Game Level Concept

I would most definitely pitch a third-person slash and hack game. My idea is mainly consisting of the gameplay by Infamous 2, where the player is able to make “good” and “bad” choices in order to progress through the game.

The game would consist of hippies at a music festival in the present. During their celebrations and amidst the chanting monks, fireside drum circles, late night jams and lives art classes all hell breaks loose. What disaster could be so disastrous to break the Zen of a million hippies? Zombies, of course.

What game would be complete without the generic?

It’s now up to the surviving main character to collect materials for make-shift weapons and resources. It’s also up to the player to join other survivors or go it alone. Your decisions can make or break you.

-  - Your main objective is survival or saving as many people as you can to create an all-harmony army.

-  - Make your way to the main gate to escape. Be careful though, zombies are also seeking that way out, slower… because they’re dead.

   - The gate has SWAT and Army personnel on the other side. Whether they are on your side depends on if you’re infected or not.

-  - Other survivors may turn on you. Hone your skills in defense/attack or make sure you have many allies to back you up.

The characters are not capable individuals forced into a horrifying situation with tools and skill necessary for survival. They’re more… in way over their head, forced to confront monstrosities beyond their imagination. It relates to players who would most likely have no clue what to do with a drum and paint-brush at their disposal when confronted by a ward of flesh-eating maniacs.   

Main Character: Rex Tranquilla

This is the main character. He is very passionate about the hippie lifestyle, especially not conspiracy theories and against violence. His main aura is to live a celestial life and make changes in the world.

When the zombies are attacked he is one of three survivors from his personal friendship group. Your objective is to either fight or flights (find his friends or leave on your own to get away). Depending on the players’ choices, these can alter the personality of Rex of either good or bad. The more people saved or left to die by him, the more it affects him. Whilst on whichever path you choose him to take, each turn a new reason for why this catastrophe has happened unfolds. Rex is on a mission to not only save himself/others; he’s also trying to figure out why it’s happened. The closer he gets to the truth deadlier the game gets. 

 

Zombies:

The zombies are the main antagonist. They will attack and hunt the survivors, turning them into zombies or taking them to a nest.

Coming from out of nowhere, these monsters are slow but powerful. Then cannot run nor jump, they are prone to being distracted. They can pin you down but only focus on one survivor at a time, they’re main strategy is to gang up on you. They are attracted to noise, not smell and can find you if you make too much noise. To kill them, you must use any resource at your disposal (electricity, a hammer, pikes from tents, etc.), to incapacitate them you must hit them hard enough on the head or create a trap. 

UPDATE: The monsters repel against harsh lights. Fire can ward them off as a defense tool.

 

Government: Army, etc.

These guys are the real mystery. They come to rescue you but only stay outside of the gate. They seem to have some hidden agenda and it is up to our hero to figure out what that is.

At the gate they will shoot any infected being they see and give directions and input over a loud speaker. They ask for proof that you are not infected or alive from within the grounds. These can be prompted by asking you to set off fireworks, etc. to show your position. These don’t always help as it also brings the zombies to your location.

Are they friend or fo?     

Environment:

Huge forest area in the back. Fenced off for some reason (adds to the mystery).

Tents and stages. Great for hiding, traps.

Wetlands and muddy on the outskirts. Harder to walk, slows down you and enemies. 

Game Level Design: Gamasutra

A game level is a part of the game that the player usually needs to complete in order to complete a mission or objective. The completion involves a reward, next level that will increase in difficulty or high score.

The level designer creates the gameplay backbone, bringing together the logic and progress of the game. This is done by ensuring all aspects of the game are seamless in order to progress to the next level.

Over time, the workload for a level designer has lulled due to the workload being ‘shared’ among other work stations. Level designers now work in collaboration and more fully with nearly all the production team in order to create their level (programmers, modelers, audio, etc.).The possibilities for level designers in the future are that they will have a more significant role in the final production of the game. They will have a better understanding of what players want and be able to demonstrate these new understanding in order to create a pedigree game.

My favorite example of a “good” level design would have to be God of War 3. The levels are intricate and each hone in a puzzle to be solved in order to reach a specific area. The areas are thwarted by enemies that reappear stronger than before and require the player to defeat them in specific ways. 

Game Genre Effects on Level and Environment

Depending on the genre of a game the level progression or lack of is determined by the main objective and gameplay of the game. This is clearly seen in;

Devil May Cry is a third person hack and slash game in an open world. The objective is reach goals and missions by continuously attacking demons, rewarding players with A+ to D- ranks in each fight (the game also delves into puzzle solving and strategy elements). DMC is rich in storyline and new missions/objectives are granted upon the completion of certain acts, etc.

