Level Design and Scripting Week 8

1. Level Design and ScriptingWeek 8 Advanced Programming for 3D Applications CE00383-3

2. References • Andrew Rollings and Ernest Adams. On Game Design, New Riders Games, 2003. • Kevin Oxland. Gameplay and design, Addison Wesley, 2004.

3. The Parts A game (or other graphics based application) comprises four broad components: • Game Engine • Rules and Mechanics • User Interface • Content and Challenges

4. Game Engines Sometimes when a developer or player uses the term “engine” they really mean “graphics engine”. But a game engine encompasses much more. Game engines: • Power the graphics and sound • Power the AI • Power the physics and interactions in the game • Describe the nature of the game space • Define the parameters of game objects • Define the space of possibilities in the game world

5. Characteristics of an Engine • Is broad, adaptable, and extensible. • Firmly encodes all non-mutable design decisions. • Allows parameters for all mutable design decisions. • Should outline the gameplay and challenge possibilities. • Determines the overall game architecture. • Is coded so that new design decisions leave it unchanged.

6. Rules and Mechanics • Specific decisions about game parameters, obstacles, and abilities determine the rules and mechanics of the game. This includes things like: • Player abilities • Enemy stats • Enemy behaviour • Jumping height • Gravity strength • Point values • Interplay between game objects

7. Rules and Mechanics (cont’d) • Engine + mechanics = core rulebooks. • Engine and mechanics still doesn’t make a whole game. • AI is part of the mechanics. • If you have the engine and the mechanics, you should be able to make a level editor or game toolset. • Takes the space of possibilities, and makes decisions for all parameters

8. Interfaces • The engine and mechanics tells us what the player and other objects in the game can do. • The interface tells us how the player does things, and how she knows what’s happening in the game. • Interfaces thus have two parts: • Player-to-Computer • Computer-to-Player • The interface is the center of the user experience.

9. Content and Challenges • Two types of content: • non-gameplay • gameplay. • Non-gameplay content includes: • Graphics • Sound Effects,Background Music,Cut Scenes • Story,Flavor Text,Dialogue • Gameplay content includes: • Goals and victory conditions • Missions and quests • Level design

10. Types of Levels • Before designing a level for a game, it is important to know what type of level is needed for the game. • Standard • Hub • Boss • Bonus • Tutorial

11. Standard Levels • Standard levels are used to contain the typical gameplay of a game and are used to contain most of the story of the game. • around 90% of a game’s levels are standard levels, while the rest are special levels of one of the other types.

12. Hubs • Hubs do not have the same gameplay model as standard levels. • Hubs are levels that tend to be used to connect other levels together. • Consequently hubs can have multiple entry and exit points, although not all need be accessible on the first visit to the hub. • Typically, players can return to hubs multiple times throughout a game for some purpose.

13. Types of Levels: Hubs Screen shot from Overlord. In this game, your tower is a hub, allowing youto do a variety of maintenance tasks, as well as transporting you to otherparts of the game world.

14. Boss Levels • Climax points within a game. • Whether they be bosses, mini-bosses, orthe final boss of the game. • Boss levels are often designed around the boss in question. • This includes how the boss attacks, and how the boss can ultimately be defeated. • Boss levels provide a break from the standard levels in a game. • Typically cover a lot less territory thanthe standard levels. • Can also have different gameplay mechanics. • Boss levels also typically trap or otherwise contain the player so that they cannot escape the area. • At least not until they defeat the boss …

15. Types of Levels: Boss Levels Screen shot from Armed and Dangerous. After finishing an area, quiteoften there were boss battles involving using a turret to ward off wavesof enemies. A different style of gameplay from the rest of the game.

16. Tutorial Levels • Tutorial levels can be among the more difficult ones to design properly. • They must teach the player multiple new skills in a short amount of time, as you do not want the player delayed from getting into the rest of the game. • At the same time, the training scenarios must be spaced out and paced so that the player is not overwhelmed by too much at once. • They must somehow fit into the rest of the levels in the game smoothly, and must not seem out of place in comparison, which can be hard, especially when you must consider the player might skip them.

17. Types of Levels: Tutorial Levels Screen shot from Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy. This game featuresmultiple tutorial levels, each teaching a different gameplay skill. Theseare nicely integrated as memories recovered as the game progressesto teach the relevant skills as they are needed.

18. Bonus Levels • Unlike other levels that can be critical to the completion of a game, bonus levels are optional and not required for game completion. • Typically, bonus levels are given as rewards to players for some kind of extra effort in the game. • Bonus levels also provide a break from standard levels. • They can be shorter and use much different gameplay than standard levels. • Completing a bonus level might provide a further reward, like a special weapon, item, and so on, depending on the game. • Bonus levels should be the lowest priority on any project, and are one of the first things cut if time runs short.

