In
video games
Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device to gener ...
, a level (also referred to as a map, stage, or round in some older games) is any space available to the player during the course of completion of an objective. Video game levels generally have progressively-increasing difficulty to appeal to players with different skill levels.
Each level may present new concepts and challenges to keep a player's interest high.
In games with linear progression, levels are areas of a larger world, such as
Green Hill Zone
(or simply Green Hill) is the first level of the platform game ''Sonic the Hedgehog'', which released for the Sega Genesis in 1991. The level is grassy and lush, with environmental features such as palm trees, vertical loops and cliffs, and is t ...
. Games may also feature interconnected levels, representing locations.
Although the challenge in a game is often to defeat some sort of character, levels are sometimes designed with a movement challenge, such as a jumping puzzle, a form of
obstacle course
An obstacle course is a series of challenging physical obstacles an individual, team or animal must navigate, usually while being timed. Obstacle courses can include running, climbing, jumping, crawling, swimming, and balancing elements with th ...
. Players must judge the distance between platforms or ledges and safely jump between them to reach the next area. These puzzles can slow the momentum down for players of fast
action game
An action game is a video game genre that emphasizes physical challenges, including hand–eye coordination and reaction-time. The genre includes a large variety of sub-genres, such as fighting games, beat 'em ups, shooter games, and platform gam ...
s; the first ''
Half-Life
Half-life (symbol ) is the time required for a quantity (of substance) to reduce to half of its initial value. The term is commonly used in nuclear physics to describe how quickly unstable atoms undergo radioactive decay or how long stable ato ...
''
's
penultimate
Penult is a linguistics term for the second to last syllable of a word. It is an abbreviation of ''penultimate'', which describes the next-to-last item in a series. The penult follows the antepenult and precedes the ultima. For example, the main ...
chapter, "Interloper", featured multiple moving platforms high in the air with enemies firing at the player from all sides.
Level design
Level design or environment design, is a discipline of game development involving the making of video game levels—locales, stages or missions.
[ Shahrani 2006, part I] This is commonly done using a level editor, a
game development software designed for building levels; however, some games feature built-in level editing tools.
File:Edge (video game) level layout.png, Isometric level design from the puzzle game
A puzzle is a game, problem, or toy that tests a person's ingenuity or knowledge. In a puzzle, the solver is expected to put pieces together ( or take them apart) in a logical way, in order to arrive at the correct or fun solution of the puzzle ...
''Edge
Edge or EDGE may refer to:
Technology Computing
* Edge computing, a network load-balancing system
* Edge device, an entry point to a computer network
* Adobe Edge, a graphical development application
* Microsoft Edge, a web browser developed by ...
''
File:Dromfaret levels.jpg, Two-dimensional
In mathematics, a plane is a Euclidean (flat), two-dimensional surface that extends indefinitely. A plane is the two-dimensional analogue of a point (zero dimensions), a line (one dimension) and three-dimensional space. Planes can arise as s ...
video game levels
File:Nexuiz screenshot 05.jpg, In games with 3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics, or “3D graphics,” sometimes called CGI, 3D-CGI or three-dimensional computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data (often Cartesian) that is stored in the computer for th ...
like ''Nexuiz
''Nexuiz'' is a free first-person shooter video game developed and published by Alientrap. The game was released under the GNU General Public License (GPL) and uses the DarkPlaces engine, a modified ''Quake'' engine. A remake, also called ''N ...
'', the levels are designed as three-dimensional space
Three-dimensional space (also: 3D space, 3-space or, rarely, tri-dimensional space) is a geometric setting in which three values (called ''parameters'') are required to determine the position (geometry), position of an element (i.e., Point (m ...
s
History
In the early days of video games (1970s-2000s), a single
programmer
A computer programmer, sometimes referred to as a software developer, a software engineer, a programmer or a coder, is a person who creates computer programs — often for larger computer software.
A programmer is someone who writes/creates ...
would develop the maps and layouts for a game, and a discipline or profession dedicated solely to level design did not exist.
Early games often featured a level system of ascending difficulty as opposed to progression of storyline.
