Level design and devlopment part 1 introduction to level design

DISCIPLINE MINOR ELECTIVE AFT: 720 Credit: 3
Level design and development
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Course overview
Through this course students can learn and understand the fundamentals of level design and development.
CO1:: Identify the challenges and action at the heart of game play .
CO2:: Write a variety of useful game design documents.
CO3:: Understand the essentials of user experience design and how to define a game look and feel.
CO4:: Develop variety of level and environment according to genre.
CO5:: Develop appealing game characters and world that player wants to visit , including persistent worlds.
CO6:: Prepare game bible with GDD documents with some case studies.
Course outcomes Keywords
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Core topic
1. Introduction of game level design
2. Game writing
3. Paper work for game
4. The three CS
5. HUD design
6. Nut and bolts of mechanics
7. Player system

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1. Lecture
1.Introduction of game level design
Topic covered:
1. What is game and video game
2. History of video game
3. Game genre
4. Who makes this stuff?
5. It is all about idea
6. Level design introduction
7. Level design principles
8. Layouts
9. Level design process
10. Pitfalls of level design

So, let ’s take a basic question:
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1. Lecture
What is a game?

What is game?
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1. Lecture
Answer is:
A game is an activity that
• requires at least one player
• has rules
• has a victory condition

So, let ’s take an another basic question:
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1. Lecture
What is video a game?

What is game?
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1. Lecture
Answer is:
A video game is a game that is played on a video screen.

1. Brief history of video game
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1. Lecture

Brief history of video game
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1. Lecture
Playing hand ball may therefore seem like a
time - waster, but a time – waster becomes
a game when you add rules and an
objective. A rule may be to throw the ball
with your right hand and catch it with your
left, or to not drop the ball. A victory
condition could be that you have to catch
the ball ten times in a row. A failure state
would be if you violated any of the rules or
victory conditions. Once those criteria have
been met, you have created a game.
Illogically, while simple, hand ball was
enough of a game to inspire the creators of
one of the earliest video games: Tennis for
Two.

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1. Lecture
The 1950s. The dawn of television, 3 - D
movies, and rock ‘ n ’ roll. Video games were
invented in the 1950s too, only they were
played by a very few people on very large
computers. The first video game
programmers were students in the computer
labs of large universities like MIT and
employees of military facilities at
Brookhaven National Laboratories. Early
games like OXO (1952), Spacewar! (1962),
and Colossal Cave (1976) had very simple or
even no graphics at all. They were displayed
on very small black and white oscilloscope
screens.

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1. Lecture
After playing Spacewar! at the University of Utah ’ s computer lab, future Atari founders
Ted Dabney and Nolan Bushnell were inspired to create Computer Space, the first arcade
video game, in 1971. While (despite the name) the first arcade games could be found in
bars, arcades dedicated to video games began appearing by the late 1970s.

16th century
Nim game
In this game two players alternate
in their efforts to remove
matchsticks from a series of
matches.
The players decide how many
matches they remove.
In 1940 machine versions of Nim
game were released called
"Nimatron"
The Game Evolution
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Tic toc toe, 1952
A.S. Douglas wrote his PhD degree at
the University of Cambridge on
Human-Computer interaction.
Douglas created the first graphical
computer game - a version of Tic-Tac-
Toe..
The game was programmed on a
EDSAC vacuum-tube computer.
The EDSAC was the world's first
stored-program computer to operate
a regular computing service
The Game Evolution
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Tenic for two, 1958
Higinbotham, William
The Game Evolution
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Spacewar, 1962
Steave russhal
The Game Evolution
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Pong, 1972
Design by Allan Alcorn
Manufactured by Atari
The Game Evolution
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Pack man, 1980
Design by Toru Iwatani
Released by Namco
The Game Evolution
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Super mario bros, 1985
Design by Shigeru Miyamoto, Takashi Tezuka
Released by Nintendo
The Game Evolution
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Wolfenstein 3D, 1992
Design by id Software, John Romero, Tom Hall
Published by Apogee Software and FormGen
First-person shooter video game
The Game Evolution
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•1993: Day of the Tentacle
•1994: The Lion King
•1995: Command & Conquer
•1996: Tomb Raider
•1997: Gta
•1998: Half Life
•1999: Quake 3
•2000: Max Payne
•2001: Gta 3
•2002: Serious Sam: The First Encounter
•2003: Medal Of Honor Allied Assault
•2004: Half Life 2
•2005: World Of Warcraft
•2006: Need For Speed Most Wanted
•2007: Crysis
•2008: Assassin's Creed
•2009: Call Of Duty Modern Warfare 2
Class activity: Explore these games
The Game Evolution
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2. Game genre
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2. Lecture

Game genre
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1. Lecture
Over the years, gaming has splintered off
into many different genres and subgenres.
A game genre is used to describe the style
of particular gameplay.
1. Action: Games that require hand/eye
coordination to play. The action genre has
several subgenres:
Action adventure: This combination of
genres features an emphasis on item
collection and usage, puzzle solving, and
long term story related goals.
Examples: The Prince of Persia and Tomb
Raider series.

Game genre
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1. Lecture
Action arcade: Any game presented in the
style of early arcade games with an
emphasis on gameplay, scoring, and short
play time.
Examples: Dig Dug, Diner Dash.
Platformer: A platform game often features
a mascot character jumping (or swinging or
bouncing) through challenging “ platform ”
environments. Shooting and fighting may
also be involved. At one time, the platformer
was the most popular subgenre in gaming.
Examples: Nintendo ’ s Mario titles ( Super
Mario World, Mario 64, and Super Mario
Galaxy).

Game genre
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Stealth: An action game with an emphasis
on avoiding enemies rather than directly
fighting them.
Examples: the Metal Gear series and Thief:
The Dark Project.
Fighting: A game where two or more
opponents battle in arena settings. Fighting
games are distinguished from action games
for the depth of their player controls.
Examples: the Street Fighter series and
the Mortal Kombat series.

Game genre
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1. Lecture
2. Shooter: shooters focus primarily on firing projectiles at enemies. While fast- paced
and twitch (Snaked) oriented, like action games, this genre has evolved to include several
subgenres that are distinguished by their camera view:
First person shooter: A shooter as
seen from the player ’ s
perspective. The tighter camera
view is more limiting but more
personal than in a third person
shooter.
Examples: Quake, Team Fortress 2.

Game genre
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1. Lecture
Shoot em up: Shoot ‘ em ups (or shmups for
short) are arcade – style shooters where
players shoot large quantities of enemies
while avoiding hazards. The player ’ s avatar
in a shmup is usually a vehicle (such as a
spaceship) rather than a character. They can
be presented from several different camera
angles.
Examples: Space Invaders, the
Contra series.

Game genre
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1. Lecture
Third person shooter (TPS): A shooter
where the camera is placed further behind
the player, allowing for a partial or full view
of the player ’ s character and their
surroundings. Despite the wider view, the
emphasis on gameplay remains on shooting.
Examples: the Star Wars
Battlefront and Grand Theft Auto series.
3. Adventure: Adventure games focus on puzzle solving, and item collection and
inventory management. Early adventure games were solely text based.
Examples: Colossal Cave, the King ’ s Quest, and Leisure Suit Larry series.

