I''m currently working on my side-scroller''s level editor+game engine and was wondering how should I put enemies into the levels. Should they be randomely positioned in the screen? (According to player''s level or something) - This is prefered but harder to make (This is a side-scroller!). Or should I just put them in with the level editor (Their information will be read from a file) - Boring, but easier to do. Any suggestions are welcomed Thanks in advance The road to success is always under construction

Enemy placement should never be truly random. Encounters are far more enjoyable when there is some logic to opponent placement, some sign that there is a strategy at work (whether there really is or not, it''s appearance that matters).

Static placement provides the ability to create interesting encounters, but the downside is that once you''ve been through once, you know what''s going to be ther next time around. No, or low, replayability. Still, this is preferable to entirely random placement.

There are two other middle road methods to take though. The ideal (at least in my opinion) is a pseudo-random placement. The idea is you create a bunch of patterns or templates, and randomize enemy locations through those templates. This would obviously be very difficult to do, but I think it provides the best of both worlds.

The other method is provide areas of random placement and areas of static placement. Easier to implement, you specify what areas are randomly generated and what areas are populated by the map creator. The peon forces are randomly generated and perhaps seem a tad unorganized (which isn''t unrealistic for peons), with the occasional pre-organized opposition to add a taste of organization.