Resources

I say this might be for TF2 cus I dreamt of shooting rockets down at people on the one staircase going to the third floor of the house. I know it seems schizo looking at this but it makes sense in my head

I've noticed that many beginners in game design often confuse gameplay with the visual and artistic aspects of games.

This misunderstanding is particularly apparent in level design and level design portfolios, where there's a common focus on aesthetics rather than the practical elements that truly enhance gameplay.

Consequently, these individuals struggle to get interviews, as their portfolios may not adequately showcase their understanding of effective level design and how it contributes to the gameplay.

I think the main reason is because most beginners confuse level design with environmental art. While both are crucial for creating stunning games, they have distinct roles:

Level designers craft the layout, placing swings, slides, and even the occasional friendly monster (or not-so-friendly one!) to enhance the gameplay.

Level interactive spaces that challenge and engage players, making decisions about:

• Enemy placement: Where will players encounter enemies, and how will these encounters test their skills?
• Jumping platforms: How will players navigate the environment, and what kind of flow will it create?
• Pacing: Will the level be a fast-paced adrenaline rush or a slow, suspenseful crawl?

Environmental artists take the level designer's blueprint and transform it into a visually stunning masterpiece. They create the:

• Gorgeous landscapes: Lush forests, bustling cities, or maybe even a creepy abandoned spaceship - the environment sets the mood.
• Eye-catching details: From the textures on a wall to the placement of a single lamp, these details bring the world to life.
• Cohesive style: The art ensures the entire level feels like a unified and believable space.

So, the next time you're building your level design portfolio, remember: focus on the interactive aspects!

The goal is to showcase your design process, not just the final product. Here are the key elements to include for each level design piece:

• 2D Maps: Simple sketches showing the level's mechanics and flow.
• Blockouts: Early, in-engine level layouts using basic shapes like cubes. Videos or gifs are better than screenshots to show iteration.
• Documentation: This can be notes, references, or flow charts explaining your design decisions.
• Final Level: Showcase the final playable level using gifs or videos, with or without final art. Include before-and-after images with explanations for changes.

So if you are interested in the level design or you are struggling with your portfolio, then you should check out this guide by Nathan Kellman:

Nathan is an experienced level designer who's worked on Diablo IV with Lost Boys and amazing human being that has been selflessly reviewing hundreds of aspiring level designers' portfolios since 2020, making a substantial difference in our community.

His guide goes into depth on how to structure your level design piece, what kind of pieces a portfolio should have, as well as how to capture the attention of hiring managers as well as keywords and examples from actual portfolios of folks that pulled ahead of the pack and got hired.

Beginners, share your struggles!

So I’m thinking about speciing into level design. Aside from my experience directing jam projects, I think this would be a good skill for me to build.

What is a good way to begin practicing?

I don’t have any coding experience outside of scripting with Ren’py/Python and making design documents for coders to implement.

I’m willing to learn any coding necessary, as long as it partains to designing maps.

What piqued my interest in this field particularly, is Spyro.

I loved the levels, the environment, the skyblock, everything. And with level design being psychological (you want to exert certain themes / mechanics), I believe I have the talent to do it

I’m trying to make a game on a spherical world like Outer Wilds/astroneer. I've been able to create the globe on blender but don't know how best to level map it out for my programmers. Any guides or advice on how to do this? We're trying to make it like a dungeon/maze.

I live in nagpur currently and my financial condition is troublesome to say the least... I'm doing freelance editing for earning some money but I want to work as an environment artist and eventually a level designer... I currently don't have the skills for level design but I can create some good looking environments... Once I complete my portfolio, I want to work at a studio which does paid internship... Any advice you can give me regarding anything? A roadmap if you will... Enlighten me here please

Hi there

I am making a racing game where most of the races take place in cities and on the highways, so I'm trying to get a better understanding on how to make the courses. I really only have two questions.

