There’s a delicate balance to reach between side of visual appeal & character complexity, and the side of level quality. That balance is achieved by selecting the proper scale. I’ve decided that the tiles should be one of 3 sizes: 30px, 32px, or 36px. Since the game resolution will be 800×600, adjusting for an extra wall and the status panels gives us corresponding usable level sizes of: 26tiles * 17tiles, 24tiles * 16tiles, or 22tiles * 15 tiles. (The original Jetpack’s levels were 26tiles * 16tiles).
As I’ve stated before, Jetpack 2 will not scroll, so the scale must be kept small in order for the levels to have proper complexity. However, missions will consist of multiple levels/rooms, so puzzles can span several rooms. We also want to appeal to the average casual game player, and a quick look at the most popular casual games reveals that they typically have a much larger scale. Copying what’s popular is an easy choice - but not necessarily a correct one.
Below are drafts of the different scales at the actual size they will appear in the browser (in the downloadable version this can be full screen). Included are some everyday household objects for detail reference. Keeping in mind the balance we need to achieve, weigh in on which you prefer!
36px tiles = 22×15 levels
We give up 4 columns and 1 row from the original Jetpack, but we get a significantly larger scale.
32px tiles = 24×16 levels
Levels are 2 columns smaller, characters are slightly larger.
30px tiles = 26×17 levels
Levels are about the same size as Jetpack 1, small scale characters.
A rough example of the center-less tiles that allow for more detailed levels
