Gameplay

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**Gameplay** is the aspect of Level Creation that affects the amount of Enjoyment a Player can get out of a Level. Gameplay has evolved and worsened over the years and has often been overlooked by Creators of all kinds. One of the many reasons why many Levels don't have good Gameplay is because of The Rating System being in favor of Decoration.

## History

Gameplay started from a very simple place in Version 1.0. No Creators were interested in doing anything with gameplay, other than follow RobTop's Level Design. They also didn't have much variety in Creating Gameplay. This limited the amount of creativity that Creators could use in their Gameplay.

Once Version 1.2 came around, Creators had more freedom in what their Gameplay would become with the introduction of the Ball. This sparked a new era of Gameplay that would allow for more memory-based Gameplay.

After Version 1.4 came around, Creators had the capability of changing the size of the Gamemodes. This allowed for even more variation of Gameplay and was one of the most important changes to the game.

Around Version 1.6, Gameplay became more of a Difficulty aspect. Many Creators started caring less about the Gameplay's uniqueness or enjoyability and focused more on making it as hard as possible, while still being possible. This change was caused by the release of Clubstep, the first Demon Main Level released to the public. This change also made *Memorization* very popular in the Creating sphere.

The release of Version 1.7 also had meaning when it came to Gameplay. This Version was the Version that introduced the *Speed Changes* and it revolutionarized Gameplay to a whole new level of insanity. Instead of relying on fakes, people started to focus more on the intense speed for Memorization.

Version 1.9 made a massive impact on Gameplay with the Steam Release. With the game now being on Steam, Creators were able to make more difficult Gameplay and be able to verify it legitimately.

Aside from that, Version 1.9 also gave Creators the ability to Copy/Paste. This created a long list of Levels that had the same Gameplay repeated over and over again. This is how the Flappy Bird levels came to be.

When Version 1.8 released, it wasn't as big of a change at first, as no one really knew how to effectively use the new Dual Gameplay. However, once Version 1.9 rolled around, its importance in the Community changed drastically. This was primarily because Ditched Machine used very complex Duals that were hard to learn. Many Creators got interested in Dual Gameplay and the Duals started being used more frequently.

Gameplay had changed drastically at this point, but Version 2.0 only made things worse. This Update was the birth of Moving Objects and the Alpha Trigger. At the very beginning of this Version, Creators didn't know how to use the Move Trigger or the Alpha Trigger effectively, which is what created what we now know as Invisible Obstacles and bad Moving Objects. This was a turn of Gameplay that wasn't the most useful to Players.

Once Version 2.1 rolled around, Moving Objects and Invisible Objects were no longer a common thing to come by, as Creators had learned from their mistakes at this point. This was around the time people started to experiment with Gameplay to see what fit the best.

Out of this, new types of Gameplay were formed, one being *Flow Gameplay*, which will be explained later on. Not only this, but because of the higher amount of Objects that were being used in Levels, Lag became a slowly increasing issue, especially for Mobile Players. This type of Gameplay would be spread around hundreds of Levels within Version 2.1. That's how we have come to what we have today.

## Gameplay Mechanics

The **Gameplay Mechanics** consist out of the *Gamemodes*, things that impact those Gamemodes and things that affect what the Gamemode will do. These are the main things that Create Gameplay and have to be used correctly for it to become Good Gameplay.

### Gamemodes

The **Gamemodes** are what changes the entire control scheme and movement of the Player. The use of these Gamemodes is often done in very specific ways to create Good Gameplay.

#### The Cube

The **Cube** (also known as the **Icon**) is the most used Gamemode and is usually the default for Levels to use. The Cube has a very simple mechanic: If the Player clicks or taps on the screen, the Cube will jump a set height. If the Player holds, the Cube will consecutively jump until the Player stops holding.

Many Creators don't really know how to effectively use the Cube for unique Gameplay. All other Gamemodes have a lot to them, but this one in particular doesn't have many capabilities. This is why Creators often aim for *Memorization* with this Gamemode.

#### The Ship

The **Ship** Gamemode is the second most used Gamemode in Levels. If the Player holds, the Ship will go up until the Player lets go. This Gamemode is one of the most skill-based Gamemodes that exist. This is primarily because of a skill known as Straight-Flying, in which the Player has to consistently click to keep the Ship in a straight line.

