llamamod/docs/guide/design-rules.md

Design rules

The numbers and rules that matter when you design a level for this engine. Background and sources: Engine facts and limits.

Sizes to design with

one grid cell	1 unit
llama	0.6 tall, walks 1.1 units/s
jump up	≤ 0.35 (0.5 fails)
jump across, with a run-up	~1.3 (from standing much less)
easy parkour	gaps 0.3 with +0.2 height, platforms ≥ 1.5 long
steps without jumping	none – use slopes or walls without collision
draw distance	the fog end of the zone: 8–16 cells in the originals
objects visible	within ~12.5 units of the llama

Rules that keep the level working

1. One player start, with nothing solid right behind the llama (start camera).
2. Exit = LevelDoor + floor with collision material 16 in the same cell. Target (1, 9, chapter) in TestLevel – never (7, 7, 7).
3. A death floor or death plane under every place the llama can fall to.
4. A checkpoint before every hard part.
5. TestLevel chapter 1 or 32–49 for new levels.
6. Guards and box walkers need their waypoint boxes (and guards an event bit someone sets), or the game removes them.
7. Every area must be visible from where the camera is: with visibility regions, check the masks (Check for problems reports regions nothing can see).
8. Stay within the budget: 16 MB level memory, 127 texture pages, 128 sounds – the import preview and Check for problems show where you are.

The editor and both level builders enforce the data-level rules (tiles inside the grid, vertex colours, type fields, collision cells) automatically. Check for problems reports the rest.

Good habits

• Play-test often (F5). The engine is unforgiving and a small change can stop the exit or hide an area.
• Look at the originals. Open an original level in the editor and see how it builds doors, cameras and enemy paths; the debug view mod shows collision and invisible objects in the running game.
• Keep levels compact. Short sight lines hide the draw distance and keep the frame rate up.
• Copy numbers (speeds, parameters, waypoint fields) from original objects that already do what you want.