Topic: The first sign rises with the full moon.

[zangetsu468]

If I had a problem with floating platforms I would have a problem with almost every video game I've ever loved.

I even like games where the platforms disappear

[CastleDan]

While I don't have a problem with floating platforms I think it looks much better when they incorporate the environment. I mean why not? It looks more natural, and makes the environment more enjoyable.



Like the platform Alucard is on, they cleverly put a pillar that's apart of it that makes it more believable. Is it necessary? nah, but it helps the believability and the look.

The GOOD thing is that based on the chapel background pic they showed us you can see they did the same there as well. So they seem to be thinking really hard in making a castle that feels thought out.

[Jorge D. Fuentes]

I can forgive a first-gen GBA title like Circle of the Moon not having stands for the platforms (it has air platforms that crumble at a mere step upon 'em).
That's, I think, the only one where it's quite apparent and it was likely due to the heavy parallax backgrounds.

HoD and AoS opt for static backgrounds and an effect background (moving clouds is the usual one), which no longer show off the effects of depth, but instead opt for showing detail, with mixed results. 

[Rugal]

Typical CVD complaints. Glad to see nothing ever changes here whenever we get a new game.

[Lumi Kløvstad]

Typical CVD complaints. Glad to see nothing ever changes here whenever we get a new game.

Gamers are decidedly not a celebratory people, Rugal. Exceptions are few, but notable.

[zangetsu468]

Typical CVD complaints. Glad to see nothing ever changes here whenever we get a new game.

No more than a handful of people complained about floating platforms, and for those who explained why they did it was mainly about complaints which have now been squashed.

[Nagumo]

I don't even care that much, but my comment seems to stir up some strong reactions. Putting Bloodstained aside for a moment, I think it's fair to say that in terms of attention to detail in the level design, Castlevania peaked with SotN, and later games neglected this aspect more. Floating platforms placed without any real thought put into it is just one specific manifestation of this phenomenon. Obviously, I could care less about the concept of floating platforms itself since, as has been pointed out, a lot if not most 2D video games employ this. But the point is that the designers of SotN decided to not be like any other video game, and they enchanced the game world by adding all these details to the game world. Making flatforms have some sort of logic to them is a contributing factor to this immersiveness, and in my opinion, a large reason why SotN is such an excellent game. Not to say that SotN is completely perfect when it comes to this, but when this concept was employed, it was great. Why shouldn't Bloodstained strife to be just as excellent in that area?

That image that displays how Bloodstained implements platforms doesn't exactly give me a lot of confidence yet. I get these platforms are connected to the wall, but to say that fixes the issue is misunderstanding the problem. In SotN it often works because you can tell from the level design itself why these platforms exists. For example, the crumbled stairs where only certain sections (the platforms) are safe for Alucard to jump on. It's an excellent way of combining game design with attention to detail. And because of that, traversing the castle feels more real than Soma, or Jonathan and Charlotte, jumping from platform because the designers though it was time for the characters to jump a couple of times.       

[Lumi Kløvstad]

I don't even care that much, but my comment seems to stir up some strong reactions. Putting Bloodstained aside for a moment, I think it's fair to say that in terms of attention to detail in the level design, Castlevania peaked with SotN, and later games neglected this aspect more. Floating platforms placed without any real thought put into it is just one specific manifestation of this phenomenon. Obviously, I could care less about the concept of floating platforms itself since, as has been pointed out, a lot if not most 2D video games employ this. But the point is that the designers of SotN decided to not be like any other video game, and they enchanced the game world by adding all these details to the game world. Making flatforms have some sort of logic to them is a contributing factor to this immersiveness, and in my opinion, a large reason why SotN is such an excellent game. Not to say that SotN is completely perfect when it comes to this, but when this concept was employed, it was great. Why shouldn't Bloodstained strife to be just as excellent in that area?

That image that displays how Bloodstained implements platforms doesn't exactly give me a lot of confidence yet. I get these platforms are connected to the wall, but to say that fixes the issue is misunderstanding the problem. In SotN it often works because you can tell from the level design itself why these platforms exists. For example, the crumbled stairs where only certain sections (the platforms) are safe for Alucard to jump on. It's an excellent way of combining game design with attention to detail. And because of that, traversing the castle feels more real than Soma, or Jonathan and Charlotte, jumping from platform because the designers though it was time for the characters to jump a couple of times.     

None of that was quite as bad as segments appearing in all of Iga's Castlevanias where candles would just float there, unconnected with anything. And yet they'd have the little backplate thing to attach to a wall anyway.

Legendary game designer -- Koji Igarashi, everyone!

[beingthehero]

You realize he didn't personally program and design those games right

[zangetsu468]

None of that was quite as bad as segments appearing in all of Iga's Castlevanias where candles would just float there, unconnected with anything. And yet they'd have the little backplate thing to attach to a wall anyway.

Legendary game designer -- Koji Igarashi, everyone!

That's barely anything tbh.

Did everyone forget about the fact that in Mirror of Fate you couldn't throw a fucking axe through a ceiling?
Holy cross... Where was the QA and every other CV game when they quality checked that digital abortion...
#mirroroffake

[X]

None of that was quite as bad as segments appearing in all of Iga's Castlevanias where candles would just float there, unconnected with anything. And yet they'd have the little backplate thing to attach to a wall anyway.

Legendary game designer -- Koji Igarashi, everyone!

Candles in CV have been floating in mid-air since 1986.

[zangetsu468]

Candles in CV have been floating in mid-air since 1986.

I like my candles like my Super Saiyans, levitating high and burning with power-ups.

[Belmontoya]

Before Wallachia became an original IP we were working on it as a CV reboot.

We have something way cooler than candles now, but even at that time I thought we had a better take on candles.

The candles only appeared for God's chosen warrior. They were there to light the path of the holy warrior, to show him the way, and to supply him with aid.

The game started out with a priest warning the young Belmont only to proceed with his quest if the candles appeared to him. He was the first Belmont in our version of the story and was still discovering his powers.

They could appear anywhere, even in mid air. If you strayed from the path or went the wrong way, you would know by the absence of holy candles.

In the game they would sort of ghost warp into view. It was a really cool effect and was in my opinion a better take on the candle concept. I don't know if any of you have seen the movie Brave but it was sort of inspired by the wisps.

[Belmontoya]

Floating candles, floating platforms floating anything has never bothered me in games that deal with the supernatural.

Especially in CV where the castle itself is an entity. It can change its shape and flip itself upside down. Why would we question it when gravity is defied by a few bricks or a candle or anything else for that matter? This is Castlevania we're talking about.

Even befor CV, Dracula's castle was a place like this where the rules of physics, and reason do not always apply.

Add that on top of our subject being games designed for fun.

We shouldn't have an issue here.

[Lumi Kløvstad]

Truthfully it's not actually an issue -- it's mostly an immersion gripe because it calls attention to the fact that you're playing a video game rather than adding to the game world in any appreciable way.

I do prefer your idea of them being a path set by God rather than the pseudocanon that they are souls collected by Death who are offering you help for your role in putting Dracula down.

And I say "pseudocanon" because it's kind of Word of Dante/Word of Saint Paul. The games never address the issue (so it's not canon), Iga never officially commented one way or the other iirc (thus denying the chance to qualify as Word of God), but a few others who worked in varying capacities on the series did offer that idea.