Level design is a long, complicated process...
There's a lot that goes into level design that I think people take for granted. It's a long and complex process that incorporates a variety of different areas that the designer needs to consider.
There's a lot that goes into level design that I think people take for granted. It's a long and complex process that incorporates a variety of different areas that the designer needs to consider.
The primary aim of level design is to create a playable space
that your player can navigate with ease to achieve a goal you designer has set
out for them, whether that be get from point A to point B, or if it's a
multi-player map in which you must hunt down your fellow players. Playability is
key; if your player can't navigate the space then you've not designed a great
level. However, there is a little more to it than that. You need to make sure
that while the player is navigating, they aren't bored out of their minds.
While designing a level, you need to continually think "what will the
player think about this?" or "will the player be enjoying
this?". The purpose of a video game is ENTERTAINMENT so make it fun or
people won't be interested in your game.
Suggested workflow for Level Design -University Lecture
There are a few different workflows you can follow when
designing levels. The one we learnt about at University is pictured above in
flow graph form, but there are others. This article on World of Level Design really helped me understand a little more about the workflow needed when
designing your level. Again, this goes back to the planning and concept stage
we spoke about in an earlier post, but you need to have a level plan first.
This will save you time in the long run and allow you to already have the paths
you want your player to follow, and any alternate routes or secret areas you
want to have present. After this, block it out in the chosen engine. This is
called whiteboxing and in so useful for understanding the size and scale of the
playable space, allowing you to figure out where your assets will go and where
certain events will take place. It also means you can use screenshots to
concept over, so you can visualise the space better. Looking through the polycount forums, a found an aspiring Game Designer by the screenname CurtWad who was working on a project called Argatona Station in 2011 and his whiteboxes are fantastic. I recommend checking out his project.
CurtWad's Argatona Station - Whitebox
CurtWad's Argatona Station - Level Plan
It is a Game Art course I'm on so I'd best talk about the
importance of visuals in level design as well. The graphical fidelity is
obviously important, but there is more to it than that. REFERENCE IS
EVERYTHING. You want your map to be relatively believable. Even in a fantasy
setting there has to be something to ground it to reality. For example, even in
games like Mass Effect, the environments and levels that they create feel
relatively believable. whether it be the Normandy or an alien planet, they feel
like liveable spaces.
A big thing that you should think about is the uniqueness of
your map. Like I explained before, it's all about entertainment. How much is
the player enjoying your level? If they've played something that looked exactly
like it before, they won't be nearly as interested as they would be if you're
giving them a unique experience. This can be achieved through gameplay, but
more often than not it's achieved through the visual aesthetic of your level. This
can be done with a hero asset, colour scheme or a particular style you've
chosen to use your textures or models. Looking back to Mass Effect, you can see
it in the Citadel DLC. The Silversun Strip is the new area introduced on the
Citadel and the colour scheme is very vivid and bright with lots of blues and
purples with neon signs and bright lights. Each area within Mass Effect has a
different colour scheme and visual motifs and it helps keep the game fresh and
interesting for the player.
Atmosphere is something else you need to take into account
when thinking about the visual feel of your level. Again, much like with the
Citadel DLC, the colour plays a big part, but lighting is probably the most important
thing involved in creating the atmosphere. The lighting and colours in the
Silversun Strip and the asset placements and people that populate the area all
create this bustling, flashy feel; wealth and excitement.
This is where your reference will come into play as well. Getting pictures of
areas with the lighting conditions you want will be invaluable to you when
creating your lighting. Especially in exterior levels. Depending on the time of
day and the time of year, the lighting conditions will be different so your
level should reflect that. It all adds up to creating that sense of realism.
Atmosphere can make or break your entire level; you're aiming for suspense but your level doesn't
feel tense or scary, you need to go back and readjust.
Another important thing involved in level design is story. I
touched on this when I wrote about environment design in my first year blogs, and
reviewing it has made me think about Dead Space in terms of level design. Like
I previous explained, within your level you can tell an entire story without
using any characters. So many different games do this, from Left 4 Dead to Dead
Island to Dead Space (a lot of "deads" there). It helps to create a
more realistic, lived in environment and that will give the player, hopefully
some extra entertainment and something
more to explore. As well as this, though, your level must convey they actual objective
so the player can navigate their way through the map and they understand their
purpose there.
This barely covers the complicated formula that is Level
Design. There is so much more to talk about and people spend entire careers
trying to perfect their abilities in this particular area.
I've been studying Game Art for a year and a bit. I'm no expert, so forgive me.
If anyone reads this and has and tips or interesting theories and workflows, please message me/email me or let me know. I'd be interested to hear any tips you guys have.
I've been studying Game Art for a year and a bit. I'm no expert, so forgive me.
If anyone reads this and has and tips or interesting theories and workflows, please message me/email me or let me know. I'd be interested to hear any tips you guys have.
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