An example of the former approach is the arcade
shoot 'em up
Shoot 'em ups (also known as shmups or STGs
) are a sub-genre of action games. There is no consensus as to which design elements compose a shoot 'em up; some restrict the definition to games featuring spacecraft and certain types of chara ...
game ''
Space Invaders
is a 1978 shoot 'em up arcade game developed by Tomohiro Nishikado. It was manufactured and sold by Taito in Japan, and licensed to the Midway division of Bally for overseas distribution. ''Space Invaders'' was the first fixed shooter and set ...
'' (1978), where each level looks the same, repeating endlessly until the player loses all their
lives
Lives may refer to:
* The plural form of a ''life''
* Lives, Iran, a village in Khuzestan Province, Iran
* The number of lives in a video game
* '' Parallel Lives'', aka ''Lives of the Noble Greeks and Romans'', a series of biographies of famous m ...
.
An example of the latter approach is the arcade
platform game
A platform game (often simplified as platformer and sometimes called a jump 'n' run game) is a sub-genre of action video games in which the core objective is to move the player character between points in an environment. Platform games are charac ...
''
Donkey Kong
is a video game franchise created by Shigeru Miyamoto and owned by Nintendo. It follows the adventures of a gorilla named Donkey Kong (character), Donkey Kong and his clan of other Ape, apes and monkeys. The franchise primarily consists of plat ...
'' (1981), which uses multiple distinct levels to progress a storyline; as
Mario
is a character created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. He is the title character of the ''Mario'' franchise and the mascot of Japanese video game company Nintendo. Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his creat ...
(originally called Jumpman) tries to rescue
Pauline from
Donkey Kong
is a video game franchise created by Shigeru Miyamoto and owned by Nintendo. It follows the adventures of a gorilla named Donkey Kong (character), Donkey Kong and his clan of other Ape, apes and monkeys. The franchise primarily consists of plat ...
, each level ends with Kong fleeing with Pauline and then Mario having to complete a different level each time, until he finally confronts Kong.
1983's ''
Lode Runner
''Lode Runner'' is a 2D puzzle-platform game, developed by Doug Smith and published by Broderbund in 1983. Its gameplay mechanics are similar to ''Space Panic'' from 1980. The player controls a character who must collect all the gold pieces in a ...
'' was one of the first titles to ship with a level editor.
Its designer,
Doug Smith, reputedly paid neighborhood children to design levels for the game. The same year, the multiplayer dungeon crawl ''
Dandy
A dandy is a man who places particular importance upon physical appearance, refined language, and leisurely hobbies, pursued with the appearance of nonchalance. A dandy could be a self-made man who strove to imitate an aristocratic lifestyle desp ...
'' was released, and it also shipped with a level editor which was documented in the manual. ''
ZZT'' (1991) is a later game with user-accessible mapping and scripting.
A game genre that required significant amounts of time to design areas were text-based games,
[ Shahrani 2006, part III] such as
MUD
A MUD (; originally multi-user dungeon, with later variants multi-user dimension and multi-user domain) is a Multiplayer video game, multiplayer Time-keeping systems in games#Real-time, real-time virtual world, usually Text-based game, text-bas ...
s. Often, promoted users were assigned to make new paths, new rooms, new equipment, and new actions, often using the game interface itself.
''
Doom
Doom is another name for damnation.
Doom may also refer to:
People
* Doom (professional wrestling), the tag team of Ron Simmons and Butch Reed
* Daniel Doom (born 1934), Belgian cyclist
* Debbie Doom (born 1963), American softball pitcher
* L ...
'' (1993) and ''
Doom II
''Doom II'', also known as ''Doom II: Hell on Earth'', is a first-person shooter game by id Software. It was released for MS-DOS computers in 1994 and Macintosh computers in 1995. Unlike the original ''Doom'', which was initially only available ...
'' (1994) were two of the first games to attract focused
game modding
Video game modding (short for "modification") is the process of alteration by players or fans of one or more aspects of a video game, such as how it looks or behaves, and is a sub-discipline of general modding. Mods may range from small changes a ...
activity, and many
WAD level files were made for them.
One of the reasons was a clear separation between the level files and game engine itself.
''
Half-Life
Half-life (symbol ) is the time required for a quantity (of substance) to reduce to half of its initial value. The term is commonly used in nuclear physics to describe how quickly unstable atoms undergo radioactive decay or how long stable ato ...
