Contents

Functional vs. Technical Specifications Guidelines for the Functional Specification Guidelines for the Technical Specification Guidelines for Paper Level Designs Documentation and the Development Cycle

Guidelines for Paper Level Designs

The designers should do paper versions of level designs before they begin creating the levels in the editor. Ideally, the designers will be familiar with the design palette, the level editor and game engine capabilities before they get started. Paper level designs are creating during the implementation phase, though they are based off of level design seeds expressed in the functional specification. These seeds are the core idea for the level and/or the basic requirements that may indicate what new assets are being introduced or what to limit the design to. It’s best not to do all of the paper designs at once, either, as the designers usually learn a lot while implementing each new level.

For some reason, producers often expect the cart to come before the horse, so before serious level design begins, push for a playable, prototype level to be created first. It’s often a milestone unto itself that ensures that the tools and game mechanics are working well enough to develop levels. It should also serve as a guide to what can be accomplished with the editor and engine and epitomize the vision for level design.

Following the first playable mission, level design can start in earnest. Yet even here, documentation plays an important role in saving time and ensuring quality through meticulous planning and the critical process. The process of level design that works:

Step 1: Thumbnail & Discussion

The level designer conceives of a level layout that meets the requirements laid out in the functional specification and asset revelation schedule. He or she then produces a thumbnail sketch and discusses the concept with the lead designer. The thumbnail could be on a white board or a note pad. It is a visual aid in the discussion. It does not need to convey the entire idea or all the details for the level, as these often evolve during the discussion or get tossed out altogether.

The benefit of doing a thumbnail sketch and discussion rather than forcing a designer to first think everything through and document it is that it saves time. A senior or lead designer can in a matter of minutes determine whether a proposed level design has merit and give valuable advice that can drastically alter the design. A fully detailed and documented paper version can take days or even a week to put together. Depending on the skill of the designer, a designer might get sent back to the drawing board many times. This is especially true near the beginning of the project, when the designer is still learning what the lead designer wants, and near the end of the project, when original, compelling level concepts are harder to come by.

Step 2: Detailed Paper Version

With an approved thumbnail and level concept, the level designer can work on a detailed paper version of the level design. The layout (or map) of the level should be much more detailed than the sketch and should be drawn to scale. This is best done on a large sheet of graph paper using colored pencils. Information about objectives, behaviors, buildings, enemies, events, locations etc. should either appear on the map or on a separate document with reference points on the map. Any mission specific art or code should also be listed. This amount of detail can take a few days or as long as a week to draw and document, but it saves a lot of time that would otherwise be spent "searching" or "redesigning" in the actual editor.

When completed, the lead designer, producer and any other principal decision-makers should subject the paper design to an approval process. They may approve it, throw in some changes, or kill the level right then and there.

It’s also important that someone technical, preferably a senior programmer, review the paper design from a technical standpoint. This gives the programmers a heads up on what the level designers are going to attempt to do with the tools and graphics engine. They might add some features to the tools or make some code adjustments to make the level possible or just easier to implement. They may also vote to eliminate or alter any level designs that may break the game or are similarly unfeasible.

It’s often very tempting to skip this step and jump right into the editor as it’s often faster to just build a prototype of the level than to write up the paper version. This is especially tempting in tight schedule situations. Yet, it’s these tight schedules that make documentation that much more important, because it means there’s even more reason to get it right the first time and reduce the number of surprises and time to redo the work. The benefit of a detailed paper version is that it forces a designer to think everything through and express the fun and challenges before he or she implements it. It also ensures that the details that may involve more tasks for programmers, artists and sound technicians get documented and scheduled for completion before the designer begins working on the level.

This article is focused on documentation, but for completeness to this section and to this process, here are the remaining steps to level design as I see them:

Step 3: Creating the Core of the Level

The designers should establish the core game play of the level using broad strokes. They should get it to the point that it gives them the fun and challenge they envisioned in the paper design. The designer should then get feedback from the lead designer and producer, who will determine whether the level has merit or not. It may indeed prove impossible to accomplish what the paper design suggested, or it may prove to not be as fun as was expected. This is simply a review point in the level design that saves the designer time should drastic changes need to be made or the level dropped entirely.

Step 4: Filling in the Finer Details

Once the core game play of the level is established, everything else should just make it better. These are all the things that establish the setting, flesh out the level, and liven up the fun by providing more options, solutions, or surprises.

Often new art or code assets may seem appropriate, so be sure the designers find out they can get them before putting placeholders in. Then update the paper design and task lists.

Step 5: Play Test

Have the designers play their levels and get as much feedback as possible. Again, documentation plays a role here. Be sure they keep track of all their bugs, feedback and tasks with at least a notebook and pencil. It’s very easy to lose track of issues at times (not to mention sheets of paper), so a centralized database with level specific issues and feedback is ideal.

For further guidelines for level design, I encourage you to read my articles on level design that present a background to level design and some rules to design by. The first part "Level Design Theory" can be found here. The second part "Rules to Design By and Parting Advice" is available here.

__________________________________________________________

Documentation and the Development Cycle