"The Level Design Process" (Design Talk)

Join Psychoduck for a discussion of the process behind level design in this first installment of our design talk series.
See more at www.forgehub.com
Production Music courtesy of Epidemic Sound: www.epidemicsound.com
Intro Music by Akmigone
Video Topic by Psychoduck & The Fated Fire
Video editing and commentary by Psychoduck

[@isaaclewis2076]

"Forging may be an art, but design is a science." -ThePsychoduck, 2015 Love it.

[@Januszeko]

I know it sounds bad, but if you're bothered with the slow monotone voice (like I got after few minutes), try watching the video at 1.25 speed.

[@thevmediagroupgaming]

Best. Tip. Ever.

[@codywst]

It's perfect

[@pabloabarca4589]

genius

[@ivostickylock2105]

I watch 98% of all you tube clips on 2.0 speed :D

[@bravo075]

To me that was ok, but listening to the guy's saliva sloshing in his mouth was worse.

[@ToaVorotae18]

YES!!! Absolutely loved your previous design talk videos, and am overjoyed to find that you've done more.

[@LordDecapo]

I miss dumping hundreds and hundreds of hours into forge maps... i really hope i can move all of the maps i made in reach and 4 and bring them to PC with new MCC. Excited to build some good forge maps on PC. Well made video, my friends and I used to spend AGES talking about such small details as "should there be a 6" step up when walking through the door way to the flag room?". Hoping to have more of those chats :)

[@BknMoonStudios]

Very useful information, not only for FPS but also sidescrollers. Playtesting is key!

[@F2pPr0s]

I feel as if the quality of the videos have went up since you guys moved to the FORGEHUB channel. Not just in topic, but in the video itself. Not sure if it's because you guys have more creative freedom or what, but keep up the great work!

[@forgehub]

+F2pPr0s Thanks! Transitioning to this channel was a great opportunity to step back and rethink some of what we were doing, so we've definitely made an effort to improve the quality of our videos. Having the creative freedom we need and just a great team has helped tremendously as well, but it's the support we get from you guys which really keeps us striving to improve on our previous work.

[@Bino43]

+FORGEHUB I also gotta commend the new vibe! I love that Duck mentioned that there is no single "correct way" to design a map. One problem I always had with the old-school Forgehub community was a pervasive attitude that the 'correct way' to forge had been decided upon, and each incoming community map seemed to be judged not upon it's own merits, but on how closely it followed the "rules" for "good forging". I submitted a good few maps that just got quickly (and rudely) panned by some of the higher-ups at forgehub back in the Reach days, and yet these same maps supported TONS of fun gameplay with my friends (and beyond) and held up well as remakes in H4 and MCC as well... Made me feel like I might not have a clue about forging,despite my passion, and that maybe my friends were just humoring me with their rave reviews. Then, I suddenly got a Game Type and Map Suite featured as a WEEK LONG PLAYLIST on Halo 4 matchmaking! ("Ricochet Rebound".) So...maybe I was doing something right! Anyway, PsychoDuck: thanks for the open and inclusive attitude...I hope it is a sign of things to come for Forgehub!

[@slaypexhalo]

+FORGEHUB this channel is definitely way better than what the epidemic has become

[@parth4780]

@@forgehub is it true that its very difficult to become a level designer like i read on quora thats it is almost impossible

[@cursedone2231]

I had a lot of fun watching this video, I usually do everything solo (in sandbox games so no texturing for me) but now that I watched this I see how I can focus on gameplay first and then work from there. The mistake I was making was wanting my detail to look so good before releasing it to play test, but now I will be doing a barebones release for play testing and the detail coming in later

[@limeaid]

Coming back to this for infinite forge ✌🏽

[@vehementira9344]

Very informative video Duck, usually when I forge I wing everything. Also a Great start to the Design Talk series guys. Looking forward to future videos.

[@WhyKnotTony]

Keep up the good work ForgeHub, personally speaking I think this series should be an ongoing thing, i'm not kidding this is a very creative series that I personally want to see consistently on my video feed. I love this, again keep up the good work.

[@forgehub]

+TheGamerwithThreeFirstNames Thanks for taking an interest. This is absolutely intended to be the beginning of a series. This first video was designed (cwutididther) to act as a foundation for the more complex topics which will be covered moving forward.

