GAME DESIGNERS --How to Fail at Level Design

How to Fail at Level Design: A Hilarious Guide

By Dale Graal17 Sep 20240Comment

In the world of game development, knowing how to fail at level design can be just as important as knowing how to succeed. This guide will humorously explore the pitfalls of level design and equip you with the knowledge to ensure your levels are anything but engaging.

The Essence of Failing

To truly understand how to fail at level design, one must embrace the essence of failure itself. It’s not about simply getting things wrong; it’s about intentionally making choices that lead to a less than satisfactory gaming experience. Embracing these missteps can provide insight into what not to do. It’s a unique perspective that allows developers to learn from the mistakes of others, and even their own.

Understanding Level Design

Level design is a critical component of game development. It’s where the game truly comes to life. However, understanding what makes level design effective can be complicated. The key is to remember that you should aim for the opposite.

Ignore player progression.
Overlook thematic consistency.
Make objectives cryptic.

By doing the opposite of what makes sense, you can ensure your level design lacks coherence and clarity. This is the surest way to fail.

How to Fail at Level Design Understanding Level Design

When Level Design Matters

Level design plays a crucial role in various types of games, especially those that rely heavily on exploration and player engagement. However, if you want to fail, consider these tips:

Only focus on levels in games where it’s absolutely necessary.
Neglect the player’s journey through the level.
Forget about the importance of pacing.

In doing so, you’ll create a frustrating experience that leaves players disengaged and confused. And that’s the goal!

How to Fail at Level Design When Level Design Matters

Seven Key Areas to Suck At

To master the art of failing at level design, focus on these seven key areas. Each one is crucial for guiding players through an enjoyable experience, but we’re flipping the script here:

Guiding the player towards objectives.
Providing interesting challenges.
Establishing a thematic environment and story.
Relaying a sense of progress.
Introducing and building upon game mechanics.
Ignoring player feedback.
Creating engaging environments.

Also Interesting: Game Level Design: Creating Engaging Game Environments - A Comprehensive Guide

By deliberately avoiding these elements, you can ensure your level design will fall flat.

How to Fail at Level Design Seven Key Areas to Suck At

Guiding Players Towards Objectives

One of the most effective ways to fail at level design is to keep objectives completely hidden from players. Players thrive on clarity and direction, but who needs that?

Keep goals ambiguous.
Make navigation confusing.
Discourage exploration.

By implementing these strategies, players will have a delightful time wandering aimlessly, which is what any good game should promote, right?

How to Fail at Level Design Guiding Players Towards Objectives

Providing Interesting Challenges

Challenges are a staple of engaging level design. However, to truly fail, you should avoid creating any meaningful challenges. Here’s how:

Make all challenges trivial.
Introduce impossible tasks without proper mechanics.
Ignore player skill levels.

By doing this, you’ll frustrate players and ensure they leave your game feeling unsatisfied. Perfect!

How to Fail at Level Design Providing Interesting Challenges

Establishing Thematic Environment and Story

Story and environment are vital in immersing players. But if you want to fail, do the opposite:

Use generic assets repeatedly.
Neglect any narrative cohesion.
Make environments feel disjointed.

This will create a confusing atmosphere for players, ensuring they never fully engage with your game’s world.

How to Fail at Level Design Establishing Thematic Environment and Story

Providing a Sense of Progress

Players love feeling like they are progressing through a game. To fail at this, make sure:

Progression feels stagnant.
Rewards are non-existent.
Levels are repetitive and uninspired.

Without a sense of progression, players will quickly lose interest and abandon your game.

How to Fail at Level Design Providing a Sense of Progress

Introducing and Building Upon Game Mechanics

Effective level design introduces new mechanics seamlessly. To ensure failure, do the opposite:

Introduce mechanics randomly without context.
Don’t build upon them as the game progresses.
Leave players confused about how to use them.

This will create a frustrating experience that pushes players away instead of drawing them in.

How to Fail at Level Design Introducing and Building Upon Game Mechanics

Telling a Story Through Level Design

Level design is not just about creating a space for players to navigate; it’s an opportunity to weave a narrative. However, if your goal is to fail, you should ignore storytelling through your levels entirely. Instead, rely on cutscenes and walls of text to convey the plot.

Neglect environmental storytelling.
Use inconsistent themes across levels.
Overload players with exposition instead of letting them discover the story.

Also Interesting: Crafting Engaging Platform Levels Unveiling the Art of Platformer Level Design

This way, players will feel disconnected from the game’s world and characters, ensuring a lack of emotional investment.

How to Fail at Level Design Telling a Story Through Level Design

Creating a sense of progression is crucial in engaging players. To fail at this, consider the following:

Make every level feel the same.
Offer no tangible rewards or upgrades.
Ignore the players’ achievements and milestones.