The Gameplay for the Ship Gamemode is the most affected by Hertz out of any Gamemode. That is why many Players that play on 60Hz aren't able to get the Ship consistent. That has to do with the refresh rate that the Hertz provides. This is one of the many reasons to why the Ship is sometimes disliked.

#### The Ball

The **Ball** is the first Gamemode released in an Update, this being Version 1.2. It has a very simple function: If the Player clicks, the Ball will slowly switch gravity. Similarly to the Cube, the Ball often revolves around Memorization. However, there are instances where *Timings* become a huge part of the Ball.

The way the Ball is often made difficult is when the Ball is put into a small corridor with spikes being on the platforms. This creates some Timings that can make the Ball hard, depending on how close the Spikes are to eachother.

#### The UFO

The **UFO** is a Gamemode released in Version 1.5 that works in a very interesting way. When the Player clicks, the UFO will jump, kind of like how *Flappy Bird* used to operate. While this Gamemode may seem linear to some, the thing that makes this Gamemode unique is the weird physics of the UFO.

The UFO jumps higher, if the Player clicks twice in quick succession, instead of clicking within different timeframes. The UFO makes more distance if they're spread out. These physics of the UFO complicate the Gamemode a lot more than the others. The way the UFO is made hard by Creators is by abusing these physics and forcing the Player to learn patterns, known as **UFO Patterns**.

#### The Wave

The **Wave** is a Gamemode released in Version 1.9, and is debatably the most influential and popular Gamemode used. The Wave is similar to the Ship, where you have to hold for the Wave to go up. However, the Wave always goes in a diagonal line, making it a lot more precise than the Ship.

When comparing the Wave to the Ship, there are a lot of differences. While the Ship requires momentum, the Wave immediately goes up and down in a diagonal line. A similar Skill with the Wave and Ship is *Straight-Waving*, which is a very similar concept to Straight-Flying.

The Level that primarily made this Gamemode so popular was Nine Circles, a Level made by Zobros that started an entire Level Trend. In this, the Wave was used as the primary Gamemode and therefore popularized the Wave.

#### The Robot

The **Robot** is a Gamemode released in Version 2.0 and has a very similar concept to the Cube. However, instead of clicking to jump a set height, the Robot is influenced by the amount of time you take to let go. So, if you keep holding, the Robot jumps higher, until it reaches a certain point, also known as the Maximum Jump.

The Robot is, funnily enough, one of the least used Gamemodes when it comes to Skill. While the Robot is often used in Levels, its overall use in really hard Levels are very uncommon. Hard Timings are often seen with the Cube, rather than the Robot. Just like the Cube, the Robot is used as filler in many occasions.

#### The Spider

The **Spider** is a Gamemode released in Version 2.1 and has a very similar concept to the Ball. The Spider is slightly different from the Ball, but it also maintains the original concept of switching gravity. The only difference with the Spider and the Ball is that the Spider switches gravity instantaneously, while the Ball takes a bit to go up.

When it comes to Skill with the Spider, it is much more precise than the Ball, and feels a lot harder to a lot of people, especially if they just encountered the Gamemode for the first time.

### Linear Portals

The **Linear Portals** are the Portals that affect what the Gamemode will go through. They don't change the Gamemode, but rather its functionality. These Portals make the Gamemodes a lot more unique and interesting than they would normally be.

#### Mirror Portals

The **Mirror Portals** are Portals that were added in Version 1.1 and are the most forgotten and hated Linear Portal out of them all. Mirror Portals change the direction that the Gamemode is facing. The reason why this Gamemode has been forgotten and hated the most mainly lies within the transition time of the Mirror Portals. When a Gamemode enters a Mirror Portal, it takes about half a second for the transition to complete, meaning that the Player cannot clearly see what's happening until that half a second ends.

Another reason to why many dislike this Linear Portal so much, lies within the odd shift in direction itself. The functionality of the Mirror Portal is very confusing for a lot of people. When many Players play a Level they usually look ahead to see what's coming up. However, they have to completely redirect their eyes in the opposite direction, which is hard to get used to.

