Level Design.

BackUpAndDown

I'm in the final stages of development and it turns out that I suck at designing levels... Does anyone have suggestions on how to come up with good level designs for a game?

tenrdrmer

Try and try again. Level design is the hardest part for me too. Good Luck

DrGlickert

Someone once told me the best thing you can do with level design is in each progressive level "give" something to the player.

Each level should incorporate something new (as in a new weapon, new combo move, new "something"). This makes more sense in a side-scroller game, but it helps the player stick with the game and want to continue (imagine Doom if you started the game with the BFG, wouldn't be much fun, and remember when you started putting in the cheat codes? You probably quit shortly after that). So progression is the key.

If you're making a puzzle game, then thats much more difficult to answer. But you should try to make the level get more difficult as the game goes on.

tenrdrmer

DrGlickert said:
Someone once told me the best thing you can do with level design is in each progressive level "give" something to the player.

Each level should incorporate something new (as in a new weapon, new combo move, new "something"). This makes more sense in a side-scroller game, but it helps the player stick with the game and want to continue (imagine Doom if you started the game with the BFG, wouldn't be much fun, and remember when you started putting in the cheat codes? You probably quit shortly after that). So progression is the key.

If you're making a puzzle game, then thats much more difficult to answer. But you should try to make the level get more difficult as the game goes on.

I have to Say I thing BFG would have been pretty sweet from the start. LOL but generally yeah it needs something new as you go. I don't think it always has to be a "give" It can also be just as rewarding to have a new challenge that adds difficulty.

And for the record I think Cheat codes ruin Games. I refuse to use them until I have beat a game.

MarkOnTheIron

I also suck big time on level design. I usually take the "mathematical" route. On a puzzle game you give points to whatever you want, being game element or the steps taken to reach the goal, and as you construct your levels you have a value for each level that should refer to the difficulty.

That way you can discard or change levels that are too similar in numbers to have a series of puzzles with a precise difficulty learning curve.

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quantumsheep

BackUpAndDown said:
I'm in the final stages of development and it turns out that I suck at designing levels... Does anyone have suggestions on how to come up with good level designs for a game?

I'm going to blow my own trumpet here, but take a look at Gravitrixx, which I made with my mate Jake.

There's 100 levels in it, and it's pretty good. We spent a long time trying to get the level progression right. Hopefully it might help!

Cheers!

QS

hoodwinkedfool

I made a post in the "are games art" thread, but check out Anna Antropy's blogs about level design at auntiepixelante.com like this one http://www.auntiepixelante.com/?p=459 or this one http://www.auntiepixelante.com/?p=1022

jonmulcahy

I spent 3 mths off and on designing the 100 levels in my new game. I just finished last week. it was a huge pain, but I think everything worked out for the better.

now i just need to finish everything else!