'', ''
Quake 3
''Quake III Arena'' is a 1999 multiplayer-focused first-person shooter developed by id Software. The third installment of the ''Quake'' series, ''Arena'' differs from previous games by excluding a story-based single-player mode and focusing prima ...
'', and many other games have notable mapping tools and communities focusing on
user-generated content
User-generated content (UGC), alternatively known as user-created content (UCC), is any form of content, such as images, videos, text, testimonials, and audio, that has been posted by users on online platforms such as social media, discussion f ...
.
Process
Level design for each individual level in a modern game typically starts with concept art, sketches, renderings, and physical models. Once completed, these concepts transform into extensive documentation, environment modeling, and the placing of game specific entities (actors), usually with the aid of a level editor.
A level editor may be distributed as a complete stand-alone package, at times, rivaling commercial 3D modelling software.
There are various steps involved in laying out a map and these steps may vary dramatically across the many different
game genres that exist as of the 2020s.
General steps include:
* Laying out the large-scale features of the map, such as hills, cities, rooms, tunnels, etc., for players and enemies to move around in;
* Determining environmental conditions and "ground rules" such as day/night, weather, scoring systems, allowable weapons or gameplay types, time limits, and starting resources.
* Specifying certain regions where certain gameplay activities or behaviors occur, such as resource harvesting, base building, water travelling, etc.;
* Specifying non-static parts of a level, such as doors, keys and buttons with associated mechanisms, teleporters, hidden passageways, etc.;
* Specifying locations of various entities, such as player units, enemies, monster spawn points, ladders, coins, resource nodes, weapons, save points, etc.;
* Specifying the start and exit locations for one or more players;
* Adding aesthetic details such as level-specific
graphic textures, sounds, animation, lighting and music;
* Introducing
scripted
''Scripted'' is the debut studio album by American rock band Icon for Hire. It was released on Tooth & Nail Records on August 23, 2011, and went on to break the label's new artist record for albums sold during the first week of release.
Back ...
event locations, where certain actions by the player can trigger specified changes;
* Placing
pathfinding
Pathfinding or pathing is the plotting, by a computer application, of the shortest route between two points. It is a more practical variant on solving mazes. This field of research is based heavily on Dijkstra's algorithm for finding the sh ...
nodes that
non-player characters
A non-player character (NPC), or non-playable character, is any character in a game that is not controlled by a player. The term originated in traditional tabletop role-playing games where it applies to characters controlled by the gamemaster o ...
take as they walk around, the actions they will take in response to specific triggers, and any dialog they might have with the player.
The first level of the game is usually designed to get players to explore the mechanics of the game, notably in
World 1-1
World 1-1 is the first level of ''Super Mario Bros.'', Nintendo's 1985 platform game for the Nintendo Entertainment System. The level was designed by Shigeru Miyamoto to be a tutorial for new players, orienting them to platform jumping and to the ...
of
Super Mario Bros.
is a platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). The successor to the 1983 arcade game ''Mario Bros.'' and the first game in the ''Super Mario'' series, it was first released in 1985 for th ...
Cut scene
A cutscene or event scene (sometimes in-game cinematic or in-game movie) is a sequence in a video game that is not interactive, interrupting the gameplay. Such scenes are used to show conversations between characters, set the mood, reward the ...
s may be triggered by events in a level, but require distinctly different skills, and may be produced by a different person or team.
The level design process may be iterated several times before achieving the desired outcome.
Level designers and concept artists may also be required to provide a pre-rendered map of the level (or entire game world) for the player.
Design goals
Level design is necessary for two primary purposes: providing players with a goal
[ Bates 2004, pp.111-112] and providing players with enjoyable play experience. Good level design strives to produce quality gameplay, provide an
immersive experience, and sometimes, especially in story-based games, to advance the storyline. Skilled use of textures and audio is necessary to produce immersive player experience.
Player directing
Levels are generally constructed with flow control in mind; that is, directing the player towards the goal of the level and preventing confusion and idling. This can be accomplished by various means.
Often the level layouts feature
power-up
In video games, a power-up is an object that adds temporary benefits or extra abilities to the player character as a game mechanic. This is in contrast to an item, which may or may not have a permanent benefit that can be used at any time chosen ...
s and items positioned so that collecting them inevitably makes the player move in the correct direction. This is one of the basic player direction techniques and is most often seen in platformers.
