1. Genre-Specific Level Design Analysis.
UC Santa Cruz
CMPS 171 – Game Design Studio II
courses.soe.ucsc.edu/courses/cmps171/Winter13/01
4 March 2013

2. Upcoming deadlines Friday. March 8 Friday, March 15
Team status reports
Playtest plan due – see template on course website
Friday, March 15
Sprint 3 ends
11 full days until the end of Sprint 3
Will have 3 day grace until deliverables, and Sprint 3 report, which are due Monday, March 18.

3. Team meetings
Not meeting today:
Militarium
Biogenesis

4. Lab Cleanup Schedule This week: Lens Next week: Pixture Team duties:
Vacuum floor once a week (get vacuum from facilities)
Ensure overflowing trash cans are emptied to bin outside in 3rd floor courtyard (anytime during week)
By 5pm Monday and 5pm Friday (unless things get out of control, then more often):
Pick up food containers, bottles, etc.
Pick up stray craft materials, pens, etc and return to drawers
Clean off tables in conference rooms and big circular table
Report any major soda/food spills to me, so we can call cleanup crews
Put controllers/game boxes/etc. away (tidy up game area)
Report any cleaning materials needed

5. End of quarter expectations
There will be a final, end of the quarter presentation of your game
Brief presentation 2-3 minutes, then a game demo
Expect one of your artists to discuss art direction for 1-2 minutes
Not yet scheduled, will be during finals week, evening hopefully
At the end of the quarter
Your game must be functional, and demonstratable
Code developed by various people on your team must be integrated
Ideal: your game should show one level that is as close to “final” as you can get
Includes final art, final audio, final programming, etc.

6. Teams seeking artists for Spring
Provide the following to Jude Pipes
Brief description of your game (URL of website, if ready)
Kinds of art/skills you’re interested in
How much time/week is required
Meetings per week
Contact information for Art Director/Coordinator

7. Genre-specific level design

8. Current State of Level Design
Designers build levels from experience and intuition
A craft tradition
Level designers understand their craft, but have generally not written down their design principles or approach. The consequence:
No formal understanding of level design
Limited language for communication about level design
No formal understanding of how level design creates gameplay
Cause-effect relationships are not widely known
Level from Sonic the Hedgehog

9. Current approach for teaching level design
Focus on creating 3D first-person camera games
FPS, action-adventure
Shallow discussion of other genres
Use of a specific level design tool (UnrealEd, Far Cry editor)
Emphasis on one-size fits all approach to teaching level design
High level issues or qualities
Level narrative, use of puzzles (but not how to design a puzzle), pacing and flow, challenge, goal, rewards
Some discussion of different coarse-grain level geometries
Hub-and-spoke, linear, branch-and-join

10. Underlying assumption: principles are sufficient
Game design is currently taught with an emphasis on teaching broad, universal principles
Can see this in Rules of Play, Fundamentals of Game Design, Chris Crawford on Game Design
Use principles as a lens for thinking about specific game design
Useful
Level design books have a similar assumption
For level design, this approach breaks down.
Game genres are just too different!
Principles-based approach isn’t sufficiently detailed to provide useful guidance for level design.

11. Genre-Specific Level Design
Compelling, detailed explanations of how to perform level design require analytical approaches tailored to specific game genres.
Bungie, Microsoft Corp.
Jason Lee, Wired Magazine

12. Three Examples of Genre-Specific Level Analysis
2D platform games
2D space shooters
3D first person shooters
An examination of these three will show how each benefits from a genre-specific analytic approach

13. 2D Platformers: Rhythm

14. 2D Platformers Simple rules Complexity Key Games Run, jump
Collect items
Get to the goal
Super Mario World,
Nintendo
Complexity
Dexterity challenge
Find secret areas
Finish levels quickly
Donkey Kong Country 2,
Nintendo
2D platformers are a relatively simple genre in terms of mechanic, but with highly complex levels and gameplay.
Key Games
Super Mario World
Donkey Kong Country 2
Sonic the Hedgehog
Sonic the Hedgehog,
Nintendo

15. Level Structure Rhythm Groups Cells Portals
Short, non-overlapping sections of the level
Encapsulate challenge
Cells
Linear sections of gameplay
Contain rhythm groups
Portals
Connect cells
Provide multiple paths through a level

16. Level Components Platforms Obstacles Collectible Items Triggers
Player runs along them.
Obstacles
Cause damage to player.
Collectible Items
Provide reward to player.
Triggers
Cause change in level.
Movement Aids
Help player through the level.
Super Mario World,
Nintendo
Sonic the Hedgehog 2,
SEGA
Yoshi’s Island DS,
Nintendo
New Super Mario Bros., Nintendo
Yoshi’s Island DS,
Nintendo

