DShaver_Invisible_Intuition_DirectorsCut.pptx

1. Invisible Intuition: Blockmesh and Lighting Tips to Guide Players David Shaver Game Designer, Naughty Dog

2. Who Am I? David Shaver @DavidShaver

3. Overview • Terminology • Blockmesh Guidance Principles! • Bonus Tips! • Wrapping Up

4. Terminology

6. What is “Blockmesh?” • Blockmesh = Greybox = Whitebox, etc.

7. What is “Blockmesh?” • Blockmesh = Greybox = Whitebox, etc. • Greybox and Whitebox imply a single color – not ideal! Designer: Emilia Schatz

8. Level Design Pipeline

9. Level Design Pipeline • Environment Type • Time of Day • Location in Story • Available Character Abilities • Enemy Types • etc. • Gameplay and Narrative Beats

13. Blockmesh Tips!

14. Blockmesh Tips!

15. Blockmesh Guidance Principles • Affordance • Denying Affordance • Visual Language – Shape • Visual Language – Color • Landmarks • Openings Attract • Gates & Valves • Leading Lines • Pinching • Framing & Composition • Breadcrumbs • Textures • Movement • Light & God Rays

16. Affordance Affordance – “…properties of an object that define its possible uses or make clear how it can or should be used.” https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/affordance

17. Affordance • Form implies function

18. Ladder UNCHARTED: The Lost Legacy – Naughty Dog Designer: Derek Chatwood

19. Edges UNCHARTED: The Lost Legacy – Naughty Dog Designer: James Cooper

20. Affordance…in Games Ramp UNCHARTED: The Lost Legacy – Naughty Dog Designer: Derek Chatwood

21. Ramp Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus – Machine Games

22. No Handlebar Handlebar

24. Affordance…in Games • A way to communicate to the player what to play with or where to go.

25. Affordance…in Games • A way to communicate to the player what to play with or where to go. • Players learn the affordance rules via consistent color and shape and a trust contract is formed.

26. Affordance…in Games • A way to communicate to the player what to play with or where to go. • Players learn the affordance rules via consistent color and shape and a trust contract is formed. • Ensure affordances work consistently game-wide.

27. Affordance…in Games • A way to communicate to the player what to play with or where to go. • Players learn the affordance rules via consistent color and shape and a trust contract is formed. • Ensure affordances work consistently game-wide. • Add to your blockmesh for playtests!

28. Affordances…in Games

31. Affordance…in Games • Ensure affordances use consistent shape & color, fit game metrics, and the whole team knows it!

33. Denying Affordance • Communicates to the player where NOT to go. • “Uninvites” the player from going there.

34. Denying Affordance • Communicates to the player where NOT to go. • “Uninvites” the player from going there. • Contextualize why the player can’t use it/go there!

35. Denying Affordance • Communicates to the player where NOT to go. • “Uninvites” the player from going there. • Contextualize why the player can’t use it/go there! • Add to your blockmesh for playtests!

36. Denying Affordance

37. Denying Affordance The Last of Us – Naughty Dog Designer: Peter Field

38. Denying Affordance The Last of Us – Naughty Dog Designer: Peter Field

41. Denying Affordance The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - Nintendo

43. Denying Affordance This side OK! Nope, other side!

46. Denying Affordance BLOCKMESH EXAMPLE

48. Visual Language - Shape • Shape consistency is important – it communicates affordance.

49. Consistent Shape Language •asdf

51. Consistent Shape Language

54. Visual Language - Shape • Shape consistency is important – it communicates affordance. • Primitive shapes have an effect on player psychology.

55. Visual Language - Shape • Shape consistency is important – it communicates affordance. • Primitive shapes have an effect on player psychology. • We can use this to guide players!

