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| 'Beginning Game Level Design' by John Feil and Marc Scattergood |
Useful and helpful quotes from this book:
'The further you get from the accepted genres, the harder it will be to find your audience.' - p3
'Once you find your audience, pay attention to what they like and what don't like.' - p3
'...you need to know the games that your own game will be competing with...to learn what players expect from your genre.' - p4
'Manipulative power is the most subtle power...Giving the player the power to manipulate also allows the player to immerse himself in your game, as your game characters become his extensions into your game world.' - p7/8
'The designer may start forgetting that the player doesn't know as much about the game world as he does, so he starts leaving out small bits of information that the player needs in order to make sense of it all.' - p13
'The most important part of any game is the first 10 minutes. Unless you make them so compelling that the player can't put down the controls, he'll find it very easy to quit...' - p14
'...the end needs to be satisfying....The finale needs to wrap up any plot hooks that might be laying about...' - p17
'There are two parts to an ending: the climax and the denouement (pronounced day-new-ma). The climax is the height of excitement, where the plot comes together and resolves itself in a way that's entertaining to the audience. The denouement is the part after the climax, where any hanging plot points or clarifications are given.' - p17/18
'Wide open spaces are inviting to people, drawing them in. Closed spaces and pinched corners push people away, making them feel trapped.' - p65
'By alternating spaces that pull and spaces that push in their structures, architects create a flow that keeps people moving from space to space, looking at the things the architects want them to look at...' - p65
'Architects are also masters of using different textures and colors to enhance flavor of an environment...A large part of the architect's art is creating mood and immersion, and the same goes for game designers.' - p65
'Architecture has a benefit over open terrain because you can direct the player's movement much more easily.' - p72
'...you want to avoid creating environments that frustrate the player...The player should be able to get around your halls and rooms easily.' - p72
'Another way to frustrate a player is to make it hard for him to figure out where he is. Getting lost in a game is horribly unappealing...' - p72
'...linear gameplay means less choice and less freedom for the player, which can mean more frustration as the player must adjust to what you think is the best path for him to take...' - p73
'having levels that allow for circular movement...makes for much better gameplay.' - p74
'The problem with non-linear levels is that every possible choice and action that the player might want to make has to be planned for, creating more and more work as you build in reactions for every possible action. Because of this, most non-linear games are actually partially linear.' - p74
'The game DOOM 3 by id Software uses lack of light to intensify the player's feelings of vulnerability and horror.' - p87
'Players become nervous when they can't see as far as they're used to...' - p89
'Using correct sounds for environments tremendously increases the amount of immersion a player feels.' - p90
'We unconsciously prioritize and filter out all the noise we don't want to listen to and pay attention only to noises that are unexpected or that call out to us specifically...' - p91
'...ambient audio is expected but isn't necessarily wanted. It has to be subtle and quiet. It also has to fit the environment perfectly, or players will notice it and hate it almost immediately.' - p91
'...important thing to consider about ambient audio is that it needs to be consistent without becoming repetitive.' - p91
'If you're placing encounters that give out information, remember that players need time to understand the information. This means that the knowledge you are giving must be presented in a way in which the player can take whatever time he needs to absorb it.' - p96
'...you'll want to set up the knowledge so that the player can repeat it at any time in case he forgets it or feels he needs to clarify something.' - p96
'If the information you want the player to know is vital to his success in the game, it is better to placer this information where the player can't avoid it.' - p96
'If some information is important but not vital for the player to know, try to put that information in bottlenecks, where it will be hard for the player to miss.' - p96
'...The more aggressive you make this type of thing, the more the player will try to avoid it.' - p96