Game genre
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1. Lecture
Graphical adventure: this subgenre has
players use a mouse or cursor to click to
uncover clues and navigate around.
Examples: Myst, Monkey Island, and the Sam
and Max series.
Role - playing game (RPG) this subgenre is
based on pen and paper role - playing games
like Dungeons and Dragons. Players choose a
character class and increase their statistical
abilities through combat, exploration, and
treasure finding. Characters can either be
specific characters or generic character
classes.
Examples: Star Wars: Knights of the Old
Republic and the Mass Effect series.

Game genre
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1. Lecture
Massively multiplayer online role - playing
game (MMORPG): an RPG that can support
hundreds of players together in one
environment. MMORPGs are known for
player vs player gameplay.
Examples: World of Warcraft, DC Universe
Online.
Survival/horror— players attempt to survive
a horror scenario with limited resources,
such as sparse ammunition.
Examples: the
Resident Evil series, the Silent Hill series.

More game genre
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4. Construction/management: this genre has players build and expand a location with
limited resources. They can be based on stories or “ toys. ” SimCity and Zoo Tycoon are
examples of this genre.
5. Life simulation: similar to the management genre, but revolving around building and
nurturing relationships with artificial life forms. The Sims and Princess Maker titles are
both life simulators.
• Pet simulation: based on the Tamagotchi digital pet pocket games, though often
now much expanded, pet simulators revolve around nurturing animals through
feeding and relationships. World of Zoo is an example of this.
6. Music/rhythm: the player tries to match a rhythm or beat to score points. They can be
as simple as the game Simon or as complex as Rock Band.

More game genre
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1. Lecture
7. Party: party games are specifically designed for multiple players and are based on
competitive play. More often than not, gameplay is presented in the minigame format.
Examples: Mario Party and Buzz!
8. Puzzle: puzzle games are based on logic and pattern completion. They can be slow,
methodical or use hand/eye coordination. Examples: The Incredible Machine or Tetris.
9. Sports: these are games based on athletic competitions, whether they are traditional
or extreme. It is common to see annual versions of these titles. Examples: the Madden
series, the Tony Hawk series.
• Sports management: rather than directly playing the sport, players manage
players or teams. Examples: the FIFA Manager series, the NFL Head Coach
series.

More game genre
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10. Strategy: from chess to Sid Meir ’ s Civilization, thinking and planning are the
hallmarks of strategy games. They take place in both historical and fictitious settings.
• Real time strategy (RTS): similar to turn - based games, these faster- paced games
focus on the “ four X ’ s ” : expansion, exploration, exploitation, and extermination. RTS
has become the dominant strategy subgenre. Examples: Command and Conquer series,
the Dawn of War series.
• Turn based: the slower pace of these games allows players time to think, providing
more opportunity for strategy to be employed. Examples: the X - Com series, the
Advance Wars series.
• Tower defense: a relatively new subgenre on PC and handheld systems where players
create automated projectile - shooting “ towers ” that keep enemies at bay. Examples:
Defense Grid: The Awakening, Lock ’ s Quest.

More game genre
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1. Lecture
11. Vehicle simulation: players simulate piloting/driving a vehicle, from a sports car to a
spaceship. Emphasis is placed on making the experience as “ real ” as possible.
Examples: Lunar Lander, Densha de Go! 64.
• Driving: players race and upgrade vehicles, from motorcycles to hovercrafts. Driving
games can be ultra - realistic experiences or more action oriented.
Examples: the Gran Turismo series, the NASCAR Racing series, Wave Race and SSX.
• Flying: players pilot aircraft either for the pleasure of flying as in the Microsoft Flight
Simulator series or into combat as seen in the Ace Combat and Blazing Angels series. You
can even fly into outer space as in Star fox and the X - Wing/TIE Fighter series.
Others: Adult games, serious games, advert games, and vehicular combat are other
classifications that fit within several games genre.

Who Makes this Stuff?
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1. Lecture
Video game teams that produce games are known as developers or development teams.
They are similar to a production team that makes a movie or TV show — several creative
people all working together to create entertainment. An average production team
includes numerous members.
1. Programmer: Using programming languages such as C++, C#, Python, Boo, Java and
other, a programmer writes the code that allows a games text and graphics to be
displayed, develops the control systems that allow a player to interact with the game,
creates the camera system that allows the player to view the game world, programs
the physics system that affects the player and game world, writes the AI system that
controls enemies and object scripting(Codes).
One programmer may work exclusively on tools to help team members build the game
more in better way .

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2. Artist: In the early days of video games, programmers created all a games art. Because
that early art was so blocky and crude, we now call placeholder game art “ programmer
art.
Just like with programming, video game art has become a specialized job.
• A concept artist uses both traditional medium and computers to draw game
characters, worlds, and enemies etc.
• Storyboard artists illustrate the games cinematics and sometimes elements of
gameplay design to be passed along to other artists and animators.
• 3D Modelers and environmental artists build characters and environments using
programs such as Maya and 3D Studio Max.
• Texture artists literally paint surfaces onto 3D models and locations.
• Visual effects artists create spectacular visual effects using a combination of
2 D and 3D art.

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• A user interface (UI) artist designs icons and elements that are used in the
games interface and HUD.
• Animators animate the player character and create cutscenes exactly like
they do in big budget animated movies.
• Technical artists help every artist on the team by doing a variety of tasks,
including rigging models to allow animators to move them and teaching fellow
artists the latest tools and technology.
• The art director supervises the work of all the artists while maintaining the
artistic vision for the entire project. Regardless of what kind of art position you
are interested in.
Make sure you study the basics and keep drawing!

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3. Designer: A game designer needs to possess many, many skills, least of which is to love
to play games. As a game designer, you should be able to tell the difference between
a good and bad game and, more importantly, communicate why.
Just like with programmers and artists, design is becoming a specialized profession.
• Level designers create paper maps, build “ grey box ” worlds using 3D programs,
and populate the levels with everything from enemies to treasure.
• System designers develop how the game elements relate to one another, whether
it is the games economy or technology tree.
• Scripters use tools to write code that allow things to happen within the game, from
springing a trap to choreographing a camera movement.
• Combat designers specialize in player vs enemy combat and “ balancing ” the
player ’ s experience
• creative director maintains the vision of the game while supervising the other
designers; often offering suggestions for improving their work.

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4. Producer: The producer ’ s responsibilities include hiring and building teams,
writing contracts, contributing to the game ’ s design, managing the team ’ s work
schedule, balancing the game ’ s budget, resolving disputes between creative and
programming leads, acting as the team representative to upper management and
publishers, coordinating the creation of outside resources such as art, music and
cutscenes, and arranging testing and localization. Producers are usually the first
team member on and the last team member off of a game ’ s production.
Because there are many things for a producer to do, often you will find assistant
and associate producers helping out with day to day tasks.

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5. Tester: While testers work long hours, work in cramped environments, and have
to play games to a degree that many would classify as mind - numbingly boring,
being a tester requires more skills than you may think.
A good tester has patience, persistence, and great communication skills to report
back any problems (or “bugs” ) they find in the game. It’s not a glamorous job,
but without testers, we would be plagued with games that crash upon loading,
have crappy cameras, broken combat systems, and unfair difficulty balances.
Quality assurance (or QA)16 is crucial to the successful completion of a game.
Publishers hold games to a rigorous standard of quality so the game that you buy
is (mostly) bug free.

