Ultimate Game Design : Building game worlds

Building Game Worlds
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U L T I M A T E G A M E D E S I G N
build our environmental support for gameplay with constant reference to the grid
system we have chosen. Developers should agree and lock down grid information
early on. Otherwise, massive amounts of level reworking, which no one can afford,
may be the result. It’s important to remember that your design document should detail
every action/object interaction.
Your action/object interactions will become part of your grid system guidelines.
Most importantly, perhaps, the prefabricated pieces that form our level construction
sets must be built according to the accepted grid system.
Avoiding Common Level Mistakes
Many types of maps and levels are built these days, including:
� Single player (player versus computer)
� Co-operative (two or more players in collaboration)
� Deathmatch (player versus player)
� Variations on capture the flag (player versus player or team versus team)
Each of these level types has several design nuances, many of which are still being
explored. Before we begin to build out a level, let’s take a quick look at some common
mistakes that are made when building levels. These are generalizations only,
and may not be a mistake in every case.
� Hasty dead ends Dead ends that suddenly and/or inconceivably “halt” the
flow of the level.
� Awkward room flow Room-to-room transition that just doesn’t work.
Don’t make your whole level a series of hospital rooms next to each other
with a hallway down the center. Going endlessly in and out of cramped
spaces is no fun. Plan your space-to-space transition carefully. Be mindful of
it. Make sure that you provide variety for your player. Help guide the player
through small to large spaces, small to medium spaces, medium to large spaces,
and so forth. Offer up many kinds of space transition in your levels.
� Using every enemy or power-up at once Just because you can use everything
at once doesn’t mean that you should. Generally, you want to pace the use
of your enemies. Use enemies dramatically. Allow for anticipation to build.
It’s not exciting if your player sees every enemy available up front. Having as
many enemies as possible onscreen at once is not the point. Using enemies to
build fear in a player, for instance, and create interesting play scenarios is
closer to the point.