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Describing Level Design
How to describe what level design is? If you tell people it has something to do with computer games then the average person will probably struggle to take it seriously. To prove that it is quite a complex topic can involve some quite long winded explanation.

Level design can be briefly summed up as the process of creating gaming environments that the player can interact with and be drawn into. It’s in many ways can be viewed as an art form (as much as anything from a computer can be viewed as art) with similar practices and methods to making films or writing novels. It’s easy to learn, but very, very hard to master.

As previously said, ,aking a film has similarities to making levels, however where the interaction with a film is primarily just on a visual/aural basis, with a level or map, it’s through the gameplay elements as well. Besides creating the right architecture for the scene, having the right atmosphere and sound effects, you also have to create the right  mix of in-game events to engage the player, and ultimately to make it fun to play.

The Past
Originally you would have found level design - in the basic form that we know today - in 2D games like Sonic or Mario. Some of the key issues of mapping applied but they were certainly not as complicated or critical as nowadays. Laterwe got 3D revolution in games like Wolfenstein 3D and Doom, which took level design to another level. It essentially involved creating maze like structures to play through and the placement of objects became much more important. Nowadays, level design is part of the bigger process of telling a story within the game. The Half-Life series is a classic example of this.
As the technology has advanced, restrictive maze like map construction has given way to much more open and immersive environments and not only is object placement ever more important the designer now has to script in behavior and actions in response to the player.

The Future?
Certain aspects of making levels, like texturing and detailing of the map will become specialized. For instance, detailed objects like tanks or railings are generally now made by modelers rather than built from brushes by the level designer in the map editor. This epitamizes the increasing detail expected of maps.

Likewise, as graphics become more advanced, texturing of the map will end up being solely down to the texturer who will be able to use his artistic edge to create much more appropriate and highly detailed textures for each setting. Ultimately, the job of the level designer will become primarily that of constructing the map and working on gameflow, lighting, atmosphere and object placement.

Introduction
Gameflow is a significant element of a level because it directly relates to how your level plays and how much enjoyment players will get out of it. The six main issues to bear in mind when designing a level that has good gameflow are…

• Height
  Different height levels make for much more interesting and varied fights. Battling on only one level only provides for one form of combat and that gets boring quickly.
• Balance
  Essentially, for anything in the map that gives the player an advantage, there should be a disadvantage somewhere that evens the playing field.
• Variation
  Corridors and rooms that are all the same - whether it be in looks or size - are boring and confusing for the player as they cannot distinquish between different area. Having a varied structure to your map also means the action in your map will be varied.
• Focal points
  There needs to be integral points within your map where players ultimately converge. At the very least they provide somewhere for everybody to orientate themselves, which also ties into having variation.
• Flow
  Your map should always encourage players to be on the move (ignoring specialist situations like snipers, campers etc). They should rarely have to backtrack to get around the map.
• Choice
  Players like choice. They don’t want to be limited to one set of routes around a map as it quickly gets boring and puts limits on tactical options.

Example
To demontrate the above principles, below are examples of how I would implement them into a basic deathmatch map to create a map that has good gameflow. To start with we have this basic, symetrical shape which pretty much breaks all the rules.

Though this might look incredibly boring, it does demonstrate 2 of the building blocks to gameflow (albeit on a very basic level). No particular side of this corridor offers players an extra advantage so everyone would be on a balanced playing field. Also players would be constantly going round and round which creates a very basic, if boring, sense of flow.

Not much has been added here but what we have started to create is a bit of variation. The corridors are now different lengths and the map is no longer symetrical. This is significant because by having different length corridors that caters to a larger variety of players and weapons. The players now have choice. Do they turn left, right or straight on? Arguably you could say they had choice before in whether they went clockwise or anti-clockwise around the map but that is such a insignificant decision for the player it would hardly matter.

I’ve now added a large room to the map which adds the focal point. All corridors now lead to this point and players should now easily be able to orientate themselves because the corridors follow different shapes and join to the room on different sides.

Finally I am going to add an element of height to the map by adding a platform in the main room. This is significant in a few ways. Besides adding height it also creates some variation in what the fighting will be like in that room. In some ways it also adds a focal point because players will fight over getting the height advantage.