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6. Composer: Music is extremely important to the gaming experience, and a
composer creates that music. Most modern composers create their music on a
keyboard, as they can be used to simulate any musical instrument.
As sound technology has improved, many composers have created actual “ live ”
and orchestral pieces; this requires a whole new set of skills, including conducting
an orchestra.
If you want to become a composer, then write some music, record it, and get your
samples into the hands of a game producer.
Writing music for games is somewhat different than writing music for movies.
Most game themes are either very short or have to repeat over and over again.
Being able to compose powerful and exciting music with these limitations in mind
will make your music more appealing than someone who just writes “ songs 17. ”

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7. Sound designer: Unlike a composer who creates the music for a game, the sound
designer creates all the sound effects that are used in a game.
Personally, I think sound design is a lot of fun. Games tend to come to life once
sound is added to them. That is why it is important to even have placeholder
sound effects.
However, a good sound designer needs to understand the game he is working on
and how to create sounds that help the player with the game.
A sound designer can make a sound effect sound happy, deadly, scary, or like a
big pile of treasure.

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8. Writer: However, a writer is not usually a full time team position. Most likely they
are a freelancer who is brought into the game ’ s production for one of the
following reasons:
• To rewrite the design team ’ s story into something that makes sense once
everyone on the team realizes that it is drivel.
• To write dialogue for the game characters and cutscenes once everyone on
the team realizes that writing good dialogue is actually hard to do.
• To make elements in the game clearer to understand, as in the case of
instructional or directional prompts.
• To write the games manual and any fictional support material, such as
character biographies, that will appear on the publisher ’ s website.
• To add some “ star power ” to the back of the box. This comes and goes
depending on how important the game industry is feeling about the worth of “
name writers ” at the time.

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9. Product manager: Much like a game producer, a product manager works with the
development team and manages them based on the agreed production schedule.
10. Creative manager: Creative managers are usually game designers or writers
who are working in publishing. Like product managers, a creative managers
involvement on a game can vary from publisher to publisher.
11. Art director: An art director is similar to a creative manager, but only deals
with the games art. Art directors can help a team create a visual style for their
game and take their game in directions that weren’t previously considered by the
team.
12. Technical director: A technical director comes from a programming
background. They review and recommend tools and software to teams to help
them work more
efficiently.

4.It is all
about idea
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4. Lecture

It is all about idea
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1. Lecture
Ideas: Where to Get Them and Where to Stick Them
The traditional way to get an idea is to get inspired. The good news is that a good
game idea can come from anywhere. Here is a list of things I do to get inspired. I
suggest you try them yourself the next time you need to come up with an idea.
1. Read something you normally wouldn't ’ t read
2. Take a walk, drive or shower
3. Attend a lecture
4. Play a game, preferably a bad one/random
5. Regardless of the above, follow your passion

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Inspirational Ideas
• Space Panic’ s (Universal, 1980) walking character climbed ladders and dug
holes to temporarily stun enemies.
• Donkey Kong (Nintendo, 1981) added jumping and a power- up that could
defeat enemies.
• Popeye (Nintendo, 1982) introduced moving collectables and environmental
mechanics that the player could interact with.
• Pitfall! (Activision, 1982) added alternate moves including vine – swinging and
hopping on alligators ’ heads.
• Mario Bros. (Nintendo, 1983) added a second player and enemies that could be
defeated by the player ’ s skill rather than just a power- up.
• Pac - Land (Namco, 1984) featured a world map, a variety of themed levels and
dynamic hazards.

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Inspirational Ideas
• Ghosts ‘ N ’ Goblins (Capcom, 1985) featured multiple weapons including
projectiles, health (in the form of armor that shattered off), and combatable “ boss
” monsters.
• Super Mario Bros. (Nintendo, 1985) launched a wave of imitators who were
inspired by its tight controls, whimsical environments, and creative level design.
• Dark Castle’ s (Silicon Beach Software, 1986) hero Duncan could “ hide ” from
enemies. It was also the first game where players didn't immediately die from
falling, but rather ended up in the dungeon.
• Mega Man (Capcom, 1987) introduced themed stages ending with similarly
themed bosses who possessed powers that could be gained by the player once
they were defeated.
• Crash Bandicoot (Universal, 1996) used 3 - D models and environments to
create the camera view called “ 2.5 - D.”
• Mario 64 (Nintendo, 1996) brought all of the gameplay of the Marioplatform

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Q:What do Gamers Want?
A: GAMERS WANT GOOD GAMES
Of course, there is no guarantee that your game will be good. While no one sets
out to make bad games, bad games still get made. You can lay the blame of a
bad game at the feet of a multitude of reasons, which we will be covering later on.
• As you are developing your idea, you need to know “ What audience is my game
for? ”
• You need to decide who your game idea is for: the casual or the hardcore player.
• You can rule out certain design decisions early on by setting the audience in
stone near the beginning of the idea development process.

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Don ’ t forget to ask this important question: “ What is the age of my
audience? ”
For example, an 8 - year- old kid wants to play a game that is made for a 10 -
year- old kid. A 10 - year- old kid wants to play a game that is made for a 13 -
year- old kid. A 13 - year- old kid wants to play a game that is made for an 18 year
old. Many kids aren’t interested in playing games directly targeting their age
range. If asked, they will tell you “ that ’ s a game for my little brother. ” Believe
me, in kid language, there is no greater put down!

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1. Lecture
When coming up with ideas, you have do to brainstorm. To brainstorm
properly, you need the following five things:
1. A working brain (if you have)
2. Something to write with
3. Something to write on
4. A place to work
5. Collaborators, preferably ones who also have working brains.

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Before you start brainstorming, you need to set some ground rules. First, there is
no such thing as a stupid or bad idea. Say yes to everything at this stage.
Make sure you collaborate with people from other disciplines than game design:
programmers, artists, testers, writers. The more diverse your brainstorming group
is the better9. People always surprise me with what they bring to the idea creation
process.
Think about all the things you want your game to be. Then write them down. Your
goal is to free associate an idea as far as it can go. Milk the idea completely.
When you have reached the ridiculous, then squeeze it once more and let it go.

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Breaking Writer ’ s Block
What do you do when the ideas won ’ t come? There ’ s no need to be ashamed.
Everyone gets creatively stopped up from time to time. Here are a few tricks to try
when you are dealing with writer ’ s block.
1. Narrow your focus: Maybe you are trying to think of too many things at once.
Tackle your problems one by one by making an outline or breaking things down
to a minute level if you have to. Give yourself a time line to complete each of
these tasks, but don ’ t take days. Try to get them done in hours.
2. Take a walk or exercise: Everyone knows the brain is fueled by blood. Don ’ t
let that blood coagulate in your butt; get outside and move around. When your
blood starts circulating again, the new ideas will be coming back in no time.

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1. Lecture
3. Deal with something else that may be
distracting you: Sometimes when I am stuck it is
because I am worrying about something else. It
may be an unfiled expense report or a floor that
needs vacuuming. Take a break and deal with
whatever is bothering you. When it is done, it won
’ t be a concern anymore!
4. Change your environment: I find that my office
is full of distractions. E - mail beckons, video
games call out to be played, and game design
documents flutter their little pages at me, begging
to be read. When this happens, I get out of my
office and go to the nearest conference room to
work. Or sometimes I go outside to sit in the sun
and get some
“ vitamin D. ”

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Universal Truths and Clever Ideas:
• All gamers want are good games.
• You have no guarantee that your game is going to be fun.
• Start with a “ fun ” idea. As you develop the game, remove the “ un - fun. ” All
that should be left is the fun.
• Don ’ t be so dear with your ideas. Throw out some good ideas along with the
bad if they don ’ t fit or have more than you need.
• Ideas are cheap, it ’ s how you use them that matters.
• If you ’ re stuck, take a break — but don ’ t procrastinate.

