5 Tips for Great Level Design

5 Tips for Great Level Design
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Want to learn the secret to making great levels for your indie game? These 5 principles of level design should help you on your game dev journey! Subscribe for more game design related videos!
0:00 Intro
0:40 Have a Clear Goal
3:08 Keep it Fresh
5:21 Don't Waste Space
7:30 Following the Flow
10:11 Your Game is a Language

[@NeatGames]

Great tips! I've really enjoyed designing levels for my metroidvania :D

[@morriganrenfield8240]

Just was complaining in a reddit thread about level design getting worse in devil may cry. Especially when 1/3 and the reboot exist in the series.

[@apoxfox]

I’ve actually never played DMC but I am definitely interested in giving the series a try. Which would you say is the best game to start with?

[@CliffDiverBOA]

@@apoxfox I will say I had no nostalgia for the series when I played through all of them 2 years ago. I went by release order, 1-5, and I felt that was the best way to experience it. Just know 1 and 2 are very weird feeling compared to the later ones (you can also skip 2 and not lose anything) But if you’re in it purely for the combat and don’t care about story, starting at 3 is the most popular option from what I understand.

[@thelastgogeta]

​@@apoxfoxTimeline wise, 3 is the earliest game in the series and I do like it the most, but there is no problem with beginning with DMC1 as well then going in release order. All of the games have ports, special editions or feature in a collection so your experience may vary but generally speaking... DMC1 is best played on PS2 - not EU version as 50Hz - (or PC with mods). HD Collection was fine for me, but not the perfect option. DMC2 is a bad and unfinished game, but if you already have the HD Collection and a free weekend - maybe see how it informed the rest of the series to never go full DMC2. Don't bother with both playthroughs and consider the HD Collection with mods to make it slightly better. DMC3 Special Edition... You'd either go with the Switch version (I recommend playing with Freestyle mode) or the PC version with mods though that's a very bad unlisted port which modders transformed into an amazing project with a lot of accessibility and training options. There are no known reasons to go with the original PS2 release though I believe some effects and input lag were messed up. DMC4... The fantastic PC port was unlisted but the Special Edition for casual players is just a better version even if it is more demanding. 3 more characters, better pacing for unlocks. DMC5 - PC version. The PC never got the Special Edition but it did get the main parts as DLC and mods are really out there too. ... I think DmC is also worth mentioning too. It was an unnecessary reboot attempt but can be considered fun in its own way. The PS3/Xbox version is the worst way to play at 30FPS while the Definitive Edition (not on PC) makes about as many improvements that can be made without adding any playable characters. PC version with mods is fine too. It doesn't really matter when you play it as long as you understand that it is a totally separate canon from 2013 which will never be continued.

[@morriganrenfield8240]

@@apoxfox id just go with in order really. Although i kinda recommend skipping 2 as it was a hyper rushed game that barely came together as a functional project. Dmc3se play on the switch so you can swap styles during combat and play the special editions of 4 and 5. Reboot is decent to try for the gameplay and music. That's the one that has probably the third best/ most interesting level design. Oh on the reboot play the console exclusive definitive edition for sure. It fixes some broken combat design choices

[@_xtel]

Banger video with lots of great info! Tip #3 really hit and made me think about my own levels.

[@apoxfox]

Awesome Xtel! Glad it helped!

[@fierorecensione5828]

Very nice video but the point 5 is still a little bit unclear to me, let's make an example, what Celeste try to tell us in their levels?

[@apoxfox]

Thanks for the kind words. For Celeste, it’s a game about overcoming difficult inner challenges. That’s why a lot of the levels are centered around avoiding yourself (in level 2 the main mechanic is literally avoiding a copy of yourself that’s following your exact movement) Spoiler alert: the final levels are centered around working with yourself to overcome those challenges (now Madeline has to use the dark side of herself to climb the mountain, it’s the main focus of those levels) “Your game is a language” is really just a way to say that each element of your game informs eachother. Not every game needs a deep message, but letting the direction of your overall game dictate the level design can be a good tool! Hope that helps!

[@alec_almartson]

Thank You for making this video. These are excellent Tips, really helpful.

[@apoxfox]

Glad I can help!

[@RKIOrbMage]

Great video! Tip 5 was really uselful + 1 subscriber

[@Retrobro11]

Definitely a useful tutorial

[@TobyJWalter]

Absolutely Increible video!!!!

