This could be a semester-long course in level design, yet presented in under 40 minutes with clear, concise examples. Toggling between different possible solutions to show why one method works better than the other is extremely effective. I plan to re-watch this periodically as a refresher. Thank you for taking the time to create it, and for generously sharing such a wealth of information with those hungry enough to learn.
One of the best presentations I've heard on Level Design. I constantly find myself rewatching this lecture and feel like I learn something new each time. Thank you for sharing!
This talk legitimately made me feel robbed that I didn't get to play this level... ! The effort you put into the space to aid in this explanation is much appreciated! Fantastic communication on such a complex topic.
7:48 This example bad communication reminded me of Antichamber. The whole concept there was bad communication. Release comes when you walk away, whether you've stuck through it all or abandoned it. The author was very proud of himself.
I did my level design test with the help of this video and passed, now I've been working as a level designer for an indie company for over 6 months now :)
Amazing video! A lot of great info in there! But two situations confused me. - In the first room, seeing the lighthouse in the distance and with the blinders waving with the wind dragging my attention and telling me that the window is open, it was much more obvious to me that the way forward was jumping out of the window instead of over the crates. - The locked gate that you need to interact to knock down the crate also felt strange. From a medium distance the gate looks blocked because the padlock is pretty obvious. On the other hand it's impossible to know that you need to interact with it first to knock down the crate and open the path forward. The crate and the gate are not logically connected with each other, so might be a situation where the player looks at the gate, realizes it's locked and start to roam around without a way to find the key just because they didn't interact with the gate first. Just my 2 cents. Again, thank you! Awesome talk!
I definitely agree with the portion about the locked gate being connected to the crates nearby. As a suggestion for the maker/modeler of this game for that portion I would recommend including a cutscene showing a quick overview of the area including the padlock, the crates and any important information needed like some sort of small action (like a person dropping the keys in the drawer it was in in the guard tower). This might be helpful for other parts of the game, too!
one of the coolest things about this talk is realizing that, after all this, you still get to add the actual mechanics. he made something fun with literally no mechanics other than basic movement. adding combat etc to this should make it just overflow with fun
Thats definitely the idea. I try to do this with all of my level design huddles too. To try to make them as applicable to different genres and game types as possible :) peterfieldis.wixsite.com/peter-field-design/level-design-huddles
so i was sorting through my "youtube watch later" backlog, and i skimmed through this briefly, to see if it was valuable keeping in the "to be watched" playlist. just listening for like 20 seconds hinted that I was looking at a Level Design GOLD MINE. so here i am watching it for real. This is, like many have voiced, the one of the best level design videos I have ever seen. I plan on this never leaving my Watch Later playlist now in hopes I rewatch and fully absorb this video.
Easily the best tutorial and best presentation I've seen in my life. Kept me engaged the entire time and every second was crammed with genuinely useful information that was straight-forward and logical.
Thanks for this video! I feel like this gets all the information I didn't know I needed about level design, and the fact that it's all built on communication. A good level is a constant conversation with the player.
I've never heard these fundamentals presented so concisely, yet clearly demonstrated too, you've done a great job with this, as I am certain you do in your design work as well. Cheers!
Its true. I'm not really building a channel. I just use this as a place to share videos I ocasionally make. But glad these vids are helpful to people :)
Thanks for such a good presentation! I've been a game designer for a few years now and I'm currently deep diving into level design. This was super useful to learn new things and also to figure out how to put into words approaches and ideas that I generally have as I build my levels. It's quite hard to explain to others what is sometimes intuitive to me, and this is super helpful for that.
Wow, I've wanted to find a video like this for such a long time, so glad it came up on my feed. So many great techniques explained so clearly... can't wait to start trying to put some of this into practice!
Thank you a lot Peter, very interinsting and usefull notions. It's very nice to understand the non-verbal communication in our favorite games. I am discovering more and more that the main charachter in Half Life serie or The last of us is actually space and world building. Simplicity can tell a lot of stories.
dude, this was so so so usefull I can't even describe. I've recently started studying game design and level design has been really confusing for me to experiment and test on. I'm having fun with the experimentation, but having concepts to think while design stuff is very welcome and it is a nice tool since I do have a deadline on the projects lul. Thank you very much for the video!