5. Level design introduction
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3. Lecture

Level design introduction
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1. Lecture
Level design is the process of constructing the experience
that the game offers directly to the player, using the
components provided by the game design: the characters,
challenges, actions, game world, core mechanics, and
storyline if there is one.
These components do not have to be completely finished in
order for level design to begin, but enough must be in place
for a level designer to have something to work with. In the
early part of the elaboration stage, the level designers work
to create a typical first playable level.

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1. Lecture
This level should not be the first one that the player
encounters because the first level in the game is atypical as
the player is still learning to play the game. Rather, it’s called
first playable because it’s the first one the level designers
create.
Creating a working first playable level is an important
milestone in the development of a game because it means
that testers can begin testing it. We will discuss this in future
session.

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1. Lecture
If you have ever found yourself admiring the environment of
a game or enjoying the way the game’s challenges keep you
guessing, you are appreciating the work of that game’s level
designer.
The level designer creates not only the space in which the
game takes place—its furnishings and backgrounds—but
also the player’s moment-by-moment experience of the
game, and much of its emotional context.

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Successful level designers draw on fundamental design
principles that apply to any kind of game, such as ensuring
the player always knows his short-term goals and the
consequences of risks, as well as design principles specific
to the type of game being designed.
Level designers work closely with the game designer to
make sure layouts are appropriate for the storyline and to
achieve the atmosphere and pacing required to keep players
engaged in the game world.

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Level design will not be a quick and easy process if you do it right.
The final section details problems to avoid in the level design
process, including the key directive to never lose sight of your
audience.
Design Components and Processes described level design as the
process of constructing the experience that will be offered directly
to the player, using components provided by the game designer.
Note that the terms game designer and level designer are not
interchangeable but refer to separate roles that, on larger
development teams, are almost always played by different
members of the team.

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1. Lecture
Level designers create the following essential parts of the player’s
experience:
1. The space in which the game takes place, If the game includes a simulated
space, as most do, then level design includes creating that space using a 2D or
3D modeling tool. While game designers determine what kinds of things will be in
the game world, level designers determine precisely what features will be in each
level of the game world and where these features will be. Level designers take
the game designer’s general plans for levels and make them specific and
implement.
2. The initial conditions of the level, including the state of various changeable
features the number of artificial opponents the player faces, the amounts of any
resources that the player controls at the beginning of the level, and the location of
resources that may be found in the landscape.

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3. The set of challenges the player will face within the level, Many games
offer challenges in a linear sequence; if so, level designers determine what that
sequence will be, construct a suitable space, and place the challenges within it. In
other games, the challenges may be approached in a number of different possible
sequences or any order at all; see the later sections “Layouts” and “Progression
and Pacing” for further discussion.
4. The termination conditions of the level, ordinarily characterized in terms of
victory and/or loss. In many games, levels can only be won but not lost, and in a
few, such as the default mode in SimCity, levels can only be lost and never won.
5. The interplay between the gameplay and the game’s story, if any. The
writer of the story must work closely with the level designer to interweave
gameplay and narrative events.

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6. The aesthetics and mood of the level: Whereas the game designer and art director
specify the overall tone of a level and artists create the specific models and textures,
level designers take the general specifications and decide how to implement those plans.
If the plan says, “Level 13 will be a scary haunted house,” the level designers decide what
kind of a house and how to make it feel scary and haunted.
Level designers normally construct all these parts using tools created specifically
for the purpose. Some games, including Warcraft III and Half-Life 2, actually ship
their level design tools along with the game, so players can expand and
customize the game world; if you own one of these games, you can practice level
design by using those tools.

Level design examples
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1.
Ravenholm
(Half-Life 2)

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1. Ravenholm (Half-Life 2)
Ravenholm is an expansive environment, but the level designers do an excellent
job of quarantining the action, maintaining a sense of cohesion, and keeping the
player moving forward. Throughout, enemies are used cheaply but effectively,
pushing the player onward through the town, maintaining a crucial sense of
urgency, itself emphasized by the tight corridors, winding streets and branching
pathways, most of which lead to disaster.
Visually, Ravenholm is incredibly memorable, but it’s the layout and structure of the town
that cement its status as a standout location from the series, controlling the player’s
movements through the otherwise cluttered environment, dragging them towards the
relative safety of a distant graveyard.

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2. The Undead Burg (Dark
Souls)
Dark Souls is positively
packed with memorable
locations – from Blight
Town to Sen’s Fortress –
but, only a handful could
be considered genuinely
well designed, despite
their inherent visual
appeal.

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By comparison, The Undead Burg
– one of the earliest locations in
the game – is varied without
seeming overcomplicated,
connecting several separate
locations into a unified whole,
gradually unfolding as the player
circles backwards numerous
times, lowering ladders and
opening passageways to create
further cohesion.
Moreover, there are secrets to discover and multiple levels to explore, each of which circles
back to the central hub, creating a nice sense of structure. Visually, it isn’t as unique, but
instead designed with far greater variation and spatial arrangement.

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3. Tallon IV (Metroid Prime)
Metroid Prime – the fifth
instalment in the franchise –
is a first-person adventure,
merging exploration and
shooting to create something
utterly unique. In the game,
players assume the role of
Samus Aran – a bounty-
hunter tasked with
preventing a merciless pirate
organization from performing
genetic experiments on the
surface of Tallon IV.

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The planet – much
more than a simple
setting – gradually
expands as the player
uncovers new abilities,
allowing them to
advance through
previously restricted
areas as they gain
greater access to their
surroundings.
Consequently, the
entire game is expertly
designed, the player
growing accustomed
to the various
locations as they
backtrack through
certain areas,
uncovering secrets as
the initially restrictive
landscape expands
exponentially.
It also contributes to other aspects of the
gameplay, requiring the player to
reconsider the manner by which they
traverse each section, both horizontally
and vertically, emphasizing again a sense
of adventure and discovery.

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4. Snow peak Ruins (Legend Of Zelda: Twilight
Princess) Twilight Princess is arguably a
disappointment in terms of
story and gameplay
(according to some, at least),
but it’s elevated by the
quality of its dungeons,
several of which rank among
the best in the series.

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In particular, Snow peak Ruins – a
manor located on the peak of a
descending gorge – is among the
most memorable, consisting of
three floors, numerous smaller
locations restricted by ice, several
variations of enemies, and a master
bedroom on the third floor.
What’s especially great about the dungeon –
besides its excellent level design – is that it’s
structured to tell a story. Throughout, you’re
guided through the various rooms by a couple of
yetis who happen to reside in the mansion – an
ageing couple forced to occupy only a small
portion of their original home.
As you progress, uncovering more of the dungeon
in the process, you become gradually acquainted
with them, as well as their personal backstories. In
this respect, the dungeon – packed with puzzles
and enemies – is more than a simple challenge, but
an exploration of two very specific characters, and
is subsequently designed with those particular
characters in mind.

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5. The Haunted
Cathedral (Thief 2)

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Incredibly innovative, the Thief series was one of the earliest stealth franchises to utilizes
light/shadow as a central gameplay mechanic, forcing the player to alternate their tactics
depending on each situation. In particular, Thief 2 took things to whole new direction,
presenting the player with numerous, sprawling environments with multiple possible
solutions, and tasking them with determining their own course of action, though stealth
is prioritized.
The Haunted Cathedral is a standout example of excellent level design – a complicated,
open-ended environment, plastered with shadows for concealment purposes, as well as
patrols to keep things interesting. It’s also one of the most varied stages in the game,
requiring the player to venture beyond their comfort zone.
In particular, the interior sections should be handled with caution, forcing the players
from the shadows in favor of the light, exposing them to potential dangers, but rewarding
them with excess plunder for their troubles.

