Potential critical perspective 1 – Nebulous objectives and how they enhance level design –
youtube.com. 2022. [online] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNEe3KhMvXM> [Accessed 28 February 2022].
At 11:19, in the video above, the presenter begins to talk about “nebulous objectives”, this simply means an objective that isn’t given a clear solution and is left purposefully vague, as to let the player’s creativity and imagination come into play. The presenter uses Skyrim’s Dark Brotherhood missions as an example of this, as the game simply tells you to kill a specific person, but leaves the method up to the player. This is a good example, but there are many more games that do this, these being almost every game featured in the Dishonoured and Hitman franchise. These games, in my opinion, are some of the most perfectly designed stealth games ever made, and they all feature nebulous objective design. These games give players the freedom to complete missions however they see fit, and make the player feel like they chose their own path and had a unique spin on the level, instead of simply following a set path.
Potential critical perspective 2 – How level design enhances horror
Youtube.com. 2022. [online] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5A0qttazXo> [Accessed 22 February 2022].
Horror in games has always had a distinct style of level design, which most horror games use to their advantage. Dead
Potential critical perspective 3 – Stealth/ horror game level design
In this video, the creator goes into several details about how stealth is designed in games, the first 5 minutes go into various details that make stealth in games good, but the part of the video that works for me and the specification I have chosen begins at about 5:20. The creator delves into “clear traversal routes” and why they are so important to the stealth experience. He mentions 3 main types of traversal routes, the first one being a central point objective, or a central goal. This means a central point that is usually surrounded by enemies, that the player must reach to complete their objective, an example of this could be that the player needs to assassinate a specific character in Dishonoured, but the area is surrounded by guards in a way that it gets more difficult the further towards the centre you get. This type of traversal method works in a lot of games, such as the aforementioned Dishonoured, as well as games like Far Cry and Hitman, the reason this works is that it provides the level with a gradual increase in difficulty, which challenges the player and forces them to think of different ways of completing the level.
The second traversal method is the linear method, this is much more common and is seen in games such as The Last of Us, Uncharted, Tomb Raider and the Metro series. This method usually begins with a safe area, which then leads to a section filled with enemies that are blocking off your objective. This has worked in many games, and will continue to work well, especially for story driven games, but this method gives the player a lack of freedom to tackle the situation they are presented with.
Potential critical perspective 4 – How to make a level flow smoothly
For this potential research topic, I will look into how levels are designed so that they flow smoothly. I will research examples and elements of levels and games that do exactly this in the perfect way, and how designers manage to craft such environments.
youtube.com. 2022. [online] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPBQHYquLtA> [Accessed 28 February 2022].
Mirror’s edge’s design is by no means perfect, but it has a few key features that give it some of the smoothest level design I’ve seen in games. One of these features is the directional opening of doors. This, while small, helps the game feel smooth when running through a doorway and knowing where to head, the door almost always opens to the side you shouldn’t go, which when opened, gives the player a perfect indication of where to go when being chased.
Potential critical perspective – How colour influences a level
Worldofleveldesign.com. 2022. How to Use Color to Create Environments Like “Mirrors Edge”. [online] Available at: <https://www.worldofleveldesign.com/categories/game_environments_design/mirrors-edge-color.php> [Accessed 24 January 2022].
For this potential topic, I decided to research the use of colour in games and how it influences the design of a level. I will research how games designers use colour to influence a level and the direction that the player will travel, the perfect example of this is Mirror’s Edge. While mirrors edge is mentioned in the last potential source, I couldn’t help but use it for this one too, as it really is a perfect example. Throughout the game you are provided with something called “runner’s vision”, this helps the player traverse the large white map by indicating what can and should be climbed on in red. This is extremely helpful while running around the city, and lets the player know where they can go next. Mirror’s edge isn’t the only example of highlighting things in brighter colours, as games like Far Cry highlight climbable surfaces in yellow, and place a small amount of climbing rope there in case you missed it. The way it is done in mirrors edge, however, influences the entire game world, as it is centered around the climbable objects.
