Level Design

[Skyrocker]

Right, so I've been wondering how any game developers around here actually go to work with level design and what the best way for level design is for them.

Personally, I like to have multiple, small paths in my video games that will lead back to an ending.
Take Deus Ex for example, the player gets the to use his own playstyle. There is one and one goal only, but that goal is obtainable through multiple passages and different ways.
Not only does this give the player a chance to find out things for himself, but it makes a certain level or place look more alive.

Instead of just one linear path, there are multiple, even crossing paths that can give a small place a large amount of variety.

RPG-Maker and dungeon-making wise, I always tend to have multiple roads or passages. Some will have a dead end, some will result in another way towards the ending, or treasure.
This whole cave-system idea also makes a certain dungeon look more alive and bigger than what it's supposed to be.


So I guess that that is my vision on all of this, now it's your turn to give your vision on general level design.

 

[Mysiath]

I don't really have much of a different vision than yours. If I were to make a game I would like for the game to have multiple endings. (Good ending, two bad endings, and one or two somewhat neutral endings?) The goal is still the same, but it will be different regarding what ending is achieved. I might leave one of the bad endings as something like the player didn't achieve the goal and died or something like that and the other bad ending is that the player still obtained the goal, but with less favorable outcome and desires, I think or something like that. I would still have to think about the neutral endings. And I might have to change the Good/Neutral/Bad names for the ending because I feel like they wouldn't exactly fit into the situation.

And the goal, like yours, is obtainable through multiple passages, different ways and choices. What I really would like to build into the game is something that I've started to heavily like in games... like a karma system I suppose? And that Karma system essentially will affect your surroundings, make the NPC react differently to you, some areas might, might be unavailable depending on the karma the player has. And I think the ending might differ slightly depending on the karma status.

Dungeon-making wise I think I would have it multiple roads or passages like you, but it might differ with the hard/easy paths. Like, the harder path takes longer to get through, run into more dead ends, but receive more rewards from chests, stronger monsters I think and so. The easier path is, well easier. Less dead ends, less rewards, but get outta the dungeon faster and taking that easier path or harder path would mean that the player won't be able to go back to take the other path. If he took the easy one, and if I made it a repeated dungeon or something then he can take the easy one again and not the hard one. And taking that easier route might mean for the player to have to grind later on for XP if the monsters are starting to get stronger, and harder for them to handle.

Well, that is my idea for now, and it definitely will be changing at some point in the future.

 

[iblamevictoria]

So I guess that that is my vision on all of this, now it's your turn to give your vision on general level design.

Maybe I'm in a minority but I'm a bit of a minimalist when it comes to game design. When I make an area with multiple paths I always ask myself "Does this NEED to be here?" and then shave it down as far as it can get. If a designer is going to make an open world or nonlinear path then they need to make sure that it is necessary and really adds to the experience. Lots of games ditch linear design but then have stories that flop and sparsely populated areas to explore, for example. A lot of effort is needed to have a game really champion design like that.

I think many designers are afraid to create linear experiences because it usually carries a negative connotation. I don't think that it's justified though. I'd rather have a tightly packed and cleverly thought out linear experience than a branching and unfocused nonlinear one.

I dunno man.