Notice that to keep a sense of balance I added two separate stairways to the platform. Though a player may get the advantage of being higher up than other players he will have the difficult task of defending this advantage from two directions. It also helps with flow because otherwise there would be only one way up to the platform and the player would have to backtrack to leave it. Finally I added a small room to what was otherwise a long boring corridor, again for variation.

Supplies
A final comment should also be made on power ups, health, weapons etc. These have a big influence on balance and focal points because in a sense they themselves are focal points for the player. Taking the example again, if all the supplies were added to the main room then there would be minimal reason for the players to spread out around the map, making the corridors largely redundant and damaging any flow the map would otherwise have.

The key difference between a new mapper and someone with experience of developing levels is the detail in the architecture and how well it fits into the theme. It needs to look as natural as possible. Ironically a well designed map is one a player can go through without being distracted by the architecture.

• If a surface is long and flat you need to break it up so it does not look boring and bland. For example have pillars sticking out from the walls, have loose tiles on the floor, air vents in the ceiling… whatever fits the theme.
• Another big issue that helps to break up repetitive or undetailed spaces is height. Nothing is ever on the same plane all the time. Have balconies or corridors overhead, have steps or slopes on the floor.
• The level should have a strong unified feel and look that smoothy connects to each other section of the level so the player feels it belongs to a greater whole. One of the dangers that new mappers may make regarding point 1 is to just randomly stick a vent in the middle of the ceiling or have ramps that lead to nowhere. It doesn’t fit in with the map. The basic architecture needs to fit in with the extra details that go on top of it. For instance cut a space into the roof, add a trim around it and place the vent in there.
• Don’t repeat the same geometry throughout the map. Have slight variations on the theme because repetition is boring and will very often confuse the player if it all looks the same. Just because the level has to have a unified theme doesn’t mean it cannot have variety on that theme. Imagine you are making an old bunker level and a lot of the walls are arched. One corridor of the map could have vents and pipes running along these walls, while another corridor could have a corrigated roof with support struts running down them.
• Related to this point, don’t make everything symmetrical. The left hand wall does not always have to be a mirror of the right hand wall. Not only is it repetitive if done a lot, it’s bad for gameplay as it makes that area not look unique which can disorientate the player.
• Detail varies from minor small things to the larger stuff thats already been mentioned. As games get more powerful, the minor details will become more prevalent. For example, in a city/town map have litter lying around and posters on the walls.
• Any section that goes on too long, such as a lengthy corridor, should be avoided. You can add all the detail you want but it will still look boring as ultimately it’s still a really long corridor. Avoid this problem by having doors, building in rooms, changing the height etc.
• Avoid sharp, harsh edges except in exceptional circumstances. Use trims to smooth the edges into the surroundings This is especially important for bridges, catwalks etc.
• Don’t let the textures dictate your architecture. Imagine how you would shape the structure so it looks like the theme you are aiming for, without any use of textures. If a room was all coloured in white but had a table, computer, notice board and filing cabinet in it, the player would still be able to tell it was an office.
• Scale sections appropriately. This doesn’t just go for elements like incorrectly sized doorways, tables etc but having really thin pillars in huge rooms, or tiny support struts on huge bridges for example. Besides looking out of place, it would defy all laws of physics in the real world.

Only Have Whats Needed
Ask yourself why someone would want to go to each part of your map. If certain sections have no clear point to them then why bother having them at all? Players simply won’t go there and the sections will only serve to make the map more complicated and cluttered. Essentially only have the playable sections that are needed to advance the gameflow (note, this does not include sections that cannot be accessed but are there for decoration). For example, if you have two routes close to each other that lead to the same place, remove one of them or have it take a more dramatic route around.

You may want to add some neat idea you have had but it must still fit into the overall structure of the map. If you add an area just because it looks good or because it has some little gimmick then the map will suffer as a result. At the very least, compromise and add these features to the existing parts of the map rather than padding them on.

Simple vs Complex
Bad shape and structure in your map can often be because it is either too simple or too complex. If it’s the latter the difficult issue is to remove parts of the map you may have spent ages working on. To help determine which routes should be removed consider how often it is likely to be used and whether it leads to anywhere important or interesting. This is where having a good layout planned on paper beforehand can save you having wasted work.

There is nothing wrong with a map layout being complex or simple as such, but it ultimately comes down to how easily you can learn and work out your way around the map. Having a complex maps that is still easy to navigate is tricky to do, while overly simple maps suffer from a set of different problems.

