作者：Brent Knowles

概述

区域是玩家与环境、故事和游戏玩法互动的位置。区域需要进行完善的规划，因为它们是设计师职责内成本最高的部分之一。

以下是某些可以在关卡设计过程中使用的技巧，希望能够尽量减少成本高昂的修改过程。

区域目标

所有的区域都有个目标。无论是玩家在其中获得巨大的雕像还是尽力去解救某个王子，区域中应该要有事情发生。如果在某个区域中，玩家只是看到有限的叙事或目标，那么这完全是一种资源浪费。决定区域的主要目标（游戏邦注：即玩家在这片区域中需要完成的主要任务）并且思考次要目标（游戏邦注：玩家是否会回到这片区域中来收集制造材料？）

level design-map(from born-robotic)

思考是谁（在游戏世界的背景中）构建了这片区域？已经存在了多长时间？区域是否被废弃过还是一直都有所用处？

所有的区域都应该有个主题。这是你希望玩家在这片区域中体验到的情感，比如恐惧、惊叹、愉快等等。有时，把区域视为某个角色或某些角色的故事很有用，这些角色是那些构建并居住在区域中的人。他们经历了什么？他们采取了什么行动？对于目前在区域中探索的玩家意味着什么？

从本质上来说，计划某个强大区域的绝妙方法是将区域视为一个角色。构建一系列你觉得应该是心目中地下城的外观的图片（游戏邦注：或者你可以借鉴其他范例）。加入颜色和怪物的图片以及地图。为图片构建真实的感觉，这样后期使用这个区域的设计师和艺术师就可以理解你想要让他们构建的是什么东西。

设计师需与程序员和美工配合，在计划推进之前先了解某些限制条件。如果你需要区域承载含有大量生物的巨型战役，或许就需要简化几何学（游戏邦注：因为战场中的生物需要耗费更多的即时资源），或者限制图像的质感。一旦你认清限制条件之后，构建生物调色板，重点突出这片区域应该使用的那类生物。

区域流

绘制地图草图是获得区域流感觉的不错的方法。草图不仅应该包含实物布局，而且还应该迅速描述玩家在这片区域中碰到的东西。这对关卡构建者来说是个信号，这样他们就会意识到你添加的某个山谷不只是个装饰（游戏邦注：比如是个小妖精埋伏的地点），他们也不会在你暗示会出现电子人巡逻队的地方添加山脉。这个草图可以表达出你想要让玩家在关卡中花费多少时间等等信息。在真正的区域布局中，有许多方法可用来显示关卡持续时间和玩家的参与度。美工会对你的区域做出很大的改变，但是核心流必须维持原样。

以下是某些区域流的样式：

直线。区域是直线的路径，通常配有华丽的地形。这并不适合角色扮演游戏，但是在射击类或高度电影化的体验中很有效。在后者中，设计师需要完全控制在某个特别时间发生时玩家应该处在哪个位置。

弯曲。区域像条蛇一样来回弯曲，分支较少。填充区域比较适合使用这种方式，在这种区域中，你想要让玩家在地图上逗留的时间达到最大化。

重复性。这是种区域设计中较为复杂的形式，某个区域是许多其他区域的结尾或开始，玩家只有通过对其他区域的探索才能够完全地探索整个地图。通常情况下，这类地图出现在奇幻类的场景中，玩家可以看到区域的其他部分，但是如果却被某些物质障碍物（游戏邦注：如水流和空气等等）挡住。他们需要原路返回到其他的区域来通过这些障碍物。

分支和重新连接。从本质上来说，区域是线性的，但是有着众多可供选择的分支，一旦探索之后又会重新连接至主线上。

开放式。与现实世界一样，这种类型的区域可供玩家自由探索。为避免让人们感到混乱，这类区域中应该有大量可以从很远距离处看到的路标，这样玩家就可以确定自己的位置。

节奏

在编写传统叙事时，我们通常会鼓励刚出道的写手考虑他们场景中令人兴奋的程度，努力将动作场景与低节奏场景错开。同样地，在规划区域时应该将部分精力放在平衡不同区域样式上，尤其是在线性游戏（游戏邦注：或者游戏的线性部分）中。比如，将三条弯曲的龙排成一行会令人生厌，也会使某些玩家对你的创造性提出质疑。你应该尝试将不同的区域体验混合起来。

