Okay maybe this is platforming heresy but when I was little I hated the “coyote time” in platforming games. Still do. It’s there in order to make the game more welcoming and forgiving and I applaud that sentiment but what happened was: “Oh. I can’t reach the other side. Because I’m jumping too early. Because the game expects me to not jump until I’ve actually left the ledge.” So counterintuitive. It had the opposite effect and felt unwelcoming, punishing, scary, and frustrating.
Now, the solution isn’t necessarily to remove coyote time but ask yourself as game dev and level designer the following two questions:
Can the player make the jump without relying on coyote time?
If yes, you’re good, your game is great, no more questions. If no, then make the gap narrower by moving the other side closer and it’s time for the next question.
Is the game now too easy?
The answer is not necessarily yes. Not even probably yes. I mean, to players who don’t know about coyote time and are just enjoying the game intuitively. The idea here is for the game to be challenging while still being intuitive. The challenge should be “oh wow, is my reaction speed or sense of rhythm tight enough to make the jumps I want” rather than “oh wow, do I the player know about secret things like coyote time”.
But if it is yes, decrease coyote time slightly. Despite this essay being called “against coyote time”, coyote time can actually be a very good, even important thing, but if what you are pushing when you are increasing gaps is the distance to the other side of the ledge rather than the coyote time on the close side of the ledge I feel that you are shaving the wrong thing, the wrong side of the gap.
Coyote time should be a fallback, not a prereq, is what I’m saying.
In other words, or maybe in the same worlds but I just wanna repeat myself for clarity here: if you are making an easy, welcoming game where jumping the gaps isn’t meant to be the main challenge, be both:
And if you want to make the gaps be a main challenge element to require precise jumping, don’t just shave off ground on the other side widening the gap. Instead, primarily shave off coyote time on the close side. Not to zero, but don’t require heavy abuse of coyote time to make the jumps.
Here is why modern platforming games err on the side of more coyote time rather than less: there’s a different gamefeel in “ooooh I didn’t quit reach it, I fell down near the other side, I jumped too soon” vs “what the heck I fell down on this side? What happened to my jump, didn’t I jump?!”, some sort of principle of least surprise logic. The player is satisfyingly doing the thing, in this case jumping (maybe with a good satisyfing boiyoiyoingy sound) and failing which okay failing is part of the challenge so try again and make it the next time, is the idea. Too short of a coyote time and it feels like an ice level, like you’re slipping off.
I’m not disputing that. But. I remember so vividly when I first was playing Super Mario Bros. (I got into video games when I was nine years old which a li’l later than many of my generational peers and a lot later than the kids today.) I remember so strongly how this felt starting out. “I’m running towards the ledge it’s scary I don’t want to run over so I’d better press jump before I’ve ran over the edge of the ledge whaaaat I didn’t make it to the other side?!” I fell into so so so so so many pit traps.
Whenever I watch a game design lecture on jump physics and they’re showing how much coyote time they have and how good that is I’m shaking my head and like “no that was the most frustrating part of your game!” Not the fact that I could run out a li’l past the ledge, that was good, but the fact that I have to. That is what gives me the heebie jeebies. It doesn’t feel exciting, it doesn’t feel forward momentum, it doesn’t feel good, it feels like I have to go against nature and not get a good sense of “take off” from underneath my character’s feet.