Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
parallel layout to reflect a foldback story structure. (See Chapter 7 for a discussion
of story structures.)
You can also use parallel paths to provide shortcuts that let a player by pass particu-
larly difficult challenges that lie on the more obvious path. If you do so, you may
want to hide the entrance to the shortcut so only a particularly dedicated explorer
will find it. When you create a hidden entrance, you must provide some clue, how-
ever subtle, that it is there. Otherwise, finding it becomes a trial-and-error
challenge, a sign of bad design. The original
Wolfenstein 3D
contained hidden
rooms accessible only through wall panels that looked exactly like the rest of the
wall, which forced players to check every single wall panel in the entire level to see
which might conceal a hidden room.
Ring Layouts
In a ring layout, the path returns to its starting point, although you may include
shortcuts that cut off a portion of the journey (see
Figure 12.3
). Designers mainly
use ring layouts for racing games, in which players pass through the same space a
number of times, facing challenges from the environment and each other along
the way. Shortcuts require less time but should be proportionately more difficult
than the regular route; balancing this will be a big part of the level designer's job.
Rings do not necessarily look like circles. Oval tracks or twisting road-racing tracks
qualify as rings.
FIGURE 12.3
A level with a ring
layout
Network Layouts
Spaces in a network layout connect to other spaces in a variety of ways.
Figure 12.4
shows a simple example. A large network poses a considerable exploration
