Imperial Hope
Quick synopsis: Rogue Merceneries have captured an Imperium frieghter. With only 30 minutes until the mercs can jump away the imperium has contacted local merc fleets to attempt to reclaim the frieghter.
Saturday, June 10
Game Dev - Imperial Hope
This is a second idea that I developed while sitting on the train heading home from work one night. As always, all readers are free to use / improve or embellish this idea as much as they like, as long as it inspires people.
Quick synopsis: Rogue Merceneries have captured an Imperium frieghter. With only 30 minutes until the mercs can jump away the imperium has contacted local merc fleets to attempt to reclaim the frieghter.
Quick synopsis: Rogue Merceneries have captured an Imperium frieghter. With only 30 minutes until the mercs can jump away the imperium has contacted local merc fleets to attempt to reclaim the frieghter.
Game Dev - Attack on Ions: Dropping the Glass
This is part of what I hope to be a long series of ideas that I have never implemented into a level design of any variety.
Sunday, March 19
Design Woes & Documentation
Documentation. This word tends to inspire some scorn amongst level designers, a few will turn their noses up and close this page, and others will wonder why on earth I would write about such an uninteresting topic, and a few will read on in the hopes that the topic was actually a cunning ploy to throw others off the trail of a potentially brilliant piece of information.
Wednesday, February 1
How to create a level
In a forum I frequent the question was posed 'How do I create a level?'. I wrote this long response. I feel it is relevant to all level designers or budding level designers.
Monday, January 30
Pre planning. The difference between level editors and designers.
During my past week I have spent a considerable amount of time developing my own levels, which brought upon this rant.
Saturday, January 21
Level Design and the importance of environments
I want to rant a bit on this subject.
As with all my rants, this is a draft rant. I am not intending on abusing anyone or attacking anyone specifically, merely I am pondering a topic that will aid level designers in their thoughts towards developing better content.
The visual quality level of games climbs higher and higher with every iteration. We are finding methods of squeezing out more polygons from our hardware, and producing environments that are quickly becoming very very real.
I am in the firm belief though that level design is still quite some time behind the artists and the graphics coders.
With each game I play, and I'm specfically targeting single player first person shooters in this rant, I find that while visually levels are very impressive, levels are no closer to becoming environments.
The key to environments is a good collection of interactivity and scripted sequences that both makes the player feel comfortable and in a sense 'fits' with the environment and also detracts from the players importance in a game.
After developing many single player levels for my current project. I have noticed more and more the game mechanics becoming exposed to the player. It becomes obvious when you walk into an area and trigger off a sequence. Doom3 is infamous for this behaviour.
Now this is fine, triggering off sequences is a time honoured tradition. Now while these sequences are very cool, It is often very apparent to the player that if they do not move within the radius or location of the trigger, nothing will happen. This is what breaks the game world and causes a level to lose it's immersive nature.
If a player is permitted to stand around for an infinite amount of time without anything happening, this is a bad environment. I know all you level designers out there will probably say 'there is only so much a level designer can do'. However I do think that level designers should keep this element in mind.
What I would like to see is more levels designed that really take the extra care when developing their levels. There are a few elements that should always be kept in mind.
Time. As humans, we all have the idea of time constantly in our minds, we are surrounded by clocks are computers that can keep us up to date. Thus when playing games we always have this element in the back of our mind. As such. Having levels where the player can stand around for an infinite amount of time with nothing happening is a big no no. In first person shooters this needs to be paid attention to moreso due to the immersive nature of first person games.
As level designers, we should attempt to bring this into our levels, if a player stands around for a period of time, try to implement various ambient options dependant on the situation. In outdoor areas have clouds moving, sun(s) moving, or stars moving. All these things are familiar and natural to us and it breaks the immersiveness to not pay attention to these details.
The situation we have put the player in. I think this is best illustrated in the first few levels of half life 2, inside city 17.
If the player remains still, people move, guards interact with people, aircraft moves through the sky, birds fly around, sound travels around with these objects. All of this happens without the player doing anything. This is an excellent example of an environment, as it appears that the player is not the key focus for elements to change in the game world. Not only does it appear that the city is alive and constantly moving, but it removes the player from being the 'hero' and having the world revolve around them. If you play these levels a few times, most of these elements are really quite simple to implement, but gives the world a whole new meaning.
Follow the AI as it walks the streets of city 17, they are following preset paths, but as the player moves through these areas, they don't need to see more than the fact that people are moving and not paying attention to the player. The less attention the player recieves in many situations, the better.
