Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
4.
Choose two levels from two different games, one that has a great level design
and one that is, in your opinion, lacking. Take two or three pages for each level and
describe the design features that made the great level great and the design pitfalls
that detracted from the gameplay or undermined the story of the other level.
5.
Go to:
www.finitearts.com/400P/400project.htm.
Read up on Hal Barwood and
Noah Falstein's
400 Project
, the concept of design rules, and the reasons why they
are worth breaking or keeping. Choose four or five design principles/rules listed
and write a page each on why you think they should be used or broken. Can you
come up with any design rules that are not listed? If so, explain why you feel they
should be considered for the
400 Project
.
Design Practice
QUESTIONS
1.
Where is it? What is the time and place?
2.
What are the initial conditions of the level? What resources does the player start
with? Are there additional resources in the landscape, and if so, which ones, how
much, and where?
3.
What is the layout of the level? What freedom of movement does the player
have within it? In what sequence will he experience challenges, and to what extent
can he change that sequence?
4.
How will you keep the player informed of his short-term goals? How does he
know what to do next?
5.
What challenges will the player face there? What actions can the player take?
6.
What rewards and punishments are built into the level? How does the player
win or lose the level?
7.
How do you plan to control and vary the pacing?
8.
What events in the level contribute to the story, if any? What narrative events
might happen within the level?
9.
What is the mood of the level? What is its aesthetic style? What will contribute
to the player's experience of these things? Consider music, art, architecture, land-
scape, weather, ambient sounds and sound effects, and lighting.
