General Principles of Level Design What is level

General Principles of Level Design

What is level Design The space in which a game takes place The initial conditions of the level Set of challenges within the level The termination conditions of the level The interplay between gameplay and story Level’s Aesthetic, and mood

Key Level Design Principles: Universal level design principles, are general guidelines every game should follow. Make the early levels, tutorials. Vary the pacing Avoid conceptual non sequiturs Clearly inform the player of his short term goals Be clear about risks, rewards, and consequences.

Universal Principles Continued Reward players Large rewards, small punishments The purpose of an A. I. is to fight and then lose. Implement multiple difficulties.

Game-Specific Level Design Principles Action Games Strategy Games Role-Playing Games Sports Games Vehicle Simulations Construction and Management Sims Adventure Games Artificial Life Games Puzzle Games

Layouts Open Layouts Linear Layouts Parallel Layouts Ring Layouts Network Layouts Hub and Spoke Combinations of layouts

Open Layouts These are games that do not restrict player movement Still can only be entered in one way

Linear Layouts A linear layout means that there is only one space, with no corridors or branches. A game like this is said to be on rails Never lock a player out of an area they still need to access

Parallel Layouts Player may take multiple paths to get to the end. This can be modelled with dialogue paths.

Ring Layouts There is only one example that you need to know to understand these.

Network Layouts These are layouts where each section connects to others in various ways. The sections are connected by paths such as stairs, or hallways. Games such as quake, and unreal tournament are good examples of these.

Hub and Spoke Players begin in a central hub, that presents no dangers. Then the players follow a linear path, explore an area and go back to the hub

Layout Combinations These are combinations of many layouts, connected together. These areas usually have subplots that contribute to an overarching story.

Atmosphere The look of a game must also be part of level design This look sets a tone, or a mood for a game

Lighting Placement of lights can create a moonlit night, or sunny day. All the lights must coherently fit together, it cannot be nighttime and sunlit. What you choose not to light, is equally as important as what you choose to light.

Lighting Example

Color Palette The colors of a level, can also set a mood for the player.

Color Example Assassins creed I vs Assassins creed II

Weather and Atmospheric effects Fog, rain and snow all create distinct impressions Weather can be used to trigger a person’s instinct. Rain = Get inside, Sudden darkness and fog = Pull out gun

Special Visual effects When certain events are triggered one can reward a player with cool special effects.

Music You generally want the rhythm of the music to set the pace. You want the music to keep with the games tone.

Ambient Audio Again contributes to the tone of the game Ambient audio can set a peaceful tone, with soft sounds. Ambient Audio can help a person identify with their environment

Special Audio effects These are sounds that help alert players of things they may not be able to visually observe

Progression and Pacing Games that are over an hour in length should have some kind of progression. Having challenges too close together creates stress.

Designing the progression There are several features that should exhibit progression throughout the game. Mechanics Experience duration Ancillary rewards and environmental progression Practical gameplay rewards Difficulty Actions available to the player Story progression Character Growth

Pacing Designing the Pacing - First you must decide what genre you wish to design for. Vary the Pacing - The pacing in a game should vary a lot, from fast to slow. Overall Pace - Overall the pace should be on a gradual rise, and conclude with a boss battle

Tutorial Levels Games used to come with a manual, now they have tutorial levels Tutorial levels are early levels that teach the players to play Consider the following key Principles Introduce feature’s in an orderly fashion. Don’t make all the game’s features available at once If the interface is complex make more tutorial levels Highlight interface elements and explain with text Allow players to repeat tutorials

The Level Design Process Overall level design is an iterative process There is a strong relationship between level designers and art team The other relationships are important, but not clearly scheduled

Some Duties and Terminology As the size of projects go up level designers now require artwork and programming skills. Designers can use scripting language, to control behaviour during testing

Design to Level Design Handoff The game designers will tell you the following: its setting, mood, key gameplay, and events What you look to create: Events that can be triggered by player action Props (objects) NPC’s

Planning Phase Has four phases: Gameplay Art Performance Code

Gameplay Layout Areas devoted to major Challenge Pacing Termination Conditions Player start and end points NPC positions Elevations Secret areas Special event issues Landmarks

Gameplay Cont’d Destruction Storytelling Save Points

Art Determine the scope How big is the level Discover items that can be replicated, and ones that must be unique Create a list of textures

Performance Don’t build a world too big Talk to the programmers about limitations

Code Talk to programmers about special requests Identify coding problems you would like to tackle early, so that it goes smoothly later

Prototyping What you create in this phase is temporary models. Your prototyping should include: Basic geometry Temporary textures Temporary models of props Lighting Design Locations that trigger events

Level Review Once you have a working prototype, you will want to review it with the following questions: Scale? Pacing? Placement of objects Performance issues? Other code issues? Aesthetics?

Level Refinement and Lock-Down Here is where you either refine your work, fine tune your work, or start over Now you lock the level design, so that no additional changes can be made

Level Design to art Handoff Now the artists use your blueprint (prototype) The artists require all your files If the artists haven’t seen the level review, give them a run down of the design They then do the real artwork and rigging

Art to Level Design Handoff and Review Content Integration Bug fixes User testing and tuning

Pitfalls of Level Design Here are some important mistakes to avoid: Getting the right scope Avoid conceptual non Sequiturs Make Atypical Levels Optional Don’t Show the player all the things at once Never lose sight of your audience

Getting The Right Scope Don’t try to build something too big Design within reason Design for the worst

Avoid Conceptual Non Sequiturs Avoid game features that make no sense This is because people will hold the same assumptions in the real world, in your game Games with non sequiturs reward those who already knew about their problems

Make Atypical levels Optional An atypical level is one with only one kind of challenge You should avoid doing these, or make them optional A large reason for making these optional, is that people may be bad at them

Don’t Show the Player Everything Always leave them wanting more If they face everything at once, the rest of the game will be boring Allow growth throughout your game

Never Lose Sight of Your Audience You decide the order and way in which your players face challenges Your personal circumstance should not affect the game