Level design entry Author: Tim Ryan (MuseOfFireProduction@yahoo.com) Translation: Amiyami (sailworld83@hotmail.com) the first part not translated, that little value. Reprinted, please first get the translator's consent of the level design rules and some suggestions: work is a kind of enjoyment ... I will give the child a lollipop. I am a unique downward test, test, test, and no too much. With regard to the second part of the level of the level design theory and some design rules, the purpose is to guide players to smoothly carry out levels of level making and even become a class of career. The level design is located in the data entry and layout part of the game design process. A level is also a task, stage, map, and all players in the interactive space. As a level designer, you must be responsible for programmers, artists, and to a large extent, you need to be responsible for the entire game. This article tries to let you know how to design a good level, whether it is the military mission of the tank group army, a sudden encounter in the flight simulation, the role playing a dunge in the game, uniform in the game (A Board for a puzzle Game) or a map in the world conquer the game. In the last week's article (first part), I discussed the idea behind the excellent level design. This time I will elaborate a set of rules for level design and provide some suggestions to those who are enthusiastic to design. 20 design rules 1) Effects to ensure that the game effect is the core concept in the game design. It is a production person and the main plan to describe things in the game description documentation. It is also your boss to hope you, the level designer, what you can understand when you construct a level. It is so important that it is very clear to convey it to you. If the producer and the main plan can not tell you what they need, you'd better communicate with them. This will save a lot of time - including the time of headache because of rework. When designing, you have to pay attention to this effect. Deviation means the risk of failure. Planning may not be clearly telling you what they need, so you have to find a common goal with them. If you fail to reflect this game effect in your work, then the effect of this requirement itself is not strict or unrealistic, or the design tool, insufficient information, or you can't compete for work. No matter which case, you need timely pointed issues where - if you want to complete a successful level within a certain time. 2) Familiar with design elements to start your work before you are familiar with design elements. It includes all art and game elements - these are arranged by you. There is no doubt that "What are" and "how to use" is the first step in work. From the American artist, it will be explained closely with the artists to observe the effects of these things in the test. Exchange with procedures, understanding techniques and restrictions, for example, what parameters need to be set, what scripts need to be written, what need to do to keep in memory or are constrained in process time constraints (Keep WITHIN MEMORY) design elements free in artwork Outside of the code. It includes all self-owned, enemy army and their behavior, objects (special items, switches, weapons, buildings, etc.), these things constitute the turret, power station, wall, puzzle and possible solutions in the game ( Skills set). Before designing, it is best to spend some time to learn these things using the editor, observe their achievements.
The main plan may limit the elements you can use for other levels. It is your responsibility to reach the desired effect using limited elements. If you can't do it, ask your plan or producers, they may give you some suggestions or provide more design elements. Sometimes you need to play the imagination to the end of these elements. Or you can also try some combinations and layouts of different elements, you may have no effect. In other games, you may also find some good ideas. For example, you may think that the idea of the turret has been exhausted, but considering the organic combination of turrets and the army may force players to better utilize remote weapons to destroy the turret, then this is a new use. Once you add this feature to your level, this level has a distinct place. An error that almost all designers will be made is to build a maze. Why is it wrong? Maze is one of the earliest puzzles that introduce computer games. It is already old now. Build a maze only needs to block the wall or other things in the right place to block actions, which is the simplest game creation method. Only after your elements and ideas are exhausted, the maze is a means that can be considered. Go to this step, wait a moment, stop to review, see if you can add gaming elements or find new ideas, try to avoid using maze. Requires more design elements may also be contemptuous. Unfortunately, this is your job. It is best to tell your thoughts, he will consider arrangeing it into the agenda. Remember to implement a idea requires the efforts of the art and procedures, so don't feel strange when your idea is rejected. The best way is to repeat the use of the already available articles or just need a design element that does not require code. If your script can make it work, it is the best. When developing into the Alpha test phase, don't count any new elements. I have seen it near the Alpha test phase, and the producer extruded the progress for a particularly good idea, but this is at the expense of beauty and procedures. This is often required to ask more design elements. Don't worry about a good idea, time is the best inspection. 3) Work is an exclusive happiness that enjoys your design and implementing these levels. Of course, there will be failed - time is urgent, the editor crashes at the worst. There will be countless bugs and number of problems forcing you to re-work and give up for a long time. However, when you know that you are doing a very interesting job, it is easy to be ignored. There will be thousands of people playing with your game, although they don't know what you are doing, but they really feel what you want to convey. 4) Only imagine that it can be done like a great sculptor to form a completed statue in his own brain. This also applies to level designers: If you can't see the direction of your work, you are also empty when you start working. Maybe you have a blurred idea, but starting working pure time and energy before having a clear imagination. The bosses don't like waste, so it is best to first aim, fire, once. This is not to say that you can't go to test, but the core effect of a game is usually fixed. Choosing an already available, leaving a space for the player a series of operations, when you design the level, give priority to this effect. Then you can consider whether it is further on this basis. If so, we will improve details, provide more gameplay; often the details determine a level of "good" or "great". 5) Where is the point? When you can guarantee the same goal, more choices for players are always good. However, if so many choices always bring the same enemy as the player, the same reward, the same adventure, then this game is quite failed.
