19 ways to improve this FPS level design

[@MegapiemanPHD]

Game design is an extremely iterative process. Constant play testing and feedback can really help a project develop into something great.

[@stevelee_gamedev]

True dat

[@aminmontaze]

I promise LDs out there will never find any video like this on KZbin! It was really deserve the title that its author has been mentioned to it: "DETAILED" feedback! Thanks a lot Steve 🌸 you're breathtaking! :)

[@stevelee_gamedev]

No, Amin - YOU'RE breathtaking (Cheers, glad you like it 👍)

[@Nyllsor]

@aminmontaze I agree, been searching a long time for fps level design stuff like this. The only other I know who does it similary well explaining the 'philosophy' of level design is "World of Level Design" webpage and old "3kliksphilip" videos. This channel is golden

[@alexlokanin3312]

I agree that the most important bit is playtesting and iteration. you should always strive for a fully playable blockout from early on as opposed to trying to make everything look beautiful or working on one section at a time. Very good advice regarding making the most important stuff first. making emergent possibilities as opposed to having everything scripted is also very important to me.

[@stevelee_gamedev]

Agreed, I've been scratching my head over how I could make a video about the process of iterating on a blockout based on playtesting (in a way that wouldn't take me ages). We'll see. Glad you like the video 👍

[@stevelee_gamedev]

The nasty bump in volume at 1:36 will haunt me to my grave... oof

[@YousefDana]

I level design as a hobby. My FT is a transportation engineer and I see the similarities between pedestrian flow theory. I would love to see two things out of this channel. Level design analysis of other games. And modern development kits to do some fun level design (Hammer is outdated and I haven't seen any level dev kits in a while)

[@philippesylvestre3716]

Hey man, in a level design student at the moment and your creating exactly the kind of content i love to watch! Awesome videos and great tips, hope to see more stuff from you!

[@stevelee_gamedev]

Good to hear Philippe - merci 👍

[@kairon156]

Cheers, There are loads of helpful tips here. I was mainly thinking of coolness and possible puzzle design but narrative and player movement is important too.

[@vojtechkovar1567]

I was hoping for video like this. Thank you.

[@stevelee_gamedev]

Good to hear, hope it’s useful :)

[@12ratsstudios54]

Amazing content! I think it would be extremely insightful if you made some sort of series where you deconstruct the level design of some games, so we can clearly understand the tought process behind it! Thanks for this valuable information!

[@stevelee_gamedev]

Glad you find it useful, and yeah I'm thinking about stuff like that 👍

[@ArtofLevelDesign]

Hi Steve, thanks for sharing your experience!

[@stevelee_gamedev]

Cheers, you're welcome 👍

[@kaosmo4249]

6:15 for the wasted gameplay segment, a thought I had while watching. You could have had one guy on the ground with a rocket launcher, fires, but is too close to the strider and gets impaled. The player runs up to grab it (which is super nerve racking. Risk vs reward type thing) but it only has the one shot, then they see more men in the building firing rockets, so the player knows there is more ammo from them.

[@danielmurta5652]

I'm really new at LD, so finding a video that is detailed, beginner friendly, thorough and still uses my favorite game of all time as a reference point is everything I could have asked. Thank you so much, Steve!

[@stevelee_gamedev]

Great to hear, you're welcome 👍

[@deanpaul3635]

Just found your channel and it's awesome man this is content lokle no other on KZbin, extensive breakdowns of levels and the iterative process. Great for aspiring game devs like me, look forward to seeing more!

[@stevelee_gamedev]

Cheers Dean, great to hear 👍

[@zachdavies9092]

Awesome video, keep it up! I'd love to see a similar breakdown of other levels, either your stuff in D2 and Bioshock or other levels that you think would be interesting. Excited for more videos!

[@stevelee_gamedev]

Cheers! (I'm thinking of doing some Dishonored-related stuff further down the line)

[@MorganFuse]

Found this channel by accident, and super happy about it ! Thanks a lot.

[@stevelee_gamedev]

Hey Ruslan, glad to hear you like the videos, cheers :)

[@TheBlooLight]

Thank you Steve! I'm a junior level designer and I found this incredibly helpful. Please do more videos like this if you have the time. It would be cool to see a breakdown of your own level for Dishonoured 2?

[@stevelee_gamedev]

Cheers 👍 Got some Dishonored stuff in mind for further down the line :)

[@何铭轩-x1v]

Thank for sharing Steve! Unique and precious LDs video!

[@stevelee_gamedev]

You're welcome, glad you liked it 👍

[@randomcatdude]

Awesome. Feels like my brain just grew a bunch after watching this.

[@stevelee_gamedev]

Good to hear! 👍

[@Calixj23]

This type of video is EXCELLENT...WOW! This really demonstrates "experience" and good feedback. - Steve, I have a question about items 14 and 16. In those comment items you make a distinction between "narrative" and "gameplay", so my question is - how does one improve the games "narrative" and "gameplay" and how does one know the real difference between the two? I'm not sure I yet know how to differentiate between the two. - This would be a GREAT video for you to do to expand upon the Level Design subject matter. -- There is SO MUCH that goes into level design for ANY genre that I can listen to these videos over and over and still come away with new knowledge each time I watch them. - THANK YOU for making these and please provide more.

