4/5/2018 0 Comments Level Design...The time had come to actually put all the elements together, but rather than just haphazardly chuck models into a map I set about deciding on a rationale behind the layout. This process had begun with the research, so I knew that I wanted certain elements to dominate the city. The most obvious being the Palace, which would dominate the skyline as did the temples of old (see Athens, Edinburgh and several others in the research). I wanted this to serve as a focal point, so players would see it as soon as they entered the gates. This would then serve as a navigational lodestone, they would always be able to tell where they were in the city, thanks to this structure being visible from almost any angle. In order to aid this positional marker I also set a bridge leading up to the gates. This bridge spanned the twin peaks of the central hill/mountain. The reasons for the bridge are two-fold, firstly it looks kinda cool and adds a sense of the hyper-real which fantasy settings can use to make their worlds interesting. Secondly it provided players with a marker, as to which side of the palace they were looking. Think of it like a compass needle, that (in this case) would always point West. Players could look at where the bridge is compared to the main area of the palace and extrapolate where they were in the city. The first impression (that “bloody hell” moment if you will) upon entering the city should entice players in and give them a desire to explore in several directions at once. I wanted a few unique structures to be visible as they walked through the gates, to set the mind reeling as to what they should explore first. Looking at a screen-grab of the opening vista (seen below) there are three main important structures that all fit in the player’s field of view, 1) the Tree Temple, 2) The Palace and 3) the Wizard’s Tower. These structures all occupy a different sector of the city and players will decide which they find the most interesting. To immediately draw players into the city is 4) a magic well, topped with a spinning crystal. This was placed to draw players into the scene and give them a first point of interest. The well is located at the first main crossroads, so when the player has arrived at the well, then they have to make a call as to which direction they will continue in. All of this relates back to the three routes on the map which was drawn up before the building took place. There were also a few practical considerations to make as well. Seeing as this was a setting somewhat grounded in partial reality I knew players invariably want to find a trader or market upon entering a fantasy city in a game. The passage also describes a cluster of market stalls, noisily hawking their wares, so immediately inside the gate is a market. There are additional markets dotted about the map, as sometimes it can be tedious criss-crossing a game environment just to sell something to the only bloke in town that deals in goblin teeth or is willing to accept 50 “slightly stabbed” wolf pelts. The three bridges would serve as a way to entice players to the West of the city, as each one was unique for its own reason. The fact that they are bridges should also entice players to cross them, hopefully opening up new areas to explore. The Kingsway was a way to carry players directly towards the Palace and pillars were used to break up the positive space. The use of pillars separates the road, without actually separating it, in that it feels when travelling up the road you are in a self-contained space, but in reality you can wander from the path whenever you choose. This was a method of separating spaces used frequently in older cities, Ancient Rome being a notable example. The opposite side of the city is where the affluent live. Here the houses are more impressive and spacious and overshadowed by a wizard’s tower. As an entrance way to the posher side of the tracks is the Temple of Law. I decided to make this a gateway landmark, so the streets which lay beyond are foreshadowed by the impressive structure. I also added a buffer between the more middle/lower class dwellings by adding in a town square. I imagined it would be here that the two sides of the city would meet to attend important events, such as public executions or official celebrations.
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AuthorIan is an avid player of video games, a watcher of movies, a reader of comics and books and occasionally a dad. Archives
May 2018
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