Different choices should bring more "affordable" things, such as different challenges, smarter implementation methods, hidden traps, capacity improvement, new map, or just a better tactical location. The same choice does not require the player to choose twice, otherwise it is not a choice. 6) Radish green, each other, catering to players 'taste to display opportunities, challenges, or problems to players, try to provide a variety of solutions to meet players' different styles and capabilities. Some players like to take risks, and others have to keep them. Some players will carefully explore the entire level until they fight; others are not hesitating into the monster group in the monster group. There are some players who will find the most direct path, and others want to take some. According to the different games or the type of game, the player's style will change greatly. You need to know these styles (only to start designing level). Make sure your design is measured for different styles of each player, try to make every player has a good time. Don't assume that every player can master these levels like you. It is important to note that the difficulty of reviewing this level is reviewed when a player cannot find alternative or the final pass method. People's ability to resolve conflicts and mastery of games, and people's learning ability is different, so you can provide a simpler password, but to make players understand that this game will make him a lot of fun. 7) Give a lollipop player like to try, like to explore. The more the solutions you provide, the secret, the selection path, etc., the more you satisfied with the player. When the player can find a solution that looks not very obvious solution, he will have a great feeling. Players will always leave the path you set, go to find some shortcuts, hidden items or surprises. It is best to take into account this idea when you design a level, think about what you can give them. When they ask "This ... What?", Your level can say "right, you can do this." Nothing is more discouraged than any of the challenges, solutions, solutions, secret locations. Players will try to contact anything, if you can't meet this interaction, failure. There is no effect in the game, failed. Let the players think about what you offer for a long time, failure. In short, don't let the players have a feeling of failing. For example, in Quake or Unreal level, a player saw a scorpion that is just around the narrow shelf, he will say to himself: "Ah, a challenge, I want to know above. what". Maybe these scorpions do not have any effects in the game, but the player will try to jump on the first scorpion whole hour, even if it will fail again. Multiple failures make players to exit the game or completely disappoint, and it is also very deeply hurting his self-esteem. He will be more determined to leave the game. If he finally did it, he found that there were no things, level, and level designers and himself became the object of curse. Therefore, when designing and testing your level, pay attention to avoid this "player black hole". Or, give those players who have an additional effort to reward. 8) Pay attention to the pace of the clip step is the rhythm of conflict and tension, plus what "Adrenaline Rush" is "Adrenaline Rush."). It follows the comic-opposite-integrated model, just like we often see in the story and movies. The uneasiness expanded when players gradually discovered the topic, until the opposite appearance continued before, and then a relaxed. (Or the player completely failed, turning this off from the new beginning) because the game is interactive, it is necessary to introduce a specific step in the level, which is particularly difficult, and the player always deviates from the original intention of the designer.