BLOG POST 2
In terms of games development work, I have worked on a multitude of games, the noteworthy ones being Project 5’s platformer, the first year FMP, Project 7’s mini-golf and project 9’s horror game, these are all noteworthy, as these are the projects that I have had the most freedom with creating in terms of environment and level. I believe my best example of level design is that of project 7 with the mini-golf levels I designed. Working in a 3d space for the first time allowed me a lot of freedom for level design, which I quite enjoyed about the project. Overall I believe the game was good, as I got to create levels in a 3D environment which allowed me to explore level design and the ability to explore a large 3 dimensional space. The game’s mechanics were simple but I created relatively large and very detailed levels that the player could see if they wished to, but mainly served as a backdrop for the game path itself.
The discipline I will be focusing on for this project will be Level design. I have chosen this because I particularly enjoy the freedom of designing a level, and have also found the design of levels to be an interesting topic of research in general. For the research of this topic, I will be looking at multiple different examples of games with spectacular level design, and how they are influenced by different mechanics and features.
For blog post 2, I went over all of my past projects that included level design, this allowed me to reflect on them as a whole to see how my level design skills have improved, or in some places stayed the same. I mentioned enjoying designing levels in Unity and enjoying being able to design levels in a 3D space for the first time, this was a big jump in level designing for me, as it introduced an entirely new perspective and allowed me to explore multiple different pathways and elevations and such.
BLOG POST 3
I believe level design has many pros, such as its ability to make a game’s exploration experience fun and allow the player to have as much freedom or as many restrictions as the designer sees fit. It also has a few cons, however, mainly that poor level design will completely destroy a player’s perception of the level, and possibly the game itself, if the experience is ruined.
I chose this topic because I have quite a high interest in level design and enjoy creating levels for players to explore. I also find level design’s ability to make or break a player’s experience quite fascinating, as it shows how something as simple as a layout of walls can make a level look awful.
I hope I can gather useful information about level design and use this to enhance my level design skills. I want to enhance these skills so that I can have a greater understanding of level design for the upcoming FMP, as I will most likely implement level design aspects into the game.
Blog post 4 – Identifying potential sources
For my research, I believe I can find useful information from various sources. Most of this research will be secondary, as a lot of information can be gathered from sources such as YouTube videos of presentation and video essays, and articles from sites like leveldesigner and gamedesigner. I will conduct secondary research from these sources, take notes from them and record my findings as I do. I also believe I can do some primary research in the form of questionnaires and action research, though what exact type I don’t know yet.
I also believe I can gather primary research from playing through specific levels and looking at parts of their level design, as well as how game mechanics may enhance the design of game levels.
Blog post 5 – Research
For this section of secondary research, I will be looking at how stealth game mechanics can influence the level design of the game.
The Hitman games have always been stealth based, with a main feature of these being that Agent 47 can wear the disguises of various individuals to sneak around an area without being detected. This creates a stealth game through hiding in plain sight. This influences the level design and traversal of the game, as a lot of the time, there is an area completely locked down to civilians that you cannot enter without a disguise. There are, however, ways around this, as the levels usually have other ways for the player to enter, such as by climbing a pipe or sneaking through a sewer or vent. It’s level design aspects like this that make almost every player experience unique and fun.
I played Hitman 1’s Paris mission to show an example of how the mechanics of this game influence the design.
This screenshot shows how the player can infiltrate the building through one of the entrances by showing the guards an invitation to a secret auction hosted by one of the targets. Walking through here leads the player to a staircase, then a hall where they are frisked, then another staircase which leads to the auction. This entire process can be skipped by climbing up a pipe on the side of the building, which bears the risk of being detected and having the stealth attempt fail. Climbing this pipe also brings the player into an area that is different to where they would end up if they took the invitation route, which comes with its own risks. Alternatively, the player could enter a separate section of the level and get a guard outfit, which allows them to pass through the doors and go upstairs without being frisked, but requires the player to knock out or kill a guard, as well as hide the body so that it isn’t found, leading to the player’s detection.
This specific mission is one of the most fun and replayable missions in all of Hitman for me, as there are a huge amount of ways the player can sneak into the building and around the various sections of it.
