Level Up.pdf

Gray Matters
Gray Matters 233
Armed with your level maps, you are now ready to start building (or have an
artist start building) your game levels. But hold on there, tiger! Before you
even start thinking about enemies, mechanics or even detailed geometry,
you will have to flesh out your level in gray box form.
A gray box level is created within an art tool (Maya and 3D Studio Max are
the two most common industry art tools, though others exist). The gray box
level shows the scale, size, and relationship of basic elements pertaining to
camera and character metrics. It is pivotal in determining scale, camera,
and pacing. Spend time running your game character around the gray box
level. Have others play the level to find confusing areas and trouble spots.
Iterate on your level while it ’ s still easy to make big sweeping changes. You
may find that a level works better if you rip out an entire section and stitch
the remaining pieces together. A straight hallway may be more thrilling with
plenty of twists and turns to transform “ boring old ” enemies, mechanics,
and treasure into unexpected surprises.