6. Level design key Principles
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Level design key Principles
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Two types of level design principles will help you design a level: universal level design
principles aimed at designing levels in any kind of game, and genre-specific level design
principles, which focus on design issues specific to the different genres.
1. UNIVERSAL LEVEL DESIGN PRINCIPLES
Level designers have for some time tried to define a set of principles to guide the level
design process so that new games will avoid the errors of older ones. Considerable
debate surrounds this issue, because not everyone agrees on which, if any, principle is
truly universal. Examining the important principles constitutes a valuable exercise in any
case. Some principles apply as much to game design generally as they do specifically to
level design, but because the level designer constructs the play environment and sets the
challenges.

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1. Avoid conceptual non consequence(result) . Unless your level is either intentionally
surreal or meant to be funny, you shouldn’t build elements that make no sense, such as
rooms accessible only via ventilation shafts. Even more important, don’t put dangers or
rewards in places in which no sane person could possibly expect to find them.
2. Clearly inform the player short-term goals. At any given time, the player is working to
achieve a whole hierarchy of challenges, from the overall victory condition of the game
down to the problem occupying his attention (How do I get across this chasm?) at the
immediate moment.
While you do not always have to tell the player exactly what he needs to do to win (he
may have to discover the long-term goal through exploration or observation), you should
never leave him wondering what to do next; the current or next short-term goal should
be obvious present.

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3. Be clear about risks, rewards, and the consequences of decisions:
When facing a challenge, the player should always have some idea of the benefits of
success and the price of failure or, if the player has to make a decision, the likely
consequences associated with his options. Old video games used to implement a learn by
dying approach, which gave players no means of knowing what elements of the game
world were dangerous and what weren’t, so the avatars died repeatedly as the players
learned. Industry professionals now consider this extremely bad design practice.
Although the player should not necessarily know every detail of what consequences his
decisions will produce, he should be able to make a reasonable guess based on the
context in which you present the decision. If you give him a doorknob, it should open the
door. It may also release a giant killer robo-camel into the room, but it should open the
door first.

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4. Reward the player for skill, imagination, intelligence, and dedication: These four
qualities distinguish a good player, and good players deserve to be rewarded. You may
create rewards in many forms: powerups and other resources, shortcuts through the
level, secret levels, minigames, cut-scenes and other narrative material, or simple praise.
Players like to be told when they’ve done a good job.
5. Reward in a large way, punish in a small way, or to use an old adage you catch more
flies with honey than vinegar. The hope of success motivates players more than the fear
of failure does. If a game repeatedly smacks them down hard, players will become
discouraged and abandon the game with a feeling that they’re being abused. Don’t forget
that the duty to empathize is one of the obligations of player-centric game design: Your
primary objective is to give players an enjoyable experience. Build more rewards into
your level than punishments.

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6. The foreground takes place over the background. Design the visual appearance of
your level so that the player’s attention is naturally drawn to his immediate surroundings.
Don’t make the background so complex that it distracts the player. Spend more of your
machine’s limited resources (polygons, memory, CPU time) on foreground objects than
on background ones.
7. The purpose of an artificial opponent is to put up a good fight and then lose. Design
your level so that the player will get better and better at overcoming the challenges until
he succeeds at all of them.
In a multiplayer competitive game, the skill and luck of the players decide who wins, but
in a single-player game, you always want the player to win eventually, and it’s up to you
to make sure that happens. An unbeatable level is a badly designed level.

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8. Implement multiple difficulty settings if possible. Make your game accessible to a
wider audience by allowing them to switch the difficulty of your game to easy, normal, or
hard settings. In games with an internal economy, you should be able to tweak the
numbers to adjust the difficulty to accommodate the player’s preference.
2. GENRE-SPECIFIC LEVEL DESIGN PRINCIPLES
ACTION GAMES
Vary the pace(steps). Action games put more stress on the player than any other genre
does, so the universal principle vary the pace applies more strongly to action games than
to other genres; that is why it is the most important genre-specific principle as well.
Players must be able to rest, both physically and mentally, between bouts of high-speed
action.

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STRATEGY GAMES
Reward planning. Strategic thinking means planning—anticipating an opponent’s moves
and preparing a defense, as well as planning attacks and considering an opponent’s possible
defensive moves. Design levels that reward planning. Give players defensible locations to
build in and important positions to attack from, but let the players discover these places for
themselves.
ROLE-PLAYING GAMES
Offer opportunities for character growth and player self-expression. Character growth is a
major player goal in any RPG; some players consider it even more important than victory.
Every level should provide opportunities to achieve character growth by whatever means
the game rewards—combat, puzzle-solving, trade, and so on. RPGs also entertain by
allowing players to express themselves; that is, to role play. Every level should include
opportunities for the player to make decisions that reflect the player’s persona in the game.

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SPORTS GAMES
Naturalism is vital. Sports games, while not ordinarily broken into levels in the usual sense,
consist of individual matches played in different stadiums or courses with different teams or
athletes, so you can think of each match played as a level.
• Level designers design the stadiums and sometimes the teams and athletes. More than in
any other genre, players of sports games value a close relationship between the video
game and the real world.
• The simulation of match play must be completely convincing; try to model each team and
each stadium as closely as possible to the real thing—which includes not only
appearances but the performance characteristics of the athletes and the coaching
strategies of the teams.

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VEHICLE SIMULATIONS
Reward skillful manipulate. All vehicle simulations offer steering a vehicle as the primary
player activity and steering well, often in adverse circumstances, as the primary
challenge. Construct levels that test the player’s skill at manipulate his vehicle and reward
him for his Skill. Other challenges, such as shooting or exploring, should be secondary.
CONSTRUCTION AND MANAGEMENT SIMULATIONS
Offer an interesting variety of initial conditions and goals. Most construction and
management simulations (CMS) start the player with an empty space and let her build
whatever they likes within the constraints of the game’s internal economy. In such games,
you won’t need to do much level design. However, a CMS can also offer the player an
existing or partial construction and let player continue working from there, often with a
goal to achieve within a certain time limit.

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ADVENTURE GAMES
Construct challenges that harmonize with their locations and the story. Adventure
games offer much of their entertainment through exploration and puzzle- solving.
Designers set different chapters of an adventure game in different locations or
landscapes to add newness and interest to the experience.
Create challenges that harmonize with the current level and with the current events in
the story. In a room full of machinery, the challenges should involve machines; on a farm,
the challenges should involve farm animals or implements. This principle applies to some
extent to any game, but because story is so important in adventure games, the principle
is especially important for that genre.

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ARTIFICIAL LIFE GAMES
Create many interaction opportunities for the creatures in their environment. Much of the
enjoyment in playing an artificial life (A-life) game comes from watching the simulated creatures in
the game and giving them things to do within their environment. The level designer for an A-life
game, then, needs to create interaction opportunities. The game should also offer many
opportunities for the player to interact with the creatures as well, but generally the game designer,
not the level designer, specifies these.
PUZZLE GAMES
Give the player time to think. Puzzle-solving is problem-solving, and it knows no timetable. Few
players enjoy being forced to solve puzzles under time pressure. (Tetris, a famous exception, at least
lets the player pause the game.) You may not be able to offer the player multiple difficulty levels due
to the complexity of balancing puzzle games. which is another reason that time to think becomes
important. Either create puzzles that give the player complete freedom to think things through
before acting or allow him to pause the game and study the screen for awhile.

