do you think you could design good levels?

[Asimov]

The title says it all. I find that a lot of modern games, especially shooters, suffer from uninspired level design, with the possible exception of the modern warfare games (the zodiac sequence was kickass). If you think you could do better, post some ideas, I'd love to hear them. I have a few of my own.

My best idea came to me while going to the mall. That area is not quite a city, NYC style, but the buildings are large and have features that would lend to fun shooter fights. In particular, I got this idea when looking at an intersection. This is kind of hard to explain without a picture, but in one corner there's a hotel with a section that's two floors high next to a section five floors high. In front there are 2 small buses that would make for good cover. Across the street is a parking garage that goes up four stories which would be a good spot to put some snipers. On the other side is 2 relatively large office buldings, each about 2 or 3 dozen stories high, with 2 paralell skywalks connecting them. The skywalks have long windows going across the sides, which would lead to fun shootouts. I could go on and describe other areas, but it would take too long so I'll spare you. Oh and by the way, this would all be in a third person shooter, ideally with assasins creed style parkour.

 

[Amnestic]

Could I design a good level? I think so. I've not had much practise, but I reckon I could give it a good shot.

Could I design many good levels? I don't think so. Eventually my inspiration well would dry up. It's hard to consistently design interesting levels which wow your audience from game to game - the ones who pull it off repeatedly deserve a certain degree of praise.

 

[Brad Shepard]

if it was my job i think i could, why, you paying for me to design levels?

 

[Lucifron]

I wouldn't know. I'd like to think that I could, but I'm not sure what I've done that could compare. In my mind, however, my levels kick ass.

 

[Hybrid Sight]

I could probably make one or two good levels, but I doubt I could make an entire game's worth.

 

[awesomebillfromdawsonville]

Here's one. A crackhouse.

 

[awesomebillfromdawsonville]

Or a whorehouse. It really depends on what kind of game we're making here...

 

[HollywoodH17]

I want a shootout in a Cracker Barrel. Just tons of yokels with muskets, hiding behind the giant casks of grain, opening fire at one another while they wait for their chicken friend steak.

Edit: Yes, I could design levels :-D as long as people like random situations, like the one above.

 

[Quiet Stranger]

If I had the training for designing a level (isnt designing also drawing the levels or something?) I have ideas for cool levels

 

[iLikeHippos]

I've made many games in Halo 3, using forge. I think they're pretty awesome, even tough I'm very limited there. I should get Garry's Mod, but that requires steam...

[Insert forge advertisement here]

On topic, I think I would be a very good level designer, as I often think of how players would think. Some like to exploit, some like camping etc. I always try terminate those two things in forge.

 

[SantoUno]

I doubt it, I tried it before in the Toy Hawk series, Halo 3, and...maybe those are the only two, but yeah sadly my creations were never played.

 

[GrimmG15]

I have fantastic ideas for fun levels, but I'm too lazy to try and learn to map

 

[Batfred]

I suck at design. Ideas and pragmatics yeah, that's easy for me. How something should look is something that no one in their right mind should let me do.... yet they do anyway. Fools!

 

[Trivun]

I hope so, I want to do it as a career after all. I'm hoping for a job in Level Design when I graduate. I'm almost finished making a small indie game though, so when it' one I'll post the link on the site and you guys can judge my design skills for yourselves .

To avoid doing what I've done so far and give me some motivation, so it doesn't go the DNF way:

LAUNCH DATE: Sunday 14th February 2010...

 

[Axolotl]

For what sort of game? For an FPS or an RTS then probably not. For an RPG then yes I could design some decent levels but that's not hard considering the very low standards most RPGs have for level design.

 

[TheNumber1Zero]

To avoid doing what I've done so far and give me some motivation, so it doesn't go the DNF way:

LAUNCH DATE: Sunday 14th February 2010...

Is it gonna be one of those free Browser based ones?

On Topic: No, no I could not. I could try, but ultimately I would forget what I had planned halfway through and would end up making mediocre, bland, unbalanced levels.

 

[v3n0mat3]

I get things in mind but never fulfill them to my expectations.

I'm referring to games with a level designer btw.

 

[Cerrax]

Try making a level in LittleBig Planet. It's shocking how much work goes into level design. It's way harder than people make it seem.

I know I could design technically good levels but they would be pretty standard and not very revolutionary. Good level designers are just like any other part of the video game industry, extremely rare and heavily sought out. Anybody can imitate designs from other games. But a truly awesome level designer can take something as old as Super Mario Bros 1 and still make it interesting.

I personally am much better at designing the core engine of the game. I like perfecting the motions, physics, and controls to be as tight and natural as possible. I could go on a huge rant about how so many "good" games have terrible engines and controls *cough*assassinscreed*cough*