56. Visual Language - Shape

60. Shape Language •asdf UNCHARTED: The Lost Legacy – Naughty Dog Designer: Ray Almaden

61. Shape Language •asdf UNCHARTED: The Lost Legacy – Naughty Dog Designer: Ray Almaden

69. Visual Language - Color • Color consistency is important – it communicates affordance.

70. Visual Language - Color • Color consistency is important – it communicates affordance. • Color provides context in a blockmesh.

71. Visual Language - Color • Color consistency is important – it communicates affordance. • Color provides context in a blockmesh. • Gets the team on the same page without explanation.

72. The Last of Us – Naughty Dog Designer: Jacob Minkoff

73. The Last of Us – Naughty Dog Designer: Jacob Minkoff

74. Consistent Color Language asdf

75. Affordance…in Games White Edges UNCHARTED: The Lost Legacy – Naughty Dog Designer: Derek Chatwood

76. Affordance…in Games Green Edges UNCHARTED: The Lost Legacy – Naughty Dog Designer: Michael Barclay

80. Consistent Color Language

82. Landmarks (aka weenies) asdf

83. Landmarks (aka weenies) • Orients players.

84. Landmarks (aka weenies) • Orients players. • Distant object seen from many vantage points in the level.

85. Landmarks (aka weenies) • Orients players. • Distant object seen from many vantage points in the level. • A goal to work toward.

86. Landmarks (aka weenies) • Walt Disney coined it when his dog followed a hot dog. • Castle in Disneyland is the main weenie to attract and orient guests.

87. Landmarks (aka weenies) •asdf The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – Nintendo

88. Landmarks asdf

89. Landmarks asdf

90. Denial & Reward with Landmarks • Hide landmark for a while then show it from different angles as you approach.

91. Denial & Reward with Landmarks • Hide landmark for a while then show it from different angles as you approach. • “Denial and Reward” makes the journey more interesting.

93. Openings Attract • Caves, doors, archways, etc.

94. Openings Attract • Caves, doors, archways, etc. • Often leads to a REFUGE SPACE, which psychologically feels safe.

95. Openings Attract • Caves, doors, archways, etc. • Often leads to a REFUGE SPACE, which psychologically feels safe. • Mystery – “What could be inside?!”

97. Openings Attract People Titanfall 2 – Respawn Entertainment

98. Openings Attract People Super Mario Odyssey– Nintendo

99. Openings Attract People Dragon Quest Builders– Square Enix

100. Openings Attract People Bloodborne– FromSoftware

101. Openings Attract People

102. Openings BLOCKMESH EXAMPLE

106. Gates & Valves • Gates stop progress until conditions are met.

107. Gates & Valves • Gates stop progress until conditions are met. • Valves prevent backtracking.

109. TOP DOWN EXAMPLE

110. Gates & Valves • Gates stop progress until conditions are met. • Valves prevent backtracking. • Both reduce the possibility space and prevent aimless wandering. • Great for linear games, but can be sprinkled into open worlds too!

111. Gates & Valves

112. Gates & Valves

113. Gates & Valves

114. Gates & Valves

115. Blockmesh Guidance Principles • Affordance • Denying Affordance • Visual Language – Shape • Visual Language – Color • Landmarks • Openings Attract • Gates & Valves • Leading Lines • Pinching • Framing & Composition • Breadcrumbs • Textures • Light & God Rays • Movement

116. Leading Lines • Lines that draw your eye to the intended point of interest. Image Source: https://digital-photography-school.com/how-to-use-leading-lines-for-better-compositions/

117. Leading Lines • Lines that draw your eye to the intended point of interest. Image Source: https://digital-photography-school.com/how-to-use-leading-lines-for-better-compositions/

118. Leading Lines • Lines that draw your eye to the intended point of interest. • Roads, pipes, cables, etc. Image Source: https://digital-photography-school.com/how-to-use-leading-lines-for-better-compositions/

119. Leading Lines Titanfall 2 – Respawn Entertainment

122. Leading Lines

123. Leading Lines

124. Leading Lines BLOCKMESH EXAMPLE

129. Pinching • Angle shapes to funnel players to a specific spot.

130. Pinching • Angle shapes to funnel players to a specific spot. • Good for redirection.

131. Pinching • Angle shapes to funnel players to a specific spot. • Good for redirection. • Great for setting up a reveal.

