Book
I have released the second edition of my book The Hows and Whys of Level Design!
[Blocked Image: http://www.hourences.com/book/bookimages/book4smaller.jpg]
Here is the changelist:
# An all new introduction chapter covering the history and future of level design, and common problems in the profession of a level designer# New In-depth sections covering composition and floorplans.
# A few dozen small additions on a wide range of subjects such as pacing in singleplayer gameplay, checkpoints, and so on.
# Dozens of all new or updated example screenshots.
# The level Krodan added as a third example level.
# An all new layout and much improved visual style.
# The book is now printed on A4 paper size.
# All the text throughout the entire book was touched up and improved significantly, and certain parts were clarified.
And for those unfamiliar with my book, here is what it is about:
Level design is one of the most important, influential, and complex aspects of video and computer games. It is a fairly new design form and is maturing rapidly. As the available hardware capabilities and associated technology continue to increase in complexity, level design will also become increasingly complex. This book will help both aspiring and veteran designers come to terms with future changes in level design. Rather than addressing the usual ‘how to make a room', or ‘how to place a light', this book tackles how to make that room look good. The book details why certain decisions are made in order to achieve the design goal, and how to plan the route to the goal: the hows and whys.The chapters within describe all aspects of level design; from the initial design phase, to gameplay for singleplayer and multiplayer levels, to visual aspects regarding lighting and architecture, and more. The overall purpose is to explain the theories behind level design. It covers why light color X or architectural feature Y would work better in situation Z rather than color A or architecture B. It describes why a level is fun and what the level design does to enhance it: the ‘do's and don'ts' of creating environments for games.
A big discount is available on the PDF edition for those of you who already own the first edition. Contact me for details.
More information on my website: http://www.Hourences.com/book
Surveys
Also, I have added a survey section to my website, and its surveys will focus on level design, the mod community, and game development in general. Currently a level design survey is running!
# For both gamers and level designers/artists, and for amateurs and professionals.# Please note that the term "level designer" is used broadly. "Level designer", in this survey, is defined as someone who designs and creates large parts of a virtual world. This can include the visuals or the gameplay, or both.
# The results are for personal use only. This survey is a personal initiative.
If you would all be so kind to go through it - http://www.hourences.com/book/surveyactive.htm
I will post the results next month.
And also, I started a Level Design group on LinkedIn : http://www.linkedin.com/e/gis/154014/7D3EE9616729
The best idea for what he means I have is placing stuff like sparks and fire in the map, but I can't imagine that's something that wouldn't just fall to the mapper to place in as entities once the effects artist creates them along with the geometry and gameplay scripting. They're basically animated decoration when you get right down to it.
