by Yan "Method" Ostretsov
NOTE: This tutorial covers level design process from my perspective. This is not the ideal or best way. It is simply one of many ways you can approach level design.
This article will cover things like planning, sketching, blocking out, naming, building and adding details to the level. As an example, I’ll be using sketches and screenshots from my Doom 3 CTF map, entitled Central Hub (methctf1).
Planning phase is very important. It prevents designers from making most mistakes later in the design process and also saves money if the product is being developed commercially.
o Having an idea of what you plan to build is a great start.
The armor room in Station M (my previous map) was a perfect place for a flag room. I figured gritty underground station connected with hubs and lifts will make a good CTF map.
o If it is possible, try to get reference of things you plan to build. Movies, books and online images are a great material for reference.
I looked at sewer/underground pictures to see how pipes are being placed and what kind of detail they have. Also I checked out a few sci-fi movies such as Aliens for the reference on interiors of the level.
o Picking a texture set for the level or setting a theme is one of the important things.
I had a problem picking the texture set for my level. Most of textures were metallic and had a shiny surface, thus making the map look like a regular Doom 3 map. The solution was to use dirty decals on top of brushes, to dim the shininess and blend in shiny textures with the surrounding environment.
To support the textures, I picked the light color that reflects them. So for a dark brown wall texture with gray ceiling and red corners in some places, brown/blue color was perfect. Color theory comes in handy when it is time to pick the colors for the map. The main light in Central Hub is brown (warm color), which is inviting to the player. Few areas have blue and gray lighting (cold colors), which are darker and give the player a chance to sneak around those areas or for FC (Flag Carrier) to hide. A few small orange lights highlight dark areas and work as an accent to the main lighting.
It's always a plus if a map has some kind of a gimmick. Something that players will remember it for. When I was sketching gameplay ideas for Central Hub, the idea of circular room that has pipes surrounding its middle and connecting two hallways which lead to the flag room sounded like a great FC hideout spot. FC would rocketjump on pipes and hide there, until his flag is returned. From the top view in the level editor it looked like some kind of a hub. So the name for the level came from that part of the map. Later I added vents, which served as pipe supports and had steam comming out of them. Blue light in the hub created dark and chilly atmosphere. Since I was building CTF map and bases were identical, the hub areas were called Blue and Red Hubs.
Sketching can help you to see and predict the problems that may arise later in the design process, which will take a long time to fix or even result into starting a whole level from scratch. Another thing to remember is that a level always changes throughout the design process and that not all things that look good on the paper will look good in 3D.
I tend to sketch gameplay ideas or parts of the level before building them in the editor. It is always a good idea to make a few rough sketches, because it takes less time than actually building it and it is very easy to fix or make changes on a paper. Only a few things that I sketch make it to the final version. Some rooms go through 2–4 changes.
For Central Hub, I sketched a few gameplay ideas, different parts of the level and main areas such as flag rooms and team hubs.
Once planning and sketching phases are finished, it's finally time to load the editor and block out the level. Blocking out means to roughly block out map geometry, add temporary lights and early item placement. It is really important to see if what you planned on a paper looks good in 3D and to check the scale before adding textures and details.
Here is an example of blocked out level:
Note: I used 'textures/base_wall/reactorwalla3a2' texture, which is shipped with Doom 3 to block out Central Hub.
It is not necessary to name a level right away. In fact, I usually name levels in the middle of their development. Good names are always catchy and easy to remember. To find a name for a map, try thinking of a phrase to describe a level, level’s gimmick or some main area.
I had a hard time coming up with the name for Central Hub. The level has several lifts, which let the player do a bunch of trickjumps, so name related to movement sounded appropriate. The player jumps, bounces and moves through the level, just like a quake. Searches for a phrase similar to quake, returned results such as Seismic Movement. It sounded cool, but hard to remember. I continued with the design of Central Hub, until it was time to build an octagon-shaped area with pipes circling it. It connected two hallways just like a hub connects wires on a network. Central area of the map was serving the purpose of the main hub, thus Central Hub was the best choice for the map name.
There are two methods for building the level. The first is to work on one room at a time, add permanent lights, textures and details. The second is to work on a whole level in layers. So using the second method, you would add basic textures to the whole level, then add permanent lights, then details and so on. Basically make several passes on the whole level.
Most LDs (Level Designers) get tired of working on one room at a time and if they are building the map as a hobby and not for a game studio, they might not finish the level. It is a good practice to work on one room for a while and then move on to the next and work on something different. This method will ensure that LD won't get too tired of working on one area.
For Central Hub, I used combination of those methods. I worked on a level in layers at first and then individually on each room.
Details are what separate good levels from great levels. Sometimes it is hard to come up with what kind of detail to add to the map, but the answers are in the reference or even in the map itself. Level areas should have something that stands out, something like an accent, a detail that catches player’s attention.
I try to add details that are realistic, but sometimes visuals are more important than reality.
Remember to always test your maps before releasing them to the public. Make sure that players won't get stuck, there is no z-fighting (two or more brushes sharing the same coordinates) which results flickering and no vis problems. Release beta versions of your maps for testing and feedback before releasing the final version. Fresh set of eyes can spot things you might have missed.
Since Central Hub is a map for CTF, feedback was really important to me. I got some feedback on alpha version, to make sure that I'm on the right track, before continuing with the map.
I hope you learned a thing or two and enjoyed this tutorial. If you have any comments or questions, feel free to contact me at yanostretsov[at]yahoo.com.