Lighting and illumination, as well as distinctly-coloured objects, are often used to unambiguously guide the player towards the correct path. Similarly, clearly marked choke-points can be introduced.
Another method is strategic placement of obstacles and aesthetic environment props that direct the player's attention to "clear" paths instead. This is often used in closed, "stuffed" environments.
Levels may be designed to force the players to explore the map and advance. Most Real-Time Strategy maps give each player a starting base, but will have resource distribution and terrain features designed to draw players out of their base and engage each other. Teamplay maps can provide noticeable advantages to one team over another, when designed poorly.
Level streaming
Common on older hardware, most games would load a single level and all of its assets at one time, and when the player completed the level, the next level would be loaded. The player would be presented with a
loading screen
A loading screen is a screen shown by a computer program, very often a video game, while the program is loading (moving program data from the disk to RAM) or initializing.
In early video games, the loading screen was also a chance for graphic ar ...
while the game loaded level information from storage. With more advanced computing hardware with faster
input/output
In computing, input/output (I/O, or informally io or IO) is the communication between an information processing system, such as a computer, and the outside world, possibly a human or another information processing system. Inputs are the signals ...
data transfer rates, such as optical drives,
hard disk drive
A hard disk drive (HDD), hard disk, hard drive, or fixed disk is an electro-mechanical data storage device that stores and retrieves digital data using magnetic storage with one or more rigid rapidly rotating platters coated with magnet ...
s (HDDs),
solid-state drive
A solid-state drive (SSD) is a solid-state storage device that uses integrated circuit assemblies to store data persistently, typically using flash memory, and functioning as secondary storage in the hierarchy of computer storage. It is ...
s (SSDs), and larger amounts of memory, game developers have been able to take advantage of continuously loading new level assetsmodels, textures, and audiointo the computer or console's memory as the player approaches the edge of one level and the start of a new one. This can effectively make the transition from one level to another level appear to be seamless and avoid the use of loading screens. This is known as level streaming or in-game streaming, and is often used for
open world games to give the perception of a fully-interconnected space. There are often tricks used to give the computer hardware sufficient time to load the assets for the next area. The player's speed may be reduced, while story cues are presented to draw the player's attention. The player may be required to enter areas in which their view of the world is plausibly restricted, sometimes referred to as "loading tunnels". With newer consoles, such as the
PlayStation 5
The PlayStation 5 (PS5) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 4 in April 2019, it was launched on November 12, 2020, in Australia, Japan, New Zealand, North Ame ...
and
Xbox Series X and Series S
The Xbox Series X/S are home video game consoles developed by Microsoft. They were both released on November 10, 2020, as the fourth generation Xbox, succeeding the Xbox One. Along with Sony's PlayStation 5, also released in November 2020, t ...
, special SSDs arrays alongside software libraries that have a total high data throughput can eliminate the need for any loading tunnels in a seamless world game.
Level designer
A level designer is a
game designer
Game design is the art of applying design and aesthetics to create a game for entertainment or for educational, exercise, or experimental purposes. Increasingly, elements and principles of game design are also applied to other interactions, in ...
who makes environments and scenarios using a
level editor
In Video game, video games, a level (also referred to as a map, stage, or round in some older games) is any space available to the player during the course of completion of an objective. Video game levels generally have progressively-increasing ...
and other tools.
[ Moore, Novak 2010, p.76] Level designers will usually work on a level from pre-production to completionworking with both incomplete and complete versions of the game.
Video game programmer
A game programmer is a software engineer, programmer, or computer scientist who primarily develops codebases for video games or related software, such as game development tools. Game programming has many specialized disciplines, all of which fall ...
s usually produce level editors and design tools for the designers to use. This eliminates the need for designers to access or modify
game code. As opposed to the level editing tools sometimes available to the community, level designers often work with placeholders and
prototype
A prototype is an early sample, model, or release of a product built to test a concept or process. It is a term used in a variety of contexts, including semantics, design, electronics, and Software prototyping, software programming. A prototyp ...
s aiming for level consistency and clear layout before required
artwork
A work of art, artwork, art piece, piece of art or art object is an artistic creation of aesthetic value. Except for "work of art", which may be used of any work regarded as art in its widest sense, including works from literature ...
is produced by game artists. Many level designers have skills as both a
visual art
The visual arts are art forms such as painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, photography, video, filmmaking, design, crafts and architecture. Many artistic disciplines such as performing arts, conceptual art, and textile arts ...
ist and
game designer
Game design is the art of applying design and aesthetics to create a game for entertainment or for educational, exercise, or experimental purposes. Increasingly, elements and principles of game design are also applied to other interactions, in ...
