Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
creation of scripted events.
Scripting
is low-level visual programming that lets a
level designer create events that happen in the game, from simple actions such as
opening a door (with associated sounds) to blowing up an entire neighborhood.
A handful of games made today that are shipped for home computers come
with their own built-in level editors. For fans and enthusiasts of games, a huge
draw is being able to edit levels or build their own levels in which to continue
gameplay. These are often referred to as
mods
. Someone, or a group, can be
modding a game by making a unique level that they can share with friends; they
can also post it online and invite players through an Internet connection. Many
people have done so using Epic's Unreal Engine and Valve's Source Engine, and
some of the creations rival the fun and polish of the big-budget games.
Levels and Their Genres
If the genre of your game is a shooter, then the level design involves catering to
genre-specific features such as cover for the player character. In other words, as
the player moves through the world, they may need obstacles in the terrain that
let them take cover while being shot at or hide while firing at other players or
the characters built into the game.
This cover system is an example of how proper level design supports the core
mechanics of the shooting feature of the experience. By adding a cover system
through the levels, the designer can begin pacing the experience, increasing and
reducing player sight lines and thus increasing and decreasing the challenge of
the game. The basic action—the intended exchange between a player and their
opponent—is fleshed out and replicated throughout the level. Variations of this
gameplay exchange are then added so that every fight is slightly different and
elicits different strategies from the player.
Although we've looked specifically at the special considerations for a shooter,
any genre will have its own special needs that the level designer must keep in
mind. Just as a shooter needs areas that provide cover, a platformer needs plat-
form sections to which the avatar can navigate, and so on.
When designing a level in any genre, use the approach we have looked at. Ask
these questions:
What is the purpose of the level?
What kind of action do you want the players to experience?
What needs to be placed in the level to achieve that purpose?
How does the narrative (the context behind the action) work in rela-
tion to the level and its parts?
Add those together with compelling gameplay from the core features, and
you'll achieve great level design.