17. Rhythm Groups: Why Rhythm?
Foundation of challenge in dexterity games
Long sequences without pause
Long and complex patterns
Reduced time to complete a challenge
This is a fairly simple rhythm group, where Yoshi must jump down and to the left to get the flower, run across the bottom to get the red coins, then work his way back up the spinning platforms to the top right.
Super Mario World 2,
Nintendo
Source: Victor Nicollet, “Difficulty in Dexterity-Based Platform Games”, GameDev.net

18. Rhythm Groups Rhythm is that of player performing actions
Identify challenging areas of a level
Transitions are place where player can rest
Two rhythm groups that split due to the jumping pattern for the player. Collectible item and obstacle placement changes how the player moves through the level. At first glance, these two rhythm groups should just be one. But the absence of coins on the third platform means the player doesn’t need to jump in the same pattern as previously.
IF there is time here (need another 5 minutes to get through the rest), show the demo with pre-made rhythm groups and how cycling between configurations makes different levels. Randomly placed platforms do not have the same aesthetic appeal or challenge as these.
Super Mario World,
Nintendo

19. Cells and Portals Cells Portals Path within the game
Made up of rhythm groups
Portals
Connect cells
Player makes a choice
Two cells here, the portals are pipe B at the top and pipe C at the bottom. The player can make a choice to take the riskier path and be rewarded.
Super Mario World,
Nintendo

20. Case Study Cells contain rhythm groups Portals connect cells
Cells and portals let player choose the best path
Four cells: green, accessible from off screen to the left. It’s required to end here because the path is over. Yellow is the upper path through the level. More risky (twisty thing, monkey waiting to get you in rg3) but greater reward. The player can choose (or be forced, if he doesn’t have enough speed) down to the blue path. The blue path is forced to end and enters the yellow path, but a red upper cell has opened up. In Sonic, upper paths frequently carry greater risk but higher reward. The player must choose the optimal path through the level according to his/her own goals for completing the level (fastest time, collecting the most coins).

21. 2D Space Shooters (shmups): Safe and unsafe space Leading the player

22. Level design principles for Shmups
Safe and unsafe spaces
Via walls and the location/trajectory of enemies and bullets
Create zones of (relative) safety and danger
Leading the player
Via the placement of enemies and rewards (powerups)
Cause the player to move to specific places on screen
Can lure the player into spaces that seem safe (but won’t be by the time they arrive)

23. Gradius III
Leading: Player is attracted to powerup, wants to move there.

24. Gradius III Leading: Player has gone for powerup.
Safe and unsafe: safe zone is contracting rapidly, and enemy trajectory will go through powerup

25. Gradius III
Leading: Player narrowly avoids powerup trap, moves to engage line of enemies coming in from right.
Safe and unsafe: escaping into bottom of screen safe zone

26. Gradius III
Safe & unsafe: A line of bullets slices through area in front of powerup, in case player was tempted by a quick snatch. Fast incoming enemies keep player pinned down at bottom in narrow safe zone.

27. Gradius III
Safe and unsafe: By clearing the line of enemies, the player buys a little time and safety.

28. Averaging Gradius Video
15 gameplay sessions
Superimposed on one another, with common time base
Each player has a different color
View of level design as crafting a probability density function of player activity
Credit: R. LeFeuvre

29. First-Person Shooters: Composition of Level Design Patterns

30. Design Patterns Architecture, Urban Planning Software Engineering
Alexander 1977
Software Engineering
Gamma et al. 1995
Game Design
Björk & Holopainen 2005

31. Level Design Patterns Recurring arrangements of elements
Geometry
NPCs
Items
Can be identified in many different games
Similar effects on player behavior
Changing design patterns can change gameplay
Provide language for describing levels
Halo 3 - Bungie

32. Patterns for Positional Advantage Patterns for Large-scale Combat
Pattern Collection
Patterns for Positional Advantage
Sniper location, Gallery, Choke point
Patterns for Large-scale Combat
Arena, Stronghold
Patterns for Alternate Gameplay
Turret, Vehicle section
Patterns for Alternate Routes
Split level, Hidden area, Flanking route

33. Sniper Location : Halo 3

34. Sniper Location: Half-Life 2

35. Pattern Example – Sniper Location
Description: A position that overlooks some other section of the level
Affordances:
Player v. Enemy
Height
Size
Area overlooked
Cover available
Access
Consequences:
Enemy: Slow movement, use cover
Player: Slow movement, use long range weapon