Players should feel as though they are stuck in a monotonous loop, rather than experiencing growth or accomplishment.

How to Fail at Level Design How to Fail at Level Design Telling a Story Through Level Design

The Importance of Shortcuts

Shortcuts can be a powerful tool in level design, allowing players to navigate through levels efficiently. However, if you’re aiming to fail, prioritize the following:

Remove shortcuts entirely.
Force players to backtrack unnecessarily.
Make levels overly complex without any means of quick navigation.

This will ensure players feel overwhelmed and frustrated, leading them to abandon your game.

How to Fail at Level Design The Importance of Shortcuts

Other Potential Failures in Level Design

Obstacles Far from Checkpoints: Placing obstacles in challenging environments far away from checkpoints can frustrate players. If players fail, they may have to retrace long distances, making the experience feel punishing and discouraging.

Slow-Moving Platforms: Using too many slow-moving platforms can unnecessarily elongate levels. This design choice can lead to boredom as players are forced to wait instead of engaging with the gameplay, which can detract from the overall excitement of the level.

Invisible Walls: Implementing invisible walls in key areas can restrict player exploration and create confusion. Players may feel constrained and frustrated if they can’t navigate freely, leading to a negative gameplay experience.

Varied Difficulty Levels: Including obstacles with widely varying difficulty within the same level can confuse players. For example, a series of easy challenges followed by a sudden spike in difficulty can disrupt pacing and make the game feel uneven.

Hidden Collectibles: Hiding collectibles within walls can lead players to waste time exploring every surface, which may feel tedious. While some hidden elements add depth, they should be balanced so that exploration remains rewarding rather than frustrating.

Lack of a Map: Not providing a map for large levels can increase navigation challenges unnecessarily. Players may become lost or disoriented, which can detract from their enjoyment as they struggle to find their way.

Blind Jumps: Creating jumps where players cannot see what lies beyond can generate frustration and lead to frequent deaths. This design choice can feel unfair and result in a negative player experience, especially if it is not well-telegraphed.

Overabundance of Gimmicks: Incorporating too many different elements or mechanics in a single level can overwhelm players. When levels are cluttered with various gameplay styles, it can confuse players and make it hard for them to focus on their objectives.

Disbalance Between Enemies and Players: Cramming rooms with excessive enemies can create an unfair experience for players. This design choice can make encounters feel overwhelming rather than challenging, leading to frustration rather than engagement.

Unnecessary Obstacles and Puzzles: Mixing difficult jumps or challenges into games that are primarily puzzle-focused can create a jarring experience. Players may become frustrated if they are forced to engage in skill-based challenges that don’t align with the game’s core mechanics.

Suggestions for Improvement

Clear Instructions: Providing clear instructions or tutorials about game mechanics is crucial for player understanding. Players benefit from knowing how to interact with the game world, which enhances their enjoyment and reduces confusion.

Design Levels Before Mechanics: Planning core mechanics before designing levels ensures a smoother transition for players. This approach allows designers to create levels that naturally integrate mechanics, leading to a more cohesive gameplay experience.

Balancing Difficulties: Creating a balance between challenge and accessibility is essential for maintaining fun without overwhelming players. Gradually increasing difficulty helps players feel a sense of accomplishment rather than frustration.

Providing Shortcuts: Including shortcuts or fast travel options in larger levels can facilitate navigation. This design choice allows players to bypass tedious backtracking, improving the flow of gameplay and keeping engagement high.

Player Feedback: Listening to player feedback and adjusting levels based on their experiences is crucial for improvement. This iterative process helps designers understand what works and what doesn’t, leading to better game design overall.

Variety in Design: Ensuring that levels o

Source Video on Youtube

Source Youtube

Conclusion: Succeeding at Failure

Mastering how to fail at level design is an art in itself. Embrace these principles, and you’ll create a gaming experience that is confusing and unenjoyable. Remember, it’s all about making choices that lead players away from enjoyment. Happy failing!

Also Interesting: The Importance of Level Design in Video Games

FAQ How to Fail at Level Design

What are some common mistakes in level design?

Some common mistakes include a lack of clarity in objectives, repetitive environments, and failing to build upon game mechanics. However, if you’re aiming to fail, you should embrace these mistakes wholeheartedly.

How can I ensure players feel lost in my game?

To ensure players feel lost, keep objectives vague, provide no guidance, and create overly complex layouts. This way, players will spend more time wandering than actually enjoying the game.

Is storytelling important in level design?

Storytelling can enhance player engagement, but if you want to fail, ignore it completely. Rely on cutscenes and neglect environmental storytelling to keep players disconnected.