help. These various sub-quests lead players toward the larger goal, and provide players
with positive feedback that they are, in fact, playing the game well. Platformers like
Ratchet & Clankare particularly good at leading players through the levels with their
many pickups, with the acquisition of each basically being a tiny sub-goal. A sub-goal is
useless if players do not understand what they have accomplished. Therefore, it is also
important to provide players with some sort of reward for achieving the goal, whether it
is audiovisual bells and whistles, a new weapon, bonus points, or more time on the rac-
ing clock. If the designer does not provide enough sub-goals on a particular level or if
those sub-goals are so transparent that the players do not realize they have achieved
them, players may become confused as to what they are supposed to be doing and
whether they are getting any closer to succeeding.
Landmarks................................
The more complex your level, the more players are likely to get confused navigating it.
Unless confusion is your goal, which it usually should not be, it is a good idea to set up
memorable landmarks in your level to ease the players’ exploration. A landmark is any
unique object in your level that players will recognize the second time they see it,
whether it is a particularly ornately decorated room, a large statue, or a steaming pool
of lava. In terms of exploration, then, when players return to this landmark, they will
know that they are returning to a location they have previously visited, and will thereby
begin to understand the layout of the level. Landmarks do not necessarily need to be
big red signs labeled “Checkpoint A,” but can instead be worked into the story and set-
ting of the level itself. For example,Grand Theft Auto IIImade the very large Liberty
City much easier to learn to navigate by including lots of large and unique buildings as
part of the map. Each of these landmarks, in addition to how they helped the player
learn the level, supported the game fiction perfectly.
464 Chapter 23: Level Design
In racing games such as
theSan Francisco Rush
series, players are given
sub-goals through
checkpoints, which
award more time.
Pictured here:San
Francisco Rush: The
Rock — Alcatraz Edition.