The Learner's Garden

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The Learner's Garden is a level I worked on early this year that's designed to showcase all of the different types of level design covered on the blog. To keep things relatively simple, I kept the hazards in the level to a minimum. From there, I created 6 very small level sections and attached them to a central vertical hallway. I had planned to designed locks and keys to make the progression more like a Metroid game. Unfortunately, I ran into a lot of problems with the LBP level editor, and I decided to give up on the project. This article is my post mortem on The Learner's Garden.

The level itself was designed as an example of level design types, and was meant to be bare bones. Still, I couldn't help but add a bit of artistic direction to the project. To contrast the ridged, boxy room design, I cut through the boxes with organic shapes. This is evident in rooms 1-3. In 4-6 I transitioned into more mechanical shapes and level challenges to represent the man made machines underneath the natural. The level as a whole looks like a cactus.

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• Section #1: Linear level section. The player spawns inside the box on the left, and makes their way to the central vertical hallway. The player must JUMP over the green root like structures.
• Section #2: Alternate paths. Continuing to move to the right from section #1, the player quickly comes up to platforming challenges with more consequences than in section #1. Using the dynamics of space and gravity, the upper branched path is harder to get to than the one below. Depending on the path the player takes, once they reach the end they'll transition into 1 of 2 starting locations for sections #3's branched beginning. 
• Section #3: Branched beginning. If the player took the more difficult upper route in section #2, they get travel through section #3 in style. The glass slide allows players to slip right through the section. If players start at the other beginning of section #3, they have to choose between a difficult climb or dropping down into section #6. 
• Section #4: Branched ending. At the fork in the path, the player can choose to go up or down. The spinning wheels help players move more quickly and interestingly through this level section. The bigger the wheel the slower the rotation speed.

• Section #5: Folded level design. In this level section players must travel to the end and back to progress. Moving left on the first layer of the folded level design, players can simply walk along the curvy path. All the while, the crushing top section to this level is pulled up and dropped back down repeatedly. Fortunately, the player is not crushed by this mechanism.
  

  There's just enough space for Sackboy to remain safe (see images to the right. click to enlarge). Once the player reaches the end of the level section, they have access to a collection of pressure sensitive bombs. This is the crease of the level.

• To get back to the central vertical hallway, players have to drag the bombs back along the curvy path. Here's where the folded design adds an extra layer to the challenge. Dragging any item back makes Sackboy move more slowly. Furthermore, dragging anything up hill reduces one's speed further. The crushing mechanism may not move down far enough to crush Sackboy, but it certainly moves far enough to strike the bomb. Before the mechanism falls, players have to let go of the bomb and move away from it. When the mechanism strikes, a hole is blown out of the mechanism but not the concrete, curved floor.

• After the bomb explodes, players have to return to the left side of the level section and grab another bomb. By this time, the player should realize that the only way to make it back across safely with a bomb is to hide in the holes the bombs create in the crushing mechanism.

• Section #6: Accordion level design/(p)layered level design. There are two keys in this level section that the player needs to move from the right side to the left to progress. Notice also how the level section is arranged. The top half is a mirror of the bottom except that the mechanisms on top are in the opposite state as the mirror mechanisms on bottom. For example, when one piston is up, the mirror piston will be down. To control these mechanisms, the player must grab whichever of the mirrored pairs of mechanism has the grab switch.  Some of the switches are on top while others on on bottom.
• To get the keys from one side to the other, the player must travel back and forth between the top and bottom half rearranging the mechanisms. This back and forth player motion is what makes this level section accordion level design.
• You might be wondering why section #5 doesn't count as accordion level design. Unlike in section #5, in section #6 each time the player changes the mechanism on one half (top or bottom) of the level, the opposite side is changed. This change alters the challenge. In section #5 traveling back and forth to get and use more bombs didn't change the challenge. Doing so is merely steps in solving the same challenge.
• This challenge of section #6 for a solo player is arranging each half of the level so that the key is advanced to the left side without pushing the mirror key closer to the right. Also, manipulating parts of the level to do work on both halves at once is part of the challenge. With two (or more) players, the accordion level design can actually be circumvented. If one player stays up while the other jumps down, both players can coordinate with each other instead of making trips back and forth. There is an added challenge when splitting up the work like this. If you're not careful, you can easily crush your teammate in a mechanism.  "With great power comes great responsibility." ~ Uncle Ben.