7. Level design layouts
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Level design layouts
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For games that involve travel, especially avatar-based games, the layout of the space
significantly affects the player’s perception of the experience. Over the years, a few
common patterns have emerged, which this section introduces in simplified form. You
should not hesitate to create any layout that your game needs.
1. Open Layouts
In an open layout, the player benefits from almost entirely unconstrained movement. An
open layout corresponds to the outdoors, with an avatar in principle free to wander in
any direction at any time. Even levels with open layouts, however, may include a few
small regions that cannot be entered without difficulty or can be entered by only a single
path (such as passing through a door into a building). War games make extensive use of
open layouts, Battlefield 1942 being a particularly successful example. Role-playing
games offer open layouts while the player goes adventuring outdoors, but they typically
switch to network or combination layouts (described later) when the party goes indoors
or underground.

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2. Linear Layouts
• A linear layout requires the player to
experience the game’s spaces in a fixed
sequence with no side corridors or
branches.
• It does not mean that the spaces are
actually arranged in a line (see figure 7.1)
• A player following a linear path can move
only to the next area or to the previous
area and does not have to make any
decisions about where to go next.
Figure 7.1

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• A game in which all levels use linear layouts
is often said to be on rails because, like a
train on a track, the traveler goes wherever
the predefined route takes her. Ordinarily,
the player has no reason to go backward in
a linear layout (see figure 7.1) unless she
forgot to pick up something that she needs.
• Linear layouts often require players to pass
through one-way doors that actually
prevent them from going back, so long as
they have collected everything they need to
go on.
Figure 7.1
Be sure you don’t lock a player out of a region that contains an item essential to player later
progress—an elementary level design error.

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• Linear layouts naturally work well with linear stories; if your game features such a
story, you might consider such a layout.
• Traditional for side-scrolling action games and rail-shooters, the linear layout is
otherwise uncommon nowadays. Today’s designers tend to favor the parallel layout.
Figure 7.1

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3. Parallel Layouts
• A parallel layout like a modern variant of
the linear like a layout resembles a
railroad switchyard with lots of parallel
tracks and the means forth player to
switch from one track to another at
intervals.
• The player passes through the level from
one end to another but may take a
variety of paths to get there. See Figure
7.2 for a much simplified illustration.
Figure 7.2

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• Even though the parallel layout does not
require players to pass through every
available path, most players search them
all anyway if the game lets them do so.
• One path may offer a greater risk and
therefore a greater reward, while another
path may give the player greater insights
into the storyline.
• You can easily construct a parallel layout
to reflect a foldback story structure. That
will be cover in writing session.
Figure 7.2

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• You can also use parallel paths to provide
shortcuts that let a player bypass
particularly difficult challenges that lie on
the more obvious path.
If you do so, you may want to hide the
entrance to the shortcut so only a
particularly dedicated explorer will find it.
When you create a hidden entrance, you
must provide some clue, however subtle,
that it is there. Otherwise, finding it
becomes a trial-and-error challenge, a sign
of bad design.
Figure 7.2

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4. Ring Layouts
• In a ring layout, the path
returns to its starting
point, although you may
include shortcuts that cut
off a portion of the
journey (see Figure 12.3).
Figure 7.3
• Designers mainly use ring
layouts for racing games,
in which players pass
through the same space a
number of times, facing
challenges from the
environment and each
other along the way.
• Shortcuts require less time but should be proportionately more difficult than the
regular route; balancing this will be a big part of the level designer’s job.
• Rings do not necessarily look like circles. Oval tracks or twisting road-racing tracks
qualify as rings.

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5. Network Layouts
• Spaces in a network layout connect to other
spaces in a variety of ways. Figure 7. 4
shows a simple example.
• A large network poses a considerable
exploration challenge; just learning the way
around made up a significant part of the
gameplay in old text adventure games.
Figure 7.4

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This doesn’t mean that you can’t tell stories, only that your stories have to tolerate the
player experiencing events in any sequence. To
enforce some sequence, use a combination layout, described in the later section
“Combinations of Layouts.”
• In a network with a small number of major spaces, every space may be connected to
every other space for maximum freedom of movement. This arrangement poses little
exploration challenge to the player but makes an ideal fighting ground for deathmatch
contests in games such as Quake because there are no choke points.
• Enemies may enter and exit in several directions, which prevents a player from
guarding one particular location indefinitely.

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6. Hub and spoke Layouts
• In the hub-and-spoke layout, the player
begins in a central hub that ordinarily
doesn't present significant challenges or
dangers. As such, it serves as a place of
comfort or safety, a base to which to
return.
• To explore the rest of the world, the
player follows a linear path out from the
hub and then returns back to the hub on
the same path (see Figure 7.5).
Figure 7.5

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• The return journey either should be
quick—because the player covers old
ground during the return—or should
offer new opportunities for gameplay and
new rewards as the player comes back.
Normally you would also put a major
challenge and a major reward at the
outer end of the spoke.
• This layout gives the player some choice
about where he goes, which many players
appreciate.
Figure 7.5
• The Spyro the Dragon games use a hub-and-spoke plan. The games include several hubs,
called home worlds, each of which is the center of its level. Various spokes lead off from
the hubs to areas with different themes.

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7. Combination of Layouts
• Many layouts combine aspects of each type
of layout, providing, for instance,
networked spaces to accomplish tasks
within a larger linear framework.
• The layout in Figure 7.6 corresponds to the
story structure of many large RPGs, which
tend to offer one major story arc and a
large number of subplots or quests.
Figure 7.6
Adventure games quite often use a combination structure too, letting players do
considerable exploration in one area before moving on to another.

7. Layout practice session
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Level design layouts practice
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Class Task: According to yesterday class session and learning create a graphical layout for
game level and present in the class session.

8. The Level Design Process
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The Level Design Process
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Till now that you have learned the general principles of level design and layouts, let’s
turn to the process. Level design takes place during the elaboration stage of game design
and, like the overall game design, is an iterative process. At points during the procedure,
the level designers should show the work-in-progress to other members of the team or
analysis and commentary. Early input from artists, programmers, and other designers
prevents you from wasting time on overly complex levels, asking for features the
programmers cannot implement, or making demands for artwork that the artists don’t
have time to meet.
Duties and Terminology
• The nature of a level designer’s job varies considerably depending on both the genre
of the game and the technology that implements it.
• A few years ago, level designers were not expected to possess either art or
programming skills.

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• As the size and complexity of games has increased, so has the size and complexity of
the level designer’s job also.
• In modern 3D games, level designers often use 3D modeling tools to construct
temporary—and sometimes even final—artwork to go into a game.
• games now often include scripting engines that allow level designers to write small
programs, or scripts, that control some aspects of the behavior of the level during
play.
• If you are making a 2D game, where it refers to models, think in terms of their 2D
equivalents: sprites (2D art and animation) for movable objects and the background (a
2D painting, often made up of interchangeable rectangular tiles) for the landscape.

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Design to Level Design Handover:
In the first stage, the game designers will tell you in a general way what they want for the
level: its setting, mood, key gameplay activities, and events. You should then generate a
list of features you want to appear in the level:
• Events that can be triggered by player action
• Props (objects that will be present in the level)
• Nonplayer characters (NPCs)
Figure 8.1 Rough level sketch for a driving game showing key features.

