What is Level Design

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What is Level Design?

• Steve Swink
• Flashbang Studios, LLC

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Video Game
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Art

• Theme
• Story, World, Characters, Dialog, Background
• Treatment
• Look, Style, Character Design, Polish
• Art Direction

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Theme, Treatment, or Mechanic?

• Intricately Painted Wall Textures
• Rock Climbing
• Solid Snakes Headband
• Gem Collecting
• A lone marine destroyed the Strogg leader
• Glowing eyes
• The driving force of Spira is the religion of
  Yevon

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Art

• Theme
• Writing, Supplemental Materials
• Treatment
• Character Design
• Graphic Design
• Industrial/Vehicle Design
• Environmental/Architectural Design

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Design

• Mechanic Design
• Level Design
• Traditional/Board Game Design
• Interface Design

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• The designer-

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• defined

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• relationship

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• between player

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• input

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• and game

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• reaction (output)

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Mechanic Design

• The designer-defined relationship between player
  input and game reaction (output)
• Shorthand Reactive Motion
• What the player does
• The verbs

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Design

• Mechanic Design
• Level Design
• Traditional/Board Game Design
• Interface Design

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Level Design

• Nouns
• Context
• Stages, Worlds, Tracks, Boards, Songs, etc

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Design

• Mechanic Design
• Level Design
• Traditional/Board Game Design
• Interface Design

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• Tweaking

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• of abstracted

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• variables

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• to acheive

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• balance

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Traditional Game Design

• Tweaking of abstracted variables to achieve
  balance
• The glue that holds Mechanic and Level together
• The games structure

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Design

• Mechanic Design
• Level Design
• Traditional/Board Game Design
• Interface Design

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Level, Game, or Mechanic Design?

• Symphony of Destruction in Guitar Hero
• Completing the yellow switch palace makes all
  empty yellow blocks full
• From a jump, reverting then manualing allows your
  combo to continue
• Gold medals are worth ten points points can be
  used to unlock additional content
• Hyrule Field
• Donut Plains in Super Mario Kart
• Winning the Mushroom Cup on 150cc unlocks the
  Flower Cup

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Technology

• Platform
• Hardware
• Software
• Input
• Output

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Level Design

• Half of Game Design
• Nouns to Mechanics Verbs

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Level Design

• Half of Game Design
• Nouns to Mechanics Verbs
• Places and things, mostly

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Level Design

• Half of Game Design
• Nouns to Mechanics Verbs
• Places and things, mostly
• Verbs what you do
• Nouns what you do to

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Level Design

• Half of Game Design
• Nouns to Mechanics Verbs
• Places and things
• Persons AI

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Level Design

• Half of Game Design
• Nouns to Mechanics Verbs
• Places and things
• Persons AI
• Crafting Experience

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Levels

• Stages, Worlds, Tracks, Boards, Songs, etc

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Levels
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Levels

• Stages, Worlds, Tracks, Boards, Songs, etc
• Ubiquitous
• Of varied importance to various games

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Levels

• Stages, Worlds, Tracks, Boards, Songs, etc
• Ubiquitous
• Of varied importance to various games
• Tetris vs. Tony Hawk

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Levels

• Stages, Worlds, Tracks, Boards, Songs, etc
• Ubiquitous
• Single Player

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Levels

• Stages, Worlds, Tracks, Boards, Songs, etc
• Ubiquitous
• Single Player
• Breadcrumb Design

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Levels

• Player I want to go here!

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Levels

• Player I want to go here!
• Designer Sorry, you cant.

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Levels

• Player I want to go here!
• Designer Sorry, you cant.
• Player Why not?

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Levels

• Player I want to go here!
• Designer Sorry, you cant.
• Player Why not?
• Designer Because I said so.

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Levels

• Player I want to go here!
• Designer Sorry, you cant.
• Player Why not?
• Designer Because I said so.
• Player Youre not my real Dad!

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Levels

• Stages, Worlds, Tracks, Boards, Songs, etc
• Ubiquitous
• Single Player
• Breadcrumb Design

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Levels

• Stages, Worlds, Tracks, Boards, Songs, etc
• Ubiquitous
• Single Player
• Breadcrumb Design
• Sandbox Design

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Levels

• Stages, Worlds, Tracks, Boards, Songs, etc
• Ubiquitous
• Single Player
• Breadcrumb Design
• Sandbox Design
• Level-derived Design

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Levels

• Stages, Worlds, Tracks, Boards, Songs, etc
• Ubiquitous
• Single Player
• Breadcrumb Design
• Sandbox Design
• Level-derived Design
• Algorithmic

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Reward Schedules B.F. Skinner
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Levels
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Levels

• Stages, Worlds, Tracks, Boards, Songs, etc
• Ubiquitous
• Single Player
• Breadcrumb Design
• Sandbox Design
• Level-derived Design
• Algorithmic
• Physiological meditative, Alpha waves

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Levels
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Levels

• Stages, Worlds, Tracks, Boards, Songs, etc
• Ubiquitous
• Single Player
• Multiple Players

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Levels

• Stages, Worlds, Tracks, Boards, Songs, etc
• Ubiquitous
• Single Player
• Multiple Players
• Equality, balance of opportunity

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Levels

• Stages, Worlds, Tracks, Boards, Songs, etc
• Ubiquitous
• Single Player
• Multiple Players
• Equality, balance of opportunity
• Minutia

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Levels

• Stages, Worlds, Tracks, Boards, Songs, etc
• Ubiquitous
• Single Player
• Multiple Players
• Equality, balance of opportunity
• Minutia
• Aesthetics (not important)

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Levels

• Stages, Worlds, Tracks, Boards, Songs, etc
• Ubiquitous
• Single Player
• Multiple Players
• Equality, balance of opportunity
• Minutia
• Aesthetics (not important)
• Playground versus Birthday Party

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Levels

• Stages, Worlds, Tracks, Boards, Songs, etc
• Ubiquitous
• Single Player
• Multiple Players
• Equality, balance of opportunity
• Minutia
• Aesthetics (not important)
• Playground versus Birthday Party
• Physiology Visceral, Beta Waves

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The Level Designer Par Excellence

• Playful
• Perspicacious
• Moderate
• Objective
• Fortitude

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Masterworks

• Metroid Prime
• Cunning interblending of stimulus
• Visceral
• Logical/Analytical
• Exploratory
• Mario 64
• Castlevania Circle of the Moon
• Tony Hawk
• Counterstrike
• Super Mario Kart

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