Good Level Design

[Trivun]

So, as some of you may be aware (or may not), I'm part of a team developing an RPG for Steam/XBLA, as a writer. As you almost certainly don't know, I'm also the lead level designer for the project, designing the maps and areas the player, well, plays in. This is sopmething I hope to build as a career - I'm trying to get into the industry and hope to be a level designer one day for a major developer, though I am of course aware that's hardly an entry level position (hence working on other things, plus building up my portfolio with projects like the aforementioned indie game).

So, as such, I have a habit of looking at games when playing them and trying to figure out the quirks of game design that the developers used. I like to try and notice when a game has really good gameplay, story, level design, that sort of thing. And I don't just mean in general, but I mean special stuff. Really amazing things that you don't expect to see. And as a level designer, I'm more interested in level design, and learning more about that particular art in game design.

So, this thread is just to see what people love in level design. Tell us about your favourite examples, your favourite levels and maps in games, and what makes them so special. Neat tricks and quirks that make a game unique or special, and why. And what exactly you feel makes a level 'balanced' when it comes to game design (since this is something I've always debated with myself, particularly with shooters...).

I should probably give an example myself too, I suppose. I was playing Alan Wake last night, and though the level design in the main game is great, it's not particularly special. Then I got to the DLC, and realised that the team must have been saving the best for last. The first DLC, 'The Signal', is pretty damn clever, and uses a nice little gameplay quirk to add to the uniqueness of the Dark Place (those who've played the game will know what I mean). The second DLC pack, 'The Writer', is even better. You literally build up the map from scratch using said gameplay quirk, and the design is almost like a labyrinth, albeit somewhat linear. It's not that different to a standard platformer, but the atmosphere and the feel of the design itself is just amazing and best of all, completely unique. Again, those who have played it will know what I'm talking about...

 

[Ruwrak]

My favorite level design?

I'll refer to the genious dungeons in The Legend of Zelda: Links awakening.
The entertaining 2d platforms a lá Donky Kong I & II
For the 3d era (n64 and older) I like the Banjo Kazooie type. Cookie worlds with more variation then a different color shade.


Nowadays... Erm I think I'll point to... Magicka, Skyrim (as long as the dungeons are, I had not the feeling I was doing dungeon #45 with the same corners. Like in dragon age II..) x.x

 

[])rStrangelove]

It seems latest games mostly feature big open worlds so level design is somewhat shifting towards designing places that look different to others.

In classics like No One Lives Forever, Jedi Knight or similar FPS it was always best to have some alternative pathways or levels above each other. We still got this in Batman: AA - sometimes you can go across a roof, through rooms directly or underneath the room through airlocks.
In DeusEx choosing an alternative path was also dependant on the style of gameplay you personally wanted: sneaking, climbing&jumping or brutal action blowing stuff up.

Always interesting: turning a normal environment into a catastrophic scene, like in the beginning of Halflife1 where the lab environment almost becomes a death trap with rising water, power cables on the loose and aliens spawning out of another dimension.

What i always loved was when you're at the start of a level and can already see the end you're supposed to go, but with lots of barricades in the way.

Other tips for level design can be found around the net: if something is important to the player it should look like it (interesting details, lighting, or sounds). If the player expects to find some sort of thing which restores power he will try to find something which looks like a power generator in RealLife[tm].
And deadly areas where the player is not supposed to fall into should provide some sort of warning beforehand without forcing the player to use the quicksave-jump-reloadgame mechanism because it breaks the immersion.


Thats all i can think of atm.

 

[Bostur]

Good level design is when the gameworld feels believable. If I'm playing in a space ship and think that a spaceship could totally be designed that way, that is good level design. Kudos to Dead Space 1 for this, and shame on Dead Space 2.

For realistic settings it might help to look at real plans of buildings or cities to get inspiration. For fantastic settings try imagining the level from the point of view of someone who works there. If a level is about the Evil Temple of Doom, pretend to be a clerk who needs to do his daily business there. Would you want to work in your own Temple of Doom level?

The worst level design is corridors that do 180 degree turns. I know that sometimes line of sight needs to be blocked for technical reasons, good level design hides these technical aspects. Half Life 1 did this very creatively in many cases.
If the level needs to 'turn' in a certain direction, it's better if there is a reason within the setting. A simple locked door, or collapsed hallway will do the trick very often.

Deus Ex 1 made level desing an integral part of the gameplay, instead of simply a theme park ride. DE:HR got close to the same feeling in Detroit. In these cases the levels served as a tool for the player, instead of just a linear sequence of events.

If a game makes heavy use of the environment for gameplay mechanics, the level design becomes as much part of the game balance as stats, skills or guns. Does this level have too much cover, or maybe too litle? Should there be more flammable objects that can be exploited by a fireball? Should the floor have a silent surface or a noisy one? Maybe the level is too easy for rogues but too hard for mages. The optimal range of a magic missile sometimes makes all the difference.
In games like X-Com or Frozen Synapse the layout of the level has a big impact on the gameplay. X-Com had some well designed levels but also some really horrible ones, especially in the sequel.