[@WhyKnotTony]

+FORGEHUB Could you also apply the level design process with lets say an linear infection map, free roam, etc?

[@MartianMallCopStudiosChannel]

+TheGamerwithThreeFirstNames Absolutely. the level design process outlined here works for everything you can think of when it comes to level design and forge

[@SubzeroBlack68]

Thanks for the vieo/tips! definitely helps when your a small Indie team trying to understand the basic process

[@LethalChicken77]

this was EXTREMELY HELPFUL. thanks

[@Zeta4]

Remember when ForgeHub uploaded stuff?

[@greenbean2222]

No

[@tylercrout5406]

love it man great breakdown!!!

[@alexrcreamer]

This was a very beautifully made video. Well done.

[@losalfajoresok]

Thanks a lot. I'm preparing a lesson for level design and this was really helpful!

[@XanderHDD]

Great talk, Thanks!

[@chewynutcluster8013]

No offense, Duck, but I always felt your videos were missing something... Fortunately now, though, I know what that one thing was: a beautiful piano score to complement that voice of yours.

[@coolcatgamestudio]

Great video! Thank you!

[@Idiolectic]

Now, more than ever, I sense that you sound intensely similar to Carl Sagan; your calm way of talking, and way of speech, just make it an uncanny similarity.

[@unsortedguy]

I hope there is a good system to find new and good maps in H5. And mabye even Link gamemodes with the maps.

[@absolutelypro4612]

Awesome video

[@DJOpaixMusic]

I miss Psycho Duck so much TT_TT

[@mustangsally2048]

If you create a multiple levels.. how do you combine each separate one into one map. Cause right now they are all different files I must open up separately. Please help. Thanks

[@RobinOnYew]

how do artist create a building or a level by that i mean how do they make the hallway and rooms and such do they create the rooms sepertly and then connect them in the game engine or do they make the whole building or level in 3ds max and then just add "decorations" ( like trash or benches and staff) later in the game engine?

[@bettyspaghetti678]

I'm only semi good at designing the map As in details and all that jazz. But for some reason I can plan out every possibility in my head like outcomes (what good time a object should spawn or like if this happens I could counter by doing this etc.) I'm building a map that each team has a strength and a weakness but it balances equally. I have it so one team has a faster route to the middle but the other team can get to upper mid just as fast etc. Ya know

[@mushikabuto387]

I really like these more 'mature' design talk videos, I hope there will be more in the future. As for map design science I heard that it is essential to create a 'center' for any map you make... will there possibly be a video on this topic? Thanks.

[@mushikabuto387]

+Sgt Slaphead Hmm... interesting. I guess this makes more sense. Thank you very much for your advice, I'll keep this in mind with my current map project!

[@forgehub]

+Joseph Herstal In addition to Cpt Craphead's wonderful comment, I think the reason why the center of a map is important is that, without one, you can wind up with what's typically referred to as a "donut map". Donut maps invlove mindless circular flow where players run around an outer circuit without venturing into the map's center. They have very simple, lackluster engagements as a result. Defining a center is important, but the most important positions on a map don't necessarily need to be central in a physical sense.

[@mushikabuto387]

+FORGEHUB This sounds alot like the criticisms I hear about Chillout/ Cold Storage, being that those maps were mostly figure - eight in layout.

[@SkywardShoe]

+FORGEHUB What are these "Donut" maps you speak of? ;)

[@Kio474]

Anyone know what program or a similar program seen at 3:00

[@cwdgamedev822]

Never heard the term forger before. Is that specific to level design? Or is it like another term for an indie dev?

[@trickstarelite8496]

Legit! working on a blizzard train map atm, How do you become a level designer,Vs, an environmental artist I can easily put 20 hours into a forge map and use up all the rescorces haha

[@KingFerretDino]

What is the tool he said at 3:20, I cant understand his voice

[@aimalhabib7085]

So How do I make that kind of design? 7:00

[@tjizzle1027]

Please dont tell me i was the only one that thought that guy in the blue shirt was Channing Tatum for a sec XD

[@DJOpaixMusic]

2:31 IS THIS FEATURE COMING TO FORGE SOMEDAY??

