Level Up.pdf

The Dave Arnenson Memorial Mapping Section 227
to here ” , cut that section out of your game. Because a very important
thing is:
WALKING IS NEVER, EVER GAMEPLAY!
Only lazy designers consider walking to be gameplay. You ’ re not a lazy
designer, are you? Of course you aren ’ t. You are an active designer. An
active designer who creates active things for your active character to do.
Actively.
Prevent the player from walking for too long. Look at all the other things the
player could be doing instead of walking.
• Jumping • Swinging
• Fighting • Flying
• Collecting • Escaping
• Climbing • Sneaking
• Swimming • Exploring
Speaking of exploring, let ’ s talk about multiple paths. Which one to take?
The one that leads to the harem of 1000 delights or the one that leads to
the lava pits of Overfiend? Decisions, decisions.
No matter how you slice it, multiple paths are a tricky thing to deal with,
regardless of whether you are designing an alley or an island. They work
better for some genres of games than others. The wide - open worlds found
in FPSs, RPGs, and driving games require multiple paths just to keep
traversal from getting boring.
But multiple paths raise multiple questions that need to be addressed:
Which path will the player choose? What can you do to entice a player to go
down one path over another? What can the designer do to promote the
player to use that alternate path? Hidden power- ups or cash prizes? Provide
an achievement for all secrets discovered? Some producers balk at the idea
of designing and building a part of the level that the player may never see.
Whatever the answer you decide on, make sure that it provides something
significant to your level.