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Andrea Rosa

LEVEL DESIGN WORKSHOP

Five Principles of Good Level Design

During the years spent creating my own custom content, I've also had the privilege of playing many levels created by various skilled designers, and one thing I noticed is each of them had a totally different approach to level design, even though the basic content was often very similar: some had a logical, almost robotic approach to constructing levels, whereas others just threw as many ideas at the wall as possible, in the hope that something would stick. Whilst each approach has its advantages, it occurred to me that there must be a way of formalising the core elements of Good Level Design in order to create levels that are both logical and innovative. Here you have what I consider to be Five Principles of Good Level Design. Of course, there can be more, but I think that these are particularly relevant and should be always taken into consideration when creating custom content.

 

1. Good Level Design always surprises the player

Levels will have trouble being memorable without the sudden spike in intensity that comes from surprise, which doesn't necessarily have to be a big shock or a plot twist. At its core, surprise could be considered as a rapid surge in uncertainty which is the very essence of fun. In terms of Level Design, surprise could be a unique setting, a moment that teaches the player something new about a mechanic they've already been using for a while, turning the corner to see a stunning visual, unique terrain, or a radical change in gameplay. At this purpose, designers should not be afraid to take risks with their design choices: it's only through trying something unusual that a truly innovative and surprising experience can arise. The trick is knowing how to manage these risks, so picture the level in your mind and create a playable prototype as early as you can: you need to know if your crazy ideas will work, the rest will come almost by itself. Of course you also need a deep knowledge of the game you are designing for and its mechanics, including those hidden quirks that can be exploited to create unusual effects.

 

2. Good Level Design is fun to navigate

In most cases, the player's interaction with your level will be navigation, the process of actually traversing the level (this is especially true for 3D games, but it also applies to other kind of levels). Careful layout, lighting and visual cues should create a natural flow to the level that guides the player instinctively through it in an intuitive way. It is important to understand the difference between "intuitive" and "fun".  Whilst basic progress through the level should be effortless, navigational gameplay can also be used to create fun. It is entirely appropriate to hide areas from the player, to add depth and replayability through exploration, or to create areas where the player feels lost or confused, to create a sense of dramatic tension. If you are into 3D mapping, be sure to think in three dimensions when designing your level, and use verticality to keep the space interesting and fun to navigate.

 

3. Good Level Design tells the player what to do, but not how to do it

The player must never be in any doubt as to what their objective is. This clarity is typically created by simple, explicit, text-based objectives, dialogues, proper use of markers, and any other aids you may have. Your objectives should be visually distinct, using location, form, color, lighting and/or animation to make them clearly stand out from their surroundings. There is some fun to be had with more open-ended objectives. Compelling challenge can be created through obfuscation of the means to completing an objective, as long as the actual objective is clear. When possible, players should not be forced to use a singular technique to complete an objective: how they complete the challenges should be up to them, and players should not be excessively punished for improvising a solution to the designer's meticulously thought-through scenario. Something I like is to have a number of concurrent objectives, which can be completed in any order, with the reward for each one providing an advantage for subsequent objectives. This approach gives players power over the order in which they complete their tasks, creating an illusory feeling of control.

 

4. Good Level Design teaches the player new mechanics

A good level should either introduce a new mechanic, or put a twist on an old one to make the player re-evaluate his established paradigms. Often, a large part of the fun is generated by the learning, and subsequent mastery, of various mechanics. However, if players understand the pattern and master the mechanics too easily, they'll quickly become bored and stop playing. On a larger scale, this constant learning should be measured out across the entire game/campaign/levelpack, to make sure that each level delivers fresh gameplay, since variety is also a crucial factor in level design.

 

5. Good Level Design brings up emotions

Art is anything specifically created to provoke an emotional reaction: paintings, sculpture, photography, music, movies and videogames are all created to encourage some kind of emotional response in their recipient. The classical art form that is, perhaps, most analagous to Level Design is architecture, and architects have been messing with people's emotions for centuries. In fact, the player's desired emotional response to your level is so important, that it should always be the starting point of your design. From there, you can drill down and select which spatial metrics, narrative elements and game mechanics can be used to best create that response. Want to create a feeling of persecution? Use an enemy AI that actively hunts the player. Want to create a feeling of exhilaration? Engage the player in a large-scale confrontation right from the beginning of the level. Want to create a feeling of desperation? Give players a time-limit and an almost insurmountable objective. All of these devices, and many more, have been used in levels with the express intention of eliciting an emotional response through the game's mechanics.

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