[@thomas4092]

Hope so. It's frustrating having to manually build the angles using blocks

[@Marth8880]

>massing out Never heard that one before. I've heard "blocking out", "greyblocking", and several others but never "massing out". Interesting.

[@MrTaxMan666]

Now we need horde modes or base defence modes with bots to see how good a fortress you can forge and keep hordes of enemies coming from drop ships like 'a full on invasion. 5 to 9 Players and bots vs not just waves but an invasion force of 25 enemies plus air forces every 1 to 3 minutes. I love forge 343 could make a very solkid RTS like XCOM style triple the scale, build your HQ Or CC. up while establishing FOBs and trying to attack or decide to defend and were to allocate resources, run ops to open or protect supply lines. Im a little off subject perhaps.

[@Supermario0727]

Is PyschoDuck still part of the Halo Forge Epidemic? I haven't seen him featured on that channel in a while.

[@cob666fuk]

What is the map at 6:17 ?

[@Gnurklesquimp]

5:00 wait, is Strongside working at 343 as a map designer? Or just a tester or something?

[@forgehub]

+Jynx MSC Strongside is a member of pro team. He consults the designers as an exceptionally skilled player. he also created the Breakout map Altitude.

[@Gnurklesquimp]

FORGEHUB Ohh that's cool! Thanks

[@NatePlaysGames]

Forge hub make a video on how to exceed the physics limit

[@midnightcrowindustries2268]

If I could be a 343 level designer, my life would be great...

[@SnikenCSGO]

So in this video I saw Zac Efron and Vsauce3...

[@nickdalzell7610]

He's calling you out squally

[@cardanai]

Good stuff, but who calls it a mass out? Blockout or blockmesh is the terms I hear from most developers.

[@RETSZTIRF]

Blockout day when?

[@hypno_ibram]

Put it on 1.25 speed if you don't like the slow voice.

[@jaylengraves1903]

I like your videos can you make custom maps and game modes

[@visremusic5388]

I wish i could get paid to make halo maps. I spent so much time in halo 4. Halo 5 perfected forge. Now if only i can put in the extra time it takes for detailing everything and lights. Nonetheless check out the few maps i do have. The Fourth Earl There all slayer maps.

[@yomomsneakylink6646]

The gamme was suppose to be an rts game

[@AndDoubleWHY]

but what does 343 know about level design?

[@llnnie]

shaun crane

[@greenbean2222]

SOUNDS LIKE AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT MAN WITH SPEED AT x1.25 😂😂 my god it's bizarre

[@JoshuaHults]

i do not want to be a downer but..... 2 things. 1 ) You do not have to fill up every inch of a video with talking. 2 ) You can talk just a bit faster. 3 ) you could just say change instead of evolution.

[@miroslavzderic3192]

6:02 Jamie Oliver lol

[@raysyndrome7209]

so a designer can't really test out their own map?

[@borrowinghydra372]

when did forge become complicated....

[@Connor8609]

I'm from the future lol it's way wya harder now

[@_nukeohio]

I don't think there has ever been a single 343 designed map that would make me want to take advice from their design team.

[@helltbrother2]

The video (content wise) was really good and informative. However.... Please, please take the mic out of your mouth next time. I could hear (both on headset and on my external speakers) the clicking and popping noise your spit would make when you talked. Think of a fly or nat in your ear. They can be telling you the most important information, but their high pitched buzzing sound drives you nuts. So ya, good information and content, poor way of communicating it. If you re-recorded this with less of the issue mentioned above, I know I'd get more knowledgeable understand from it. But it's really hard right now.

[@SquallyDaBeanz]

-1th

[@suntzu6122]

I think its pretty funny how you show how much work went into a truly abysmal midship remake. That map isnt the slightest bit fun. There isnt a single spot on the map that I am ever GLAD to be in, and moving about the map seems detrimental because of how easy it is to 'hold up' in power spots like pink 2, and carbine 2. Fucking symmetrical maps dont always have to be shit, not sure why 99% of them end up that way.

[@Marselord]

but then the Game Designer want a procedural generated world lmfao

[@diehardGG]

Any other people at forgehub that can narrate these videos? Psycho is fairly stale, slow and boring to listen to. Very dry. I want the moisture.

[@hypno_ibram]

1.25 speed