Post by a Chunk on Mar 14, 2019 16:33:45 GMT
How to Work with Level Design?
by Michael Barclay
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Introduction
Michael Barclay started off modding in Unreal Tournament and Warcraft 3. He started off as in programming and spcripting, and eventually got into level design with stints at Free Radical Design, Crytek, and Naughty Dog, amongst others. The following are excerpts from an interview that Michael did with 80 Level. Follow the link at the end of this post to read the whole interview.
Prototyping
Earlier in his career, Michael typically made massive documents and spent a lot of time on level pitches. He moved away from this method over time, finding that others simply didn't have the time to absorb all of the information in them. Now he tends to get to the prototyping phase very quickly.
The fact that so much of my work has included very vertical spaces in the last 10 years also means working in 3D is just so much easier to express ideas. Once I got proficient at building in 3D it just became the best way to begin. 2D sketching on a post-it or something might be good occasionally for a very quick brainstorm but otherwise it’s all 3D work.
How does level design work with gameplay
Here we get some thoughts on the importance of understanding the mechanics of the game you're designing for, and the challenges of designing levels for a game where the mechanics are constantly evolving.
You need a basic understanding of mechanics to build around and explore. I think we do a good job at Naughty Dog figuring those out early and then exploring and subverting our mechanics through the course of the game. One of my favorite design principles is this idea of disposable mechanics. Titanfall 2 is one of my recent favorite games to showcase this mentality, where a cool mechanic might only be used in a single level. This level “gimmick” can be a lot of fun to design and build around, and lets designers showcase a lot of creativity. It requires a strong understanding of your games core design and lets you also build uniquely on top of that.
Navigation
On the subject of navigation, Michael suggests that designers tend to go overboard in guiding players, rather than trusting in their natural ability to understand the world they find themselves in.
If your player ever catches themselves asking “what am I doing here again?” it can often be attributed to bad level design. A lot of level design out there will go to extreme lengths to keep the player on track, like huge lights and objective markers and arrows, but I think if we can find a way to frame the goal, keep the goal relevant and build spaces that make sense and flow without all those bells and whistles, it can be a lot more effective.
Sandbox design
Michael discusses the benefits of different types of sandbox design.
I was obsessed with Crysis when it came out and loved planning and executing strategies. The aspects that really make Crysis tick are the affordances of the world and the very systemic way combat evolves. Once you get an understanding of the rules of the world, it’s a real joy to begin seeing how game mechanics crash into each another.
On the subject of open vs linear, he says this:
Combat is one of the most popular ways games allow players to express any kind of agency today. Great encounters can be found on both sides of the spectrum (linear vs open), but what I love about sandbox design is the players ability to tell a story within a story.
When I built sandbox encounters I often compared it to building multiplayer levels. We always ensured there were opportunities for ranges of play styles, ways to assess threats, crossfire opportunities, refuge spaces to retreat to and reassess, recovery spots and ways to drop in and out of stealth.
He then goes on to cite some specific games, and how they approach sandbox design.
Metal Gear has a plethora of tools and mechanics for players to really customize how they want to play, as well as a holistically in tune meta-game that promotes replay. Far Cry 3 eventually added a way to reset outposts but Metal Gear 5 was built from the ground up to promote this player ownership and authorship of each mission.
Finally, the discussion turns to the challenge of building areas that have extreme interconnectivity:
Games like ICO Shadow of the Colossus, and Dark Souls have this incredible interconnectivity of very complex areas and it’s a joy to go through these games. How do they achieve it?
I’m certain it’s because FromSoftware and Team Ico/SIE Japan Studio are actual magicians. Every team has different strategies when it comes to design. Personally I’d probably do a very broad pass on the key compositions of each element (Souls games have this magical ability to frame everything important in the world at just the right moment) and then dig in and detail around each hero piece. My own experiences building enormous interconnected spaces are that it takes time, expertise and a lot of thrown away work. As well as very patient artists.
I’m certain it’s because FromSoftware and Team Ico/SIE Japan Studio are actual magicians. Every team has different strategies when it comes to design. Personally I’d probably do a very broad pass on the key compositions of each element (Souls games have this magical ability to frame everything important in the world at just the right moment) and then dig in and detail around each hero piece. My own experiences building enormous interconnected spaces are that it takes time, expertise and a lot of thrown away work. As well as very patient artists.
Source: 80.lv/articles/how-to-work-with-level-design/
Follow Micheal
Website: www.mikebarclay.co.uk/
Twitter: twitter.com/MotleyGrue