even if you’re not an architect you’ll know if
something doesn’t work.”
Level-building is a fine art, and one that
isn’t as simple as putting platforms in
reachable locations – although that is, of
course, pretty damn important. It’s about
anticipating player behaviour, subtly pushing
them in the right direction and creating a
path that’s easy to follow while still offering a
challenge: not the easiest of tasks.
As Hamish Lockwood, designer for 3D
platformer Yooka-Laylee at Playtonic, tells us,
there are plenty of ways to solve these kinds
of problems. And in many situations, it’s down
to perspective. “In [Yooka-Laylee’s] Galleon
Galaxy I thought it would be cool to visit
smaller islands with themed challenges. But I
didn’t want the player to be overwhelmed, so I
started the player on a smaller island that was
positioned in such a way that you could really
only see the central, main hub.” By directing
the player into the main area, Lockwood
ensured that they would slowly discover how
many options they had, rather than getting
instantly drawn in by one and missing the
rest, or worse: not know where to start.
Give a player too many choices, or make
one less-important area stand out, and it
can unbalance a whole area. How many times
have you found a crossroad in a level and not
known which route to take? You want to find
the secrets in the level before you continue,
but which one is hiding delicious loot, and
which one leads forward?
It’s a problem that Gwenaël Massé, Motion
Twin’s game artist, faced with side-scrolling
roguelike Dead Cells. “I had to [make] sure
all rooms were distinctive and original, but
I couldn’t make a room that stood out too
much,” he explains. “Players will notice it
every time.”Finding the flow
But creating a great, memorable level isn’t
only about pushing players in the right
direction and calling it a day. It’s also about
finding balance and creating a flow. Ross
Bullimore, designer on Yooka-Laylee, explains:
“A level that has one note of difficulty runs
the risk of feeling monotonous and boring,
and that can be the case even if the level is
consistently difficult.”Giving players some time to cool off,
practice new skills or just stop and take a
look at the world they’re in can be essential –
whether it’s to build the narrative or help them
feel immersed in the world. And according to
Arne Oehme, for a story-driven game like Tomb
Raider it’s one of the biggest challenges when
creating levels – and something designers
can’t afford to ignore.“A level that has one note of
difficulty runs the risk of feeling
monotonous and boring”
More Xbox news at gamesradar.com/oxm THE OFFICIAL XBOX MAGAZINE 067