Wherever possible you want to be able to at least make the player know he is heading in the right direction. For instance you could have the map on a slope (so he knows whether he should be going uphill or downhill), or have some large structure in the middle of map that can be seen from all around, such as a big statue

Both issues can be limited by planning out the layout beforehand. It won’t necessarily mean you will avoid having to radically alter your map up but if you work out the structure on paper beforehand you should be able to see the problem areas before you start building them. Ultimately you have to bear in mind that as you are the one making the map you will know immediately the best and quickest routes around. Other players won’t have that advantage so it’s useful to get a second opinion.

Knowing Where You Are
A key aspect of making sure players enjoy your map and do not get frustrated is to make sure they can easily work out their position. The first and most obvious way of achieving this is through the use of signs. However they should be simple and don’t rely on them to deal with a confusing layout. The other more appropriate and natural approach is to have landmarks that the players can orient themselves by. In very general terms this can be special rooms with supplies in or big structures that stand out from the rest of the map in some way.

Have A Main Route
Give the map a main route through it so that the players can use that as the key route to guide them around. Have minor routes coming off this which should directly or indirectly lead back to the main route (imagine it all as a transport network with the spine being like a motorway). If you are doing a deathmatch map then this main route should also follow the gameplay style you are using (linear, circular etc).

Keep Things Clear
Have clear entrances and exits. If you go into an area you want to be able to almost immediately see where you can go next even if it isn’t directly accessible. Don’t have doorways hidden away or dug into the walls out of sight. The same rules can also apply to maps that have specific goals to achieve. For instance, with Dustbowl for TFC, in each section you could see immediately what you had to do, whether it be to get to the exit or to get the flag to the goal at the other end of the map. One general technique often used to emphasize the exit/entrances is to use contrast. For instance the indoor areas can be quite dark and the outdoor areas where the routes lead to can be bright and sunny. Not only do you get contrast in the light levels but you can also get different color tones (dark colours indoor and light shades outside).

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Introduction
Ever wonder how some mappers are able to bang out a regular stream of good quality maps, while you struggle along for months on the same level? It’s all about your technique and taking an organized approach. If you have any intention of making maps and releasing them to people then you should consider the following points.

Time Worked On Map
How long do you work on a map? Some people take a slow, steady approach while others may put a lot of effort into it over a shorter period (a good few hours a day for instance). There are advantages and disadvantages to each. Being more casual time wise means things will stay fresh but you could also get bogged down and struggle to finish things off. With the second approach you are more likely to get things done and finished but are also more likely to lose enthusiasm and get bored of working on the map.

Consider taking a break from mapping every so often especially if you take the second approach mentioned above. Close your level editor and leave it for a few days (or more). This helps to stop you getting fed up and tired of the map and allows you to come back to it feeling fresh.

Planning
Another issue is how you plan your maps. Your approach could be to do detailed plans on paper first, or you might prefer to be spontaneous. The latter way is generally frowned upon but some people can produce good maps by simply laying down a few brushes and building up something from scratch. More often than not however it can be quite messy as you will end up moving and changing things around a lot more. Generally, whatever approach you prefer, you want to consider doing at least some planning beforehand. Also, no matter how much planning you do in the beginning you will still need to open up your map editor and experiment with things.

Influences
Be influenced by other people’s work though that obviously doesn’t mean copying. Go round maps you like and look at things that inspire you then alter those ideas into your own creations.

Influences don’t have to be limited to other maps. Movies and pictures are another good area for gaining ideas. In fact, wherever possible, you should search for relevant images when you start new maps. They serve as a reference point as you work.

Error Checking And Polishing
Take your time and fix any errors as soon as you find them, even if they are only minor, otherwise you may forget about them. An important aspect of making good maps is to keep errors and problems to a minimum.

Polishing makes or breaks a map and as games become ever more complex and detailed it’s a much bigger deal because there is much more work involved in doing it. It involves checking textures, tweaking lighting etc. There are a number of ways of doing it. For instance you could lay the map out and then slowly work your way through it, tidying everything up or you could build individual sections of the map and check over that before building the next section.

More often than not you may feel there is a daunting list of things that need to be checked over or altered in your map especially with the newer games and their extra detail. Don’t let this put you off. Choose 1 or 2 things at a time and make sure they are sorted out before moving onto the next task.

