1. What is Level Design? Steve Swink Flashbang Studios, LLC

3. Video Game

4. Art Theme: –Story, World, Characters, Dialog, Background Treatment: –Look, Style, Character Design, Polish –Art Direction

5. Theme, Treatment, or Mechanic? Intricately Painted Wall Textures Rock Climbing Solid Snakes Headband Gem Collecting A lone marine destroyed the Strogg leader Glowing eyes The driving force of Spira is the religion of Yevon

6. Art Theme –Writing, Supplemental Materials Treatment: –Character Design –Graphic Design –Industrial/Vehicle Design –Environmental/Architectural Design

8. Design Mechanic Design Level Design Traditional/Board Game Design Interface Design

9. The designer-

10. defined

11. relationship

12. between player

13. input

14. and game

15. reaction (output)

16. Mechanic Design The designer-defined relationship between player input and game reaction (output) Shorthand: Reactive Motion What the player does The verbs

17. Design Mechanic Design Level Design Traditional/Board Game Design Interface Design

18. Level Design Nouns Context … Stages, Worlds, Tracks, Boards, Songs, etc…

19. Design Mechanic Design Level Design Traditional/Board Game Design Interface Design

20. Tweaking

21. of abstracted

22. variables

23. to acheive

24. balance

25. Traditional Game Design Tweaking of abstracted variables to achievebalance The glue that holds Mechanic and Level together The games structure

26. Design Mechanic Design Level Design Traditional/Board Game Design Interface Design

27. Level, Game, or Mechanic Design? Symphony of Destruction in Guitar Hero Completing the yellow switch palace makes all empty yellow blocks full From a jump, reverting then manualing allows your combo to continue Gold medals are worth ten points; points can be used to unlock additional content Hyrule Field Donut Plains in Super Mario Kart Winning the Mushroom Cup on 150cc unlocks the Flower Cup

28. Technology Platform –Hardware –Software –Input –Output

32. Level Design Half of Game Design –Nouns to Mechanics Verbs

33. Level Design Half of Game Design –Nouns to Mechanics Verbs –Places and things, mostly

34. Level Design Half of Game Design –Nouns to Mechanics Verbs –Places and things, mostly Verbs = what you do Nouns = what you do to

35. Level Design Half of Game Design –Nouns to Mechanics Verbs –Places and things –Persons – AI

36. Level Design Half of Game Design –Nouns to Mechanics Verbs –Places and things –Persons – AI –Crafting Experience

37. Levels … Stages, Worlds, Tracks, Boards, Songs, etc…

39. Levels

40. … Stages, Worlds, Tracks, Boards, Songs, etc… Ubiquitous –Of varied importance to various games

41. Levels … Stages, Worlds, Tracks, Boards, Songs, etc… Ubiquitous –Of varied importance to various games –Tetris vs. Tony Hawk

42. Levels … Stages, Worlds, Tracks, Boards, Songs, etc… Ubiquitous Single Player

43. Levels … Stages, Worlds, Tracks, Boards, Songs, etc… Ubiquitous Single Player –Breadcrumb Design

44. Levels Player: I want to go here!

45. Levels Player: I want to go here! Designer: Sorry, you cant.

46. Levels Player: I want to go here! Designer: Sorry, you cant. Player: Why not?

47. Levels Player: I want to go here! Designer: Sorry, you cant. Player: Why not? Designer: Because I said so.

48. Levels Player: I want to go here! Designer: Sorry, you cant. Player: Why not? Designer: Because I said so. Player: Youre not my real Dad!

49. Levels … Stages, Worlds, Tracks, Boards, Songs, etc… Ubiquitous Single Player –Breadcrumb Design

50. Levels … Stages, Worlds, Tracks, Boards, Songs, etc… Ubiquitous Single Player –Breadcrumb Design –Sandbox Design

51. Levels … Stages, Worlds, Tracks, Boards, Songs, etc… Ubiquitous Single Player –Breadcrumb Design –Sandbox Design –Level-derived Design

52. Levels … Stages, Worlds, Tracks, Boards, Songs, etc… Ubiquitous Single Player –Breadcrumb Design –Sandbox Design –Level-derived Design –Algorithmic

53. Reward Schedules – B.F. Skinner

54. Levels

55. … Stages, Worlds, Tracks, Boards, Songs, etc… Ubiquitous Single Player –Breadcrumb Design –Sandbox Design –Level-derived Design –Algorithmic –Physiological: meditative, Alpha waves

56. Levels

57. … Stages, Worlds, Tracks, Boards, Songs, etc… Ubiquitous Single Player Multiple Players

59. Levels … Stages, Worlds, Tracks, Boards, Songs, etc… Ubiquitous Single Player Multiple Players –Equality, balance of opportunity

60. Levels … Stages, Worlds, Tracks, Boards, Songs, etc… Ubiquitous Single Player Multiple Players –Equality, balance of opportunity –Minutia

61. Levels … Stages, Worlds, Tracks, Boards, Songs, etc… Ubiquitous Single Player Multiple Players –Equality, balance of opportunity –Minutia –Aesthetics (not important)

62. Levels … Stages, Worlds, Tracks, Boards, Songs, etc… Ubiquitous Single Player Multiple Players –Equality, balance of opportunity –Minutia –Aesthetics (not important) –Playground versus Birthday Party

63. Levels … Stages, Worlds, Tracks, Boards, Songs, etc… Ubiquitous Single Player Multiple Players –Equality, balance of opportunity –Minutia –Aesthetics (not important) –Playground versus Birthday Party –Physiology: Visceral, Beta Waves

65. The Level Designer Par Excellence Playful Perspicacious Moderate Objective Fortitude

66. Masterworks Metroid Prime –Cunning interblending of stimulus Visceral Logical/Analytical Exploratory Mario 64 Castlevania: Circle of the Moon Tony Hawk Counterstrike Super Mario Kart