,
although in recent years the responsibility for visual-, structural- and gameplay-related tasks has been increasingly divided among several specialists.
Level creation tools
A wide variety of tools may be used by someone designing and making a level. Although it is faster to design models and textures with general-purpose multimedia development tools, games usually require the data to be in a unique format suited for that
game's engine. For this, specific compilers and converters of models, textures, and audio data may be required to lay out a level.
Sometimes, professional
3D editing software, such as
3D Studio Max
Autodesk 3ds Max, formerly 3D Studio and 3D Studio Max, is a professional 3D computer graphics program for making 3D animations, models, games and images. It is developed and produced by Autodesk Media and Entertainment. It has modeling capabil ...
,
Blender
A blender (sometimes called a mixer or liquidiser in British English) is a kitchen appliance, kitchen and laboratory appliance used to mix, crush, purée or emulsion, emulsify food and other substances. A stationary blender consists of a blender ...
,
AutoCAD
AutoCAD is a commercial computer-aided design (CAD) and drafting software application. Developed and marketed by Autodesk, AutoCAD was first released in December 1982 as a desktop app running on microcomputers with internal graphics controllers. ...
,
Lightwave
LightWave 3D is a 3D computer graphics program developed by NewTek. It has been used in films, television, motion graphics, digital matte painting, visual effects, video game development, product design, architectural visualizations, virtu ...
,
Maya
Maya may refer to:
Civilizations
* Maya peoples, of southern Mexico and northern Central America
** Maya civilization, the historical civilization of the Maya peoples
** Maya language, the languages of the Maya peoples
* Maya (Ethiopia), a populat ...
,
Softimage XSI
Autodesk Softimage, or simply Softimage () was a 3D computer graphics application, for producing 3D computer graphics, 3D modeling, and computer animation. Now owned by Autodesk and formerly titled Softimage, XSI, the software has been predomina ...
or
Grome
''Grome'' is an environmental modeling package developed by Quad Software dedicated for procedural and manual generation of large virtual outdoor worlds suitable for games and other 3D real-time simulation applications.
History
After more tha ...
is used, usually customized with a special
plugin developed for the specific game.
Level editor
A level editor (also known as a map, campaign or scenario editor) is a
game development tool
A game development tool is a specialized software application that assists or facilitates the making of a video game. Some tasks handled by tools include the conversion of assets (such as 3D models, textures, etc.) into formats required by the ga ...
used to design levels, maps, campaigns and
virtual world
A virtual world (also called a virtual space) is a computer-simulated environment which may be populated by many users who can create a personal avatar, and simultaneously and independently explore the virtual world, participate in its activities ...
s for a
video game
Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...
. An individual involved with the development of game levels is a
level designer
In video games, a level (also referred to as a map, stage, or round in some older games) is any space available to the player during the course of completion of an objective. Video game levels generally have progressively-increasing difficulty t ...
or mapper.
In some cases, the developer of a video game includes built-in level editing tools; for example, a track editor for a racing game. Other times they may release an official level editor for the game as a separate application. Sometimes players of the game develop fan-made level editors.
One of the first 3D games which became popular partially due to level editors and fan-made maps, other game addons, and other works related to the game, was
''Doom''. The development of various third-party editors led to the formation of an online community trading fan-made maps.
A level editor is often limited to designing levels for only a certain
game engine
A game engine is a software framework primarily designed for the development of video games and generally includes relevant libraries and support programs. The "engine" terminology is similar to the term "software engine" used in the software i ...
. Developing a level editor takes a lot of time; it is more time- and cost-efficient to release multiple games using the same engine instead of developing a new engine and level editor for each game. As level editors generally allow for limited game-development work, to make larger changes to a game than simply adding new levels, a
software development kit
A software development kit (SDK) is a collection of software development tools in one installable package. They facilitate the creation of applications by having a compiler, debugger and sometimes a software framework. They are normally specific to ...