They may not do things according to the rules of the designer, or have too much time, or will be particularly difficult to play when players have slowed slowly. The level designer needs to prevent or improve these conditions without the premise of interactiveness. The tension that the time limit can bring is that the player can be perceived immediately. Time limit can force the player to move faster, or using the level of the climate designer hopes that the players use the tactics, such as the distribution of the force to reach multiple goals. You can put people as a person-made time limit in the level, such as task time, puzzle countdown, or round time limit. You can also put in real-time time limit (time points), such as a specific enemy or aid to reach the time point of the specific location, or the end of the enemy ultimately kill the defense. Restricting the distance of the player to move within a round or the speed of moving can greatly affect the game rhythm. You can design a puzzle similar to "TETRIS" (Russian block) when you cannot modify this in the level, or other ways to affect the speed. In general, the terrain will affect the speed, such as the wetlands are difficult to go, while the high-speed road walks, or the tweet road can slow down your progress. Providing different moving speeds or mobile limits can affect game rhythm, if they want to move in that unit. Simple example, a slow heavy tank for players will force the player's entire team to obey this speed, and ask the player to protect a fast ATU (Axxx Transmission Unit) will force players to accelerate. You can also change the rhythm to change the enemy's speed. For example, in a POV (Point to View shooting game, the player must find a ninja trying to escape the difficulties. In a reel game, BOSS may be set to move soon or slow. When a player tried to move, the reaction was a tension than his habitual or slower. Use different ways to control the speed, you can control the player's rhythm in your level. 9) The treasure chest will open a little bit to let the player stay in the game will show him a little bit of the game. The resources of the game include terrain objects, enemy me units, scientific trees, puzzles, etc. All games (excluding those simplest) resources are a little offering to players, rather than all come out to keep players to enter the next level of level. The main planning usually guides new things that should appear in the level. Work hard as the core part of your level or the player's game. Introduction to these should be significant and vivid, depicting their unique faces. For example, you want to introduce a new ability to make players stealth, then ensure that stealth skills will become the key part of this level. If you want to introduce a flying enemy, arrange a scene, only this monster in this scene is attacking the player, in order to highlight the advantage of this ability. If you want to introduce the machine gun, let the player can use this shot to deal with the flying enemy, and the player will soon find that this weapon is different from the rifles in his hand. There is a special importance in the location of resources in the card. The special items you have arranged (Power-UPS), which are generally called "Give It to Me") indicate the direction of the player. The location of the location often constitutes the challenge of the player. Enchanting the enemy, items, such as turrets, bridges, burning bombs, etc., allowing players to keep exploration throughout the level. The place of resource introduction will let players leave this game. The hero invincible two is a good example of this. Each round, your hero can unveil the veil of a new continent, discover the new resources to be developed, and the land to be conquered. This way is what the "horizon horizon", which gives the player to provide the fun of the game.
Unfortunately, a bad example of a resource is also in this game. The hero invincible two sacrificed the diversity of resources to ensure a single level of fun. If this is done, there is no new resource in the subsequent level. Without new resources, the designer can do is just the number of modified enemies. This situation provides a good problem: the level of customs do not consider the situation of other levels and use all resources to make his level more perfect - right? The answer is not. In a level, all resource consume light means that other levels are relatively attractive. And this will force other levels of level designers to redesign their level, resulting in waste of time. Worse, this level has created a precedent, and the main plan does not like this. Considering that I have just completed a similar situation, I guarantee that I understand how much damage to the entire game. 10) Challenge the player's customs designer needs to challenge players. A level, you can pass the game, you can't pass the players, so you have to provide content you can test your courage and wisdom. To cater to different needs, there is also a player with advanced skills and knowledge. What is "time" or "progress" that is "schedule" or "progress" determines the difficulty of the level. In the first few levels, players learn how to play games, so these are easy; the final level should be the most difficult, and the player needs to use advanced skills. There are many times you will find that although your level is very good, it does not match the progress. It will make it too difficult or too easy to get before or after it, and there are some solutions to this. You can adjust your level in the game without changing the game or declines, you can ask your level in the game. However, if the game has a storyline, this is usually not feasible, you can also design your level as a "rhythm change" level. The rhythm change level is usually easier than the previous level, but it provides the player with additional restrictions, requiring additional skills, so it has been difficult to some extent. An example is Tama mission in the Red Police, where you no longer control the large-scale army, but control a super "Rambo" soldier in some games, the level is set into a custom card group, just like a Many tasks in military operations, many layers in the dungeon, many areas on the planet. Considering that the difficulty of the level group is always increasing, the last level of level in a level group is usually more difficult than the first level in the next level. This is to give the player a buffer opportunity, let them understand that they have reached a very important goal at the end of the last level group. Players are not ready to enter the nervous state immediately, so they will give them a breath. 11) I am a unique ratio, which is more difficult to create some unique game elements these years. However, at least in the level design, you have the opportunity to make new combinations to the new story. In addition, a good designer will not ignore his seniors and his competitors, so you should not ignore. Sometimes you look at your opponent in order to understand what your level is still missing, or you can make your level better. From them, you can always find new ideas. You will find that you have never been done before the idea of the level, or have new feelings for some things. In fact, a level does not need to be completely novel, just inject your feelings into your design, then it is unique. It will fill you and players feel the gully. Anyway, unique is always an ideal way. 12) If you invisible, don't expect any players to read your dialogue or task instructions. Don't think that their observation skills, predictability or logical reasoning can make them understand what they should do in the level. Players should know what is happening in order to respond. The proverb "A paintings arrived on a thousand words" accurately in terms of level design. To a certain extent, you are restricted by art and animation, but the script, the map, the object is placed, can help you tell a lot of things.