Ridge Race Type 4 is a racing game. The level is designed with different maps and racecourses to choose from. The main objective is to come first, naturally however; the game offers players a reward from 320 different cars to add to the options if they come 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd. 1^st offering the best car rewards.

Pac-Man is considered by many to be the first real stealth game. The players objective is to guide Pac-Man through a maze, collecting pellets and avoiding the ghosts, occasionally gaining the ability to eat the ghost when you eat a power-pellet. The game is simple, eat all the dots to move on to the next level. It’s difficult to achieve as you are outnumbered and have to choose wisely when to use your power-up. 

Compare and Contrast of Levels and Environmets

80’s: Super Mario Bros. 3

Super Mario Bros. 3 is important for many reasons. For one, it marks the first time the overworld map has been introduced in a game. The map features a number of total worlds that each has a different name, theme and boss. Super Mario Bros. 3 has made a name for itself as the pinnacle of 2D platforming that ranges beyond different worlds, each unique depending on the increase in difficulty and boss enemies.

The game consisted of 8 levels, each spanning new environments, missions and enemies to defeat.

World 1: Grass Land, must defeat Larry Koopa. The environment is mainly grassy hills and cliffs and clear blue skies.

World 2: Desert Hill, must defeat Morton Koopa Jr. The environment consists of pyramids and quicksand. New enemies are introduced that are more “deserty” in order to relate to the environment.

World 3: Ocean Side, must defeat Wendy O. Koopa. Ocean Side contains nine levels in total and while some land platforms are included, most of the level involves underwater obstacles and enemies.

World 4: Big Island, must defeat Iggy Koopa. Obviously, the game revolves around an island theme however; the “Big” is due to enlarged versions of all the new and regular enemies sizes and other features in the game.  

Wold 5: The Sky, must defeat Roy Koopa. The level has ground and sky features. The player can acquire new power-ups as well as new enemies that fly being introduced. If the player is unsucesssful in defeating the boss in the first try, the boss is free to move with the player throughout the level in replay. These increases difficulty as well as bringing something new to the player/enemy dynamics; balance throughout the level as the boss enemy can now fight back during the level.

World 6: Iced Land, must defeat Lemmy Koopa. Iced level consists of ice floors that make Mario slide around and the controls much less controllable, the player can slide and fall to their doom if they are not careful. Also, the bricks in other levels are now made of ice cubes that can only be destroyed/melted by Marios fire balls.

World 7: Pipe Maze, must defeat Ludwig Von Koopa. Just as the Sky level had the enemy able to attack the player during the level if not defeated at first go, Pipe Maze boss’ ship flies overhead the enemy throughout the level. The level consists of some water elements and a network of pipes on an island.

World 8: Castle of Koopa, must defeat Bowser. The environment and level dynamics are sort of a ‘war zone.’ The enemies and obstacles are tanks and airships, with slight mini-games interwoven in order to finally meet and defeat the main boss.

The game combines meticulous design elements that are repetitive and “cartoony”, interesting interactive enemies with the same detail, and power ups to help the player achieve their goal in a multitude of different ways (growing in size, speed ups, fire balls, etc.).

90’s: Super Mario Kart

Super Mario Kart includes a combination of power-ups, slides, hopping, and weapons in its gameplay. The game consists of Nintendo mascots, each with their own personalities and vehicles that race in a competitive environment. Mario Kart is open world and unlike Super Mario Bros. 3 as the player is introduced to a number of mechanics that are much simpler in order to progress to the next “level.”

The game has multiple functions in order to play;

Mario Kart GP which is the main mode of play for the game. The player can race against other components in a five-course cup, collecting points and trophies as the game progresses.

Match Race involves multiplayer and multiple hazards around the course to thwart each other’s chances.

Time trial in which you race against the clock solo.

Battle, where you play against your friend/s by hitting the player and destroying all their balloons.

AFTER 04: Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Super Smash Bros. Brawl seen en extensive list of Nintendo characters coming together to smash the living daylights out of each other. With lots and lots of unlockable content and its pull for players who just want to smash a string a buttons together to trigger complex move sets and fighting mechanics, Super Smash Bro. Brawl is in huge contrast to the former games mentioned.

With obvious multiplayer modes and battles against each other, SSBB offers players a solo option to play a side-scroller feature while playing their choice of character. The character has a unique storyline mode in which the player must defeat enemies with their “history” in order to progress to the next and final level. 

Level Designer in the 80's

If I was a level designer in the 80’s I would create a side scroller, platform game. I would create it for use on a home consoles such as the ever popular Nintendo, and its NES which owned about 90% of the local market. The game would be an action packed good guy vs. bad guy objective where a hero must save earth from an invading villain. The game would be balanced as the good guy would have to battle really tough bosses, the player must tackle each boss in a different way determining on the difficulty of the game/level.