19. Types of Levels:Bonus Levels Screen shot from Mario Bros. This is a bonus level in which the playermust grab as many coins as possible before time runs out.

20. Designing the Level • Three main categories of design issues • The spatial or physical characteristicsof the level. • The temporal characteristics of the level. • The interplay between the level’s designand the gameplay that is contained within the level.

21. Spatial Characteristics • Spatial characteristics include the physical elements of the game environment. • Perspective • Physical Layout • Consistency • Interior versus Exterior • Materials and Terrain • Scale , Boundaries • Consistency • Style • Landmarks

22. Spatial Characteristics: Perspective • There are a wide variety of perspectives that can be used to view the levels inthe game world. • First person perspective: • The game is viewed from the perspective of the player character in the game world. • Third person perspective: • In this perspective, the player character is visible on screen, and the game world is viewed through some other camera observing the scene. • Omnipresent: Provides the ability to view all over the game world, usually from above, with great control over the camera’s position. • Isometric: The player can look slightly across the landscape at a 30 to 45 degree angle to be involved in the action. • Top-down: The game is viewed straight from above, possibly with some form of scrolling. • Side-view: The game is viewed from the side, possibly with some form of scrolling.

23. Spatial Characteristics: Physical Layout • The physical layout of a level will be heavily influenced by its gameplay type. • Single player levels should create a flow that leads the player from goal to goal. There should be a linear flow of nonlinear areas, perhaps with branches to the flow. • Multiplayer levels should be more open, but simpler so the player does not get lost. There should be no safe places, but perhaps some hard to reach ones.

24. Spatial Characteristics: Interior versus Exterior • Interior spaces often work differently in games than exterior spaces. • In essence, an interior space is a space with a ceiling constrained by walls. • Interior spaces also tend to be smaller, more confined, and easier to control. • Exterior spaces tend to be more open, with the player able to see much farther. • Consequently, interiors tend to have more details than exteriors, in which detail must be used with great care and a lot of consideration.

25. Spatial Characteristics: Materials and Terrain • In game levels, there are two types of structures: man-made and organic. • Man-made structures are not naturally occurring, constructed from a variety of materials like concrete, brick, metal, glass, wood, and so on. • Organic structures are the terrain of the game world, composed of water, earth, rock, sand, plant-life (like grass and trees), and so on. This also includes what is visible in the sky in exterior levels, like clouds, and so on.

26. Spatial Characteristics: Scale and Boundaries • The scale of the game includes the total size of physical space and relative sizes of objects in the game. • For realism, it is best to scale most objects to accurately reflect their size in the game. • Scale exaggeration might be necessary to make sure elements of the game are harder to miss, or easier to manage or manipulate. • Scale distortion might also be necessary to make traversal of the world quicker and easier to the player. • Finite world so developers have to provide some boundaries • At the same time, these boundaries must make sense when they are visible in the context of a game, or else player immersion might be lost. • Boundaries can include locked doors, walls, impassable mountains, thick vegetation, and so on, depending on the game, of course. • Some games do not contain boundaries, but have a game world that is wrapped around itself.

27. Spatial Characteristics: Style • The style of a level influences its structure and also its appearance. • This includes: • The architecture of man-made structures. • The layout of terrain elements. • The placement and types of objects tobe found in the levels. • The colouring, texturing, and shading of everything in the level.

28. Spatial Characteristics: Landmarks • Visually distinctive landmarks should be provided to help orient the player as they navigate the level. • Landmarks can be anything in the level as long as it is unique. • Usually, landmarks are memorable either by size, position, or appearance. • Landmarks can also be the focal points for levels as well, so make them interesting and evoke emotion from the player.

29. Spatial Characteristics: Consistency • The look of a level should be consistent. • Although larger levels can contain a series of smaller locations that look different, each location should be consistent within its boundaries. • Levels should also be consistent with other elements of the game. • With the game’s story, with its characters, and so on.

30. Temporal Characteristics: • We can think of time in the context of “real world” or “wall clock” time. • In the end, time in levels of the game world can pass slower, faster, or not any different than time in the real world. • In some games, time does not pass at all, at least until the player does something.

31. Authentic Time • Some games try to portray time authentically and use the passage of time as a gameplay mechanic in the game world. • In some cases, time is synchronized with time in the real world or something else like the presence of light to track time passage. • In other cases, time is not synchronized but still plays an important and authentic role in various elements of the game.

32. Gameplay: Goals • Make sure the player knows the goals and objectives to complete in each level. • Give them a cut scene or scripted action. • Provide an easily accessible mission screen. • The players should be given some way of measuring their progress and success within a level as well. • The design of a level should also reflect the goals the player is to complete.