Beyond showcasing the 6 types of level design, I wanted The Learner's Garden to be sequence breakable. To accomplish this, I made most of the level out of destructable material. This allows players to create their own paths through the level using bombs (a design that's analogus to Spelunky's bomb design). Aside from the bombs in section #5, I had to hide some more bombs throughout the level for players to use. For the player who's aware of the emergent potential in all LBP levels and seeks to try to "push through the walls" so to speak, I wanted to create a whole world within a world to reward their curiosity. So, in the gaps between sections 1 & 4, and 2 & 3, I designed extra areas that are outside of the ostensible level deisgn. In these areas, I hid explosive powerups and planned on rewarding the player with points.

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Because all of the locks in The Learner's Garden are organic and all the elements are persistent, the level can be classified as a pure organic level. After all, with no spawners for any of the game elements the playero only has to work with the limited resources in the level. If they use up all the bombs, that's it. If the player can find a way to bomb a short cut, that's completely acceptible. The rules are in place. The interactions are rich. From there, it's up to the player to make the most of it.

It's too bad I couldn't finish and publish the level. Oh well. I learn from my mistakes to grow stronger.

(P)layered Level Design

Layered level design is all about getting more mileage out of a game's level content. The distance metaphor is an apt one. Considering the wealth of games that feature an avatar (1st person or otherwise) that moves through the game world, getting more use out of a space often times means inventing reasons for the player to travel through it multiple times. 

Competitive multiplayer games get a lot of mileage out of their levels. This only makes sense. The most interesting part of such multiplayer matches is usually the opponent(s) who provides a human dynamic. Each player plays differently even from round to round thus creating play experiences that are never repeated. 

Single player games (and co-op games) generally provide very guided and at times scripted experiences when compared to competitive multiplayer games. Because of this trend, a given space in a single player game can have a very limited amount of uses or unique encounters. Fortunately, this is a problem that developers have been tackling for many years.

Super Mario Brothers is a platfomer balanced around the counterpoint between Mario, enemies, and the level structures. Because of the dynamic of space, moving through the game world changes the relative timing for any upcoming action. If you need more time to stomp a Koopa, just back up. But when you back up, the Koopa will continue moving. You can't backup forever, so eventually you'll have to JUMP on the Koopa. If you kick the shell, it'll travel further on the screen the longer you waited to jump on the Koopa in the first place. If you run with the shell, it may have even more screen time. The resulting effect of one action versus another can create significant gameplay differences.

Furthermore, in Super Mario Brothers, the player can use transformative powerups and organically control the difficulty level of challenges. Only Big Mario can break bricks. With each destroyed brick, the level is transformed. Likewise, the Fire Flower powerup influences players to take on the same enemies in a new way. And finally, by using the RUN mechanic, players can make their progression through a level much quicker. The added speed in turn reduces the amount of time players have to react to upcoming obstacles. Furthermore, the momentum Mario carries when running makes maneuvering more difficult.

Mario creates layers of gameplay experiences through a level design that reacts to emergence, transformations, and suspension. Mario's layered design is also mostly organic meaning you don't have to activate it. It's happening all the time. Besides Mario, folded levels are inherently 2 different gameplay experiences layered over the same game space.

Co-op multiplayer, when done correctly, is a great way to extend the life of a game and to add more group fun to the experience (using the word "fun" very loosely here). However, even considering all of the co-op, co-ounter-op, dynamic, and emergent elements, adding more players in the game doesn't necessary make the challenges any harder or more interesting.

Consider how the challenges in these co-op games change with the addition of human players.

• Zelda: Four Swords: Whether you're playing with 3 other players or by yourself, there will always be 4 Links in play. In other words, when playing solo you control all 4 Links at once. Because of this design choice, the single player level design is largely the same as the muliplayer design. In fact, there are only a few challenges in the game that had to be reworked for solo play. So, though additional human players add additional human dynamics to the game experience, the game's challenges remain largely the same. Therefore, multiplayer does not add more layers to the level design. Options, yes. Laughter, most likely. Level design layers, no.
• Left 4 Dead: Going solo (without player or CPU help) won't get you very far in this game. Similar to Four Swords, when playing L4D solo, CPU controlled characters will accompany you. The game is designed around 4 cooperative players, so swapping out a CPU for a human doesn't change the challenge. 
• Bionic Commando Rearmed: Enemies and bosses will take on new behavioral patterns in co-op play compared to solo play. In co-op, players must work together to take out bosses. This is especially apparent when one player dies in a co-op boss battle. All of a sudden, the boss AI/attacks will be a lot more manageable. Though I'm glad the developers made such changes so that co-op play requires some cooperation, simply changing out the AI of enemies doesn't count as layered level design. This example is more like dynamically switching game modes.

