Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
most often a mixture of both—that the player will sense and appreciate
over the span of the entire game.
In a narrative-focused game, one of the closest working relationships
should be between narrative experts and mission designers. After all, levels
are the chapter-like expressions of the game story. Each mission should
therefore move the story and characters forward. And if the game's levels
don't hold up individually, as well as binding together to communicate a
cohesive overarching narrative, the final result will be muddled and much
less emotionally impactful.
Incidentally, much of what is covered in this chapter also applies to “in-
stanced dungeons” in MMO titles. The structure and development process
for one of these private-party quests is very similar to that of a traditional
game's level-creation process, except that in an MMO the requirement to
fit into a larger, crafted narrative is usually absent or greatly reduced. But
an instance still must provide a discrete unit of entertainment, which,
structurally, often strongly resembles a mission from a traditional video
game.
Level design is a broad, complex topic that has illed numerous topics
much more lengthy than this one. For this chapter, then, we will briefly
touch on the areas in which level design and narrative design most com-
monly intersect.
Shared Intent
At the very outset of conceptualizing a level, there needs to be an under-
standing and consensus on overall game approach and tone, and creative
aspirations and functional goals for that particular mission. Why does this
scenario exist at all? What do we want to get out of it—from the minimal
baseline requirements all the way to loftiest hopes?
These and many other questions should be asked and answered before
a level designer actually begins designing.
The
Level Design Document (LDD)
, created and owned by the each
level's designer, lays out the plan for an individual mission. LDDs vary in
level of detail from brief overview to meticulously documented and ex-
haustively mapped guidebook. Regardless of format or length, though,
LDDs are also a good home for information on up-front narrative context
and storytelling goals for the mission.