132. Pinching • Angle shapes to funnel players to a specific spot. • Good for redirection. • Great for setting up a reveal. • Depends on your mobility mechanics!

133. Pinching The Last of Us – Naughty Dog Designer: Peter Field

136. Pinching

138. Framing & Composition • Draws attention to point of interest by blocking other parts of the image, making it stand out.

139. Framing & Composition • Draws attention to point of interest by blocking other parts of the image, making it stand out. • Google photography composition techniques – lots of good websites!

140. Framing & Composition • Draws attention to point of interest by blocking other parts of the image, making it stand out. • Google photography composition techniques – lots of good websites! • Great when combined with Pinching!

141. Framing

142. Framing “It creates a portal that draws the player’s eye to whatever is inside.” – Mark Brown

143. Framing

144. Framing

145. Framing

146. Framing

148. Breadcrumbs • Attract/lead the player, a piece at a time, to a goal.

149. Breadcrumbs • Attract/lead the player, a piece at a time, to a goal. • Can be almost anything that draws the eye: - Stuff that breaks up the negative space of floor/walls. - Pickups - Enemies - Lit areas

150. Breadcrumbs • Attract/lead the player, a piece at a time, to a goal. • Can be almost anything that draws the eye: - Stuff that breaks up the negative space of floor/walls. - Pickups - Enemies - Lit areas • Usually better to add after early playtests of blockmesh to see if they are even needed.

151. Breadcrumbs UNCHARTED: The Lost Legacy – Naughty Dog Designer: Derek Chatwood

152. Breadcrumbs

153. Breadcrumbs

154. Breadcrumbs Destiny 2 – Bungie

155. Breadcrumbs Super Mario Odyssey– Nintendo

156. Breadcrumbs Super Mario Odyssey– Nintendo

157. Breadcrumbs The Last of Us – Naughty Dog Designer: Jacob Minkoff

158. Breadcrumbs BLOCKMESH EXAMPLE

159. Breadcrumbs BLOCKMESH EXAMPLE

161. Textures • Just point the way to go! • Examples: - Arrows pointing the way. - Scrapes on the ground/walls - Signs, - etc.

162. Textures UNCHARTED: The Lost Legacy – Naughty Dog Designer: Derek Chatwood

163. Textures UNCHARTED: The Lost Legacy – Naughty Dog Designer: Derek Chatwood

164. Textures UNCHARTED 4: A Thief’s End – Naughty Dog Designer: James Cooper

165. Textures UNCHARTED 4: A Thief’s End – Naughty Dog Designer: James Cooper

166. Textures The Last of Us – Naughty Dog Designer: Peter Field

167. Textures

168. Blockmesh textures!

174. Movement • Use movement to grab the eye.

175. Movement • Use movement to grab the eye. • Examples: - Big scripted moments. - Birds - Spark FX - Enemies - Something flapping in the breeze

176. Movement • Use movement to grab the eye. • Examples: - Big scripted moments. - Birds - Spark FX - Enemies - Something flapping in the breeze • Directionality guides the eye to where you want players to go or what you want them to see.

177. Movement

178. Movement • Doing this in the blockmesh phase is highly dependant on your game and engine.

179. Movement • Doing this in the blockmesh phase is highly dependant on your game and engine. • Try to do it anyway for your playtests!

180. Movement • Doing this in the blockmesh phase is highly dependant on your game and engine. • Try to do it anyway for your playtests! • Cubes triggered to lerp in a direction or along a spline will suffice!

181. Movement • Doing this in the blockmesh phase is highly dependant on your game and engine. • Try to do it anyway for your playtests! • Cubes triggered to lerp in a direction or along a spline will suffice! • Can be a late game bandage for guidance.