This video shows an example of the blink ability from the Dishonoured series, the reason I am including this as a part of the level design is that the game’s levels are actually based around this ability, this is because the ability is mandatory and you are given it at the beginning of the game. The level design changes to accommodate this ability, with some places featuring long gaps that would be impossible to jump without the use of blink, and some vertical areas being impossible to reach without the use of the upgraded blink. Having areas be locked behind upgraded blink is good for the level design, as it forces players to explore the level more so that they can upgrade their blink and reach a secret area, and providing the player with a better sense of how the level is made, of course the player can always ignore this secret area, but having the upgraded blink allows them to complete their mission objectives a lot easier than they usually could.
Stealth games feature something known as “nebulous objectives”, I mentioned this in my potential research topics, as I believe it is the best way to design a stealth game. Examples of games that do this really well are Hitman, Dishonoured and Metal Gear Solid V, but since I’ve mentioned Hitman and Dishonoured, I’ll mention Metal Gear. MGSV is widely regarded as one of the greatest sandboxes and stealth games of all time, and for good reason, but that’s not what I researched. I researched the level designs of various bases in this game, and the way that every single one of them features several ways to infiltrate it. The best level in my opinion is that of MGSV: Ground Zeroes, the prequel DLC for the game. It’s one singular level, but is one of the best designed stealth levels I have ever played. The level consists of an island with a military base and POW camp atop it, you are given 2 objectives, rescue someone from each. The game gives you these objectives and does not give you any ways about doing this. I, for example, chose to rescue Chico from the POW camp first, and for this, gained the exact location of Paz, in the facility. This simple section rewarded me with a key piece of information that I would not have been able to acquire if I approached the mission by heading to the facility first. This is something that is discovered by the players, and isn’t explicitly said, which is a good example of nebulous objectives.
While Bethesda’s other game Dishonoured is catered to stealth and plays like a stealth game should, Fallout does not do this. The 3D fallout games have all included stealth mechanics as quite a large feature of the games, though this stealth experience isn’t as satisfying as other stealth games, mainly due to the game not being based around the stealth mechanics themselves. The level design also reflects this, as the game is still designed like an exploration based adventure RPG, and not a stealth game. This makes stealth feel sluggish and unsatisfactory, as the level does not feel like it is supposed to be used for a stealth environment. The level itself features long corridors that the player has to expose themselves and leave cover to move through, giving the player a higher risk of being spotted. The mechanics of the game also make stealth feel annoying, as once the player is spotted by even one person, all enemies are immediately alerted to their existence and location, almost immediately ending the stealth attempt.
The Last of Us features some really good stealth sections, with the level design reflecting this fact. The levels add paths featuring cover all over the place, which creates several opportunities for stealth kills and sneaking past enemies. The games overall feature mostly stealth sections, which can go loud if the stealth is messed up, but since the stealth is incredibly well done, the player will find themselves messing up a lot less.
Stealth game questionnaire –
For this questionnaire, I received 5 separate responses, 4 of which I considered to be useful to my research.
This question allowed me to understand if players particularly enjoy stealth experiences, with a surprising amount of people answering in favour of stealth. The reason I asked this question is that stealth is a highly popular genre, but stealth sections are generally looked down upon, especially if they are forced by the game, so I wanted to gather actual people’s opinions on the matter to decide if this was a good topic to follow.
I then asked if people would choose stealth over playing the game loudly. I asked this because I was curious as to people’s preferred method, as games that feature both styles of gameplay feature different level design
Blog Post 6 – Critical Evaluation
Level design is a make or break deal for me when it comes to games, if a level is poorly designed I will not enjoy it, and if it is well designed I will really enjoy it. This is the reason I chose Level Design as my chosen area, as I believe that it is one of the few things that makes gameplay truly fun.
I chose to research stealth game design, as I believe it offers the best options for level design out of any game genre, I covered examples of this in the initial research and used examples of them throughout the blog posts. Another reason I chose this perspective over other ones is that I simply love stealth games and what they have to offer, especially in regards to how the levels are designed.
I believe a strength of my research is that I visited various forums and watched numerous videos and all of these have lead me to the research of topics that I otherwise wouldn’t have researched, and actually broadened my perspective of level design as a whole. I believe my research on these sites and videos have actually allowed me to improve my level design skill and provided me with a fresh perspective on the topic, with the ability to better design a level for a future project, such as the FMP.