(SDK) is sometimes needed.
File:TIDE Tile Map Editor Thumb 01.png, TIDE level editor showing tiles for a side scroller
''
A side-scrolling video game (alternatively side-scroller), is a game viewed from a side-view camera angle where the screen follows the player as they move left or right. The jump from single-screen or flip-screen graphics to scrolling graphic ...
File:Warzone 2100 - EditWorld - 1.jpg, A level editor in the strategy game
A strategy game or strategic game is a game (e.g. a board game) in which the players' uncoerced, and often autonomous, decision-making skills have a high significance in determining the outcome. Almost all strategy games require internal decisio ...
''Warzone 2100
''Warzone 2100'' is an Open-source video game, open-source real-time strategy and real-time tactics hybrid PC game, computer game, originally developed by Pumpkin Studios and published by Eidos Interactive. It was originally released in 1999 fo ...
''
File:Battle for wesnoth map editor screenshot.jpg, Example map editor for ''The Battle for Wesnoth
''The Battle for Wesnoth'' is a free and open-source turn-based strategy video game with a high fantasy setting, designed by Australian-American developer David White and first released in June 2003. In ''Wesnoth'', the player attempts to build ...
''.
Construction set
In the early years of video-gaming, some games came with a utility called a "construction set". This was similar in many ways to a level editor. Some games used them to make extra levels, whereas others (like the ''
Shoot-'Em-Up Construction Kit
Shoot-'Em-Up Construction Kit (a.k.a. SEUCK) is a game creation system for the Commodore 64, Amiga and Atari ST created by Sensible Software and published by Outlaw (part of Palace Software) in 1987. It allows the user to make simple shoot 'em ups ...
'') used them as a means to develop a game rather than be a game in itself.
Gameplay alteration
Maps' design can significantly impact the gameplay.
For example, the gameplay may be shifted towards a platformer (by careful placement of platforms) or a puzzle game (by extensive use of buttons, keys, and doors). Some FPS maps may be designed to prevent
sniping
A sniper is a military/paramilitary marksman who engages targets from positions of concealment or at distances exceeding the target's detection capabilities. Snipers generally have specialized training and are equipped with high-precision r ...
by not including any long hallways, while other maps may allow for a mix of sniping and closer combat.
''Gimmick maps'' are sometimes developed to explore selected features of gameplay, such as sniping or fist fighting. While they are briefly useful to level designers and interesting to experienced players, they are usually not included in final list of levels of the game because of their limited replay value.
Minigame
A ''minigame'' (also spelled mini-game or mini game, sometimes called a subgame or microgame) is a short video game often contained within another video game, and sometimes in application software or on a display of any form of hardware. A minigame contains different gameplay elements than the main game, may be optional, and is often smaller or more simplistic than the game in which it is contained. Minigames are sometimes also offered separately for free to promote the main game. Some minigames can also be bonus stages or secret levels. They are distinguishable from levels in that a level is an environment bound to a set of mechanics and rules that all defines all other normal levels in a game, whereas a minigame can use different rules and playstyles but may not necessarily be set in a different environment.
Hidden features
Level designers sometimes make hidden rooms and areas that usually require more effort for the player to reach or to notice.
[ Shahrani 2006, part II] These usually give some additional rewards, such as ammo or powerups. They serve to induce players to explore. Sometimes, they serve as
easter eggs
Easter eggs, also called Paschal eggs, are eggs that are decorated for the Christian feast of Easter, which celebrates the resurrection of Jesus. As such, Easter eggs are common during the season of Eastertide (Easter season). The oldest tra ...
,
containing messages such as the level designers' names or pictures, or political or humorous messages. One of the first games with a 3D engine to feature hidden features was ''
Wolfenstein 3D
''Wolfenstein 3D'' is a first-person shooter video game developed by id Software and published by Apogee Software and FormGen. Originally released on May 5, 1992, for DOS, it was inspired by the 1981 Muse Software video game ''Castle Wolfenstei ...
'', where certain walls could be pushed to reveal hidden passages.
Sometimes, a whole level may be designed as a secret level.