#### Gravity Portals

The **Gravity Portals** are Portals that change the direction of the Gravity. Two of these Portals exist: The **Upside-Down** Portal and the **Right-Side-Up** Portal. These two Portals indicate which way the Gravity will be facing: Either upwards or downwards. When a Gamemode enters an Upside-Down Portal, that Gamemode will do its action upon clicking in a reversed motion. This is the same for each Gamemode, even the ones that require you to hold, e.g. the Ship and Wave.

Many Players immediately get confused once they enter an Upside-Down Portal and have a lot of trouble getting used to it. As much as it may seem really hard at first, all Players get used to it eventually, because of its astronomical amount of use.

#### Size Portals

The **Size Portals** are Portals that were added in Version 1.4 and change the size of the Gamemode, which impacts their jump height or how fast they go up and down. The Size Portals work differently for most Gamemodes. However, some Gamemodes have the same functionality. All of them have a smaller hitbox when they enter a mini Size Portal.

The Cube and Robot both have their jump lowered and are slightly faster, the Ship goes up and down faster than normal, the Ball and Spider fall up and down faster, the UFO has a lower jump height and the Wave goes in sharper diagonal lines. The Size Portal can completely change the Gameplay or keep it quite similar. It has many purposes in Gameplay, but can also be done wrong when made invisible.

#### Speed Portals

The **Speed Portals**, or the **Speed Changes**, are Portals introduced in Version 1.7 and have the purpose of changing the Speed of the Gamemode. These Portals consist out of five different Speed Changes: The **Half Speed** Portal, the **1x Speed** Portal, the **2x Speed** Portal, the **3x Speed** Portal and the **4x Speed** Portal. The basic Speed that is usually given is 1x Speed. Anything that differentiates from this will either go slower or faster, depending on the Portal used.

The Speed Portals affect the intensity and Sight-Readability of the Level. Many Players have had their critiques on the extreme use of these Speed Changes, especially when *Invisible*. Players also have a lot of critique on the existence of the 4x Speed Portal, because of how annoying it is to Sight-Read. These Speed Changes make the Gameplay more interesting (just like the other Linear Portals), but also can turn into *Bad Gameplay*.

#### Dual Portals

The **Dual Portals** are Portals that were added in Version 1.8 and are one of the most unique Linear Portals that exist. Once a Gamemode enters a Dual Portal, that Gamemode will be Duplicated and will be on the floor and ceiling. Every click as the Dual Gamemode will have the same effect for both sides of the Dual.

There are two different types of **Dual Gameplay**: The **Symmetrical** and **Asymmetrical** Dual Gameplay. Symmetrical Duals have both Duals avoiding the same obstacles on the ceiling and floor. There aren't any different obstacles that one Gamemode has to focus on at one particular point more than the other. Asymmetrical Duals, however, do have different obstacles for each Dual, requiring the Player to focus on both of them.

Aside from Symmetrical and Asymmetrical Duals, Duals can also be split into **Basic Duals** and **Complex Duals**. Basic Duals have both of the Gamemodes as the same Gamemode: Both of them would be the Cube, for example. Complex Duals, on the other hand, have two separate Gamemodes in one Dual. One would be the Ship and another would be the Robot, for example. This, combined with Symmetrical and Asymmetrical Duals makes the Dual Portal so unique from the other Linear Portals.

#### Teleportation Portals

The **Teleportation Portals** are Portals that were introduced in Version 2.0 and are, similarly to the Mirror Portal, one of the least used Linear Portals out of them all. These Portals Teleport the Gamemode from Teleporter A to Teleporter B. Teleporter B always has to be on the same horizontal level as Teleporter A.

The reason to why these Portals aren't used that often anymore is because of the lack of good Gameplay that you can create with it. The Teleportation Portals can randomly teleport you without you seeing them, into a Bad Transition. Because of this, many Creators have stopped using these Portals to avoid this from happening.

### Jump Conceivers

The **Jump Conceivers** are the collection of **Objects of Gameplay** that aid the Gamemode to jump or do a similar action to it. The Jump Conceivers can be split into two separate Conceivers: The **Jump Orbs** and the **Jump Pads**. Even if they have a similar function, the way they work differentiates. Some Gamemodes are not compatible with these Jump Conceivers (the Wave).