在使用简单的方法评估你的区域外观时，你可以提升整体游戏体验的影响力。如果想要让某个地下城营造出令人恐惧的气氛，可以考虑添加一扇门，玩家进入这个区域后门就关上。音效也可以提升区域的体验，听到远远传来的脚步声、大声的溅泼声以及寂静场景中的低语都可以让玩家感到恐惧。

区域机制

根据你所制作的游戏类型的不同，考虑这个区域是否需要谜题。如果需要的话，哪类谜题能够起到作用。这里的目标是提供娱乐并尽量减少玩家的迷茫感。考虑谜题的逻辑原因以及玩家可能会尝试解决这个谜题的方法。

如果可以的话，在解决问题之前设置一些障碍。也就是说，如果玩家想要做的是打开一扇巨大的门，那么他们在找到门之后还需要想办法能够熟练操作。

一切为了游戏可玩性

区域必须有个目标，而且必须很有趣。但是，区域也是许多玩家从“看到很酷和新鲜事物”中获得乐趣的环境。不要忽略了这一点。考虑有着自然景色的地点，将此与美工进行商讨。添加某些有着养眼外观的湖泊，在山脉中添加个山口使玩家可以看到下面的平原，或者让玩家看到太阳从海滩边落下，这无疑都能够为游戏增光添彩。令人印象深刻的时机是很重要的，只要它们很少见且能够激起人的情感共鸣。

工具条

创造可以让美工用于构建关卡的工具条，以便设计师或更为高级的美工来构建关卡，尤其是在探索尤为关键的角色扮演游戏中，上述做法可以扩展游戏的长度并且使得发布内容能够更快速地产生（游戏邦注：花费的资金也较少）。前期的成本可能很大，但是对项目整体来说绝对很有价值。（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，如需转载请联系：游戏邦）

My Thoughts on Level Design

Brent Knowles

OVERVIEW

Areas are where players interact with environment, story and gameplay. They require solid planning as they are among the most expensive — if not the most expensive — pieces of the gameplay puzzle a designer is assembling.

Here are some tips to help apply foresight to the level design process and (hopefully) minimize costly revisions.

AREA PURPOSE

All areas should have a purpose. Whether it is for players to grab the Statue of Awfulness or fight their way to rescue the disgruntled prince, there should be something happening. An area that the player just walks through with limited narrative or advancement purposes is a waste of resources. Determine the primary purpose of the area (the core mission the player undertakes there) and also think about secondary purposes (i.e., is this an area that the player can return to harvest crafting components?).

Think about who (in the context of the game world) built the area. How long ago? Has it been abandoned or has it been used continuously?

All areas should also have a theme. This is the set of emotions that you hope a player experiences while in this area — i.e., horror, wonder, amusement. It is sometimes helpful to think of the area as the story of a character or a group of characters, those who built it and lived in it. What did they experience? What actions did they take? What implications are there for players who now explore the area?

Basically a great way to plan a strong area is to think of the area as a character. Design both in similar ways. Build a storyboard of pictures that match what you think the look of the dungeon should be (or if you have the talent, sketch examples). Place colors and monster pictures and map snippets on the storyboard. Really build a feel for it so that the designers and artists who make use of the area later can really understand what you want them to build.

Work with programmers and artists to understand some of the limitations of the area before you push too far ahead with planning. If you need the area to host huge battles involving large numbers of creatures, it might require simpler geometry (because more runtime resources will need to devoted to the creatures), or maybe even a more limited set of textures than you’d ideally like. Once you’ve identified the limitations build up a creature palette to go with the storyboard you made, highlighting the kinds of critters that this area should generally use.