When I making a track that's in the city, do I have to plan out the city first? Or do I build the track and build the city around it. I was looking at other games like ridge racer and noticed that they would have some type of hub level(idk if I am using that term correctly). So they would make a course that takes place in the same area, like Ridge City and make like 4 or 5 tracks, and all the places were interconnected and used the same roads, it just that the routes would change.

So instead of just racing in the city all the time, the next track might have a barrier that blocks the previous route, and you take a different road which leads to somewhere else, but in the end all the roads end up back at the start.

Here are some example links to the Ridge Racer Series maps. you can see that most of the roads are interconnected which is what I'm trying to accomplish.

Also, fellow racing game devs if you can share some blender plugins that make roads, highways, and intersections easier, please share them. I wouldn't mind any paid options either.

Thanks for any information.

Courses

Map

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https://preview.redd.it/e6l7esn9l4rc1.png?width=1047&format=png&auto=webp&s=a6961483b2ce6610af0dbf866dd1b2b94b525cc1

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https://reddit.com/link/1bp3p9v/video/cvsw1guf3wqc1/player

Hello! I am currently developing a linear action-adventure game called "Pirates & Pirater", and I am wondering if anyone has any tips or practices to apply/keep in mind or any resources about level design that would be helpful?

Thanks in advance!

https://preview.redd.it/qk3wf94mqnqc1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=f8c89af93f24e1a87cf40c9784fa5170631ee57d

I have a game design project with friends, a 2D top down dungeon crawler, what tool should I use for creating simplified level design layouts?

As a novelist interested in crafting 3D visualizations of worlds encompassing mountains, valleys, houses, and more, to aid in visualizing my story, I'm seeking software recommendations. I understand that Unreal Engine (UE) and Unity are capable of achieving this. I would appreciate any insights or feedback on these options. Thank you.

Hi. I am a student in digital design and I plan to make a MOBA. I would like to get your experience and thoughts as players (or not).

Could you answer this survey ?

https://forms.gle/Su4nZuRoHM8iSpjQA

Hi all. Long story short, as the title suggests I was wondering if anyone has a link to a tutorial that provides literally a step by step process on how to create a small playable scene in Unreal Engine 5. This is for a small part time course I am doing and I find the tutors video tutorials long winded and confusing. I was looking for something a bit more succint and quick.

Specifically it would also need to evidence an understanding of using modularity construction, terrain basics and importing of third party materials such as 3D assets and materials/textures. The scene can be comprised of any free assets from the marketplace, Quixel Bridge or Unreal resource.

Can anyone help?

Looking for feedback on a project I've started. Inspiration comes from a lot of places: Castlevania (Netflix series), Boomerang X, Meet Your Maker, Ghostrunner, Dishonored to name a few.

I'm trying to learn a lot from scratch with this one to get more well-rounded experience with UE5. I want to spend one month scripting, one month blocking/testing, one month polishing. I have a feeling I'll need to adjust scope or mechanics will need to be simplified to finish in three months. I'm tracking tasks in a spreadsheet based on priority, so hopefully that helps get a worthy "shell" of the project done.

Here's an outline. Could anyone provide feedback on the concept or my process? Much appreciated!

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Hey guys, I need recommendations for articles or books that talk about level design. I'm doing my course conclusion work based on what adds value to a nice design for a Soulslike RPG.

Fala pessoal, preciso de recomendações de artigos ou livros que falem sobre level desing. Estou fazendo meu TCC baseado no que agrega valor a um desing de nicel de um RPG do estilo Soulslike.

Hey everyone, I'm a GIS Analyst and a huge gamer. My passion for map creation, analytics and gaming has made me super keen to venture into creating maps for games (I know GIS won't necessarily play a part in this).

Since I'm a complete novice in this field, I'm seeking guidance on how to kickstart this journey. What are the best courses to take? What's the demand like in the industry? Can I still break into this field at 28 years old? I'm also unsure about the correct job titles and where to begin. Any advice or tips would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Edit: when I talk about map creation, I'm talking about the Interactive map/world map where you place way points etc.