What is Level Design?

Steve SwinkFlashbang Studios, LLC

Video Game

Art

• Theme:– Story, World, Characters, Dialog, Background

• Treatment:– Look, Style, Character Design, Polish– “Art Direction”

Theme, Treatment, or Mechanic?

• Intricately Painted Wall Textures• Rock Climbing• Solid Snake’s Headband• Gem Collecting• A lone marine destroyed the Strogg leader• Glowing eyes• The driving force of Spira is the religion of

Yevon

Art

• Theme– Writing, Supplemental Materials

• Treatment:– Character Design– Graphic Design– Industrial/Vehicle Design– Environmental/Architectural Design

Design

• Mechanic Design• Level Design• Traditional/Board Game Design• Interface Design

The designer-

defined

relationship

between player

input

and game

reaction (output)

Mechanic Design

The designer-defined relationship between player input and game reaction (output)Shorthand: ‘Reactive Motion’

What the player does

The verbs

Design

• Mechanic Design• Level Design• Traditional/Board Game Design• Interface Design

Level Design

• Nouns

• Context

• …Stages, Worlds, Tracks, Boards, Songs, etc…

Design

• Mechanic Design• Level Design• Traditional/Board Game Design• Interface Design

Tweaking

of abstracted

variables

to acheive

“balance”

Traditional Game Design

Tweaking of abstracted variables to achieve “balance”

The glue that holds Mechanic and Level together

The game’s ‘structure’

Design

• Mechanic Design• Level Design• Traditional/Board Game Design• Interface Design

Level, Game, or Mechanic Design?

• Symphony of Destruction in Guitar Hero• Completing the yellow switch palace makes all

empty yellow blocks full• From a jump, reverting then manualing allows

your combo to continue• Gold medals are worth ten points; points can be

used to unlock additional content• Hyrule Field • Donut Plains in Super Mario Kart• Winning the Mushroom Cup on 150cc unlocks

the Flower Cup

Technology

• Platform– Hardware– Software– Input– Output

Level Design

• Half of Game Design– Nouns to Mechanic’s

Verbs

Level Design

• Half of Game Design– Nouns to Mechanic’s Verbs– Places and things, mostly

Level Design

• Half of Game Design– Nouns to Mechanic’s Verbs– Places and things, mostly

• Verbs = what you do• Nouns = what you do to

Level Design

• Half of Game Design– Nouns to Mechanic’s Verbs– Places and things– Persons – AI

Level Design

• Half of Game Design– Nouns to Mechanic’s Verbs– Places and things– Persons – AI– Crafting Experience

Levels

• …Stages, Worlds, Tracks, Boards, Songs, etc…

Levels

Levels

• …Stages, Worlds, Tracks, Boards, Songs, etc…

• Ubiquitous– Of varied importance to various games

Levels

• …Stages, Worlds, Tracks, Boards, Songs, etc…

• Ubiquitous– Of varied importance to various games

– Tetris vs. Tony Hawk

Levels

• …Stages, Worlds, Tracks, Boards, Songs, etc…

• Ubiquitous

• Single Player

Levels

• …Stages, Worlds, Tracks, Boards, Songs, etc…

• Ubiquitous

• Single Player– Breadcrumb Design

Levels

Player: “I want to go here!”

Levels

Player: “I want to go here!”

Designer: “Sorry, you can’t.”

Levels

Player: “I want to go here!”

Designer: “Sorry, you can’t.”

Player: “Why not?”

Levels

Player: “I want to go here!”

Designer: “Sorry, you can’t.”

Player: “Why not?”

Designer: “Because I said so.”

Levels

Player: “I want to go here!”

Designer: “Sorry, you can’t.”

Player: “Why not?”

Designer: “Because I said so.”

Player: “You’re not my real Dad!”

Levels

• …Stages, Worlds, Tracks, Boards, Songs, etc…

• Ubiquitous

• Single Player– Breadcrumb Design

Levels

• …Stages, Worlds, Tracks, Boards, Songs, etc…

• Ubiquitous

• Single Player– Breadcrumb Design

– Sandbox Design

Levels

• …Stages, Worlds, Tracks, Boards, Songs, etc…

• Ubiquitous

• Single Player– Breadcrumb Design

– Sandbox Design

– Level-derived Design

Levels

• …Stages, Worlds, Tracks, Boards, Songs, etc…

• Ubiquitous

• Single Player– Breadcrumb Design

– Sandbox Design

– Level-derived Design

– Algorithmic

Reward Schedules – B.F. SkinnerR

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Time

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Time - Regular

Re

wa

rd

Button Presses

Tex

t

Tex

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Tex

t

Tex

t

Tex

t

Interval – RegularR

ew

ard

Time

Tex

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Tex

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Tex

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Time – Variable

Re

wa

rd

Button Presses

Tex

t

Tex

t

Tex

t

Tex

t

Tex

t

Interval – Variable

Levels

Levels

• …Stages, Worlds, Tracks, Boards, Songs, etc…

• Ubiquitous

• Single Player– Breadcrumb Design

– Sandbox Design

– Level-derived Design

– Algorithmic

– Physiological: meditative, Alpha waves

Levels

Noun Density

Ver

b C

ompl

exity

Tetris

Tony Hawk

Soul Calibur

Metroid Prime

Myst

DDRExcitebike

Single Player Games

Levels

• …Stages, Worlds, Tracks, Boards, Songs, etc…

• Ubiquitous

• Single Player

• Multiple Players

Levels

• …Stages, Worlds, Tracks, Boards, Songs, etc…

• Ubiquitous

• Single Player

• Multiple Players– Equality, balance of opportunity

Levels

• …Stages, Worlds, Tracks, Boards, Songs, etc…

• Ubiquitous

• Single Player

• Multiple Players– Equality, balance of opportunity

– Minutia

Levels

• …Stages, Worlds, Tracks, Boards, Songs, etc…

• Ubiquitous

• Single Player

• Multiple Players– Equality, balance of opportunity

– Minutia

– Aesthetics (not important)

Levels

• …Stages, Worlds, Tracks, Boards, Songs, etc…

• Ubiquitous

• Single Player

• Multiple Players– Equality, balance of opportunity

– Minutia

– Aesthetics (not important)

– Playground versus Birthday Party

Levels

• …Stages, Worlds, Tracks, Boards, Songs, etc…

• Ubiquitous

• Single Player

• Multiple Players– Equality, balance of opportunity

– Minutia

– Aesthetics (not important)

– Playground versus Birthday Party

– Physiology: Visceral, Beta Waves

The Level Designer Par Excellence

• Playful

• Perspicacious

• Moderate

• Objective

• Fortitude

Masterworks

• Metroid Prime – Cunning interblending of stimulus

• Visceral

• Logical/Analytical

• Exploratory

• Mario 64

• Castlevania: Circle of the Moon

• Tony Hawk

• Counterstrike

• Super Mario Kart