Game Design

fire? How can the levels be best set up to encourage players to figure out her own strat- egy for defeating the opposition? Know ...

a path that leads directly to the next conflict. Games that encourage players to poke around may make the path less obvious. I o ...

Storytelling................................ Setting is a big part of storytelling, and levels are a vital component of establis ...

Aesthetics ................................ How a level looks and sounds are probably the driving factors behind many level desi ...

or switched for other textures, and polygon faces can be adjusted to better represent the visual effect the team is trying to ac ...

start in one location and move to another, or certain sections of the map may go com- pletely unexplored and unexploited by the ...

“Sandbox” style games likeGrand Theft Auto,The Getaway,orTrue Crimeare interesting in how they combine elements from RPG, strate ...

Elements of Good Levels.......................... As you design a level, there are a seemingly infinite number of details you mu ...

help. These various sub-quests lead players toward the larger goal, and provide players with positive feedback that they are, in ...

Critical Path................................ Even though I am a big proponent of non-linear gameplay, I am also a big fan of a ...

Navigable Areas Clearly Marked .................... Players should have a clear idea of where they will be able to go in the lev ...

creating your level. As you work on levels that are received well by your peers or play- ers, try to analyze the levels to see w ...

the game itself is far from complete, and some changes will probably be made to the main character’s movement. But if the team i ...

track with the rest of the team and the game as a whole. Step 3. Base Architecture/Block Out.................. Once you are happ ...

with it in the level editor, you stand a better chance of determining if your level is work- ing out. If the level is not workin ...

Step 6. Refine Gameplay Until It Is Fun................. Of course, the gameplay is what makes or breaks the game, so it is abso ...

Step 8. Playtesting............................ Now that all the parts of your level are in place, it is time to show it to some ...

for an entire, discrete play-space, such as a specific building or structure. Then you can make the gameplay work in that entire ...

games continue to become more complicated, designers will specialize more and more, and having multiple people working on a sing ...

Chapter 24 Game Analysis:Grand Theft Auto III.......... Chapter 24 Game Analysis:Grand Theft Auto III ............ Designed by C ...