Misc Points
Finish off maps otherwise you will end up like a lot of people who keep making maps and leaving them half complete because they have come up with some other idea they feel like following.

Look for feedback as much as possible throughout the making of a map but always make sure they give you constructive criticism. A lot of people may just say its rubbish and leave it at that. Such comments are neither helpful nor productive.

Don’t be pressured to produce truly original work. It’s an important factor and should be considered but it isn’t as important as good design and gameplay. Its just with people complaining about map xxx being yet another ruined city, 2fort clone, generic dungeon setting etc, some mappers can end up trying to produce something really different, disregarding the gameplay. Try out new stuff, but don’t go overboard to the detriment of other factors.

What follows are details of what sort of attitude you should take when you want to create maps. You don’t necessarily have to be a particular type of person to make good maps but when you do make a map adopting the following attitudes help. You may be thee laziest person in the World but if you enjoy making maps you will (eventually) produce great maps.

Don’t Be A Perfectionist
You can’t make a map 100% perfect so don’t even try to. You simply cannot make a map that looks an exact way and is built in a particular manner. Not every texture needs to be aligned in an absolutely realistic way, not every object has to be really detailed (see below about having an eye for detail).

Be Artistic
By artistic I don’t mean you need to know the virtues of different types of paper (school flashback…) but it does help to have some idea of what looks good and what goes well together. You should be happy to spend some time playing around with textures, lighting etc to get the best looks.

Have An Eye For Detail
Knowing when and where to add detail or tweak the map is important. If you don’t get it right you can end up spending more time than necessary working on your map (cause frustration on your part) or not working enough on it and having a map that looks bland.

Don’t Overdo The Competitiveness
A bit of friendly competition between mappers is good (it did wonders for the quality of my maps after I entered a mapping competition with my Russia map) but don’t take it too far. Trying to be the best mapper out there or trying to create world conquering maps will cripple the enjoyment you get. Speaking of enjoyment…

Have Fun
If you don’t enjoy making a map then you are wasting your time. More so with level design than anything else, if you enjoy what you are doing it will show, and if you are not enjoying it you will struggle to finish it. If you start a map and you are not enjoying making it then don’t expect things to change further down the line. Stop and determine where it’s going wrong otherwise it will only cause frustration.

Be Imaginative
People don’t want to see the same thing all the time. Making maps that repeat what’s been done before will only get you so far. Not only do companies want to see imagination, it is more fun for you trying out these new ideas and settings. Imaginative maps are also more memorable to the people who play it.

Willingness To Hear Feedback
You don’t want to get all defensive and touchy if people criticize your map. Level design is not an exact science so feedback is very important and you should be happy to receive it. Of course if someone is just harshly abusing your map then that’s unfair and doesn’t help one bit (but you are better off just ignoring it as there will always be people like that).

Willingness To Put In The Effort
You might only spend an hour a week and take a year to finish off a map but if you put the effort into every element of the map, the end result will be so much better. In fact you need to put effort in to make your maps at least half way decent. It takes effort to get the lighting right, it takes effort to make the textures suitably aligned, etc, etc…

Weapons And Supplies
Players should have to generally work for supplies and the size of the task should match the supplies they receive because if a player takes down 5 monsters and breaks into a room to find just 1 health-pack they won’t be happy. Essentially the amount of effort involved should determine the supply the recieve.

Gone are the days of having to find supplies in crates as well. Use them sparingly. Not only is it frustrating to have to break through 5 boxes to only find one ammo clip its unrealistic and unimaginative. Use shelves, tables, even floors to provide supplies (as well as picking them up from baddies).

Ammunition and health is tricky to get right and really requires a bit of playtesting to get the balance. The average player who has not been wasting ammo or doing suicide runs everywhere should generally be getting a steady supply of supplies throughout the level.

Stronger weapons should be given out later on in your levels. They should also be placed in believable places that fit the use of the weapon. For instance, the sniper rifle should be picked up in/around/near a large, outdoor area and not some claustrophobic box room (note how this is the opposite to multiplayer maps). It is also important that there should be a reason to give the player a new weapon. Taking the sniper rifle as an example again, it would be logical for the player to expect to deal with other snipers or be involved in some other long distance combat within a reasonable time after getting the weapon. Weapons can also be given out to deal with an increasingly difficult enemy presence. In Half-Life you got the machine gun when you began facing the new threat of grunts, you get the rocket launcher when you have to face flying craft.