182. Enemies

183. Blockmesh Guidance Principles • Affordance • Denying Affordance • Visual Language – Shape • Visual Language – Color • Landmarks • Openings Attract • Gates & Valves • Leading Lines • Pinching • Framing & Composition • Breadcrumbs • Textures • Movement • Light & God Rays (aka light ray/sunbeam)

184. Light & God Rays • Players are attracted to the light. • God rays draw attention and a line to the goal.

185. Light & God Rays • Players are attracted to the light. • God rays draw attention and a line to the goal. • Important in blockmesh phase!

186. Light & Light Rays UNCHARTED: The Lost Legacy – Naughty Dog Designer: Derek Chatwood

187. Light & Light Rays UNCHARTED: The Lost Legacy – Naughty Dog Designer: Derek Chatwood

188. Light & Light Rays

189. Light & Light Rays UNCHARTED 3: Drake’s Deception – Naughty Dog Designer: Jonathan Stein

191. Test Early & Often • Important to playtest at every stage, but especially blockmesh stage!

192. Test Early & Often • Important to playtest at every stage, but especially blockmesh stage! • A good blockmesh should be able to guide the player without the use of art or lighting.

193. Test Early & Often • Important to playtest at every stage, but especially blockmesh stage! • A good blockmesh should be able to guide the player without the use of art or lighting. • Only playtesting will tell you if your blockmesh is working.

194. Test Early & Often Designing Unforgettable 'Titanfall' Single Player Levels with Action Blocks Christopher Dionne (Senior Game Designer, Respawn Entertainment) https://www.gdcvault.com/play/1025105/Designing-Unforgettable-Titanfall- Single-Player

195. Bending the Rules • If you have established languages and player trust, you can start to play with their expectations.

196. Bending the Rules • If you have established languages and player trust, you can start to play with their expectations. • Example: Sometimes, you want to purposely obscure the way forward.

197. Bending the Rules • Sometimes, you want to purposely obscure the way forward or surprise the player! • If you have established languages and player trust, you can start to play with their expectations. • Don’t break The Trust Contract, but play with it! • Examples: DON’T: Have yellow edges that are disabled or are out of reach. DO: Have edges that lead to a different place than the goal.

198. Bending the Rules

199. The Squint Test • Step 1: Squint your eyes and look at the game.

200. The Squint Test • Step 1: Squint your eyes and look at the game. • Step 2: Everything will be blurry, but what stands out?

201. The Squint Test • Step 1: Squint your eyes and look at the game. • Step 2: Everything will be blurry, but what stands out? • Step 3: Adjust your layout and lighting to highlight what you want players to focus on.

202. The Squint Test • Step 1: Squint your eyes and look at the game. • Step 2: Everything will be blurry, but what stands out? • Step 3: Adjust your layout and lighting to highlight what you want players to focus on. • “My professor used to say that squinting can replace 4 years of art school.” – Ian Milham

203. Titanfall 2 – Respawn Entertainment

206. Not Exclusive to Games • Many of these tips are also used in other disciplines such as photography, psychology, and architecture. • Here’s an example…

212. Wrapping Up

214. #blocktober

216. #blocktober • Follow @blocktoberLD on twitter. • Start your blockmeshes NOW to show off in October! 

217. References and Further Reading Why Nathan Drake Doesn't Need a Compass - Game Maker's Toolkit Defining Environment Language for Video Games - Emilia Schatz, Lead Designer at Naughty Dog The Invisible Hand of Super Metroid – Hugo Bille Attention, Not Immersion: Making Your Games Better with Psychology and Playtesting, the Uncharted Way – Richard Lemarchand, USC Professor and former Lead Designer at Naughty Dog Singleplayer vs. Multiplayer Level Design: A Paradigm Shift - Elisabeth Beinke-Schwartz, Certain Affinity Uncharted 2: Creating an Active Cinematic Experience - Bruce Straley & Neil Druckman

218. Any Questions? Contact Info: @davidshaver www.davidshaver.net

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