#### Jump Pads

The **Jump Pads** are the Jump Conceivers that lay on the ground and automatically make the Gamemode jump when direct contact has been made with them. These are often used to create Auto sections in Levels and are often ignored by Creators when it comes to more difficult Levels.

##### Yellow Jump Pads

The **Yellow Jump Pads** are Jump Pads that boost the Gamemode up into the air around 1.5x the jump height of the Cube. These Jump Pads first appeared in Back On Track and can be used as an Auto section or as a trick. They're the most used Jump Pad out of them all, as it's the first one that you're introduced to.

##### Blue Jump Pads

The **Blue Jump Pads** are Jump Pads introduced in Version 1.3 that change the Gamemode's gravity upon hitting it. They can be used to easily switch the gravity of a Gamemode without the use of Gravity Portals. It's the only Jump Pad in existence that also works on the Wave.

##### Pink Jump Pads

The **Pink Jump Pads** are Jump Pads introduced in Version 1.5 and are very similar to the Yellow Jump Pads. Instead of boosting up the Gamemode more than the Jump Height of the Cube, the Pink Jump Pads do the exact opposite: They boost the Gamemode up with around half of the jump height of the Cube. These are a good alternative for the Yellow Jump Pads, if the boost height is too big for the situation.

##### Red Jump Pads

The **Red Jump Pads** are Jump Pads introduced in Version 2.1 and are the exact opposite of the Pink Jump Pads. They Boost the Gamemode up around twice as high as the jump height of the Cube. These Jump Pads are useful when the height of the Yellow Jump Pads isn't high enough to compensate for the situation in Gameplay.

#### Jump Orbs

The **Jump Orbs** are the Jump Conceivers that require an input to be activated. These Orbs can only be activated once before becoming useless. The main purpose of the Jump Orbs is to spice up the Gameplay and give the Player more to do than just land on platforms. These Orbs are often a Combination of different Orbs put together for a more interesting experience.

##### Yellow Jump Orbs

The **Yellow Jump Orbs** are the Jump Orbs that launch a Gamemode with an average distance in the air upon the Player clicking the Orb. They can be used as a "Double-Jump" among other uses. They are the most used Jump Orbs out of them all and were first seen in Polargeist.

##### Blue Jump Orbs

The **Blue Jump Orbs** are Jump Orbs introduced in Version 1.3 and change the Gravity of the Gamemode once clicked. These can be used to quickly change the Gravity without using a bunch of Gravity Portals.

##### Pink Jump Orbs

The **Pink Jump Orbs** are Jump Orbs released in Version 1.5 and give the Gamemode a boost into the air once clicked, just like the Yellow Jump Orbs. Except, the Pink Jump Orbs have a lower Boost Height than the Yellow Jump Orbs. These are often used to add extra Jump Orbs to the chain and make it so you have to click more of them.

##### Green Jump Orbs

The **Green Jump Orbs** are Jump Orbs released in Version 2.0 and are very similar to the Blue Jump Orbs: They both switch the Gravity of the Gamemode. However, the Green Jump Orbs thrust the Gamemode downwards or upwards (depending on the Gravity) before the Gamemode lands. The Green Jump Orbs are essentially a lengthier version of the Blue Jump Orbs and take longer to switch Gravity. These can be used to make some complex Timings or to make some more unique Gameplay.

##### Dash Orbs

The **Dash Orbs** are Jump Orbs released in Version 2.1 and have a more unique function compared to the other Jump Orbs. Instead of clicking to activate a Jump Orb once, Dash Orbs can be held down for as long as possible, until it reaches an S-Block.

These Dash Orbs come in two different variants: The Green Dash Orb and the Pink Dash Orb. The Green Dash Orb keeps the Gamemode in a straight line and the Gamemode drops like normal after releasing it. The Pink Dash Orb on the other hand, changes the Gravity of the Gamemode once the Dash Orb has been released. These Dash Orbs can be used to create an even lengthier Jump Orb Chain than without them.

##### Black Jump Orbs

The **Black Jump Orbs** are Jump Orbs introduced in Version 2.1 and are the exact opposite of normal Jump Orbs. The Black Jump Orbs thrust down the Gamemode at a fast speed once clicked. The Black Jump Orbs also automatically let the Spider change Gravity if you were to keep holding after hitting the Orb. This Orb is quite controversial compared to the others because of its different functionality and the color itself being hard to see at times.