33. Gameplay: Obstacles • Obstacles prevent the player from easily achieving those goals. • Simple roadblocks: • These obstacles slow the player down • Enemies • Games that involve combat will have enemies that either need to be defeated or avoided to reach the game’s goals. • Enemies can vary in size, movement (speed, method of movement), and attack style. • Traps • Traps are obstacles that can ensnare or do damage to the player that are part of the environment in the game world. • Traps can include hidden pits, closing walls, falling objects, and so on. • Puzzles • Puzzles are obstacles that require some brainpower to solve and remove.

34. Structure and Progression • Ease the player into each level and build up the difficulty as they go along. • Build conflict in a series of ascending arcs. • Give hints and teases of what is to come. • Vary the pace of action in the level. • Some frantic periods of action. • Some exploration time. • Some safe time when the player can take a breather, think, and absorb the situation. • Make sure there is enough to do! • Do not let the player get bored. Ensure there are enough challenges to keep the player occupied.

35. Gameplay: Structure and Progression

36. Gameplay: Flow Control • Closing off areas can be necessary for many reasons: • Better management of resources. • Reducing player paranoia. • There are many ways to accomplish this. • The simplest is the creation of a one way barrier that prevents the player from going back once it has been crossed. • Remember that your player can try to do the unexpected. • Play testing is needed to ensure that game flow is being controlled properly.

37. Gameplay: Balance • Stocking a level requires very careful thought and planning. • Too many or too few supplies for the player. • Too many or too few enemies. • Locations of supplies and enemies. • Levels need to be carefully balanced to push the player to their limits, without actually pushing them over the edge.

38. Gameplay: Rewarding the Player • Balance risk and reward for the player. • Something might be difficult to do in a game, so accomplishing it should provide some kind of bonus to the player for their efforts. • Players should also be rewarded for skill, imagination, intelligence, and dedication. • These qualities distinguish a good player, and good players should be rewarded. • It is important to reward in a big way, and punish in a small way. • Ultimately, the hope of success motivates players more (and in better ways) than the fear of failure does.

39. The Eight Steps Game Design for a Puzzle Game SPECIFY RULES BUILD PUZZLES 1. Inspiration 2. Simplification 3. Construction Set 4. Design Specification 5. Levels 6. Testing 7. Sequence 8. Presentation Here are the eight steps in designing a puzzle game. The process splits into two halves: specifying the rules, and building the puzzles.

40. 1. Inspiration: Previous Game

41. 1. Inspiration: Technology 1. Nonphysical moves (Tetris) 2. Algorithmic levels (Pit Droids) 3. Enforce the rules (Sokoban) 4. Allow undo (Solitaire) If you are going to design a computer puzzle, don’t just copy a puzzle from another medium. Instead, think about how the computer can enhance gameplay. Eight ways are listed above. Thinking about the technology first can inspire ideas for new types of puzzles.

42. 1. Inspiration: Play Mechanic Every computer game, at its core, has a play mechanic — a basic way that the player interacts with an object — that gets used over and over. Endorfun, for instance, was inspired by the play mechanic of a cube rolling on a square grid, controlled by the four cursor keys..

43. 1. Inspiration: Subject matter • This puzzle was inspired by thinking about astronomy Like songs, puzzles can be inspired by real life. Stephen Sondheim: A good clue can give you all the pleasures of being duped that a mystery story can. It has surface innocence, surprise, the revelation of a concealed meaning, and the catharsis of solution.

44. 1. Inspiration: Story Adventure games like Myst are built around the elements of story: plot, character, setting, and mood. When you design puzzles for story-based games, look for puzzles that arise naturally out of the environments and situations, and help advance plot or reveal character.

45. 1. Inspiration: Art The story game Obsidian started as a series of concept sketches for characters and environments. Story and puzzles came later. Similarly, the puzzle game Spin Doctor (later renamed ClockWerx) started as a graphic concept by an artist on the project.

46. 2. Simplification The second step is to whittle the concept down to manageable size. Say we wanted to make a puzzle based on the tricky core skill of parking a car in a crowded lot. We eliminate irrelevant details and make pieces uniform by conforming them to a square grid.

47. Programmer: reusable code Rule designer: tweak rules Level designer: build levels Player: build levels 3. Construction Set The only way to test a puzzle concept works is to play it. So the next step is to build a construction set that makes it easy to build puzzles of a certain type. Sometimes a paper prototype is adequate. Once the rules are set, other people can use the construction set to build levels.

48. 4. Design Specification • Board — grid, network, irregular, none • Pieces — shape, image, attribute, supply • Moves — sequential, side effect, primary • Goal — exact match, partial, condition Now it is time to write a detailed design specification. Most puzzle game specs will describe puzzles in terms of board, pieces, moves and goals. In addition a design spec may also cover the user interface, scoring, story, art, sound and other aspects of production.

49. 5. Levels Schematically, a puzzle challenges the player to get from a problem to a solution.

50. 5. Levels But of course the path is never simple. Every puzzle requires that the player make choices, some of which lead to dead ends.