms Classification System and Level List to check which level you are to be making.

### 1. An Original Concept

As some general guidelines, each level should capture a certain feeling of the Greekrooms, whether it be **familiarity, nostalgia, fear, suspense, loneliness, or surrealism**. Such emotions are important to the experience and immersion of the Greekrooms levels themselves. If you base your level off a real-life reference, such as a warehouse or a hospital, check for **originality**. The level should contain **some abnormality or strangeness** that distinguishes your level from a normal real life experience.

**Stick to one theme**. Do not suddenly change settings and designate each section of the level with a number. When a wanderer walks through a level, if something changes, the change should be gradual so as to capture a feeling of realism and nature. Levels should be unnatural, but abrupt cuts from safe areas to completely unsurvivable spaces will only leave a sour taste. **Maintain the tone**. If the tone switches, **foreshadow** it beforehand.

Make your level uncanny, but don't overdo it. Shoehorning "infinite size" will not make a level any more intriguing. In general, something in the levels should **disobey established laws of reality** — something should function differently. Make sure your levels are **not predictable**, especially if you are considering a log. Taking an example, a seemingly-safe level with occasional power outages can easily fall into this trap. You can predict that the level becomes much more dangerous in complete darkness; there will likely be entities appearing and intimidating wanderers with creepy noises. Try to avoid this "entities appear only in the dark" cliché whenever possible. It'll make your writing stand out from the rest of the crowd.

Avoid extremities with description. Too much "confidential information" and "undiscovered country" results in a bland stub, where the utter lack of description leaves a cliffhanger that makes readers angry, not amazed. It loses all its emotional appeal because all the redacted information was likely the source of pathos. That being said, redacting information is sometimes necessary to a sense of realism. If you have to redact text, know exactly what the text is and why it's being redacted. However, do not over-describe. This overdone verbiage can easily bore readers — if your description is not essential for contributing to the tone, it may be best to exclude it.

Likewise, avoid extremities with safety and settlement. The Survival Difficulties Habitable and Deadzone exist, but use them sparingly. Understand that levels deemed extremely safe with multiple settlements can easily sap away all the feeling of the Greekrooms, especially if the level does not lean into any fantasy elements. What separates Level 11 from a regular safely-guarded city? If a level concept does not incorporate danger to maintain the uncanniness, make sure the physical setting and properties are sufficiently described to make wanderers feel uncomfortable even in a safe haven. In comparison, Deadzone classifications are more likely to capture the feeling of the Greekrooms, but are also more prone to the pitfalls coming with extremely deadly levels. If you kill your wanderer too early and evidently, there would be no room for any of the emotions associated with the Greekrooms to enter one's mind. For Deadzones, allow wanderers to live for a little bit so as to capture that feeling of being close to death and give more room to describe the physical properties of the level. Bonus points if you are able to successfully explain why you classified it as a Deadzone. What makes this more physically challenging than a Survival Difficulty of 5?

Read your draft over and ask yourself these questions:

* **Why** are you writing about this concept specifically? What makes it stand out from the others?
* Does it invoke familiarity, nostalgia, fear, suspense, loneliness, or surrealism?
* Can you identify why this level feels off-putting? **What makes this a Greekrooms level and not just a real life location?**
* Is the concept original and unique? Refrain from generic dark hallways and empty outside areas.
* Is it cliché or predictable? Can one guess the rest of the events and settings based on the first few descriptors?
* Can you **describe it enough** to produce a visual image in readers' heads, but **preserve the vagueness** to keep readers guessing?
* How dangerous should the level be? Does the description of the level and its colonies support that label?
* How much description should there be? Does it give readers a **general gist without spoiling** the main punchline (if one exists)?
* Does it increase or maintain tension during the entire read? Make sure the colonies, outposts, entrances, and exits fit the relative theme of the level. **End with a good impression**, not a half-assed list of boring fluff for the sake of adding information.
* Last of all, **does your concept fit the Greekrooms?** Does it revolve around mystery, horror, or liminality?

#### Example: The Supermarket Parking Lot

Take a look at this image:

What do you see?

Perhaps you see that lone shopping cart in the middle of an empty parking lot. Maybe you see the ominous street light or the separated wall on the right where a small gap is visible. Notice how it's nighttime and a ladder can be seen leading to somewhere unknown. These work as jumping-off points.

Now structure a draft. Maybe the shopping cart acts like a hostile entity — a homing missile of sorts. The ladder may lead to pitch-black areas where no light ever shines. The street light might move on its own and drop light bulbs when wanderers get close to it, while the wall's narrow opening works as a entrance to another level, provided one can fit through it.

