Ultimate Game Design : Building game worlds

C H A P T E R 1
PAPER-BASED LEVEL BLOCKING
Every map, level, arena—in short, every game environment—should still begin on
paper. There are a couple of reasons for this. First, it’s just plain easier to edit, update,
and try out ideas. Second, it can save large amounts of time and money spent on
wasted resources. You can play around with spacing, room flow, and the logic of the
level very easily. I’ve found that huge dry-erase whiteboards are very helpful. They
are great for team brainstorming sessions, from which useful notes and ideas can be
quickly gleaned. Paper-based level blocking is also great for discussing and making
quick changes to level flow ideas, boundaries, prop placement ideas, and segue areas
planned for your level.
Quick Topographic Maps
Yes, we live in a world of amazing editors and 3-D packages—each with its own subtle
and frustrating nuances—but many “concepts” can be tested faster and easier on
paper than by using any other medium. You can more easily identify flaws in logic,
build out transition spaces, and test your ideas, and really get a more solid grasp on
the global view for your level. Also, it’s important to start thinking modularly, which
means planning how to build up your level out of simple, adjoining, and reusable
components. It’s like building up a level with a toy construction kit out of several
pieces joined together in a meaningful way.
Okay, you have your graph paper, now what? Generally, you want a nice topographic
or overview-style map. Figure 1-4 is an example of what a section of your
map might look like. I like to draw it out on paper or whiteboard, clean up the notes,
and build a quick and clean version using the Microsoft Visio software application.
The small level section illustrated in Figure 1-4 might be a cathedral area for part
of your level. The circles represent cathedral turrets or towers. The smaller circles are
simply columns. You can use a legend that identifies what each element on your topographic
map corresponds to, such as in this legend for Figure 1-4:
� T Towers or turrets
� C Columns
� P Pews
� O Pipe organ
� OB Organ bench
� A Altar
Now we have a basic positioning layout (not to scale, of course) and legend system.
Keep in mind that a topographic sample like this is only a reference point, a way to start
off on the often long road to a complete level. Now let’s take an introductory look at
how we begin to detail our level using textures, props, effects, and scripted events.
13
Previsualization