Level Design | Devlog #4

[p]Hello Magical People,[/p][p]In this week’s blog, we are going to talk about an essential element for a good 3D figthing game: level design. In a genre like souls-lite, many mechanics must be learned by the player, and this can be very challenging for a casual player. In a small university game like Spire of Chaos: Arcana Unleashed, learning must be clear and memorable as the player progresses, and the player must be able to test these mechanics directly after encountering them. Many factors come into play in level design, not to mention the additional constraints from other production departments. It is a pleasure to share with you in details this week the objectives of our different levels, their evolution throughout production, and their respective challenges.[/p][p][/p][h3]The Levels[/h3][p]Our game takes place in a tower, a literal representation of the Tower card from the Tarot deck, from which our protagonist draws her powers. However, we did not want it to be a conventional tower, for fear of limiting ourselves in the shapes of the levels and their scale. So we let our imagination run free, with the goal of breaking away from clichés in order to emphasize the themes to their fullest and to push the boundaries of reality by playing with unrealistic proportions.[/p][p][/p][p]During the ideation phase for developing the game’s levels, our objective was to define distinct aesthetics for each environment. Our two main themes, Tarot cards and Magical Girls, had already been established. As a result, visual directions that worked well with these esoteric themes were astronomy and art. Since the protagonist’s goal is to escape the tower by descending it, it made sense for the first level, representing the top of the tower, to be an observatory. After that, our protagonist can explore the art gallery, a level that allows us to establish environmental storytelling through the artworks displayed within it.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]The Challenges[/h3][p]One of the major level design challenges was creating a sense of descent within the environment in order to make the player feel like they are escaping the tower. Instinctively, and by mistake, we initially designed the first iterations of the levels with upward progression out of habit. We had to rework the levels several times to ensure that the feeling of descending was clearly experienced by the player.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Moreover, understanding the game’s genre was essential in the level design process. The souls-lite genre requires us to plan spaces large enough to allow the player to perform their attacks without restriction. Beyond combat areas, we also had to ensure that players were given moments of rest by creating enemy-free spaces. This allows them to observe the environmental storytelling without being interrupted by enemy attacks. We also had to take artistic resources into account, as they would ultimately shape the levels. As a result, the environments needed to maintain a reasonable scale.[/p][p][/p][p]Additionally, throughout production, numerous iterations took place both in level design and in related departments that could impact the development of the rooms. For example, the creation of new enemies sometimes resulted in the addition of new spaces dedicated to teaching the player their mechanics. In fact, this project is the one that required the most level design iterations since the beginning of our degree. It is also worth noting that, on several occasions, work already started by one level designer could end up in the hands of another when necessary.[/p][p][/p][h3]In Details[/h3][p]The Observatory: This level needed to include several learning elements for the player, as it is the first level of the game. As such, it had to function partly as a tutorial, while also being engaging and memorable enough to draw the player into our universe. It was the first level we created and the one that underwent the fewest iterations.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]The Art Gallery: The challenges related to the Art Gallery reflect situations encountered throughout the entire production. At times, our level designers’ vision had to adapt to certain constraints, particularly those related to art assets or combat mechanics. This created environmental restrictions that made it difficult to achieve the desired result at the outset. However, certain layout elements still had to be respected in order to establish a gallery-like aesthetic, even before the level was populated with objects and props.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]The Solarium: This level did not had many changes since its creation at the beginning of production. In fact, the biggest challenge was stopping the expansion of the level. As it is the final level before the boss fight as well as the most spacious level, we had to be careful not to exceed our artistic resource limits. Another challenge related to this level was planning spaces without knowing whether there would be changes to the enemies design that could affect this level development. We intended to add or modify enemies depending on the time and resources allocated, making this level the most at risk of late-stage modifications during the final weeks of production.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]The Ballroom: During its design, the Ballroom was intended to contain more detailed environmental and visual elements. We wanted it to change between the antagonist’s different phases. Unfortunately, due to resource limitations, we had to cut these ideas and keep a simplified version of a large hall with enough space for combat.[/p][p][/p][h3]Solutions to these Challenges[/h3][p]As with most of the challenges related to this project, good communication was essential. Collaboration with other team members was crucial in finding solutions and reaching compromises. Furthermore, during level conceptualization, parallel work with environment artists played an important role in production to ensure that changes made would not interfere with others’ work. Finally, playtests were a decisive factor in identifying what was not working in the levels and, consequently, in allowing us to quickly iterate to resolve blocking issues.[/p][p][/p][h3]Q&A[/h3][p]If You Had to Choose a Tarot Card to Represent You, Which One Would it Be?[/p][p][/p][p]Kelly: The Page of Pentacles, which represents ambition, loyalty, and diligence. These elements align with my working approach. I also believe in the importance of learning.[/p][p]Ariane: The Star, which represents hope, spirituality, and optimisim. I am a creative person who values personal balance. These are also values that I brought into the project during my contribution to level design and other various elements.[/p][p]Hilary: The High Priestess, which represents intuition, the unconscious, and mystery. I am someone who enjoys learning and understanding situations as well as the people around me. In the context of Spire of Chaos: Arcana Unleashed, I particularly enjoy observing what people think of our game in order to improve myself.[/p][p][/p][p]Best Aspect of Spire of Chaos: Arcana Unleashed?[/p][p][/p][p]Kelly: Being able to change the difficulty is, for me, one of the strongest aspects of our student game. Personnally, I enjoy pushing myself when playing video games, so I appreciate that we can offer players a range of difficulty levels, allowing them to challenge themselves as well.[/p][p]Ariane: Environmental art in the levels is my favorite part of the project. The art direction, the aesthetic, and what they represents are aspects of our game that I really enjoy. Usually, art is the first thing I notice in a video game, and in my opinion, it is one of the game’s strongest points.[/p][p]Hilary: Definitely the environment! I am impressed by how our artists were able to transform simple gray blocks into something so beautiful.[/p][p][/p]