##### Red Jump Orbs

The **Red Jump Orbs** are Jump Orbs introduced in Version 2.1 that are very similar to the Yellow and Pink Jump Orbs. The Red Jump Orbs boost the Gamemode higher up than the Yellow Jump Orbs would, which allows for more vertical Gameplay.

##### Activation Orbs

The **Activation Orbs** are Jump Orbs introduced in Version 2.1 that can activate or deactivate a set Group of Objects with the same Group ID once clicked. These Orbs can only be hit without *Buffering* your input, which is holding to automatically jump seconds later.

### Gameplay Triggers

The **Gameplay Triggers** are special kinds of Triggers used in Levels to create Gameplay. These Triggers were mostly introduced in Version 2.0 and have a lot of good and bad things about them. Their use have changed over the years, but still have the same functionality as they did in the beginning.

#### Move Triggers

The **Move Triggers** are Gameplay Triggers that move Objects around in any direction possible. These impact exactly where the hitboxes are going to be once the Move Trigger finishes. The Move Trigger is correctly used if the Movement of the Blocks can be read by the Player without it becoming a problem. Some Levels use Move Triggers in a way where you have no time to react to them and just have to memorize them. This is one of the many problems with this Trigger.

##### Alpha Triggers

The **Alpha Triggers** are Gameplay Triggers (and Decoration Triggers) that change the opacity of an Object. The reason why these are considered Gameplay Triggers is because it's harder to see Objects with a lower Opacity. Some levels lower the Opacity down to 0, making the Objects invisible. This is an impractical use of the Alpha Trigger, as it makes Gameplay infuriating and heavily Memorization-Based.

##### Rotate Triggers

The **Rotate Triggers** are Gameplay Triggers introduced in Version 2.1 that Rotate Objects around another Object, or one Block Rotates a certain amount of degrees. These Triggers create spinning wheels that the Player has to avoid by following the Rotation Direction. Impractical use of these Triggers is making it impossible to read where and when the Rotate Triggers are gonna activate and what they're gonna Rotate in particular.

#### Shake Triggers

The **Shake Triggers** are Gameplay Triggers introduced in Version 2.1 and have had many bad uses in the past. The Shake Trigger shakes the entire screen with a certain amount of strength, a set amount of interval for the Shake and a set period of time before the Shake ends. These Triggers have been used impractically for ages and sometimes still are. The way they're used impractically is by making the screen shake so much that it's impossible to see what's going on in the Level. To avoid this becoming a constant issue, RobTop added an Option to turn off the Shake effect caused by a Shake Trigger.

#### Collectible Triggers

The **Collectible Triggers** are Gameplay Triggers that cause something to be Triggered on or off. These act similarly to the Activation Orbs mentioned previously, but don't require to be clicked to activate. The Gamemode simply has to touch the Collectible to have something Triggered.

#### Toggle Gamemode Triggers

The **Toggle Gamemode Triggers** have recently become Gameplay Triggers due to their use in Version 2.11 Levels. These Triggers toggle the current Gamemode on or off, meaning that the Gamemode will become invisible when toggled off. This creates an obscenely annoying type of Gameplay, known as "Invisible Gameplay". This type of Gameplay makes it near impossible to actually see what you're doing and, even if the Gamemode was constantly toggled on and off, it would still be annoying as you can't truly see where the Gamemode perished once they hit an obstacle.

## Types of Gameplay

The **Types of Gameplay**, or the **Gameplay Types**, are what influences the overall feeling of the Gameplay. Depending on which Gameplay Type a Level is using, it can change your overall enjoyment from playing it.

### Gameplay Elements

The way Gameplay is changed and therefore changes the overall opinions of others is caused by the **Gameplay Elements**. These cause Gameplay to go into certain directions within the Gameplay Types themselves. These mainly consist out of things such as Timings and Memorization.

#### Timings

**Timings** are the Gameplay Elements where the Player needs to do only one click in a very specific spot to get over the obstacle. Timings are most commonly seen in the Cube and Robot Gamemodes, but are also prominent in the Ball, Spider and UFO Gamemodes as well. Depending on how a Timing is set up can change the accuracy of the Timing a lot.

