Learn the ART of Level Design
Learn Design Principles and Techniques so you too, can build video game levels like the pros.
Learn Design Principles and Techniques so you too, can build video game levels like the pros.
WHAT YOU ARE GOING TO LEARN:
Design compelling, engaging video game levels like a professional. To do this you need game design skills, and if you want to stand out from the crowd, you need to build your own levels and present your skills to potential clients / employers.
Drawing on 30 years of game development, experience in art and game design, and a game design book published by Pearson Education (not included), I will show you how to create your own game ready levels from scratch. You will begin with learning the basics of creating bubble diagrams and sketching on paper to iterate quickly, then onto creating a 3D game environment presented in Unity. You will learn to use pro builder and pro grids to aid in your level creations.
DESIGN / STORY / EMOTION:
Creating levels for games, is at the heart of this course, but it's also about the ideas and the game design process that spawn the levels and worlds in which we play our games. The story you can tell through level design and the emotion your scene can invoke is also key to creating a successful level, and I will show you techniques on how you can deliver that in this course.
DESIGN PRINCIPALS:
I will teach you over 30 design principles and level creation techniques that level designers use today in top selling AAA games. Principles like; Design From the Core; Foreshadowing; Exposure; Layering; Immersion; Fight or Flight; Up the Ante; Pacing; Progression; Player Feedback; Situational Awareness; Scalable Rewards; Difficulty Ramping; Enemy Placement; Loot Placement; Player Choice; Colour as a Design tool, and many, many more.
You will learn how to build a level in a 3D environment and install a character controller so you can explore and see your level from the players perspective, and come to realise what an iterative process level design actually is.
This course is perfect for anybody seriously wishing to pursue a career as a Level Designer in the video game industry and would like to follow the process of level design by building an entire white box scene using various design principles and techniques.
It's suitable for beginners to Intermediate levels. The more advanced designers may find that you're going over old ground in some areas, but it can still be a worthy refresher course. Over time, the course will get regular updates and keep on trend with industry techniques and standards.
PLEASE NOTE: This IS NOT AN ART COURSE. Level design is a very specific discipline within the games industry, and here we are primarily focusing on highly detailed, level creation process in white box form. I am also not a programmer so there is no prgramming in this course. However, I am going to add an additional section to cover some basic scripting at a later date, as an extra section to this course.
FAQ area empty
Introduction
117The Map (first look forward)
248CHALLENGE | Follow Along
136Beats
1141Design From the Core
284Exposure / Priming
523Layering / Immersion
368Shaping / Fight or Flight
317Up the Ante
461Pacing and Progression
748Communication / Player Feedback
442More about Communication
572Situational Awareness & Resolution
803Scalable Rewards & Difficulty Ramping
483Foreshadowing
416Colour as a Design Tool
580Refine Your 2D Map
593Conclusion
182Introduction
142Example of a Good White Box Level
596Form Follows Function | Part 1
962Form Follows Function | Part 2
2035Composition and Colour | Part 1
1328Composition and Colour | Part 2
1535What is Modular Design?
495Modular Design | Part 1
1502Modular Design | Part 2
790Modular Design | Challenge
923Focal Points
749Keep it Clear of Clutter
933Into The Lion's Den
969Storytelling Mechanisms
1378Progress Update | Challenge
726First Draft | Basic Structure
1354Conclusion
152Introduction
191Your Fix List
528Re-focus on the Game Mechanics
780Placeholder Prop Preperation
1085Core Object Placement
1466Whitebox Level Update
689Enemy Placement / Pacing | Part 1
860Enemy Placement / Pacing | Part 2
1189Walkthrough Update
458Pickup Placement | Part 1
930Pickup Impact | Part 1
952Pickups Can Change Your Level | Part 2
584Game Events and Traps
488You will need a PC / MAC that can run Unity, and you should be able to use Unity at a basic level.
You'll learn design principles and skills so you too can design game levels like a pro. Quickly iterate, and get awesome results.
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