As level designers, we need to keep in mind the importance of removing the player from the 'hero' status. While the player is essentially, the hero. Too many games have used the cliche rambo style dynamic and it wears thin on players. Players enjoy a game where they are somebody normal, or an underdog of some variety, who manages to save the world in a semi realistic fashion.
This is why half life 2 is so enjoyable right from the word go on a level design basis. You are a scientist that is unlucky to get stuck in a facility, but lucky enough to escape. You are nobody special.
This isn't a rant about the great level design of half life 2, but a clear example of the type of gameplay that we as level designers should attempt to emulate and expand upon. Our games and projects would have a lot better recognition if we stopped creating levels, and started putting the focus on creating environments.
For many level designers who are modders or working on multiplayer projects, try thinking about the world you are developing. Levels become environments really quite easily.
Evyn out.
As with all my rants, this is a draft rant. I am not intending on abusing anyone or attacking anyone specifically, merely I am pondering a topic that will aid level designers in their thoughts towards developing better content.
The visual quality level of games climbs higher and higher with every iteration. We are finding methods of squeezing out more polygons from our hardware, and producing environments that are quickly becoming very very real.
I am in the firm belief though that level design is still quite some time behind the artists and the graphics coders.
With each game I play, and I'm specfically targeting single player first person shooters in this rant, I find that while visually levels are very impressive, levels are no closer to becoming environments.
The key to environments is a good collection of interactivity and scripted sequences that both makes the player feel comfortable and in a sense 'fits' with the environment and also detracts from the players importance in a game.
After developing many single player levels for my current project. I have noticed more and more the game mechanics becoming exposed to the player. It becomes obvious when you walk into an area and trigger off a sequence. Doom3 is infamous for this behaviour.
Now this is fine, triggering off sequences is a time honoured tradition. Now while these sequences are very cool, It is often very apparent to the player that if they do not move within the radius or location of the trigger, nothing will happen. This is what breaks the game world and causes a level to lose it's immersive nature.
If a player is permitted to stand around for an infinite amount of time without anything happening, this is a bad environment. I know all you level designers out there will probably say 'there is only so much a level designer can do'. However I do think that level designers should keep this element in mind.
What I would like to see is more levels designed that really take the extra care when developing their levels. There are a few elements that should always be kept in mind.
Time. As humans, we all have the idea of time constantly in our minds, we are surrounded by clocks are computers that can keep us up to date. Thus when playing games we always have this element in the back of our mind. As such. Having levels where the player can stand around for an infinite amount of time with nothing happening is a big no no. In first person shooters this needs to be paid attention to moreso due to the immersive nature of first person games.
As level designers, we should attempt to bring this into our levels, if a player stands around for a period of time, try to implement various ambient options dependant on the situation. In outdoor areas have clouds moving, sun(s) moving, or stars moving. All these things are familiar and natural to us and it breaks the immersiveness to not pay attention to these details.
The situation we have put the player in. I think this is best illustrated in the first few levels of half life 2, inside city 17.
If the player remains still, people move, guards interact with people, aircraft moves through the sky, birds fly around, sound travels around with these objects. All of this happens without the player doing anything. This is an excellent example of an environment, as it appears that the player is not the key focus for elements to change in the game world. Not only does it appear that the city is alive and constantly moving, but it removes the player from being the 'hero' and having the world revolve around them. If you play these levels a few times, most of these elements are really quite simple to implement, but gives the world a whole new meaning.
Follow the AI as it walks the streets of city 17, they are following preset paths, but as the player moves through these areas, they don't need to see more than the fact that people are moving and not paying attention to the player. The less attention the player recieves in many situations, the better.
As level designers, we need to keep in mind the importance of removing the player from the 'hero' status. While the player is essentially, the hero. Too many games have used the cliche rambo style dynamic and it wears thin on players. Players enjoy a game where they are somebody normal, or an underdog of some variety, who manages to save the world in a semi realistic fashion.
This is why half life 2 is so enjoyable right from the word go on a level design basis. You are a scientist that is unlucky to get stuck in a facility, but lucky enough to escape. You are nobody special.
This isn't a rant about the great level design of half life 2, but a clear example of the type of gameplay that we as level designers should attempt to emulate and expand upon. Our games and projects would have a lot better recognition if we stopped creating levels, and started putting the focus on creating environments.
For many level designers who are modders or working on multiplayer projects, try thinking about the world you are developing. Levels become environments really quite easily.
Evyn out.
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