Another strength of my research is that I researched, in detail, specific examples of games that include great level design, and how that level design is influenced by core mechanics of the game. I gained a surprising amount of knowledge of specific games, as I actually had time to think and research specific mechanics and sections of level design, which lead me to realise how clever some levels are in their design. This realisation has allowed me to better understand stealth design as a whole, which could help me with the next project, depending on what I choose to make.
◦Main Weaknesses
◦Explain what the main weaknesses of the research are including
◦Are there any gaps in the research that you can see
◦What further research could be done
I believe one of the weaknesses of my research comes with the questionnaire. I made the questionnaire before any other primary research, and so I received the most responses from this one, and while I was satisfied with the information I received from it, I believe I could have been better off if I had received more answers to the questions. Another weakness of my research regards the second piece of primary research, the action research. This didn’t receive enough answers for me to be satisfied with the results. While I do believe that the quality of the action research could be improved somewhat, I still think that the lack of answers was the biggest downside.
Another weakness of my work would be the time management of this project as a whole, as I have struggled to manage this with the other ongoing project, P10. If we had more time, or if I had better managed to keep track of the timing of both projects, then I believe my overall work could have been better.
◦Conclusion – brief summary reflection of how you felt and your experience doing the research, pros and cons
Overall, I am satisfied with the amount of secondary research I have done, but not with the primary research. I believe I could have done more in terms of Primary research,
Blog Post 7 – Report
Introduction
For this research task, I set out to research different methods of stealth game level design, and how it is influenced by game mechanics. I believed this was a good topic to research, as I have always enjoyed stealth games and the way they’re designed. I also believe that I could acquire a lot of research into this field. I asked questions such as;
How is a stealth level made?
What games have good stealth level design?
How do stealth game mechanics influence level design?
What games have good stealth mechanics that influence level design?
How do nebulous objectives effect level design?
I gathered answers to these questions through various research methods. I used mostly secondary research, through multiple videos, blogs and other games design sites, and I used primary research through things like questionnaires and actually playing the stealth levels.
I gathered answers to these questions through various research methods, these being primary and secondary research. For primary research I made a questionnaire about stealth game design, in order to find out people’s preferences in stealth mechanics and their favourite stealth levels. I also conducted this form of research through actually playing the games I was researching, in order to fully grasp the mechanics and level design. I also conducted secondary research, which made up the largest chunk of the research as a whole. I covered various videos and articles that discuss stealth level design and how they are designed and created in a way that allows the game to be replayable and fun.
Discussion of the Results
- What conclusions have you drawn from your research
- What surprised you?
- Did any other lines of enquires emerge and how did they affect the course of the research?
The first question I initially asked was “How is a stealth level made?”, I answered this question in part by researching and discussing “Nebulous objectives”, these are objectives that are told to the player, but are left vague in order for the player to think creatively to come up with a solution. When this style of objective is chosen, the level usually reflects this, featuring multiple entrances, pathways and opportunities to gauge the player’s curiosity. This has several examples from multiple games, such as the way Dishonoured is designed to allow the player to choose which route they will take to reach their target, by offering them dozens of options in the form of entrances and opportunity. I drew several conclusions from
I also asked the question of “How do stealth game mechanics influence level design?”. This question was answered through the primary research of playing through various stealth games and identifying how the level environments are changed by the mechanics of the game. One example of this is in Hitman, as the levels are changed in order to allow the player to choose whatever path they would like, whether that is through blending in or just through sneaking. Areas of the map are designed in a way that the player wouldn’t be able to access as a civilian, requiring the player to either sneak through an alternative way, or locate a suitable disguise that allows them to walk through undetected. The level design is influenced by this mechanic due to various entrances, exits and pathways being designed in order to facilitate the use of various different disguises, or no disguises at all. Another example of mechanics changing the level design is through Dishonoured’s “blink” ability. This ability allows the player to travel a further distance than they usually would be able to through the use of teleportation.
Conclusions
- Brief summary of the main conclusions drawn?
- Some predictions about what the future holds based on your conclusions?
- How will you implement this information in future projects? (Project 13)
Presentation –
Finn's Games Design Journal 