As this is a platformer, I thought I'd get down to the basics of jumping. As the core mechanic of PlataGO!, it is the singularly most important thing to think about when you start creating your level - and understanding how it works is vital.

Most importantly, understanding this mechanic will remove A LOT of trial and error from your creative process and make making levels quickly a much smoother process - eliminating the need to go back and forth into playtesting quite so much.

Right clicking the character icon (the square in the bottom left) will open up the Jump Power sub menu - this scales up pretty high. The higher you go, the more aggressive the jump.


High powered jumps make for more sparse, spread out levels. All the way down to the left and your game design will be super-tight and compact. For this guide I'm going to outline what I would consider 'sensible' or 'normal' platforming jump powers.

Before we jump in though, a couple of things you might want to consider:

DOUBLE JUMP
The results of when you press for a double jump GREATLY affects your trajectory. To make the longest jumps you need to hit jump before the apex of your jump - tapping relatively quickly.

Lastly, it's worth noting that the power of your double jump increases a little more than the power of your normal jump as you increase the slider.

FALL JUMP
You'll notice that you can actually jump AFTER you fall off a ledge. This can let you squeeze out a little more length from your jump. The downside is, if you, say, have a body of water or spikes close to the ledge you'll get hit. If the ledge is clear, it will give you 1-2 squares additional length on your jump.

Now, lets look at some STATS! ^_^

Jump Power 6 is, essentially, the lowest setting in practical terms - in that it's the minimum setting you need to clear a one block height jump. Without setting it to 6 you can't climb any blocks. By blocks I mean, the number of squares you see when you're zoomed in fully in the editor, and have applied the grid by pressing 'G'.


JUMP POWER 6 EQUALS


UP - 1 square height - Normal Jump
UP - 2 square height - Double Jump


ACROSS - 4 square gap - Normal jump
ACROSS - 5 square gap - Double jump

UP - 2 square height - Normal Jump
UP - 3 square height - Double Jump


ACROSS - 5 square gap - Normal jump
ACROSS - 7 square gap - Double jump

NOTE: In order to clear a 5 square gap with a normal jump you have to be PIXEL perfect. It can be done, but it's hard to do without Fall Jumping - which isn't always possible depending on your level design, so adjust accordingly.

UP - 2 square height - Normal Jump
UP - 5 square height - Double Jump


ACROSS - 5 square gap - Normal jump
ACROSS - 8 square gap - Double jump

NOTE: It is technically possible to clear a 9 square gap with a double jump set to Jump Power (10) but you must be pixel perfect.

UP - 3 square height - Normal Jump
UP - 7 square height - Double Jump


ACROSS - 6 square gap - Normal jump
ACROSS - 10 square gap - Double jump

NOTE: It is possible to normal jump a 7 square gap across, but this requires you to Fall Jump to clear the gap.

Once you hit Jump Power (15) and above, the scope of your levels can get pretty crazy in terms of your OP jump powers! Have fun experimenting with those more extreme vales to see what it does to your game design! ^_^