Neil Alphonso on the Science and Art of Level Design

(badman) #1

A new story entry has been added:
[drupal=583]Neil Alphonso on the Science and Art of Level Design[/drupal]

Level design has traditionally been one of the most accessible areas of game development for amateurs, with many shooters offering level editors as part of their SDK. However, while tools have become seemingly easier to use over the past few years, maps and mods are taking increasingly longer to produce. Professional mystery solver Jim Rossignol took it upon himself to find out exactly why that is and recruited Splash Damage’s Lead Level Designer Neil ‘Exedore’ Alphonso to help him.
The resulting article features plenty of insights from Neil, including how he got his start in the industry, what game levels have inspired him over the years, and, of course, the fundamental issue that drove Jim out there in the first place: Why are the tools easier and yet levels take longer to make? Find out that and more in Jim’s full write-up over at TechRadar.

(light_sh4v0r) #2

Nice article, I like the last part about the unreal ‘art’.

(-SSF-Sage) #3

Good read. Thank you.

(stealth6) #4

cool read, but I hope this doesn’t mean we are going to need teams to make maps for BRINK :smiley:

(Shiv) #5

Nice article :smiley:

(CyburK) #6

yes true. look at etqw. the levels looking nice but the funny gameplay and tactic just got lost in big space.

(Exedore) #7

Only if you want them to look as good in as ‘little’ time. :wink:

Modding and development will always be pretty different, the pipeline really isn’t all that similar when you’re still making the rest of the pieces of the game.

(Brandmon) #8

Excellent read! Too bad games lately have been dependent on more how a level looks and less more so on how a level plays. This is also true in some other aspects of games lately, not just level design :frowning:

(brbrbr) #9

nice survey/review, tnx.

p.s.
and also like NA-made Shadow Ops game. especially Russian levels.

(3Suns) #10

Very interesting read, but I really wish Jim Rossignol would have just posted the interview and let us decide for ourselves what Neil Alphonso did or didn’t say.

It is like trying to see out of a really dirty window. It wouldn’t have bothered me so much if it didn’t seem like Neil said a bunch of really cool and informative shi… stuff that just got edited out.

(Exedore) #11

Wow, Sweetman isn’t alone! :eek:

I don’t think he really left too much out from what I remember, but if there’s more you want to know, maybe just… ask here? :o

(brbrbr) #12

[QUOTE=Exedore;210791]Wow, Sweetman isn’t alone! :eek:

I don’t think he really left too much out from what I remember, but if there’s more you want to know, maybe just… ask here? :o[/QUOTE]

Suberian level so awesome[and with bit of humor], they even add flying birds :slight_smile:
with sound, which resemble somewhat, original birds, sounds :slight_smile: (of course today game engines[let alone UE 2.5, used by ZI studio], cant handle/reproduce true beauty of Russian nature, but they went in that direction and that GREAT! :slight_smile:
actually this game is more activon-driven, than usual for PC[ie, “game for spinal brain”] and with plenty of scripted AI activity[with some degree of randomness], but storyline help keep you in, like activision tried in their MW1/2 and RS6/7.
some things in level design reveal serious research made by team :slight_smile:
and partially resemble real facilities somewhat :slight_smile:

(Exedore) #13

Oh, the stories I could tell… still somewhat surprised, I’ve only met a handful of people since making the game who have played it, and fewer that have liked it!

Oddly, we redid the look of all the Russian levels to make them more fictional-GoldenEye-ish from what they were originally, as we had people visit the actual site and take lots of source photos. Basically nobody in the US believed that the space centre there looked like a 70s era school, so we had to fiction it up a bit.

Your comparisons are bang-on, as it was intended to be a Medal of Honor type game but in modern times, so essentially the same premise as MW… just by a tiny indie studio.

Not quite the same level in the end!
:stroggbanana:

(brbrbr) #14

[QUOTE=Exedore;211006]Oh, the stories I could tell… still somewhat surprised, I’ve only met a handful of people since making the game who have played it, and fewer that have liked it!

Oddly, we redid the look of all the Russian levels to make them more fictional-GoldenEye-ish from what they were originally, as we had people visit the actual site and take lots of source photos. Basically nobody in the US believed that the space centre there looked like a 70s era school, so we had to fiction it up a bit.

Your comparisons are bang-on, as it was intended to be a Medal of Honor type game but in modern times, so essentially the same premise as MW… just by a tiny indie studio.

Not quite the same level in the end!
:stroggbanana:[/QUOTE]

i understand.
thats typical 4 commercial games.
no, i mean not space centre itself, thre alot of actually similar[to real-World] facilities :slight_smile: …ocasionally :stuck_out_tongue:
actually [underground]industry/science/intel cities.
game market share/sales/opinions ? i suspect mainly 4 same reasons, 4 which, ETQW miss sales[more than deserves].
so with proper PR it can be more successful[and with less conlose-ish AI, maybe]. only weak contribution made [2 PR]is by …AMD corp :wink:

p.s.
in Russia, game almost banned for same reasons, why MW2 almost.
you shot internal troops[sorta ATF/NSA mix counterpart here. heavily armed and heavily trained. targeted to insurgent supressions and[mainly]counter intel during wartime/peacetime and closed areas sentry]infantrymens in Siberian levels.
hilariously, most [well-made]games get best PR from … pirated copies, but SO:RM is exclusion, because copies have are so… terrifying quality… maybe this hurts too.

p.p.s.
immerson[not only b-cause movies]is good, IMO.
especially like[aside Siberian]Paris and Chechnya levels :slight_smile:
and even “Easy” diff setting make some challenge for spinal brain :stuck_out_tongue:

(3Suns) #15

ha ha You have no idea how difficult it is to get used to the fact that you and your colleagues are actually reading our posts, let alone replying to them.

Thank you. When I can think of something intelligent (or even semi-intelligent :wink: ) to ask, I will try to remember that and just go ahead and do so. Thanks! :slight_smile:

(Violator) #16

Really interesting read. Unfortunately the one-man-mapping era is over (unless you’re Chris - he’s a one-man army!)

(JVZombie1990) #17

This was a nice read, gives you a taste on the life of a level designer. I’m hoping for a similar position at the studio. Ever since the studio tour way back when Brink came out, I’ve made it a goal to work here. :smiley: I love the stylized games interested to see how Dirty Bomb works out.

(DarkangelUK) #18

Holy necro-thread revive…

(Smooth) #19

Zombie by name, zombie by nature… :stuck_out_tongue:

(Exedore) #20

Had completely forgotten about this :eek: