another month of architecture construction time to rework a level because it is not
playing well. Therefore understanding ahead of time the gameplay of the game and the
level in question is important. One perhaps simplistic but still useful way to break down
the components of a level’s gameplay is in terms of action, exploration, puzzle solving,
storytelling, and aesthetics.
Action...................................
Action is the most obvious component of the levels for many games, and indeed for
many titles the action element is the only justification for the level’s existence. Of
course there are some games that eschew the action component entirely, such as many
adventure or puzzle games, but nearly all other games contain some action compo-
nents, whether it consists of blasting demons in a shooter likeDoom, incapacitating
walking mushrooms inSuper Mario 64, slaying mutants inFallout, stealth-killing a
guard inMetal Gear Solid, or speeding by the opponents’ cars inNeed for Speed:
Underground.
Whatever your game’s action component is, the level designer’s job is to under-
stand how much action the level contains and at what pacing this action component
should be presented to players. What percentage of your level should be action filled
and exciting? How many battles will players fight? Is the combat fast and furious or are
there “breaks” or intermissions between major conflicts? Should the players’ adrena-
line be pumping during the entire level because of a constant fear of death? Of course,
the amount of action is entirely dependent on what type of game you are making, but
regardless, you need to have a clear idea of what amount of conflict players will
encounter.
For a game with a lot of action, how that action will play out must be kept in mind
while constructing the levels. The level designer must consider how the enemy AI
functions and what types of maps will lead to the most interesting conflicts. What geom-
etry will give players lots of locations in which to duck and cover while dodging enemy
Chapter 23: Level Design 455
A level for the latest
revision of the
sophisticatedUnreal
engine requires
significantly more work
than one for a simpler
2D game. As a result,
making changes to an
Unreallevel is
significantly more time
consuming. Pictured
here:Unreal
Tournament 2004.