GDC 2010 - Level Design in a Day Part 3. Tools: Making a Better Game: Jim Brown, Lead Level Designer, Epic Games
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Please note: There is a ton of good information in the notes sections of these presentations. Please download locally and view in PowerPoint to experience all the juicy details. In this intense day-long tutorial, attendees will gain deep insights from some of the most experienced level designers in the industry into every aspect of the level design process, from basic navigation and object manipulation tips and tricks to best practices for encounter design and level flow. As the development discipline responsible for crafting the vastly important moment-to-moment player experience, a deep understanding of core level design principles becomes essential for level designers, game designers and design managers alike. Likewise, an intimate familiarity with the level creation process can be a massive advantage to producers, testers or artists in frequent collaboration with level designers. This year’s session will focus on the Unreal Engine, while subsequent years will focus on Source, Quake, and other popular engines.
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GDC 2010 - Level Design in a Day Part 3. Tools: Making a Better Game: Jim Brown, Lead Level Designer, Epic Games
- 2. Tools: Making a Better Game Level Design in a Day Jim Brown, Lead Level Designer, Epic Games
- 12. Assault
- 39. Takeaway Tips
- 40. Takeaway Tips
Editor's Notes
- TOOLS WILL NOT MAKE YOUR GAME BETTER, BUT THEY CAN HELP YOU MAKE A BETTER GAME.
- Notes! Woohoo!
- You are a lead at successful game company. New publisher wants you to use new tech. You’re assigned role of evaluating this new tech. Find that new tech performs as advertised, and saves you 2-3 minutes per day. Can you justify the investment?
- 20 hours a day = skilled intern. we all work (exactly!) 40 hours so = half your time
- Obviously not realistic measure. One man year split between 100 people is still only 2.4 minutes per day. But one man year split amongst a core group at the end of the project?
- Can mean the difference between just another AAA game in a saturated market, and a complete blockbuster. Between a good game, and a well reviewed game, or THE game everyone is talking about. Between a solid on time release and a day one patch.
- Great in theory, but how does this actually work in a real scenario? Goal is not to teach you how to use these tools, but why we choose to use them, and what the benefits are. This year’s talk uses the Unreal toolset as a basis for its examples. Steward of Epic, could talk for days about the UE3 tool set. Been using these tools for nearly a decade, impacting their design.
- What you’re seeing is: Map takes full advantage of available tools Covers many types of gameplay and various scenarios Deconstruct to show how each tool made it possible, and why its was used.
- Basic shapes and lack of visuals force a focus on experience and clarity. Don’t get lost in naysaying and asking “why not” but helps focus on future possibilities.
- Easy to add paths, move doorways, rebuild and test quickly. No need to worry about multiple mesh pieces, pathing, collision, cover, terrain, etc.
- When time comes for visuals, gameplay is already designed and (in theory) there are no surpises (changes).
- Quick to produce Simple shapes, doesn’t require background in art, architecture, lighting Still tells a story
- Lays a foundation for the visuals, but more importantly, for the gameplay experience. - visuals can make or break a game, but no matter how pretty something is, it has to be fun FIRST.
- Convert BSP to collision volumes Guidelines for art team without hindering creative input
- Basic underlying shapes are still there forming the basis for the gameplay Map has been enhanced, not changed.
- - How does this relate back to Assault?
- Even complicated highly scripted scenes that rely on cooperation and teamwork still have humble origins in BSP. Remember that older games used BSP exclusively, so it can and does work. The trick is not to lose the benefit of the tools by burying it in all the “new shiny”.
- Even complex systems can be prototyped in simple proof of concepts built with basic shapes. Keep the unified vision (across team, depts., etc.)
- - Awesome tool that brings everything you need to one location.
- - Organization is key to not losing assets and overwhelming designers - Naming conventions help
- Efficiency is the key to success saving a few clicks every day does add up Even failures can be beneficial if they save time in the long run.
- Customize to your personal style Improves communication and collaboration
- Scaling objects allows for flexibility, versatility, and improves performance and memory footprint Moving objects in real time without need to rebuild and cook
- - Instant gratification, feedback loop - Iteration is king
- Lightmass saves time in that only one light needed to light an entire scene Helps to very quickly set mood and feel in a setting without need for extended art support Color, brightness, etc can be updated on the fly in real time Iteration is king.
- Empower your designers without need for huge teams, script compiles, cross department support Can weed out bad ideas quickly, and prove concepts easily.
- - Start with simple setup.
- Same view, but in 3D space. Great for visual types.
- - Early prototyping on Assault - Visual aspect is easy to learn, and easier to debug than lines of code or huge text files.
- End result in Assault Boiled down to one matinee, easy to read, debug, maintain.
- Can look imposing at first glance, but easy to filter. Can visualize in 2d, 3d, or text depending on your style
- Take a step back. This is only one tool set.
- You cannot use the excuse that you did not understand the tools, because the result will still be a bad game. Programmers and artists always learn new tools. LDs often feel exempt from this process for some reason. So ask: “How can I use tools to make a better game?” In many cases, efficiency wins out over creativity or artistic ability. Have to maintain a balance as one can only get you so far.
- Don’t be afraid to ask for help or seek out reference. Establish a network
- Making the investment to learn your tools makes you a more valuable designer, and an asset to your team and your company. Good tool use opens the lines of communication and collaboration. Poor use isolates you and makes you a liability. Knowledge begets knowledge. POC and iterate on systems, weapons, creatures, and memorable moments. Unexpected sources and collaboration.
- Tools won’t make your game get better, but they will help you make a better game. The onus is on you. - Tools are only that: TOOLS, there is no “Make fun” button. If it bothers one person, ASK – it probably bothers many people. Difference between complaining and fixing is often in the way you ask. Think first, establish trust, always be open minded. - Stability is important in a designer just like it is in a tool set. - Consistency and reliability are keys to success. - Even a small change, when done consistently / repeatedly will add up to a big result.