1. General Principles of Level Design

2. What is level design?
Process of constructing the experience that will be offered directly to the player, using components provided by the game designer.

3. Level designers create : The space in which the game takes place
- 2D or 3D modeling tool
- what features will be
The initial conditions of the level
- number of artificial opponents
- amount of any resource that the player controls
- where resources may be found

4. Set of the challenge the player will face
- many games offer challenges in a linear sequence
Termination condition
- characterized in terms of victory / loss
Interplay between the gameplay and story
- interweave gameplay and narrative events
Aesthetics and mood of the level
- decide how to implement art

5. Types of Design Principle
Universal Level Design Principle
aim at designing levels in any kind of game
Genre specific level Design Principle
focused on the design issues specific to the different genres

6. Universal Level Design Principle
Tutorial level
Make early levels that teach the player how to play →
Explains the game’s user interface, key challenges and actions
WOW

7. Key principles for tutorial level:
- Introduce the game’s feature in an orderly sequence
- Don’t make all the features available at once
- Introduce the information over three tutorial levels
- Highlight user interface elements
- Allow user to go back

8. Universal Level Design Principle
2. Vary the pacing
Pacing of a level refers to the frequency at which the player encounters individual challenges. →
A fast pace creates stress, offering challenges at a rapid rate
Flappy bird ←_←

9. In different Genre
- depend to a extend on the genre
Vary the pace
- alternate between fast and slow periods
- produce a more balanced game
- variety of ways
- easiest trough a linear space
- remain steady
- become more difficult as player near the end

10. Universal Level Design Principle
Provide more resource
When the player surmounts a challenge that consumes his resources, provide more resource →
The player should not face another demanding challenge immediately after the player surmount a challenge that costs him a lot of resources

11. Universal Level Design Principle
4. Avoid conceptual non sequiturs
Should build things that make sense →
Don’t put dangers or reward in places in which no sane person could possibly expect to find them
Cat Mario

12. Universal Level Design Principle
5. Short-term goal
Clearly inform the player of his short-term goal →
Should never leave your character wondering what to do next, the current or next short-term goal should be obvious

13. Universal Level Design Principle
Risk, rewards and the consequences of decisions
Be clear with risk, reward and then consequences of decisions →
Player should not necessarily know every detail of what consequences his decisions will produce, the player should be able to make a reasonable guess based on the context.

14. Universal Level Design Principle
Reward
Skills, imagination, intelligence and dedication distinguish a good player. Good players deserve to be rewarded →
Many forms:
Power up, other resource, shortcuts through level, secret levels, mini games, etc.

15. Universal Level Design Principle
8. Reward in a large way, punish in a small way
Primary objective is to give players an enjoyable experience. Build more rewards in to level than punishments

16. Universal Level Design Principle
9. Purpose of an artificial opponent
The purpose of an artificial opponent is to put up a good fight and then lose →
Design level so that the player will get better and better at overcoming the challenges until he succeeds at all of them

17. Universal Level Design Principle
Multiple difficulty setting
Accessible to a wider audience by allowing them to switch the difficulty of your game to easy, normal or hard setting →
Be able to tweak the numbers to adjust the difficulty to accommodate the player’s preference

18. Genre Specific Level Design
Action game vary the pace
Diablo Ⅲ

19. Genre Specific Level Design
Strategy games reward planning
Medieval 2 Total War

20. Genre Specific Level Design
Role-playing Games offer opportunities for character growth and player self- expression
World of Warcraft

21. Genre Specific Level Design
Sports Game verisimilitude is vital
NBA 08

22. Genre Specific Level Design
Vehicle Simulations reward skillful maneuvering
V-drift

23. Genre Specific Level Design
Construction and Management Simulation offer an interesting variety of initial conditions and goals
The Sims

24. Genre Specific Level Design
Adventure Games construct challenges that harmonize with their locations and the story
Doctor Who: The adventure game

25. Genre Specific Level Design
Artificial Life Games create many interaction opportunities for the creatures in their environment
Dragon City

26. Genre Specific Level Design
Puzzle Games gives the player time to think
2048

27. Layout
Open layout
→ entirely unconstrained movement
→ corresponds to the outdoors, wander in any direction

28. Layouts
Linear layout
→ require the player to pass through one-way doors that actually prevent them from going back

29. Layouts Parallel layouts → a more modern variant of the linear layout
→ Not require the player pass through every path

30. Layouts
Ring layouts
→ In a ring layout, the path returns to its starting point
→ shortcuts that cut off a portion of the journey

31. Layouts Network Layouts
→ Spaces connect to other spaces in a variety of ways
→ Freedom about what path to take

32. Layouts Hub-and-Spoke Layouts
→ the player begins in a central hub that ordinarily does not present significant challenges or dangers.
→ Gives the player choice about where he goes

33. Layouts Combination Layouts → Combine aspects of each type of layout
→ Corresponds to the story structure of many large RPGs

34. Atmosphere Lighting Color palette Weather and atmosphere effects
Special visual effects
Music
Ambient audio
Special audio effects

35. Level Design Process Note on duties and terminology
- create levels for a game using a 3D graphics engine
Design to level design handoff
- generate features you want to appear in the level
create a rough overview map
Planning phase
- gameplay
- art
- performance
- code

36. Planning Phase Gameplay - layout - areas devoted to major challenges
- termination conditions
- resource placements
- player start and end points
- NPC positions and spawn points
- elevations
- secret areas
- special events issues
- landmarks
- destruction
- storytelling
- save points and checkpoints

37. Planning Phase scope : magnitude and complexity of the level
Art
scope : magnitude and complexity of the level
decide how much artwork it will need
Performance
performance of the programmers’ problem
Code
coding

38. Level Design Process Prototyping
- at least part of the game engine be running
Level review
- scale
- pacing
- placement of objects and triggers
- performance issues
- code issues
- aesthetics

39. Level Design Process Refinement and lock-down
- make refinement pass and lock the level design
Level design to art handoff
- build geometry, animations, and textures in real game
First art and rigging pass
- enter first art and rigging pass
Art to level design handoff and review
- conduct another review

40. Level Design Process - begin alpha testing Content integration
- assemble all the assets into the completed
Bug fixing
- test, look for the mistakes
User testing and tuning
- begin alpha testing

41. Pitfalls of Level Design
Get the scope right
Avoid conceptual Non Sequiturs
Make atypical level Optional
Don’t show the player everything at once
Never lose sight of your audience