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Design to Level Design
Handover:
At this point you also create a
rough overview map of the
level, showing how the
landscape varies and what
props and NPCs will be in
which areas. See Figure 12.7
for an example from an
unproduced driving game by
Pseudo Interactive, set on
islands inhabited by
dinosaurs.
Figure 8.1 Rough level sketch for a driving game showing key features.

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Planning Phase
Use pencil and paper to work out the sequence of events: both what you expect the
player(s) to do and how the game will respond. Begin to document your decisions in the
following key areas: gameplay, art, performance, and code requirements.
GAMEPLAY
As you plan the gameplay for your level, you will need to consider all the following issues:
Layout (discussed extensively in the “Layouts” section earlier). Where can the player-
controlled characters (avatar, party, or units) go and where can they not go? What paths
can they use to get there? Many parts of your level may be cosmetic: The player can see
them but cannot reach them.

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Areas devoted to major challenges. Which areas carry strategic importance? Which will
offer the biggest challenges? If the game involves combat, where would you like it to
occur?
Pacing: How will the intensity of action vary throughout the level? Where will
the key events and the rest periods occur?
Termination conditions: How does the player win or lose the level?
Resource placements: Are depots of weapons, health points, powerups, or any other
resources hidden in the environment? Where? What resources, and how much?
Player start and end points: Do the player-controlled characters begin the level at one or
more specific locations? Where? Do the characters end at one or more locations?
Where?

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NPC positions and spawn points: If NPCs—whether enemies, friends, or neutrals appear
in the level, where are they initially positioned? Can they suddenly appear in the level at
a specific location or spawn point during play? Where?
Elevations: How much vertical movement does the level permit, and how does that
affect play? Higher elevations naturally allow the player to see farther in first hand third-
person perspectives; will this cause problems or constitute a positive feature of your
level?
Secret areas: Do you plan to incorporate hidden areas or secret shortcuts? Where will
they be, and what clues will be available to suggest they might be present?
Special event issues: What special events, unique to this level, can occur? Where will
they occur? What will set them off? How do the special events reflect the setting and
tone of the level?

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Landmarks: How does the player find her way around? How can she tell where she is?
Establishing major landmarks will help her out.
Destruction: Can any part of the level be destroyed or its landscape radically altered?
Where does this happen and what causes it? How does it affect the gameplay? Does it
have the potential to introduce anomalies, such as enemies who wander off the edge of
the world and never return?
Storytelling: How does the sequence of events the player experiences integrate with the
game’s story? Which events are dramatically meaningful and which are not? Where and
when do you want cut-scenes or other narrative events to occur?
Save points and checkpoints: Does the level include save points or checkpoints? Where?
In games in which the player fails frequently and has to reload, positioning the save
points is a critically important part of balancing the game.

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ART
In the art planning phase, you determine the scope of your level and decide how much
artwork it will need. Scope refers to the magnitude and complexity of the level, both in
terms of the number of objects and characters that it contains and the special events
that it includes. You can make a serious error by choosing too large a scope, because if
you overload your art staff, you may never get the level finished at all.
You already have your sketch and a general idea of what the environment will be like,
whether on the sea floor, in outer space, or inside an anthill.
• First decide on the scale of the level: How big will this level be in the game world’s
units of measure? This will help you to determine just how many other features the
level needs.

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• In almost every genre, if you’ve balanced the challenges correctly, the size of the level
is directly proportional to the length of time that it takes the player to play through
that level, so the scale you choose will, in a rough way, determine how much
gameplay you can offer.
• Next, start thinking about the kinds of objects that should be present in the level. Do
research at the library or on the Internet for visual reference material to give you
inspiration. Count the number of unique types of props that the level will require and
plan in a general way where to put them.
• Create a list of textures that the level will probably need. In an office, you may need
tiles for the floor coverings, wood or metal for the desks, fabric for the chairs, and so
on.
• Decide on the visual appearance of any special effects that the artists will have to
implement.

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PERFORMANCE
You normally think of performance as the programmers’ problem, but it’s up to the level
designer not to build a world that down grade the machine. You will need to sit down
with the programmers and set some boundaries.
• How complex can the geometry be?
• How far into the distance will the graphics engine be able to render objects?
• How many autonomously moving units or creatures can the game support at one
time?
Know your machine’s limitations as you plan your level.

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CODE
Finally, as part of the planning process, identify specific requests that you intend to make
of the programmers for features unique to this level.
These may take the form of special events (sometimes called gags) that require coding,
unique NPCs who appear only in this level but need their own behavior model and
artificial intelligence, or special development tools you may require in order to build and
test the level effectively.
The more of these special coding problems you identify during planning and can discuss
with the programmers in advance, the more likely that implementation will go smoothly.

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PROTOTYPING
In this stage, you will build a prototype of the level. Much of this work will consist of
using a 3D modeling tool to construct temporary models of the landscape and objects
that can appear within it. The models you create will not end up in the game but will
serve as blueprints from which the art team will create the final artwork.
The prototyping phase requires that at least part of the game engine be running so that
you can load the model into it and test it. Your prototype should include such features as:
• The basic geometry (physical shape) of the game world created in a 3D modeling tool.
If it’s a 2D world, the prototype should show the layout of the 2D landscape.
• Temporary textures to place on the geometry to give it a surface. These will eventually
be replaced by final textures created by the artists.

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• Temporary models of props (trees, furniture, buildings, and so on) and NPCs that will
appear in the level, so you can put them where they belong in the landscape.
• Paths planned for AI-driven NPCs—where they travel within the level.
• A lighting design for the level.
• The locations of trigger points for key events. Placing these triggers and documenting
what sets them off is referred to as rigging.
• In some cases, you may be able to use final audio effects in your prototype; that is,
the sound effects that will actually end up in the game. If those are not yet available
from the audio team, use temporary sound effects and note that they will need to be
replaced later.

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LEVEL REVIEW
At this point, you have a working prototype of the level; if the programmers have the
game engine running, you should be able to play your level in a rudimentary way. Hold a
level review, inviting members of the design, art, programming, audio, and testing teams
to get their feedback. Each should examine your prototype for potential problems that
may come up in his own field when he is working on the real thing. The issues that the
level review should address include these:
• Scale. Is the level the right size? Will it take too much or too little time to play
through?
• Pacing. Does the flow of events feel right?
• Placement of objects and triggers. Are things where they need to be to make the
level play smoothly and produce the experience you want?

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• Performance issues. Is the level too complicated for the machine’s processor to
handle? The programmers should be able to flag any potential problems.
• Other code issues. Does the level call for software that represents a problem for the
programmers? For example, a unique NPC that appears only in this level still needs its
own AI; will this be an issue?
• Aesthetics. Is the level attractive and enjoyable to inhabit? Because the prototype
uses temporary geometry and textures, a certain amount of imagination will be called
for here.

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LEVEL REFINEMENT AND LOCK-DOWN
After the level review, take the feedback you’ve received and refine the prototype,
correcting any problems and implementing any new decisions made in the course of the
review.
This can require any amount of work from tuning a few numbers to scrapping the entire
design and starting over from scratch.
When you think you’ve got it right, hold another review and make another refinement
pass. Continue this process until everyone agrees (or the person in charge agrees) that
the level is ready to go into full production.
At this point, lock the level design. Once a level is designated as locked, no additions or
changes may be made except if grave problems are discovered.