Bonus stage
A bonus stage (also known as a bonus level or bonus round) is a special level within a
video game
Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...
designed to reward the player or players, and typically allows the player to collect extra points or
power-up
In video games, a power-up is an object that adds temporary benefits or extra abilities to the player character as a game mechanic. This is in contrast to an item, which may or may not have a permanent benefit that can be used at any time chosen ...
s. Bonus stage either have no enemies or hazards, or replace the normal penalties for being struck by enemies or hazards with simply being thrown out of the bonus stage. Many bonus stages need to be activated or discovered in some manner, or certain conditions must be satisfied to access them. Otherwise, they appear after the player has completed a certain number of regular stages.
Level bugs
There are many map bugs that level designers try to avoid, but sometimes go unnoticed for some time.
A player might get stuck in map geometry with no way to escape or to die. A player might be able to find a specific spot where they do not have to move to gain
experience
Experience refers to conscious events in general, more specifically to perceptions, or to the practical knowledge and familiarity that is produced by these conscious processes. Understood as a conscious event in the widest sense, experience involv ...
, because monsters are constantly spawned but can be easily and immediately killed. In multiplayer maps, a player may be able to reach areas of the map designed to be inaccessible; for example, reaching an advantageous rooftop position and
camping
Camping is an outdoor activity involving overnight stays away from home, either without shelter or using basic shelter such as a tent, or a recreational vehicle. Typically, participants leave developed areas to spend time outdoors in more nat ...
other players. A player might be able to fall out-of-bounds of a map where other players cannot reach them.
Invisible wall
An invisible wall is a boundary in a video game that limits where a player character can go in a certain area, but does not appear as a physical obstacle. The term can also refer to an obstacle that in reality could easily be bypassed, such as a ...
s are cited to be level design bugs, and might be "left-over geometry" from an earlier version of the level or an object's improperly aligned "collision box".
In some cases, specific mapping tools can be designed to automatically detect problems such as falling "outside" a level, and reaching "stuck" areas. Careful level designers run these tools as the last step before releasing a new version of a level.
[ Bates 2004, pp.117-118] In most cases, the best way to improve a map is by playtesting it with experienced players, and allowing them to try to exploit any problems.
Notable levels
*
Green Hill Zone
(or simply Green Hill) is the first level of the platform game ''Sonic the Hedgehog'', which released for the Sega Genesis in 1991. The level is grassy and lush, with environmental features such as palm trees, vertical loops and cliffs, and is t ...
from ''
Sonic the Hedgehog
is a Japanese video game series and media franchise created by Sega. The franchise follows Sonic, an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog who battles the evil Doctor Eggman, a mad scientist. The main ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' games are platformers mo ...
''
*
World 1-1
World 1-1 is the first level of ''Super Mario Bros.'', Nintendo's 1985 platform game for the Nintendo Entertainment System. The level was designed by Shigeru Miyamoto to be a tutorial for new players, orienting them to platform jumping and to the ...
and
Minus World
The Minus World ( ja, マイナスワールド) is a glitched level found in the 1985 video game ''Super Mario Bros.'' It can be encountered by maneuvering the protagonist, Mario, in a particular way to trick the game into sending him to the wron ...
from ''
Super Mario Bros.
is a platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). The successor to the 1983 arcade game ''Mario Bros.'' and the first game in the ''Super Mario'' series, it was first released in 1985 for th ...
''
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Blood Gulch
Blood Gulch is a multiplayer Level (video gaming), map in the first-person shooter ''Halo (series), Halo'' video game series. It first appeared in ''Halo: Combat Evolved'', and was remade for ''Halo 2'' as "Coagulation", as well as for ''Halo: Re ...
and
The Silent Cartographer
"The Silent Cartographer" is the fourth level in the first-person shooter (FPS) video game '' Halo: Combat Evolved''. Taking place on the Halo ringworld, it follows the Master Chief and a group of UNSC Marines as they wage a daytime beachfront ...
from ''
Halo: Combat Evolved''
*
No Russian
"No Russian" is a controversial mission in the 2009 video game '' Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2'' and its remastered version, '' Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered''. In the level, the player participates in a mass shooting at ...
from ''
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2''
*
Milkman Conspiracy from ''
Psychonauts
''Psychonauts'' is a 2005 platform video game developed by Double Fine Productions. The game was initially published by Majesco Entertainment and THQ for Microsoft Windows, Xbox and PlayStation 2. In 2011, Double Fine acquired the rights for t ...