#### Holding Gameplay

**Holding Gameplay** is the Gameplay Element that requires the Player to hold to go up and down. Holding Gameplay is a lot more precise than Timings and, depending on what amount of Hertz the Player is playing on, can change the overall Difficulty of this Gameplay Element. Holding Gameplay is seen in prodominantly the Ship and Wave Gamemodes.

#### Memorization

**Memorization** is the Gameplay Element that forces the Player to memorize parts of the Level without it being clear what to do at first. Memorization comes in many different forms, differentiating how much Memorization is needed for a Level. Usually, Memorization isn't very much used in a Level. In that case, we're referring to **Light Memorization**. A lesser seen type of Memorization is **Pure Memorization**, which means that the entirety of the Level requires to be Practiced and learned before you stand a chance to beat it. All Gamemodes can have Memorization, but it's most commonly seen with the Cube, Ball, Robot and Spider Gamemodes.

### Gameplay Types

These are the **Gameplay Types** that affect the way the Level is perceived. They can be seen more often in certain Versions of the game, mostly Version 2.11. This was the time where Gameplay changed drastically.

#### Basic Gameplay

**Basic Gameplay** is the most common Gameplay Type and also the most liked. Basic Gameplay contains simple Timings, Holding Gameplay and (sometimes) Light Memorization without using confusing methods to make the Gameplay stand out more. This Type of Gameplay was the Default for many Levels until multiple different Types of Gameplay were Created throughout different Versions.

#### Memorization Gameplay

**Memorization Gameplay** is similar to Basic Gameplay, but contains only Memorization. These usually don't have much Skill involved (Timings, etc.), but rather focus on having the Player practice the Level a lot before beating it. This Gameplay has existed since the first year of Geometry Dash existing, but has grown in popularity ever since.

This Gameplay Type isn't always as well-liked in the GD Community as Basic Gameplay, however. Many Players in the Community often have a hard time realizing what they need to do to actually beat the Level, making it more infuriating to Practice. Another reason to why some may not like this Gameplay Type is the fact that Players can easily forget very small details and completely go insane from it.

#### Flow Gameplay

**Flow Gameplay** is a unique Gameplay Type that originated in Version 2.1 that involves a lot of things happening at once and having not much time to do those set actions. They are often very hard to read and require a lot of patience to practice. This type of Gameplay has evolved over the years and is still evolving to this day.

This Gameplay Type is the most controversial Gameplay Type of them all. While a lot of people do enjoy the feeling of Flow Gameplay, many also absolutely despise it. This mainly has to do with a few factors:

* Flow Gameplay requires a lot of patience to Practice and beat.
* Flow Gameplay is very awkward at first.
* Flow Gameplay is often met with a lot of Bugs.
* Flow Gameplay is hard to Sight-Read.
* Flow Gameplat feels like the Player is forced to Spam.

So, while Flow Gameplay might seem really fun to half of the Community, the other half also have a point to go against the crowd. These Factors have some relevance in the *Use of Gameplay*, which is explained later on in this article.

#### Modern Gameplay

**Modern Gameplay** is a more evolved version of Basic Gameplay. It still keeps the Gameplay Elements at a minimal Level, but are a lot more complex with their Gameplay. For example, the use of D-Blocks and H-Blocks to allow the Wave to slide on Platforms and let the Cube hit their head on Blocks above them. This makes for more *Unique* Gameplay, thus making it Modern Gameplay.

While Modern Gameplay is usually taken as a good Gameplay Type, some still don't like the direction that it's taking. One of the many reasons to why Players sometimes tend to dislike Modern Gameplay is because of it being *too* Unique. What they mean by that is that Modern Gameplay is so much different from Basic Gameplay that Players have a hard time actually enjoying those Unique Gameplay parts. This involves an aspect known as *Awkward Gameplay*, which is explained more in detail in *The Use of Gameplay*.

## The Use of Gameplay

**The Use of Gameplay** is the concept of how Creators use Gameplay in their Levels, correctly OR incorrectly. This concept has only been applied recently, but many Levels still fail to use Gameplay in the correct format, leading to **Bad Gameplay**.

