YOU Can Get A Rate in 3 Days.

Añadido: 2026-05-24

[00:00:00]Imagine you’re in a cold prison cell with 3 days  to make a Geometry Dash level. That’s 1 minute of gameplay and decoration, verified and uploaded  to the game’s servers. Only if you succeed can you leave the cell, breathe fresh air, and  say hello to friends and family once again.

[00:00:17]I did this back in December! The GDCS  Build Jam is an event where you make a full level to a theme, in just  three days. This is no time at all, which forces you to think differently about  how you create. But despite the restrictions, plenty of people finished stuff,  some of which got a lot of attention.

[00:00:34]Here I’ll focus on three of my  favorite levels from the jam.

[00:00:37]Each one hides a creating tip you can use  to improve your levels and gain more skill.

[00:00:42]And if you want to join these events,  consider joining the server with this link.

[00:00:47]This first level is probably  the most conventionally successful: Xan- xanthe- … Xan-the-siderite by  Alpheia. You might have seen this around since it got first place on the featured tab and  an epic rate. I think this is a good example of how you don’t need years of life to make  a good level; just a few days can suffice.

[00:01:07]So how did Alpheia do this? Well once you  break it down, the level is a lot simpler than it might look. The blocks are all made  with basic objects found in the first tab, like these in the first part,  these in the second, and so on.

[00:01:39]Once these designs were completed,  they got reused with small changes, like varying the size of these boxes  or adding glowing cracks inside them.

[00:01:50]The goal isn’t intricate, time-consuming  designs, but something passable and interesting.

[00:01:56]The point is, you don’t need intricate detail to  make good deco. Take a look at these blocks in the second part; they have a unique design so they  stick out from the other blocks, and they move up and down to the music. They change color and  shake the screen as they slam into the ground, alongside an animated object that really sells  the force of the landing. These are details, don’t get me wrong, but you don’t need years  to make them. Be efficient, not exhausting.

[00:02:23]Of course, this doesn’t work for everything.  Sometimes you want intricate details, whether it’s because you have the time to add them, to make  objects feel important or just for an aesthetic choice. But sometimes, the themes and message in  your level matter more than the visual details.

[00:02:39]Where All Ends Meet is a platformer level Ekpek  made for this jam. The level may not look like some insane visual spectacle, but that’s not  the point. Rather than just existing and looking pretty, the visuals are directly tied to the  level’s ideas. Each part has a unique gimmick that changes how you play it. When combined with  the visuals and the level’s text, each part plays a role in a story - one about accepting  an ending to make way for a new beginning.

[00:03:05]This message is clearly the level’s main idea, as  everything revolves around it from the gameplay to the level’s endscreen. Could it have been more  detailed? Maybe, if Ekpek wanted it. But with such little time to build, it’s more important  to build your main idea so people understand it.

[00:03:21]How do you do that exactly? Well there’s no  simple answer, but I do have a few quick tips.

[00:03:27]Make sure you get inspiration - Google search,  movies, games, and even other levels will have details you can use to make your ideas come to  life. The more inspiration you get, the better.

[00:03:38]Also, make sure you don’t overcomplicate things.  When you only have a few days to make something, you won’t be able to spend lots of time on  realistic rendering; only add the most necessary details. Finally, get feedback: that way, you can  tell if others see your idea through the level.

[00:03:56]And speaking of ideas, sometimes a build  jam is the perfect time to try out the most wacky experiments you can think of. SineFunction’s  level Sleep does just that, with a very unorthodox but fitting concept. You play the level for a  minute or so, during which everything is normal.

[00:04:13]And then, the level completely stops, giving  you time to do as you’re told and, well, sleep.

[00:04:19]Eight hours later, you wake up and the level  resumes with what’s likely the most deceptively calm-looking section in any level, seeing as  dying here removes eight hours of progress.

[00:04:29]So if you’re not awake and locked in  already, you better think fast chucklenuts.

[00:04:36]What I like about this level is how it’s  not afraid to take risks. Asking the player to AFK for 8 hours carries a lot of risks; the  game could crash or stop running in that time, the player could forget about the  level and miss their chance to beat it, or they might just get nervous  and mess up the last section.

[00:04:51]But just because the idea has some  risks doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try it.

[00:04:56]After all, creating anything carries some risk.  Your ideas may not work out, or they could prove too ambitious for your skill level. You might  spend hours making something only for it to be scrapped for not fitting in. But you learn  something new with every risk you take, and every level you make. If you take the risk and build  something, you might even end up getting a rate.

[00:05:16]The point of a build jam is to finish  something, regardless of quality, because that helps you overcome the risks  that come with creating, and emerge on top.

[00:05:25]Pushing through your weaknesses to make something  is always worth celebrating, no matter how good.

[00:05:30]And sometimes, what you end up making is a  wacky little level about staying well rested.

[00:05:36]There are many more levels from this jam, I  just went over some of my personal favorites.

[00:05:40]Check out this in-game list if you  want to play the rest of the levels!

[00:05:43]And if you want to join the next Build Jam,  definitely join the Discord with the link below.