I'm studying Game Art and Design, this video basically TLDR'd an entire semester of Level Design, in fact there's stuff here I don't recall being covered in my class, like one-way valves, tearing down walls, and privileged perspective. Gonna keep this video in mind when making my final project!
@@InjuredMuffin2 yeah, the truth is we are all just making it up as we go. There is no rule book or right way to do this stuff. Just gotta trust your gut and do what you think is best. I think my tips would be different even now if I were to make something like this again :)
Seriously, this video should have waaay more visibility! Awesome work! The best level design guideline I've seen so far, showing the levels on practice makes a huge difference.
Thank you for this video! As a level design student this was super interesting, both hearing stuff I've been taught before being repeated and explained in new ways (with an excellent presentation level, I actually found this video because one of my teachers referenced the "breaking down walls" part of the video in one of their talks), and lots of ideas I've never heard as well! My favorite tip was building on uneven terrain; I often find myself following the grid much more than I really need to without being sure of where and why I should move off the grid, but having an actual foundation below definitely sounds like it would help a lot!
I'm do environment art but this was still such a great line of insight to level design. I love that concept of establishing the starting area and end point right away! I think in terms of getting away from a blank canvas, that's easily the best advice for a first step that I can think of.
This was an amazing talk. I really liked your way of presenting your ideas and points. Like being in the game and stopping for a moment to elaborate. Thanks a lot. 💝
Present a clear objective - Removes blank canvas syndrome - helps set up sight lines - Gives the player a clear objective Motivate mouvement - Block the players sightlines - Make them move around to gather information - Force them to piece together a mental map Tear down walls - Still prevents players escaping - More visually engaging - Opportunities to reinforce goal Reveal information trough new perspectives - Create small pockets of tension - Then release the tension in surprising ways - Keep the player engaged and on their toes One-way valve - Gently nudges the player forwards - Helps prevent player from getting too lost - Creates a more manageable play space Present a privileged perspective - Study environment and form plan from safety - Player pushes forwards when they are ready - Difficult to learn a layout under stress The illusion of choice - Multiple routes that converge on a single point - Unlikely player will see all routs - Makes the space feel larger than it is Attract the players attention - Movement will catch the players eye - Light makes geometry easier to read - Sound will draw the players attention Parallaxing elements - Provide depth cues as the player moves - Makes it easier to judge distance - Creates a dynamic image Affordances communicate function - Doors and archways afford moving into a new space - Steps afford climbing - Recognizable forms like these arre strong attractors to players Creating mystery - Door slightly ajar tells the player it can be opened - Door blocks view so player can’t see what’s behind it - Things the player assumes exists, but can’t see creates curiosity and mystery Create short cuts - Allows access to earlier areas even whdn using one way valves - Players to circumnavigate previous challenges - Makes space feel more accessible and believable Pinch points - Control the players povement and therefore their camera - Show the player something important - Doesn’t take control away from the player Build a vocabulary - Build on idead that you have taught the player - Use these ideas to seed plan in players mind - Satisfaction in both seeing these plans be subverted or play out as expected Safety Nets - Restarts break immersion and flow - Keep the player in the game as much as possible - Doesn’t compromise or undermine challenge Problem, solution ordering - Try to ensure player recognizes the problem before they find solution - Confusing for player if they discovers information out of order - Can make puzzle feel redundant Let the player get lost - Getting lost creates tension in the players journey - Finding where you are again is satisfying - Canstly knowing where you are kill tension
This is an incredibly useful and timeless video that's true environment design. this isn't like all those garbage speed environment art courses that just show people throwing mega scans assets into an empty space.
great talk, thank you for this video. i really like how you have used the interactivity of dreams in this presentation. its really clever and a fast way to show what you are talking about. please create more content like this. i know its been 2 years already 😅
That's an amazing presentation, thank you so much! It was super clear, and also allowed me to experience the emotions that the level design is trying to craft for the player.