### The Main Aspects

When a Creator is deciding how to use Gameplay effectively, it's always useful to at least stick to **The Main Aspects** of **Bad Gameplay**. These are four Aspects that influence how bad the Gameplay feels to play as a Player. If these four Main Aspects of Bad Gameplay are considered, the Creator will most likely have made a **Good Gameplay** Level. While it may not appeal to everyone, it will have appealed to most.

#### Blind Gameplay

**Blind Gameplay** is the Main Aspect of Bad Gameplay that makes it hard to Sight-Read what's going on. This doesn't necessarily mean Memorization itself, but more the fact of not being able to see what can and what can't kill you, as the Player.

For example, take any Level that is remotely dark and try to consider this: "Is this hard to Sight-Read? Is it clear where you're going?" If the answer to this question is no, that means that this Level suffers from Blind Gameplay.

However, darkness isn't the *only* thing that causes Blind Gameplay. Another huge contributor to Blind Gameplay is **Obstructive Decoration**. Obstructive Decoration is a Decoration Fail that causes the Gameplay to be obstructed and hard to see. In this case, this Level would also be suffering from Blind Gameplay, but this time caused by Obstructive Decoration.

#### Awkward Gameplay

**Awkward Gameplay** is the Main Aspect of Bad Gameplay that is caused by the overall feeling and **Flow** of the Level. Awkward Gameplay is the hardest Main Aspect of Bad Gameplay to spot, just because of it being hard to tell what feels off when playing the Level in its entirety.

The overall Flow of the Level can be spotted if you ask yourself this as a Creator: "How consistent is my Gameplay and how often does it feel off to pull off the Gameplay of my Level?" If your answer is "not much", you might want to reconsider looking over the parts that didn't feel right to play.

As stated previously, **Consistency** plays a big role in Awkward Gameplay. If your Level feels inconsistent, even though it isn't really supposed to be that hard, you're most likely dealing with Awkward Gameplay. In those case scenarios, it's wise to rethink the way your Gameplay is layed out.

#### Buggy Gameplay

**Buggy Gameplay** is the Main Aspect of Bad Gameplay that makes Levels inconsistent, without the Player having any control over it. Buggy Gameplay contains **Bugs**. Bugs are situations in a Level that the Creator did not expect to happen in the Creating Process. Buggy Gameplay can make the Level inconsistent, but can also flat-out make the Level impossible for Players to beat.

Bugs are a hard one to counter. This is mainly because of the existence of Hertz differences. Because there's different amounts of Hertz used in Geometry Dash, the amount of Bugs that can exist are bigger than they seem on the surface.

To counter Bugs, the first step of action would need to be to Playtest your Level constantly. This way, you can look if things seem to not work all the time like you want them to work. This step should always be done on 60hz to prevent worse bugs from happening for people that use 60hz. Once you've Playtested your Level on 60hz, you can either Playtest on higher Hertz, or have others do that for you with **Bug Testers**. If there are no unusual problems with the Level, you've succesfully fixed Buggy Gameplay.

#### Laggy Gameplay

**Laggy Gameplay** is the Main Aspect of Bad Gameplay that makes the inputs of the Player inaccurate with what is actually happening. Laggy Gameplay is caused by **Lag**, which is a problem with **High Object Levels** (Levels with over 40,000 Objects) that causes the Level to go slower than originally intended.

Fixing Laggy Gameplay requires the Creator to do a couple things. The first thing a Creator can do to fix this problem is by **Optimizing** their Level. Optimization can be performed by replacing a certain amount of Objects with a lesser amount of Objects. This can lower the total amount of Objects in a chunk of the Level, lowering the amount of Lag experienced.

Another way to counter Laggy Gameplay is by adding a **Low Detail Mode** option. This was first implemented in Version 2.0 by FunnyGame. Low Detail Mode (or LDM) is an Option that lowers the amount of Detail in the Level. So, the parts that are unnecessary for Gameplay purposes can be put into Low Detail Mode so that there is the option to eliminate Laggy Gameplay.

### The Minor Aspects

Aside from the Main Aspects of Bad Gameplay, there are also the **Minor Aspects** of **Bad Gameplay**. These Aspects are not as important and are often divided in the Community whether they're good or not. However, it is often recommended to avoid these Minor Aspects of Bad Gameplay as much as possible.