For example, a mission of Mechcommander (Machine Warrior), you are in the river, and the enemy is executing escort tasks. You must destroy them before the enemy is separated. Use fast jump or seize the strategic point, just tell you in the task description. If the task starts, the player is far from the river and the enemy. If you don't read the task instructions or don't like to watch a small map or a task target, then you will not have any clues about the goal, and I don't know how it is good. Until you explore, find out some of the battle, you will understand the reason why you fail. Maybe you will try again, but it may be exited directly. When the player can see the enemy in the field of view, everything is different. Now you have seen your goal and discover the problem of the river. Then you will switch to missiles and lasers and try to cross the river - understanding the enemy slows down because of trying to attack you, you will be able to launch a river competition with the enemy and take them before they flee them. All goals and game core games are not in any language in a few seconds, without any confusion, giving the players, just relying on the visual field, position and enemy actions. 13) Use the player's eyes to see that the world players can only see things in the "horizon horizon". The horizon of the horizon is where there is a place in the new region, and the enemy began to attack the player's location. Changes in the horizontal line of the horizon often lead to players to respond or affect their decisions, and this change is usually noticed immediately. For example, if an enemy unit suddenly appears in the middle of the map already exploring, the player is usually difficult to notice until it attacks us. However, if an enemy unit appears in a map just explored, it is likely to be noticed immediately. Similarly, the building is also difficult to be noticed. Some players will take time to check the maps that have been explored, most of them, and the possibility of in the 3D environment is smaller. The player pays attention to "this place", you should put yourself in their position to make sure you will not put excessive things into the level. 14) Meet the player's expectations or heard before they see it, players will look forward to your level. For players, this means fun and challenge, so pay attention to their initial expectations. This makes it easier to achieve these expectations, and even more, or let them down to low. Players' expectations will change after they have already played the information you provide. If you have established a given player, it is expected that this level will appear confusion and boring. If you want to give the player a surprise is a lot of expectations, it is best to believe that this is important to your level, and players can understand this. For example, you tell players that they are in a factory, but they can't find any production equipment, players will become confused. They will think about whether they are placed or missing over some floors. Unless players are very important to surprise the game, you better alter the task description or put some machines. Similarly, if you want to use some existing or future technologies to surprise players, you should not put them in a factory, because the future technology should not have different things with our current things. I would rather put the future instruments in the cellar or an old house, which will really attract the players' attention. Sometimes you must guess the player's ideas to determine their expectations to improve the level. 15) The skill of playing games in the middle is different. Try to play your level like a bad player and a fun home, you may not be able to get any obvious conclusions about your level. You may have to say: "The bad player only wants to destroy this game." The problem is "good" and "bad" boundary blur. The only way is only to take the moderate. The general standard of players is the starting point of your design level. On this basis, you can decide what is low and difficult to look (if this is the first level, it will be very convenient from other similar games). You can inquire the lowest skill of the player is that he completed the skills of the previous level.