Such a great video, well presented with an excellent demo. And that level just shows how you can take simple concepts, tie them together and make something that guides the player incredibly well, without them even knowing they're being guided.
Legitimately the most well constructed and informative presentation on Level Design I’ve ever seen. Wonderful content with perfect pacing, thank you for the effort you put into crafting this. It taught me so many techniques that I’m genuinely astonished (and rather frustrated) were skimped over in my “formal” education.
![[LIVE] : ONE ลุมพินี 87 วันนี้!! คู่เอก "ก้องชัย vs โชคปรีชา"](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YN6e7HVnekw/mqdefault.jpg)
Probably the best level design guide I've ever seen
same!
true, I can't find another one that good
I agree. It is definitely the best I've come by on TH-cam.
Whenever i find a video like this, with tremendous wisdom and low views, i wonder how many other hidden gems are out there that i may never find.
This is the level design crash course you never knew you needed.
Fr
Precisely
This could be a semester-long course in level design, yet presented in under 40 minutes with clear, concise examples. Toggling between different possible solutions to show why one method works better than the other is extremely effective. I plan to re-watch this periodically as a refresher. Thank you for taking the time to create it, and for generously sharing such a wealth of information with those hungry enough to learn.
Thank you for the kind workds @jesterspawn. I'm really glad you found this video helpful :)
One of the best presentations I've heard on Level Design. I constantly find myself rewatching this lecture and feel like I learn something new each time. Thank you for sharing!
That's what I was thinking! To come back and revisit this amazing video again!
same
same
"presentable blockout" could be an interesting aesthetic for a game. it looks pretty cool
This talk legitimately made me feel robbed that I didn't get to play this level... ! The effort you put into the space to aid in this explanation is much appreciated! Fantastic communication on such a complex topic.
7:48 This example bad communication reminded me of Antichamber. The whole concept there was bad communication. Release comes when you walk away, whether you've stuck through it all or abandoned it. The author was very proud of himself.
How did I only just find this, this is golden, thanks for all the wisdom! Very well done
I did my level design test with the help of this video and passed, now I've been working as a level designer for an indie company for over 6 months now :)
This is seriously the best level design videos I’ve ever seen. I can’t thank you enough!! Much love ❤
fully agree, even feels wrong knowing I'm among the just 30K people who have seen it
From start to finish, this is a fantastic dive into level design. Not a wasted inch of your viewing time.
Amazing video! A lot of great info in there!
But two situations confused me.
- In the first room, seeing the lighthouse in the distance and with the blinders waving with the wind dragging my attention and telling me that the window is open, it was much more obvious to me that the way forward was jumping out of the window instead of over the crates.
- The locked gate that you need to interact to knock down the crate also felt strange. From a medium distance the gate looks blocked because the padlock is pretty obvious. On the other hand it's impossible to know that you need to interact with it first to knock down the crate and open the path forward. The crate and the gate are not logically connected with each other, so might be a situation where the player looks at the gate, realizes it's locked and start to roam around without a way to find the key just because they didn't interact with the gate first.
Just my 2 cents. Again, thank you! Awesome talk!
I definitely agree with the portion about the locked gate being connected to the crates nearby. As a suggestion for the maker/modeler of this game for that portion I would recommend including a cutscene showing a quick overview of the area including the padlock, the crates and any important information needed like some sort of small action (like a person dropping the keys in the drawer it was in in the guard tower). This might be helpful for other parts of the game, too!
one of the coolest things about this talk is realizing that, after all this, you still get to add the actual mechanics. he made something fun with literally no mechanics other than basic movement. adding combat etc to this should make it just overflow with fun
Thats definitely the idea. I try to do this with all of my level design huddles too. To try to make them as applicable to different genres and game types as possible :)
peterfieldis.wixsite.com/peter-field-design/level-design-huddles
This is some really great, condensed information. The live demo is super cool and well-done!
