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By
Marc Saltzman, Compilation Editor
Gamasutra
July 23, 1999
This
article originally appeared as Chapter 6 in the book
Game Design: Secrets of the Sages (Macmillan, 1999). It
has been reprinted here with the permission of the editor, Marc
Saltzman
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 Features
Eric
Biessman, Raven Software
As project
coordinator, lead designer, and level designer at Raven Software, Eric
Biessman has received many e-mail messages from those who want to know
how to create breathtaking levels, as seen in Heretic II. Here he sets
the record straight:
- The level
must be fun. This is a game, after all.
- Make
sure that you have the level planned out before you start designing.
To design in a vacuum usually means that you'll have a large amount
of wasted time.
- Pay attention
to the world around you. Find ideas in everything you do. Make sure
that you aren't just making a level that plagiarizes another game. Detail
is the key, but it has to be from your own imagination, not someone
else's.
- I definitely
sketch out ideas on paper first, but not the entire level. Usually,
I will design smaller areas that are very important to the game and
then go from there. I also like to flowchart the entire level before
I even think about sitting down to the editor.
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| Key
areas such as the Silverspring Docks in Heretic II should
be sketched out on paper first, says Biessman. (Used with permission
by Activision, Inc.) |
- Be persistent.
The more you practice, create, and build, the better your levels are
going to be. Make contacts in the industry and touch base with them
regularly. Play as many games, in as many different styles, as you can,
and learn from them. Turn your hobby into a passion. If you can't do
this, then you probably should think of another way to release your
creativity. Dedication pays off 90% of the time but you still need to
have creativity. Otherwise, there's really nothing that can be done.
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