Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
In a visual medium like a video game, players might be apt to notice en-
emies just standing around, waiting for the player to get within their de-
tection range before they charge in for the attack. The oddness of their
placement might become more obvious when the player is given the op-
portunity to visually take it in and evaluate it. “What is that guy doing over
there? Apart from just standing around waiting for me to get within his de-
tection range?”
Beyond just odd, sometimes placements seem downright impossible. If
an enemy is positioned in a tower with no discernible way he could have
gotten up there (i.e. no stairs, ladder, etc.), the level designer may be think-
ing too much about gameplay and not quite enough about believability.
The problem here is tangentially related to one we covered in
chapter 4
.
When you think about your bad guys merely as obstacles to the Hero in-
stead of living, breathing characters with their own lives and internally ra-
tionalized motivations, you weaken the integrity of your storytelling and
possibly of the entire experience. This doesn't just apply to the main Vil-
lain; it applies to every character in the game. So, when it comes to the
placement of enemies in a level, we must balance gameplay needs and
narrative believability, from the macro (the main Boss) down to the micro
(the weakest thug in the game).
Final Thoughts on Level and Mission Development
In a narrative-rich game, much of the actual storytelling often occurs dur-
ing gameplay, and particularly in game levels or missions. A level designer
who understands the basics of storytelling and who is an enthusiastic col-
laborator with narrative experts will bring an enormous benefit to the
levels and the game on which he's working: mission objectives that align
with what the player and his avatar want, surprises that provide drama but
not frustration or unfairness, and an emotionally impactful experience that
never strains or breaks the player's suspension of disbelief, keeping him
enthused and engaged every step of the way.
