Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
Decide on the visual appearance of any special effects that the artists will have to
implement. It may take a while for the artists to come up with the visuals for a
never-before-seen eruption of semisentient magma at zero gravity, so you need to
plan ahead.
PERFORMANCE
You normally think of performance as the programmers' problem, but it's up to the
level designer not to build a world that bogs down the machine. You will need to sit
down with the programmers and set some boundaries. How complex can the
geometry be? How far into the distance will the graphics engine be able to render
objects? How many autonomously moving units or creatures can the game support
at one time? Know your machine's limitations as you plan your level.
CODE
Finally, as part of the planning process, identify specific requests that you intend to
make of the programmers for features unique to this level. These may take the form
of special events (sometimes called
gags
) that require coding, unique NPCs who
appear only in this level but need their own behavior model and artificial intelli-
gence, or special development tools you may require in order to build and test the
level effectively. The more of these special coding problems you identify during
planning and can discuss with the programmers in advance, the more likely that
implementation will go smoothly.
Working through these steps results in an initial plan for the level. Don't expect
the numbers and details in this plan to exactly match what you end up with in
the finished level, but working out in advance as much as you can will ensure a
smoother design process. Charging in without a plan and making it up as you go
along creates more problems in the long run.
Prototyping
In this stage, you will build a prototype of the level. Much of this work will consist of
using a 3D modeling tool to construct temporary models of the landscape and objects
that can appear within it. The models you create will not end up in the game but
will serve as blueprints from which the art team will create the final artwork.
The prototyping phase requires that at least part of the game engine be running so
that you can load the model into it and test it. Your prototype should include such
features as:
The basic geometry (physical shape) of the game world created in a 3D modeling
tool. If it's a 2D world, the prototype should show the layout of the 2D landscape.
Temporar y text ures to place on the geometr y to give it a surface. These w ill
eventually be replaced by final textures created by the artists.