AREA FLOW

A good way to get a feel for the flow of an area is to sketch a map (this is really essential to provide whomever is building the actual area with context). This sketch (and by sketch I mean something hand drawn and scanned, or something painted digitally, or created in Visio, or however you like to work — as long as it can become a digital file that can be placed with project documentation).

The sketch should include not only the physical layout but quick descriptions of what the player will encounter in the area. This is a cue to the level builder so

they realize that the valley you added is more than cosmetic (i.e., it is a goblin ambush point) or that they cannot place a mountain where you’ve indicated the cyborg patrol will be. As you sketch consider how long you want the player to be occupied in the level and consider all the logic you worked out in the previous section. There is a lot of ability in the actual laying out of an area to dictate length of travel time and player engagement. The artists will change much of your area but the core flow, as you communicate it to them, must stay the same.

Some examples of flow types:

Straight Line. The area is a linear path, usually carving through gorgeous terrain. Not a good idea for a role-playing game but effective in shooters or highly cinematic experiences where the designers need to have full control over where players will be when particular events occur.

Winding. The area winds back and forth like a snake with little branching. It can be a good choice for a filler area, one in which you want to maximize the player’s travel time on the map.

Repeat Offenders. This is a complicated form of area design in which this area is the end or start of many other areas, with the player only able to fully explore the full map through exploring other areas. Generally this kind of map occurs in fantastical settings — the player is able to see other portions of the area but access to them is blocked by material obstructions (water/air/et cetera) or magic. They need to backtrack into other areas to get access to those forbidden portions.

Branch and rejoin. The area is basically linear but will have optional branches that once explored rejoin the main route.

Wide Open. Just like the real world this type of area is free for the player to explore in any way that they want. To avoid confusion there should be numerous landmarks that are visibly from distances so that players can always orient themselves.

PACING

In writing traditional narrative young writers are often encouraged to consider the excitement level of their scenes and to try and stagger action scenes with slower paced scenes. Likewise when planning areas some thought should be spent on balancing out the different area types, especially in linear games (or linear sections of a game). For example having three winding dungeons in a row can get tiresome — and make some players question your creativity. Try to mix and match which types of areas players will experience in a row.

When evaluating your area look at simple ways you can enhance the impact of the overall experience. If this is a dungeon that is meant to be frightening consider adding a door that locks behind the player when they enter a particular area. Simply knowing that they now have to find a way out will add suspense. The audio work for an area can really enhance this aspect too — hearing footsteps in the distance, loud splashes, and hushed whispers can freak out a player.

AREA MECHANICS

Depending on the type of game you are making, consider whether this area needs puzzles and if so, what kinds make sense based on the other decisions you have already made. The goal here is to provide entertainment and minimize player confusion. Think about both the logical reasons behind the puzzle being constructed in the first place (say a gate) and the ways in which a player might try to solve the puzzle (how to open the gate).

When possible present obstacles before solutions. That is, if the player has to open a massive gate showing them the chains they need to use to manipulate the gate before they even find the gate itself can be confusing. Obviously there will be exceptions. A madman’s dungeon might intentionally disobey this rule, in this case as the designer you are intentionally trying to make the player confused. Just be careful that you don’t succeed too thoroughly.

IT IS (NOT) ALL ABOUT GAMEPLAY

The area has to serve a purpose. And has to be fun. But it is also an environment and many players receive enjoyment from ‘seeing cool and new things.’ Don’t dismiss this. Consider places to have scenic views and discuss this with the artists. Having some sharp looking lakes that the player can admire or a break in a mountain pass that allows them to look out at the plains below or allowing them to watch the sun set on an ocean beach can really add punch to the game. Reflective moments, as long as they are few and effective, are important.

SIDEBAR

Consider creating a set of tools wherein non artist types can build their own levels. Having designers or more junior artists able to assemble levels, especially in role-playing games where exploration is a key component, can extend the game’s length and allow post release content to be generated more quickly (and with less expense). The upfront cost on this can be huge, but it is worth evaluating whether it is a good fit for the project. (Source: Gamasutra)