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LEVEL DESIGN TO ART HANDOFF
With the level locked, it’s time to hand off your prototype and all your design work to the
artists who will use it as a blueprint to build the geometry, animations, and textures that
will end up in the real game.
The art director will create a task list to construct all the content the level requires:
models, textures, animations, special visual effects, and so on.
If your prototype has been relying on placeholder audio, at this point you will also need
to provide details to the audio team about what the level will need in the way of final
audio.
Notify the programmers about any special code that is required for the level at this point
so they can have it ready for the content integration stage. (Content refers to the non-
software part of the game: artwork, audio, movies, and text.)

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FIRST ART AND RIGGING PASS
The project now enters the first art and rigging pass, during which the art team builds the
real artwork and rigging. You may be working on other levels at the same time, but you
should also stay in close touch with the art team because they will undoubtedly have
questions. It may also be your responsibility to incorporate the content they create into
the software, to make sure that it all works.
ART TO LEVEL DESIGN HANDOFF AND REVIEW
When the art team finishes the final artwork, the artists hand all their work back to you,
and you should conduct another review. This will highlight any problems or errors with
the artwork that need correcting.

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CONTENT INTEGRATION
At this point, you will assemble all the assets into the completed (but not yet tested)
level—artwork, new code required by the level, audio, and any remaining tweaks to the
lighting. You’ll also adjust any remaining issues with the rigging, by repositioning
characters, effects, and triggers as necessary.
BUG FIXING
Test the level at this point, looking for bugs in the code and mistakes in the content. This
will be another iterative process, working back and forth between the art, audio, and
code teams and yourself. After finishing your own testing, you hand the level off to the
quality assurance (QA) department for formal testing.

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USER TESTING AND TUNING
In the last stage, QA will create a test plan for the level and begin formal testing, known
as alpha testing. Their testing will ordinarily be more thorough and strict than the testing
you’ve done; it will also find things that you missed because of your overfamiliarity with
the material. As in your own testing, they’ll work in an iterative process with the various
teams involved, including reporting the bugs in the rigging and gameplay mechanics that
you need to fix. When QA considers the level to be thoroughly tested, they may make it
available for beta testing (testing by end-users).

9. Pitfalls of Level Design
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Pitfalls of Level Design
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This session ends with a discussion of some important mistakes to avoid classic errors of
level design that, unfortunately, some designers continue to make.
INTRO: GET THE SCOPE RIGHT
• The single most common error made by inexperienced level designers is to try to build
something too big.
• Everyone would love to make an epic such as a Final Fantasy game, but such games
require huge production teams, giant budgets, and multiyear development cycles.
And even among experienced professionals, epic projects often run late and go over
budget.
• You must design within the resources of your team, your budget, and the time you
have available.

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• Scope, you should remember, refers not only to the size and complexity of the
landscape but to the number of props, NPCs, and special events in the level.
• In order not to undertake an unrealistically large level, you must make lists of these
things during the planning stage before you actually start constructing the prototype.
• Before you choose a scope for your level, determine how much time and staff you
have available, taking into account any vacations and holidays that may be coming up.
• How many models can your team build in a day?
• How quickly can you detect an error, correct it, and test it again?
• Choose a level size that you and your team can manage. If you make a level too small,
it’s not easy to enlarge it, but at least you won’t have the art team killing themselves
to create all the content.

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• If you make a level too big and find that there isn’t time to complete everything, you’ll
have to either deliver a sparse, unfinished level or scramble to cut things out, which
will almost certainly harm your level’s balance and pacing.
1. AVOID CONCEPTUAL NON SEQUITURS
Let us understand this with an example first level of James Bond: Tomorrow Never Dies
game.
At the beginning of the first level of James Bond: Tomorrow Never Dies, the player, in the
persona of James Bond, sneaks into an enemy military outpost armed only with a pistol
and faces numerous Russian guards; how many, he doesn’t know. If he blows up some of
the oil drums scattered somewhat randomly outside the outpost, he will find medical kits
hidden inside, which he can use later to restore his health when wounded.

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Hiding medical kits inside oil drums belongs to a class of design errors, usually made at
the level design stage, called conceptual non sequiturs—game features that make no
sense.
No sane person would think of looking in an oil drum to see if a medical kit might be
hidden within. Furthermore, any thinking player would reason that if he’s trying to sneak
into an enemy military installation armed only with a pistol, causing a loud explosion right
outside is not a good idea; several dozen people will come running to see what made the
noise.
He would further assume that any medical kit that was inside an oil drum when it blew up
wouldn’t be good for much afterward. Consequently, a reasonable player wouldn’t blow
up the oil drum and wouldn’t get the benefit of the medical kit.
In other words, the game punishes players for using their brains. It’s simply poor design.
Because oil drums store oil, not medical kits; explosions destroy things rather than reveal
things.

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In short, avoid conceptual non sequiturs in realistic games. They discourage new players
and make your game unnecessarily hard without making it more fun. Remember the
principle that level designers should reward players for using their intelligence, not
punish them for it.
2. MAKE ATYPICAL LEVELS OPTIONAL
Level designers naturally like to vary the content of their levels, and it is good design
practice to make creative use of the game’s features or to set your levels in different
environments to provide the novelty (newness) that players like.
There are two reasons not to make these kinds of levels obligatory. First, it breaks the
player’s suspension of disbelief to be suddenly confronted with a situation that would
never occur according to the rules of the game world as the player has already learned
them.

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Second, it may actually make the game unwinnable for some players. If you create a level
filled with only one kind of challenge, then a player who happens to be terrible at that
kind of challenge—but who reasonably expected to make it through the game by being
good at other kinds of challenges—might not be able to finish the game at all, stymied by
one atypical level. And there may be many players who don’t find that challenge as
exciting as you do, who will find an entire level of it boring.
You shouldn’t avoid making atypical levels at all; they can be a lot of fun. But make them
optional—hidden levels the player can unlock through excellent play or side missions for
extra points.

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3. DON’T SHOW THE PLAYER EVERYTHING AT ONCE
As they say in theater, “Always leave them wanting more.” This advice applies to the
overall progression of the game, so both game designers and level designers need to be
aware of it. If your players have faced every challenge, seen every environment, and used
every action that you have to offer all in a single level then the rest of the game will be
old hat for them.
You have nothing further to offer but variations on a set of play mechanics and game
worlds that they already know everything about.
Let your game grow from level to level. Introduce new features gradually.
Just as it all starts to seem a bit familiar, bring in a twist: a new vehicle, a new action, a
new location, a new enemy, or a sharp change in the plot of the story.

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4. NEVER LOSE SIGHT OF YOUR AUDIENCE
Level design, more than any other part of the game design and development process,
brings with it the risk of building a game that your audience won’t enjoy. You assemble
all the components that the others provide, and when the player starts up the game, she
finds herself in your environment.
The game designers may decide on the types of challenges the game contains, but you
decide when the player will face them, in what sequence, and in what combinations.
As a result, you, more than anyone else on the team, must apply the player-centric
approach to every design decision you make. Go inside the mind of your player and try to
imagine what it will be like to see it all for the first time.

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Always remember that you are not the player. Your own personal circumstances have
nothing to do with the game. You may be a 22-year-old male, but your player may well
be a 10-year-old girl or a 50-year-old man.
Understand the game’s target audience and what that audience wants from the game;
then make sure you give it to them—at all times!

Level design and devlopment part 1 introduction to level design

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Level design and devlopment part 1 introduction to level design