Level Design

Following on from the composition post, it seems logical to talk about level design. Before an environment artist even gets a chance to start making a scene look beautiful it will already exist as a white box in many cases. It may also use placeholder art. The purpose of this is simply to be able to experiment and refine the playability of a level without the art getting in the way. Stripped back to basics, a level designer can get to work. If it works well as a white box then it will work well as an amazingly detailed environment.

Although part of the level design process deals with the visual aspects of a level it is mainly left to the concept artists to create. An actual level designer is more likely to concern themselves with the playability of the level. This includes all manner of things such as -

• Laying out the map, considering how the player is directed through the level.
• Defining where/when key gameplay actions occur, such as set pieces
• Placing start points, NPC's etc
• Overall goals of the map relating to the gameplay for example a FPS map which is largely corridors would inspire use of short range weapons.

Level design is essential because it controls of the quality of the player's experience and their goals should there be any. Depending on how certain elements in a map are organized the whole genre of the game can be set. Also it’s not only the elements themselves but various devices which are used to direct our attention to certain elements.

For instance we could have two arguably identical maps, however subtle differences could make one a platformer and another a FPS. One of the ways attention is directed around a level can be the use of collectible items placed in a way to move the player forward. Other tactics include effective use of lighting and colour to make certain objects or platforms stand out. Another good one I always find helpful when playing is the camera angle. Even in a game where the user has full control of the camera, the default position has many times helped point me in the right direction.

As games have grown over the years so has the need for level designers however despite doing some research I’m not sure how someone would end up with this as a job. To start with it is both a technical and visual position requiring artistic knowledge as talked about in the composition post but technical knowledge is also a must because of the tools they use. A game engine will come with its own set of tools housed in a level editor that the designer must be fluent in.

In many ways their job is creating a balance between the visual and technical. This is not to be confused with a technical artist though who serves to mediate between programmers and artists. That is an altogether different beast.

Another key requirement I would imagine is experience - someone who has held a position working on games in the past. I highly doubt that a company would employ a graduate as a level designer unless it was in exceptional circumstances.

As an artist, 2d or 3d, my job would be heavily influenced by the work undertaken by the level designers, and it is simply up to us artists to make their work look good.