Game Design 25/7

Game design vs Level design

External Goals

• Aesthetically pleasing
• Easy
• Degree of difficulty to prevent easy completion
• Finished well, produced to a high standard

Internal

• Achievements for the player
• Has exploration
• Player learns something while playing

Game Design

• Lots of goals for the player
• Set rules to create the framework

Level Design

• Rules are already known
• Interprets the game rules into an environment

A Theory of Fun for Game Design by R. Koster(2004)

"One of the subtlest releases of chemicals is at that moment of triumph when we learn something or master a task. This almost always causes us to break into a smile. After all, it is important to the survival of the species that we learn— therefore our bodies reward us for it with moments of pleasure. There are many ways we find fun in games, and I will talk about the others. But this is the most important. Fun from games arises out of mastery. It arises out of comprehension. It is the act of solving puzzles that makes games fun. In other words, with games, learning is the drug."(Koster, 2004)

Koster, R. (2004) A theory of Fun for Game Design. O’Reilly Media USA

Good level design

Large span ideas

• Physical rules of the environment
• Character abilities
• NPC abilities
• Internal Economy
• How is it worth playing? Strategies for success

New Gameplay Introduction

• Prepare the player
• Test them straight away
• Confirm knowledge
• Positive reward
• Challenge
• Positive reward
• Escalate
• Positive reward
• Master
• Positive reward

Dont dump the player in the deep end without good design and no warning, tends to put the players off.

Make sure the success criteria is clear and precise.

Structure

Linear - pacing is important to make gameplay engaging. player must go forward regardless of their actions.

Semi Linear - player can choose their direction in parts of the experience, but still following the linear progression. Create the illusion of choice while still being controlled.

Non-Linear - sandbox design, lots of interactivity and decision making.

Use a flow chart to show the structure of your level design.

(semi linear level map? "exploring the room" instead of just jumping up???)

Level Design Composition

Environment composition consideration

• Everything a player sees
• Foreground-midground-background
• Points of interest - information/pace change
• Sight lines - emotional cues/pace changer
• Sight angles - emotional cues
• Bottlenecks slow the player to teach the player or change pace
• Balance - visual weight vs direct sight
• Staffage - human/animal - movement - direct action
• Eye catchers - details - leading lines - colours - light - scale - motion
• Everything must be linked to pace.

Homework

Title page - finished artwork

Contents page - finished

Story flow - finished diagram

World - finished artwork 

Level design - finished maps

Mechanics and Hazards - artwork

Character - finished bio and artwork

Pc or Mobile version? Pc enables more detail, more control options(semi-linear). Straight vertical platformer(tap jump style) is more suited to mobile but requires a different design style. Stick to the simplistic, bold art style. Define a success criteria - catches the ghost? collects all his toys back? Completes the level before time runs out? Introduce puzzles?

Check out Krita as a photoshop alternative