Map Structure
Single player maps need a fairly linear route to guide the player through the levels. Having a few different routes leading to different locations around your level may seem like a good idea but its more than likely players will waste their time backtracking and exploring those routes they haven’t been down. Remember that you are building a FPS level not something for a RPG game and the player needs to feel he is continually advancing forward in terms of plot (see gameflow below) and action.

Backtracking, if used in moderation is a good way of keeping a linear level without having to build extra parts of the map. An obvious use would be to turn off the security system to access the main door. The main advantage of this backtracking/looping is that the player is given their goal straight off (in the example, it would be activating the main door) so they know exactly what they have to achieve. Do bear in mind however that the player essentially has to go through the same area twice which can get boring quickly if overdone.

Throughout your maps give the impression that there is more to explore outside the playing area even though you might not technically be able to get to it. Your level should not look/feel like it is in its own void. As an example, If you are in a city, you could have high rise buildings in the distance (Half-Life 2 is a prime example, it even has the big citadel dominating the skyline). If you have an office level, you can have numerous rooms that are locked but you can see in through the windows. By placing obstacles in certain places, obvious routes around your map can become not so obvious ones, breaking up the strict, linear route but still guiding the player around.

Every realistic location has some history attached to it and this should be reflected in your maps. It should not look like it was just built for the player to run around. If, for instance, the player is going through an abandoned building there should be signs that at least give the player some hints as to why it was abandoned. Was it too old, was it unsafe? Have holes in the floor, collapsed walls and old decor to reflect this.

Your levels should have some sort of continuity. The theme of your maps (whether it is on a spaceship, terrorist base or whatever) should run throughout. Build your maps accordingly and choose suitable textures. If you do go from one area to another the change between the areas should be smooth and believable. For example, players shouldn’t just be in a sewer one moment, and then open a door and find themselves in a casino. They should find themselves in the lower levels of the sewers, then the higher areas, then maybe the maintenance sections, the basements and finally the casino proper.

Gameflow
Your single player maps should have an overall goal which gradually gets revealed to the player and throughout it there should be mini missions or diversions that relate to the overall plot. Think of films as an example. In James Bond films he has to stop the evil bad guy from taking over the world but first (speaking in very general terms) he does some shadowing, blows up a few buildings, kills a few henchmen etc. In Half-Life 2, you start off knowing very little of whats happening or where you are, but soon enough you are introduced to your first mini mission of escaping City 17, getting to Black Mesa East and meeting Eli, who can further expand the plot for you. A level without any expanding plot will struggle to pull the player in. They need to feel there is a purpose to what they are doing.

To go along with having a plot to your levels, have a decent ending to accompany it too!

Vary the action in terms of pace and challenge. Few players will enjoy the prospect of constantly blasting away enemies or doing puzzle after puzzle. It quickly gets repetitive and frustrating for the player. For every section of action in your map, the player should be given some form of break afterwards. If the player has just been through some major battle a period of respite should follow.

Baddies
Never just have monsters hanging around doing nothing. They should be active/responding to events. It can be as simply as soldiers patrolling or guarding. There should also be a reason for baddies to be doing what they are doing and being where they are. If you come across a soldier just stood around on a subway, for all the player knows he could be waiting for his Auntie to come visit.

The player should feel like he can be attacked from any angle at any time. If enemies run in from the front all the time it becomes repetitive. However have some sign that enemies will come from other angles (an exploding door is a good example) as it is unfair to be hit when you don’t know anyone is there.

Other Points
Place autosave points in your maps just before points where there is a high risk of dying, like where there are a number of dangerous jumps to be made or there is a boss monster. There is nothing more annoying than having to restart from a long way back. Even if you want to challenge the player, this is not one of the ways to do it. Don’t rely on the player to save the game for himself.

Never let the player feel they have died unfairly. The worst case scenario is trapping the player in a situation where they have to restart/kill themselves to escape. Make things hard but fair, dont have the player face off against dozens of enemies with only a pistol.

Single player levels with all the scripting and different interactions are heavily reliant on timing and tuning. More so than multiplayer maps you have to test, test, test until you have the right levels of ammo for the weapons the player has, the right weapons to deal with the enemies that are thrown at him, the right position for him to set off a scripted sequence, etc etc.