Maybe you'll hear eerie sounds, such as the ambiance of freezer noises or the crying of a baby in the supermarket. Make it unsettling. As the person who made this example, I know that this is a photograph of a supermarket parking lot taken at nighttime. However, the entire creepiness of this image comes from the fact that *you* don't know what it is or where it was taken. The shopping cart implies that it is a supermarket, while the yellow lines on the ground imply that the setting is a parking lot. However, the other structures feel… out of place for a supermarket setting, such as that ladder or that random gap in the right wall. Use those abnormalities to your advantage to distinguish a level from its real life counterpart. This brings up a tone of familiarity but also surrealism. It feels like your regular supermarket parking lot, but a few unusual properties make this image seem unnatural.

This is what you want to aim for when creating your concepts. Take an unsettling image and create an entire new world from it. Pictures are worth a thousand words — let the picture guide your brainstorming.

#### Overdone, Cliché, and Unoriginal Concepts

While you have the power to write any level you like, please refrain from these concepts. They're not prohibited. However, this database has way too many of them, and most of them are just bad copies of each other. Think of something unique — it's okay to have inspiration, but don't recycle already-done or low-effort ideas. Most of these can be done in certain circumstances but here are them.

Overdone Concepts:

* Infinite hallways, especially straight ones with zero odd properties whatsoever.
* Habitable urban or suburban areas — Alpha Level 18 and Alpha Level 32 are sufficient already.
* Glitchy computer simulations where reality is breaking apart.

Cliché Concepts:

* An initially-safe level becomes more dangerous as you go "X miles in."
* A level is split into numerous numbered sections, where each additional section is more dangerous than the last.
* Levels extremely dangerous for no reason with little to no escape path.
* Levels extremely safe for no reason, mimicking a real life location.
* The internal voice begging you not to leave this place.

Unoriginal Concepts:

* "Level X looks similar to Level Y, except…"
* Shoehorning every entity possible into a level, even if it doesn't necessarily fit.
* Unnecessarily redacting half of the page's info and using zalgo text for creepiness
* Levels intentionally acting as upgraded or more dangerous versions of other levels.
* Attempts to imitate Wikidot Level 404 and its setting.

### 2. Brilliant Execution

In general, you should follow the level template unless you are specifically doing a format-screw. New writers should definitely gravitate toward the template, but don't be afraid to get creative in the future. Keep a consistent writing style — act as though you are a fellow wanderer documenting a level for other wanderers to look at. Write like a journalist. State the facts and nothing more. Don't go off on tangents or hypothetical situations. If you must include hypotheticals or rumored information, disclose that it is unconfirmed to increase professionalism, formality, and mystery.

Be clear and concise with every sentence. Survival tips should be stated as bluntly as possible. Create an immersive level that a reader can visualize, but don't get too caught up in the story that you forget your duty to inform wanderers about possible perils and recommended actions. Keep an objective viewpoint when writing levels — you are reporting the facts. Do not skew anything to make it feel more melodramatic or unsettling. These attempts frequently backfire, leaving readers mildly annoyed. Your general description alone should be enough to invoke feelings. If they don't, add more description or remove certain unnecessary details. Re-read and revise.

#### Example: Writing Style Comparisons

**Facts vs. Speculation** — avoid presuppositions and words that imply as such. If you cannot confirm something about a level, explicitly say so. Do not inject personal opinion into your levels — refrain from words like "appears to be," "may be," or "seems" unless you clearly state that what you're about to say is not confirmed. Describe any unusual anomalies by specifically delineating their properties instead of categorizing them under broad terms. However, do not describe objects in verbose terms.

* **Speculative Writing:** *"The floors are covered in what appears to be blood and the old wallpaper seems like it's falling apart, piece by piece."*
* **Factual Writing:** *"An unknown, viscous, crimson liquid covers the floor. Wanderers have theorized that it contains blood, but this has not been confirmed. Cobwebs dominate the level's peeling wallpaper, reminiscent of an abandoned home."*
* **Verbose Writing:** *"An undiscovered, glue-like, and bright red liquid resembling blood envelops the wooden planks on the floor. Wanderers have spread rumors about the substance being blood, but this remains unconfirmed. Meanwhile, the level's abandoned walls contain numerous cobwebs made by spiders, evoking feelings of loneliness."*

Notice how the speculative example feels empty, broadly identifying the substance as blood without confirmation. At the same time, the verbose example uses so much unnecessary filler to describe something that can already be implied. This makes it difficult to read. It is crucial you find a balance.

**Balancing Emotional Appeal** — make sure your level contains reasonable reactions to the amount of danger present. Don't insert a kid's death just to make the reader feel sad, and don't include cheap jump-scares to make up for a lacking horror concept. Keep your level unsettling, but your level shouldn't give us the impression that you're forcing us to feel a certain way. This mostly applies to logs.