#### Spammy Gameplay

**Spammy Gameplay** is the Minor Aspect of Bad Gameplay that involves the use of **Spam**. Spam requires a lack of Skill and only requires the Skill to click as fast as possible. The reason why this should be avoided is because it can make the Level a lot harder and more frustrating than it needs to be.

Spam gets annoying in two possible ways: The length of the Spam and the power required for the Spam. Essentially, the longer the Spam is, the more annoying and painful it gets. The more power required for the Spam, the more painful it is to actually succeed with the Spam.

Usually, you should try and refrain from Spam as much as possible. However, if the power required and the length of the Spam aren't severe, it is acceptable to have Spam in your Level. In this case, Spam is used effectively.

#### Confusing Gameplay

**Confusing Gameplay** is the Minor Aspect of Bad Gameplay that requires Puzzle-Thinking to figure out what to do. This Minor Aspect connects a lot with **Pure Memorization**. The reason why this is a Minor Aspect of Bad Gameplay is because some may not be the biggest fan of figuring things out that are really hard to figure out.

A good way of knowing what Confusing Gameplay is, is to see how long it takes for a Player to get through your Level once in Practice Mode. If they get stuck on a part that only requires Memorization, it's right to assume that there's Confusing Gameplay present in your Level.

A good way of countering Confusing Gameplay is to use arrows to help the Player understand what's going on. While this may not do all the work to fix Confusing Gameplay, it will certainly help to lessen the amount of it present in the Level. If this one simple thing was done in Levels, this Minor Aspect wouldn't be as common as it is.

#### Unbalanced Gameplay

**Unbalanced Gameplay** is the Minor Aspect of Bad Gameplay that makes the Difficulty of the Level the main issue of it. The Balancing of Difficulty is hard to perfect, but making it similar to the other parts of the Level makes it a lot more fun to play.

Unbalanced Gameplay in itself isn't that big of a deal, if it wasn't that severe. However, there are many occasions where, for example, Levels have Easy Difficulty parts, but have a Medium Demon part right in the middle of it. In these situations, Players are less inclined to beating the Level, because they don't see a point in dying to the same place over, and over and over again. That's why it's important to always look through your Level and check if all the parts seem to be around the same Difficulty.

#### Boring Gameplay

**Boring Gameplay** is the Minor Aspect of Bad Gameplay that gives the Player too much time to think, leading to boredom. The more boring Gameplay gets, the less inclined people are to actually beat your Level.

While Boring Gameplay isn't that bad to have in your Level, it's better to still have something to do and not force the Player to wait for 15 seconds just to die and have to try it all over again. The best way to combat this is by making Auto Sections a little shorter and making some Auto Sections at least involve one or two inputs. That way, the Player at least is capable of doing something aside from doing nothing.

### Transitions

**Transitions** are often an ignored part of The Use of Gameplay. Transitions are what leads the Player into another Section of the Level. Most Transitions nowadays ignore every Main and Minor Aspect of Bad Gameplay and make Levels horrible to play. Transitions should always be made with acknowledgement of the Main Aspects of Bad Gameplay, no matter what. The Minor Aspects of Bad Gameplay aren't as commonly seen in Transitions and will therefore not be as important to note.

#### Blind Transitions

**Blind Transitions** are Transitions that focus on Blind Gameplay. What ends up happening with these Transitions, is that no Player is aware of what's coming next, making it hard to go into the next Section. The way to avoid these Transitions is by letting the Player know what's coming up next and by not blocking up the screen during a Transition.

#### Awkward Transitions

**Awkward Transitions** are Transitions that focus on Awkward Gameplay. These Transitions can be frustrating to deal with, as the inputs that the Players does don't match up with what they expected to happen during the Transition. The only way to avoid these Transitions is by seeing if the Transition Flows decently and doesn't get inconsistent and annoying.

#### Buggy Transitions

**Buggy Transitions** are Transitions that focus on Buggy Gameplay. These Transitions can be the most annoying, depending on how bad the Bugs are. Always check if your Transition works correctly, especially on 60Hz. Most Players are known to play on 60Hz, so it's wise to fix all Bugs for them first.