Many co-op games that are also designed to be played solo tend to only give the player advantages for playing with more people. In a shooter, you can cover each other during reloads. In an RPG, you can double team an enemy, which increases your damage dealt over time. In a platformer, you can multiply your chances of reaching a goal or checkpoint. Aside from any drawbacks due to any elements of co-unter-op design, the challenges remain the same while your team gains more options and abilities with every added player. What if a game's challenges naturally changed when more players are added into the mix? This is the basic concept behind...

(P)layered level design: when the challenge(s) of a level fundamentally and organically change with the addition of players. The additional players can be cooperative, counter operative, or neutral. This means writing some code that recognizes how many players are in a game and rearranges the puzzles, enemies, or any other gameplay element is not (p)layered level design. The level must remain unchanged to qualify.

Believe me, (p)layered level design is hard to come by. For the reasons described above, even four Swords, the king of co-op game design, doesn't provide good examples of it. So, I had to make up a few examples. Now, I'm perfectly aware that Super Mario World isn't a 4 player co-op game. Just image that it is to grasp the concepts. 

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• The gray platforms fall after any player touches them. This gives the level an element of decay. 
• The dewinged Koopa can land on any underlying platform and walk around without falling off of an edge.
• The screen scrolling prevents players from staying near the key hole while other players move toward the key.
• There are two challenges to this level section. 1) Getting all players across safely. 2) Getting all players back with a key.

So...

1. For one player, things are pretty simple. All the paths are equally viable. Pick one and platform across. Because there are two main paths (#1 and #2) the player can pick up the key and take the untraveled path back. 
2. With two players, both players have to be more careful. With a bit of skill, both players can use the Koopa to get across (path #2) and then platform together on the gray platforms to get back with the key. 
3. With 3 to 4 players, making it across is very difficult, but making it back with the key is nearly impossible. That is, unless players use co-op mechanics like picking each other up to platform 2 at a time. Using this co-op mechanic makes this 4 player challenge more like a 2 player challenge. Players still have to be careful. Without tight cooperation, one player can easily sabotage the others.

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• In this familiar set up, Banzai Bills race along the ground. Players can't RUN/JUMP high enough to JUMP on top of the Bill. By taking cover in the ditches, players can pass underneath the Bills safely. 
• The ditch at #1 is only big enough for 2 players. The ditch under #3 is only big enough for 1 player. The ditch under #3 can be seen from the ditch at #1.
• Once again there are two gaols. 1) Making it across the level safely with all players. 2) Making it back safely with all players with the key. 

So...

1. A single player can play through this level section pretty easily. By moving forward in the gaps between Bill shots, the player can safely make it across the level and back. 
2. With 2 players things are a little trickier. The player in the front must get inside the ditch and move the spring to make room for the other player. Because the second ditch is only big enough for one player, in the interims between Bills, the players must coordinate using the spring pad to send one or more of them up to the top level (path #2). The enemies on the top level are easy to dodge, but difficult to kill. Once the Koopa get inside their shells, they'll move toward the player and most likely fall down to the bottom level. This can be deadly for any player ducking in a ditch waiting for a Bill to pass by. 
3. For 3-4 players, most of players have to maneuver to the top level to stay safe. If at least one player doesn't stay down with the spring, someone will eventually have to travel back on the bottom level after getting the key to reach the spring. Coming back, the shells will make ducking in the ditches very dangerous (path #3). To make the trip back easier, a Starman will do the trick. To reach the Starman, the player on bottom must carry the spring with them to the key and then pass it up to the players waiting on the top level. They can use the spring to reach the item block. Getting back to they key hole from there should be easy. 

And that's (p)layered level design. The more players you add, the more interesting things become. The trick is to designed challenges that decay or influence players to take advantage of the power of the group. New Super Mario Bros. Wii is said to be designed for 1, 2, 3, and 4 players. Could that mean it has (p)layered level design? We'll know soon enough. 

Happy Belated B-Day Blog

And not just the blog, the entire Critical-Gaming Network. One year ago I wrote a post celebrating surviving a year writing like a fiend. After another year of hard work, it's time for an update.

• Mixed-Media is over 10,000 words long.
• The Critical-Glossary is 153 entries long.
• The Blog is well over 400,000 words long with 289 articles!

Last year I focused on user generated content and the Designer's Workshop. Reaching those goals went very smoothly through everything on the Network is a work in progress. This year I hope to generate more content mainly in my own games. A Progress Worth Saving (the game) is still a big focus for B.E.S with a planned release for Q3 2010. We hope to release several much smaller projects in the meantime.

We're going to delve deeper into game design. The goal: to fully understand how games work and to use gaming as a lens to better understanding ourselves. It's never too late.