This document discusses level design for open world games. It defines open world games as those that give players high levels of agency and control. The key challenges for level designers are motivating players who can go anywhere while still fulfilling their expectations. Designers act as facilitators who set up interesting goals for a wide range of player interests across a large playable space. Techniques include placing landmarks, environmental details, and audio cues to provide context and distraction. Goals should be explicit, player-determined, emergent or opportunistic to constantly motivate exploration. Density of points of interest is also important to consider at large scales. Examples from Fallout 3 demonstrate adding and removing content to refine the open world experience.

1. I WANT TO GO TO THERE
Motivating Players in Open Games
Joel Burgess, Senior Designer
Bethesda Game Studios

2. Simple Question
How do you go about making
levels for open-world games?

3. Single Player Multiplayer
Level Design

4. Welcome to My Sandbox
WHAT ARE OPEN GAMES?

5. Define
“Open”

7. Player Agency

8. Why Are We Fascinated?
Why Are Open
Games Important?

9. Tandem Authorship

10. The Unpredictable Player
• Trained to Defy Direction
• Will always confound you
• Not, actually, a jerk.

11. Player-Designer Contract
• The Player is in Control

12. Player-Designer Contract
• The Player is in Control
• Stay Backstage

13. Player-Designer Contract
• The Player is in Control
• Stay Backstage
• Fulfill Expectations

14. Player-Designer Contract
• The Player is in Control
• Stay Backstage
• Fulfill Expectations
• Player Story > Designer Story

15. Enabling Player Participation
CREATING THE FRAMEWORK

16. Setting Up For Fun

17. Environmental Techniques

18. Distant Landmarks

21. Nearby Landmarks

23. Point Lookout Video Introduction

25. Motion in Environment

26. Prior Knowledge
•Roads
•Bridges
•Signposts
•Distant Smoke
•Flowing Water
•Lit Windows/Fires
•Tracks of Vehicles/Creatures

27. Don’t Forget Audio

29. Yo dawg, I heard you like goals.
WHAT’S OUR GOAL? IT’S GOALS.

31. Goals & Player Motivation
• Aim for the player to always have a goal
• Know what goal types your game permits

33. Goal Types
• Explicit Goals
• Player Determined Goals
• Emergent Goals
• Goals of Opportunity
• Out-of-Game Goals

34. Components of a Goal
• Perceived Risk/Reward
• Commitment
• Inherent Interest

35. Are We Powerless?
• No!
Provide Interesting Goals For the Widest
Possible Range of Player Interests

36. Knowing is Half the Battle
DESIGNING FOR FREEDOM

37. Deliberate Distraction
Entertainment
Time

38. Deliberate Distraction

39. Deliberate Distraction
Entertainment
Time

40. Dealing With Empty Area
“Just for Looks”

41. The Iconic Rope Bridge

42. Handling for Open Games

45. Consolation
Loot

47. Considerations for Big Worlds
LARGE-SCALE MOTIVATION

48. Same Problem, New Scope
POI Density

49. POI Density
• POI Options
• Time per POI
• Your Desired POI Density
• Vertical “Chunk” Estimate
• Extrapolate Against Time in Schedule

50. Fallout 3 Examples
Adding and Cutting
(even when it hurt)

52. Fallout 3 Example: DC Neighborhoods

53. Thanks For Listening
email joel@joelburgess.com
twitter @joelburgess
facebook “level design in a day” group