* **Too Melodramatic:** *"A man's voice cries out in the distance, but it slowly grows weaker until there's no sound left. Upon reaching the source of the sound, wanderers will encounter a man taking his last breath, on the verge of death. As he whispers out 'Help me,' his eyes close, never to open again."*
* **Cheap Excuse to Sound "Scary":** *"LEVEL INFORMATION REDACTED. THE ENTITY HAS OVERWHELMED ALL OUR FORCES, AND WILL NOT HESITATE TO KILL ON SIGHT. WE URGE WANDERERS TO STAY AWAY FROM THIS LEVEL."*
* **Reasonable Emotional Appeal:** *"The voices urge wanderers to walk closer into the unknown light. Many attempt to resist, but few will successfully repel the urge. It is recommended to avoid the light at all costs, closing your eyes if you encounter it. Upon entering the light, the wanderer will disappear as a bright flash temporarily blinds anyone in the vicinity.*

#### Level Structuring

Make sure you read a few pages first to get a sense of how levels should be structured and written. The basics of level structuring include a few key items:

* **Display Title:** It is not required, but it is good practice to put {{DISPLAYTITLE: TEXT}} at the top of your page, replacing TEXT with Level #: "[Nickname]" to properly introduce your reader to what's about to come. If your level isn't designated as "Level #," feel free to ignore this step. You could go the boring route and just make the title a literal description of what the level is, like "The Pool," but we suggest you make the title slightly more interesting. For example, a pool-themed level can be titled "Swimming Lessons."
* **Survival Difficulty:** This important design piece immediately tells readers what to expect — how difficult is your level to survive? Use the templates done by putting {{Class X}} right below the Display Title. Replace the X with the options available, and you're all set. If you want to customize the difficulty, add in the safety, security, and entity parameters to add flair to your description. For example, {{Class 1|safety=Yes|security=No|entity=Maybe}} produces this:

**Survival Difficulty: Class 1**
**》Yes**
**》No**
**》Maybe**
* **Level Introduction:** As the introduction to your page, simply put PAGE\_TITLE is a/the ADDITIONAL\_DESCRIPTION of/in the Greekrooms. If your level is labelled with a whole number, ADDITIONAL\_DESCRIPTION would consist of the designated number plus one, with an appropriate suffix. Otherwise, add some small phrase consistent with the level's properties.
* **Image:** If possible, add an image that clearly fits the tone of the Greekrooms and fits your level theme. Do not just add a picture of a random supermarket — make sure that supermarket image represents a plausible Greekrooms setting. An exception would be if the level properties explicitly prevent wanderers from taking a photo of the level, such as in Alpha Level 20.
* **Description:** This should be the bulk of your page. Keep it brief — if additional description does not add to the feeling, do not add it. However, make sure readers can paint mental images and feel a consistent array of emotions. Avoid fluff, and get straight to the point. Don't make it too empty, but make sure you keep the reader's interest the entire time.
* **Entities:** If your level has entities, list them here with a brief description of where they are and how they behave in the level. Their presence can add to the danger of a level, but do not overdo it. Add only the necessary entities to enhance the unsettling tone of your level — do not shove Facelings in every level.
* **Colonies and Outposts:** If your level has colonies or outposts, list them here. Colonies are generally small groups of survivor populations, while outposts are major bases. Make sure they add to the feeling of your level — do not randomly add a colony of twenty survivors into a level designated as a Deadzone. Add a small description explaining why they settled here and how they may be allies or enemies of wanderers.
* **Entrances and Exits:** This is self-explanatory, but make sure the entrances and exits fit your level. You can take advantage of this space for extra logs or level description, especially if your level is difficult to enter or exit. Explain why, and end your level on a good impression. Keep it brief. The connections to other levels should make sense.

Finally, slap a {{Levels}} template at the end and add any necessary categories. Levels + Mythic Levels, Anomalous Levels, or Sub-Levels.

### 3. Feedback and Revision

Your level won't be perfect in its first draft. You could publish it now and wait for other people to fix your grammar mistakes later, but make sure you re-read your draft beforehand. Ask for critique and make changes if necessary — this is a collaborative working environment.

Ask yourself as you re-read your level draft:

* Is my grammar good? Make sure your level is readable.
* Does my level evoke emotion? If re-reading your draft sends chills down your spine, you're off to a good start.
* Is my level consistent? Your level should stick to one theme — try not to deviate from it. Tone should stay relatively similar, and any shifts should be gradual, not abrupt.

When finished, publish the page and stare in awe at your new creation.

**> Open Author & Licensing Information**

**> Close Author & Licensing Information**

**Author**: MiniKey

**Image Source**: Balãozinho\_cray#8582 in #image-fuel of the Wikidot (Tech Support) Discord.

**License**: CC0