If you want to determine the highest tip, you need to collect feedback from players playing your level. This will be very difficult - however, if you only look for answers from your test group or those who like free games, you are likely to deviate from those who have truly genius too far. They not only have talents, but they also try to learn more from others, they will not play like a person in the test group. You'd better lock them and set their level to the highest, and then inference the lowest level of players. This makes it possible to determine the precision of the doctrine, and in accordance with this to design your level and check what is too difficult or too easy. 16) Searching the player's skill package, each player has his own "trick package" - a strategic tactics that solves the puzzles and challenges in front of them. "Skill package" includes combat tactics, investigation skills, preferred weapons, combat power composition, target selection, construction strategy, and so on. When designing a level, you can imagine that the player will use some such techniques in your level. However, there is no need to assume that the player already knows a special trick. Look at the previous level and see if the player has learned from it. If they understand, give them the freedom to use, but don't abuse, because this will make the level become bored. If the player has not learned this skill before, it is best not to build this level on this technique. 17) Learn about what players can learn to players may have a thorough understanding of things in your level, including military, weapons, magic, skill levels. It is not common if it is not common. Understand the level before your game. Look at your resource table. Check the test record. It is estimated that the player may bear or build, and then carry out the corresponding balance. Because game development needs to experience a period of time, it should be paid to the previous level to ensure that they will not be too outrageous, so that the game balance is completely destroyed. For example, if a designer provides a flight component package in the previous level, you have designed a bridge on the 20-yard-footed river, then your level is full. Be a watchdog of another level, because this protects your level. Pay attention to the timetable that the resources appear in the level, so you won't ruin the results of others, and you will also keep your own. 18) Dress up a white face to some extent you have to be cruel to the player, you must become an enemy of the player, consider the problem from the angle of Ai. This can help you create more realistic opponents - players can understand. Players will naturally give Ai a person's face, they hope that AI can be like a person. When you write the script so that the player can make better design strategies when it refers to the "real person style", and can make them more investment. This will also cause players' fear because they don't want a game AI to exceed them. Standing on the player's opposite side, you have to provoke the fear of the player, relying on their weakness. This makes the game more challenging, fun. 19) Test, test, test, and more often need to verify the quality of the level, there is nothing more reliable than testing. Although I use it as a 19th rule, the test should still be a ready process. At the same time, it should start testing at the same time when making a level. This saves you a lot of time for rework, especially if you have discovered a significant bug or discovery. Moreover, the test is often the best improvement of some level of level designers give their level. Don't forget that strict tests allow you to avoid your boss or colleagues to find obvious, harsh bugs. Test is also part of your work. One of the most beneficial activities in the level design is to see others trying to open your level. Not only you can see their reactions (negative or positive), but you can observe whether they have achieved the effect you want.
You can observe their game style, see them to explore, find all tricks, puzzles, traps and rewards. It can also help you understand how difficult your level is for people who do not have certain solutions and game skills. You can also learn which places in your level are bored or difficult, observe what is expected from your puzzles, and consider that it is more difficult to make it more difficult. There will always be a player who can provide you didn't think of it. When you encounter this situation, don't tick some questions: "Why are you going there?" Players will provide you with the best suggestions for you to improve the level. Watch a player to play your design is definitely a fun ring. Remember, the players who test the game will always be correct, even if they can't explain their views or provide good suggestions to improve your level. Take their suggestions as well as they are not always a target market or with the target level. Some testers may not like this game or such games, or they have too much to play too much to no longer be a good resource or suggestion. You should get as much comments as much as possible and find out the consistent point of view, and change your level. Only according to a player's complaint or praise, it will affect other players' satisfaction 20) Time is the time of mass spend, the more likely, the more likely it is better. Great and good times often only have subtle difference, so it is worthwhile to invest more. The level of the level is a happy place to make a setting or a battle to perfect. The beauty of electronic media is that you can save different versions of your level and keep experimentation. Try different ideas, whether it is in your brain or feedback from testers. Don't stop modifying your level until you experience the happiness expected. Also there is something to do. Take time to find out what is still missing or what is stopping you from doing the most HIGH. You can make this only one. There is a "ignorant" designer think he knows what everyone needs in the game. Considering that one person has only one head and a heart, this idea has not been dedicated to it. You should be humble to realize that your preferences are different from others, and it is not always right. Keep your mind to open new things to new things, compared with your more experienced people. If you can't do it, then your game will lose a large part of the market. The game design is a difficult trick, invisible, non-stop, impossible to learn in any school. The designer "ignorant" is particularly advantageous in this regard, because their skills come from air, and often send them the throne of power. Unfortunately, our industry is full of people, and they often have a higher position than you, arbitrarily modify your results. I hope that I will be mentioned here, in your career, you can avoid this kind of person, because no matter what you are still your company, you know that you need nothing about players. Pretty things. The intuition of the INSTINCTS design is something that employers value at the interview. To a certain extent, the employer wants you to have some designs, if you have designed any level of level, because this can only come from practice. That is what you extract from the game, from the project, is also these so that your work is different. Having these intuition will let you summarize the relevant theories immediately after the first design level. When you look at other people's design, you have a "intuition" when you look at your early work. All the rules mentioned above come from my few years of game production experience, keep making mistakes, constantly summarizing. An entry-level designer will make a lot of mistakes, but I hope that the experience from here can help you avoid these issues. I hope that these theories and rules will give you a good start.
