Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
Planning Phase
Armed with the list and sketch created in the first stage, you now start to plan the
level in detail. Use pencil and paper to work out the sequence of events: both what
you expect the player(s) to do and how the game will respond. Begin to document
your decisions in the following key areas: gameplay, art, performance, and code
requirements.
GAMEPLAY
As you plan the gameplay for your level, you will need to consider all the following
issues:
Layout
(discussed extensively in the “Layouts” section earlier). Where can the
player-controlled characters (avatar, party, or units) go and where can they not go?
What paths can they use to get there? Many parts of your level may be cosmetic:
The player can see them but cannot reach them.
Areas devoted to major challenges.
Which areas carry strategic importance?
Which will offer the biggest challenges? If the game involves combat, where would
you like it to occur?
Pacing.
How will the intensity of action vary throughout the level? Where will
the key events and the rest periods occur?
Termination conditions.
How does the player win or lose the level?
Resource placements.
Are depots of weapons, health points, powerups, or any
other resources hidden in the environment? Where? What resources, and how
much?
Player start and end points.
Do the player-controlled characters begin the level
at one or more specific locations? Where? Do the characters end at one or more
locations? Where?
NPC positions and spawn points.
If NPCs—whether enemies, friends, or neu-
trals—appear in the level, where are they initially positioned? Can they suddenly
appear in the level at a specific location or
spawn point
during play? Where?
Elevations.
How much vertical movement does the level permit, and how does
that affect play? Higher elevations naturally allow the player to see farther in first-
and third-person perspectives; will this cause problems or constitute a positive
feature of your level?
Secret areas
. Do you plan to incorporate hidden areas or secret shortcuts? Where
will they be, and what clues will be available to suggest they might be present?
Special event issues.
What special events, unique to this level, can occur?
Where will they occur? What will set them off? How do the special events reflect
the setting and tone of the level?
