Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
Before the LDD is completed and used as a blueprint for the level de-
signer to begin crafting the actual mission, Narrative should weigh in and
make sure the level designer and anyone reading the document also un-
derstands the following:
▪
Where in the overall story does this level takes place?
▪
What happened in the previous mission, including any interstitial
narrative content bridging that mission and this one?
▪
What is the next mission and how is this one supposed to lead into
it?
▪
What does this level absolutely
need
to accomplish, narratively?
▪
Any main plot points or story beats that occur within the level.
▪
What are the main characters' current emotional states and why?
▪
Where are the main characters in their arcs (if applicable)?
▪
How is this mission supposed to make the player feel (beat by beat)?
The LDD, in addition to
containing
this narrative information, should of
course be
aligned
with it as well. That is to say, the mission design docu-
mentation and all its components should reflect and support the narrative
information and goals.
Further, the LDD should not be discarded once a playable version of the
level has been developed and inserted into the actual game. Ideally, the
LDD should stand as a living guide to the details that a rough pass on the
physical space just can't communicate to other team members by itself.
For example, you'll notice that a number of the items in the list on the
previous page have to do with emotion and how characters and the player
are meant to feel during the mission. Ultimately, at a very core level, every
aspect of a game exists to do the same thing:
make the player feel
.
Nearly every game, no matter what type, is designed to be fun. “Find the
fun” is an early goal of most new game projects, especially those based on
new, untested designs. But beyond the simple experience of “having fun,”
game developers working on titles with loftier goals often want to evoke
emotions from their players as well: fear, anger, jealousy, sorrow, regret,
pity, love, hatred, and many others.
The desire to make the player experience a specific emotion while play-
ing almost always originates from either Design or Narrative. If Design
