Transcript Document

Game Development Essentials
An Introduction
Chapter 7
Levels
creating the world
Key Chapter Questions
■ What is level design and how is it related to gameplay?
■ What is the importance of the structural features of game
worlds—such as duration, availability, relationship, and
progression?
■ What is the importance of the temporal features of game
worlds—such as authentic, variable, player-adjusted, and
altered?
■ What is the importance of the spatial features of game
worlds—such as perspective, scale, and boundaries?
■ How are reality and style achieved in a game environment?
Structure
Goal
Mission briefing in Wings Over China.
Structure
Flow
Open-air levels usually lack natural boundaries.
(Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004)
Structure
Duration
Children’s levels often have shorter durations
(Toontown Online / Spongebob Squarepants)
Structure
Availability
Players can sometimes choose from several open levels at once
(Warlords Battlecry)
Structure
Relationship
Mission levels can be related to each other through difficulty or sequence
(Command & Conquer: Generals)
Structure
Progression
Time
Authentic
Boktai uses a sensor
to detect the presence of daylight.
Time
Limited
Baldur’s Gate allows players a limited
amount of real-world time to accomplish
tasks within the game.
Time
Variable
The Sims depicts both day and night – but
time speeds up when the characters go to
sleep.
Time
Player-Adjusted
Players can adjust the time interval
in sports games such as
All Star Baseball 2005.
Time
Altered
Players can stop time in
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time.
Space
Perspective & Camera
Omnipresent
Black & White: Creature Isle
Space
Perspective & Camera
Aerial (Top-Down)
Feuerkraft
Space
Perspective & Camera
Isometric
Dark Ages
Space
Perspective & Camera
Side-Scrolling (Flat/Side View)
Goliath
Space
Terrain & Materials
Interiors made of concrete, brick, metal, and wood
textures in Half-Life 2 contrasts with exteriors made
of grass, dirt, and water textures in GravRally.
Space
Radiosity & Effects
A scene before and after radiosity is applied.
Space
Scale
Knights and Pikemen are as big as
mountains and cities in Civilization II.
Space
Boundaries
Praetorians uses terrain as a boundary.
Space
Reality
True Crime: Streets of LA uses
environmental details to portray
the game world realistically.
The open exterior in Fable
is more realistic and stunning.
Space
Style
Oddworld: Munch’s Oddysee is filled
with surreal characters
and environments.
Viewtiful Joe uses cel-shading
to bring a 2D look into a 3D world.
Summary
Structure
• Goal
• Flow
• Duration
• Availability
• Relationship
• Progression
Time
• Authentic
• Limited
• Variable
• Player-adjusted
• Altered
Space
• Perspective
& camera
• Terrain
& materials
• Radiosity
& effects
• Scale
• Boundaries
• Reality
• Style