Levels can be as much part of storytelling than written text or cutscenes. I love level design that tell a story without a single word. The way bodies are placed on a crime scene. If the player needs to break into someones home, the interiors should tell a story about who lives there. When entering the boss' office is there a playstation or a basketball hoop? Those little details can make a world of difference when used consistently.

These are some of the things that I notice about the level design.

 

[Odd Owl]

I'd like to second Jedi Knight. That game had superb level design for several reasons. As Dr. Strangelove mentioned, it's level design incorporated a lot of vertical elements like cliff-side bases, skyscrapers, multi-tiered space docks, etc. The added dimension really helped make the level's spaces feel interesting. Plus, the player could often see where he needed to go (above or below), but moving up or down in the level became a puzzle. Another great thing about Jedi Knight's level design was the variety. Almost every level had an entirely different feel to it. In one, you explored a space station, while in another you traversed aquaducts on the outskirts of a city, and in another you escaped from a crashing spaceship while it rotated around you. It kept things interesting.

Now, with that said, I'll offer an example of level design that I hated. Jedi Knight II. The problem was that the level design just made no sense. I personally love realism in level design, but I understand that level designers can't always design a city or a spaceship in an entirely realistic way. There's usually no reason beyond the added immersion to include a bathroom or individual sleeping quarters on a spaceship in a first person shooter. But Jedi Knight II just went too far in putting gameplay elements in place of immersive level design. I remember hallways in Star Destroyers that were like massive steps, with three platforms going up. But there were no ladders or actual stairs, and the only doors were on the top and bottom platforms. And the only way to reach the next platform was to have Level 2 Force Jump. And yet there was a Stormtrooper on every platform! Why?! The same could be said for a ridiculous lever-pulling puzzle that was set in a suspended structure that was a little like Hypercube. There was no way in, or at least out, unless you had force powers. And yet it was supposed to be a central engineering station on this Star Destroyer. It all just killed my suspension of disbelief.

 

[The Abhorrent]

I think any game that manages to be labelled as a 'metroidvania' game is part of good design. It's intriguing building a kinda freestyle area where you could only traverse so many areas with the powers that you currently had. The sort of design where it leads to a nice flow of progression, whilst maintaining a degree of familiarity.

That would be the short version of what I enjoy in terms of level-design, but it doesn't exactly mean it has to extend to the whole game world like most Metroidvanias [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Metroidvania] in my opinion.

The one cardinal rule of level-design which any game should not violate is that it should never feel linear. The moment a game begins to feel like the only way to go is forward... that's the point the level-design will begin to break down and other flaws (such as recycled and/or generic environments) start rearing their ugly head. Even if you are largely going in a straight line, there should enough freedom and/or detours to avert the notion that you are.

The ideal design in my opinion is actually a non-linear one which favours a bit of exploration and experimentation, and progression is determined by how much of the map you can open up at the time (Metroidvania); rather than how far down the straight-ish line you are. This can be done through either abilities which allow to reach or bypass other obstacles (a la Metroid) or the difficulty of the enemies themselves [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BeefGate] (a la Dark Souls, which adds in short-cuts to early sections of the game). This will almost always add some degree of backtracking [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Backtracking] to many game, which not everyone enjoys... but done intelligently & correctly, it won't feel forced (if it's noticed at all beyond the notion of passing through a previous area and kicking more ass than before) and those who enjoy can reap the (optional) benefits.

The one thing to avoid, both in terms of level-design and asthetics, is hallways. These should be used sparringly at most, only to set-up a dramatic encounter or as apart of an intentional guantlet (which should also be fairly rare). Hallways are the fastest way to make it clear that the level design is extremely linear, which you don't want; if it's non-linear, the level becomes a maze (due to everything looking identical), which you don't want either. Hallways are almost never a good thing, being both lazy and poor level design; at best, they will be tolerated.

 

[ResonanceGames]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f93zdgx0PS0

Thief 2: Life of the Party, for several reasons.

1.) Scale. The level is not only enormous, but contains a multitude of both indoor and outdoor locations -- and all of them are fun.

2.) Contained nonlinearity. Rather than funnel the player down an obviously linear (and immersion killing) railroad track, they create a level that's logically laid out and uses visual and audio cues to steer the player to points of interest. It's subtle, and the rooftop nature of the level means it never turns into a frustrating maze, since you can always see where to go next.

3.) Variety. Again, the level has both indoor and outdoor locations, and all of them are interesting and reward the player in some way for visiting them. And several of the locations also bring their own unique challenges and touches, particularly the party house itself.

4.) Microstories. Little notes, visual touches, or mini-quests (like finding and breaking into a safe on the way) keep you on your toes and make sure you're never bored.

5.) Player expression. You can complete the objectives in any manner you can imagine using the game's systems. This is partially related to #2, but also has to do with the game being set up as a sim rather than a tightly-scripted and controlled narrative.

Life of the Party is definitely one of the all-time best levels I've ever played.