[@algi1]

Pro tip for The Witcher 3: A lot of the minimap options can be turned off or changed in the options. Last time I played, I turned it into a The Witcher 1 style minimap that only shows the terrain and North is always up. The detective style quests are really trivial and boring with a fully functional minimap.

[@whilefree]

Awesome video! Great tips! What is the name of the platform game shown as the first scene in the intro?

[@apoxfox]

Thank you! It’s a Metroidvania called Animal Well that came out 2 days ago, I’m loving it so far!

[@whilefree]

@@apoxfox Yeah it looks so pleasing. Gonna try it out.

[@rmdcompositions]

Great video!

[@apoxfox]

Thanks for watching, glad you liked it!

[@Ibrahimoezhan]

Good video!

[@AvectaInteractive]

Good tips thanks! Level layout and design looks so simple till you get into it and start hitting wall. Pardon the pun 🤪

[@mangoes1012]

Thats crazy, I was watching another KZbinr play animal well so I definitely got jumpscared by the opening

[@nicreven]

was it tyler

[@mangoes1012]

@@nicreven sure was

[@drdca8263]

Hmm... how would one apply the first two of these to a SHMUP? Would the “clear goal” just be “completing the level”? Or would it be smaller goals within the level, like “beat this volley of enemies”/“pick up that powerup”? Maybe for an autoscoller, having a clear goal is automatically handled?

[@apoxfox]

Good question! I think it really depends on how the game plays, but I think you’re on the right track that in a SHMUP your goal could be the brief moment of rest after a long wave or reaching a checkpoint. I like when a SHMUP has a recovery zone. I play a lot of Beat ‘em ups (which feels pretty similar in design) and I think it’s really important to reward the player with some time to relax a little and decide how to handle the next wave

[@gamesthatiplay9083]

Checkpoints = great level design?

[@windums560]

👍

[@akihitonarihisago1203]

What is the name of the game at the start of keep it fresh segment?

[@apoxfox]

That’s my game REM Runners! It’s still in very early development but I’ll have more updates soon 😄

[@akihitonarihisago1203]

@@apoxfox that was cool will keep an eye on it, i would like to support your game and many other indie games because I liked them but due to my home country being India games are pretty expensive and I am still a student will repay whenever possible, keep up the good work bro ❤️✨

[@apoxfox]

@@akihitonarihisago1203 Thank you bro! And I totally understand that, localization and fair pricing for everyone is very important to me.

[@Leikjarinn]

What game is that? 0:01

[@3mpt7]

Massive amounts of open space that have no purpose: Ah yes, the Halo series under 343 industries.

[@watercat1248]

In the game I'm working most of those tips dasn't work at all the reason it's 1. The game I'm working it's mulpayer PvP with out story or any of that The clear level printable for my game is the following. 1. And enough items for the collect the player 2. Avoid impasse as much as I can because my game is multiplayer fps and the movement is very important I have disaing the map's for game to have 2 or more exits In this way the player's able to run with each other esyer and and search for other items and player's esyer as well. 3. My game not have small door's and room's for few reason 1. The player movent are fast and don't want that player colid on the wall Wean try to move around. 2. Because the room and areas for my game needs by big enough for the movement it has extra benefits able to move around more Player's esyer as well. 3. However I need to add perfect balance for how big those rooms are because if the make those rooms tobig and empty with not real reason I will be anoing. Like most other multiplayer game's my game I will have mixed between close open areas in most stage wean you make PvP shooter the need to be perfect balance ⚖️ for open areas areas for hiding and to have something in the order to not make cambers. The game I'm is more like old fps game's the have items to collect from the map and Player collect need collect weapon the don't have all those items weapon starting this one off the way that I make the player to move around. The other way make the Player not want to hide forever is the fact have 0 accuracy lost wean you move, However I believe cover it's valble option for time to time for example if one player is hiding on house for example it's harder to shaman out site house to shooting this person, on the other hand if you are on the middle of the map in open area you are easy target 🎯. In the end off the day wail I have some level disaing pattern for my game that I believe I will work the only way to know for sure if the level are fan to play are playing testing, I'm sure those patterns help unit my my game playble I will able to know how much open or closed areas to have I will see wean make my game playble.