[@davidawesome4569]

I thought I had left source behind me. But just seeing this video temps me to make just another level..

[@stevelee_gamedev]

Do eeet

[@kriszenn1125]

I just found your channel, and I have already learned a lot in one video. Thank you for making this video since I love creating levels for Half-Life 1/2 (and someday I want to create a mod for those games).

[@stevelee_gamedev]

Cool, good to hear it was useful :)

[@D34P]

Hi Steve! I am a Game Level Designer Student right now. The tips are great and pretty helpful! Also, I would like to see tips about creating an LDD. That would be amazing. Thanks for sharing your experience!

[@pawelkozubal1998]

thanks for all this information!

[@stevelee_gamedev]

You’re welcome 👍

[@lukkkasz323]

Awesome, very helpful!

[@stevelee_gamedev]

Good to hear, dzieki 👍

[@peacemaster8117]

Great work, exactly what I wanted to see from your channel. It's funny: before you say what the problem is, I can't see it... but as soon as you say it, I know exactly what you mean and can't believe I couldn't see it for myself. 😅

[@stevelee_gamedev]

:) Cheers, glad it's useful!

[@MattNF]

Awesome guide!

[@stevelee_gamedev]

Cheers :)

[@YakibombROMhacking]

Wow, this is helpful. Thank you.

[@stevelee_gamedev]

Good to hear, cheers :)

[@FlashySenap]

I'm trying to get into game development... For now out of pure interest but hopefully I can get an education down the line. Currently learning to mod maps for Bonelabs. I'm a complete novice with only some skill in 3D modelling. But watching this video inspire me to keep on going and att least try and attempt to build some kind of fun level for Bonelabs as I really enjoy VR games and just wish there was more interesting games out there.

[@stevelee_gamedev]

Great to hear it's inspiring - good luck with the bonelabs level :)

[@Nyllsor]

Very useful! Cheers!

[@stevelee_gamedev]

Good to hear :)

[@Roman18071]

Thanks a lot, it's so informative and interesting! I believe every aspiring ld, like myself, will find it extremely useful :)

[@stevelee_gamedev]

Good to hear / I hope so! Cheers :)

[@kentrose2520]

Thanks for the video! For part 7, what do you think about having objects in the road that would funnel the player into the building on the right w/ the rocket launcher? I do like your idea of having NPCs with rocket launchers on the balcony but also wonder what would happen if the player just kept going? Would they be able to proceed to the next area or would they have to double back and figure out what they missed? Thanks again!

[@stevelee_gamedev]

Hey Kent - I think objects in the road that funnel the player into the building could help draw attention to the fact that the building can be entered, but one part of the problem that it wouldn't really solve is helping the player enter the building with Intentionality - i.e. doing it intentionally because they've realised that the rocket launcher is in there. This might seem subtle, but the difference between players understanding the logic of what they're doing and making intentional choices, rather than just being subconsciously led through the level without knowing why they're doing things, is significant. Re: What would happen if the player just kept going - the staircase down to the underground train station / the next level is blocked off by a gate, that is opened when the player destroys the strider (by the civilians that arrive, fictionally speaking). Maybe there's more room to improve the level if this locked gate was made more clear to the player as an explicit goal? Not sure :) Thanks for the comment / question, and glad you liked the video 👍

[@danskartbg422]

As a Half life level designer this is going to be very useful

[@PollyCot]

I always loved stairwell scenes. I was wondering, when looking at portfolios for indie games, how big of a role do graphics play for a test level on Unreal? As long as it's all concise and relevant and looks decent enough, how would you rate it? Keep up the great work.

[@stevelee_gamedev]

Assuming that you mean for a level design portfolio pieces, and by graphics you mean polished environment art work etc, then I would say it definitely shouldn't be the focus of the work, compared to the gameplay / interactive experience (which is the important bit). I was very experienced with Hammer by the time I made this project, and had the time during my university course to make it look good (proper texturing work, detailed geo and meshing, nice lighting, etc), so I did. It's a bonus because it shows I have a good visual eye, and can create levels that take place in spaces that can look good too. But as a level design piece, the important thing is the gameplay, the level scripting, the fact that the level is playable and polished from an interactive perspective (not visual). Hope this helps! And cheers - glad you like the videos :)

[@adog3129]

using your advice from another video, it would have been nice if you saw the train at the beginning of the level and knew that's what you were working towards

[@999dunkins]

How did you gave citizen a AR2?

[@stevelee_gamedev]

It's one of the options in their Weapons dropdown menu! Maybe only if you're making the level for HL2: Episode 2?

[@friendofp.24]

You seriously need to upgrade your recording software. OBS is free my man.

[@stevelee_gamedev]

As I said in the video, the footage is the same video that I showed my university lecturers and used in my portfolio, back in 2007 - hence the low quality, etc. Would’ve loved to re-record at higher quality but even Half Life 2 seems to have changed in its updates since then, and the level no longer plays as it should with the files I have, haha