''
*
Water Temple from ''
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time''
*
Robbing the Cradle
"Robbing the Cradle" is a level in the 2004 game '' Thief: Deadly Shadows'', developed by Ion Storm. Unlike other levels in the game, it features a strong survival horror theme, in addition to the stealth gameplay typical of the ''Thief'' series. ...
from ''
Thief: Deadly Shadows''
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Inverted Castle
The Inverted Castle is a setting in the video game '' Castlevania: Symphony of the Night'' (1997), which was designed by Koji Igarashi. Players control the protagonist Alucard as they explore Dracula's Castle. Upon defeating Shaft, a minion of ...
from ''
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night''
*
Effect and Cause
"Effect and Cause" is the fifth level in the 2016 video game ''Titanfall 2.'' It features a unique gameplay mechanic which allows the player to shift back and forth in time between the level's dilapidated present-day state and its functioning pa ...
from ''
Titanfall 2
''Titanfall 2'' is a first-person shooter video game, developed by Respawn Entertainment and published by Electronic Arts. A sequel to 2014's '' Titanfall'', the game was released worldwide on October 28, 2016, for PlayStation 4, Windows, and ...
''
*
Facing Worlds from ''
Unreal Tournament
''Unreal Tournament'' is a first-person arena shooter video game developed by Epic Games and Digital Extremes. The second installment in the ''Unreal'' series, it was first published by GT Interactive in 1999 for Microsoft Windows, and later r ...
''
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Dust II
"Dust II", also known by its filename de_dust2, is a video game map featured in the first-person shooter series ''Counter-Strike''. Dust II is the successor to "Dust", another ''Counter-Strike'' map, and was developed by David Johnston prior t ...
from ''
Counter-Strike
''Counter-Strike'' (''CS'') is a series of multiplayer tactical first-person shooter video games in which teams of terrorists battle to perpetrate an act of terror (bombing, hostage-taking, assassination) while counter-terrorists try to preven ...
''
*
Anor Londo
Anor Londo is a fictional city in the ''Dark Souls'' series of action role-playing games. Appearing in both ''Dark Souls'' and ''Dark Souls III'', it is the seat of the power of the gods, deities of the ''Dark Souls'' world who used the power of ...
from ''
Dark Souls
is a series of action role-playing games created by Hidetaka Miyazaki of FromSoftware and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. The series began with the release of ''Dark Souls'' (2011) and has seen two sequels, ''Dark Souls II'' (2014) a ...
''
*
All Ghillied Up
"All Ghillied Up" is a level in the 2007 first-person shooter video game '' Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare'' and its 2016 remastered version, '' Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered''. Set in Pripyat, Ukraine in 1996, the player assumes cont ...
from ''
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare''
*
2Fort
"2Fort" is a Multiplayer video game, multiplayer Level (video gaming), map for the first-person shooter games Quake (video game)#Mods_and_add-ons, ''Quake Team Fortress'', ''Team Fortress Classic'' and ''Team Fortress 2'', and for the multiplayer ...
from several team multiplayer games
See also
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Online creation
User-generated content (UGC), alternatively known as user-created content (UCC), is any form of content, such as images, videos, text, testimonials, and audio, that has been posted by users on online platforms such as social media, discussion f ...
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Mod (video gaming)
Video game modding (short for "modification") is the process of alteration by players or fans of one or more aspects of a video game, such as how it looks or behaves, and is a sub-discipline of general modding. Mods may range from small changes an ...
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ROM hacking
ROM hacking is the process of modifying a ROM image, ROM image or ROM file of a video game to alter the game's graphics, dialogue, levels, gameplay, and/or other elements. This is usually done by technically inclined video game fans to improve an ...
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List of gaming topics
The following Outline (list), outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to video games:
Video game – an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface to generate visual feedback on a video, video device. The ...
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Game tutorial In the context of video game design, a tutorial is any tool that teaches players the rules and controls of the game. Some tutorials are integrated into the game, while others are completely separate and optional. Games can have both of these at once ...
Sources
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References
{{Design
1979 in video gaming
Computer art
Player progress tracking in video games
Video game design
Video game development
Video game terminology