A great breakdown for environment designers too. So streamlined. Thanks. 🎉
Wow what a treasure trove of design principles, thanks for sharing
Level Design Masterclass. Incredible.
Great talk! I really like the toggle you have to show different iterations of the space, it adds a lot to the walkthrough.
This was an excellent and creatively presented design talk, amazing work!
so i was sorting through my "youtube watch later" backlog, and i skimmed through this briefly, to see if it was valuable keeping in the "to be watched" playlist. just listening for like 20 seconds hinted that I was looking at a Level Design GOLD MINE. so here i am watching it for real. This is, like many have voiced, the one of the best level design videos I have ever seen. I plan on this never leaving my Watch Later playlist now in hopes I rewatch and fully absorb this video.
This felt like a 10 Minute video, incredible! Maybe one of the best educational videos I have watched on TH-cam period.
Easily the best tutorial and best presentation I've seen in my life. Kept me engaged the entire time and every second was crammed with genuinely useful information that was straight-forward and logical.
having this video and only 1.5k subs is criminal
A beautiful example of explaining level design... clap, clap
Amazing presentation! The interactive format is very well-used. It's a pleasure to find such a high quality educational video!
This video is an absolute gem. I will rewatch it over and over again in the future, that's for sure. Thanks a lot for sharing your knowledge Peter 💎
bro thank u do much. I'm studying game design, I'm 5 years deep and nothing was as educative as this vid..
Really amazing presentation ! Planning your talk around a level rather than slides makes it so more powerful, thank you.
This video is genuinely helpful. Definitely worth watching more than once. I laughed out loud when he said he was so nervous.
Thank you very much for this talk! It's amazing how many pieces of knowledge you've integrated in relatively short video. Great job!
I‘ve worked as a quest and level designer for almost two decades and this video is seriously amazing! Also your block-outs are beautiful!
Thought he had a puppy on his lap for the first minute.
Thanks for this video! I feel like this gets all the information I didn't know I needed about level design, and the fact that it's all built on communication. A good level is a constant conversation with the player.
I've never heard these fundamentals presented so concisely, yet clearly demonstrated too, you've done a great job with this, as I am certain you do in your design work as well. Cheers!
Astonishing work! One of the BEST videos in level design I've ever seen!
Bravo, what a fantastic video. Thanks for taking the time to share this knowledge!
This guy has less subscribers than a couple people I know personally. I can't believe how much good information is in this video
Its true. I'm not really building a channel. I just use this as a place to share videos I ocasionally make. But glad these vids are helpful to people :)
Love this video. It's amazing what can be achieved by utilizing good level design and almost nothing else.
Dang... this is the best thing I've seen on this subject. Very well put together. Thank you for all the examples.
This video is so underrated. I learned so much from this.
A great breakdown for the logic behind level design, just what a beginner needs
Thanks for such a good presentation! I've been a game designer for a few years now and I'm currently deep diving into level design. This was super useful to learn new things and also to figure out how to put into words approaches and ideas that I generally have as I build my levels. It's quite hard to explain to others what is sometimes intuitive to me, and this is super helpful for that.
Amazing! Thanks for sharing your knowledge! Best overview on level design!
Wow, I've wanted to find a video like this for such a long time, so glad it came up on my feed. So many great techniques explained so clearly... can't wait to start trying to put some of this into practice!
Thank you a lot Peter, very interinsting and usefull notions. It's very nice to understand the non-verbal communication in our favorite games. I am discovering more and more that the main charachter in Half Life serie or The last of us is actually space and world building. Simplicity can tell a lot of stories.
dude, this was so so so usefull I can't even describe. I've recently started studying game design and level design has been really confusing for me to experiment and test on. I'm having fun with the experimentation, but having concepts to think while design stuff is very welcome and it is a nice tool since I do have a deadline on the projects lul. Thank you very much for the video!
I'm studying Game Art and Design, this video basically TLDR'd an entire semester of Level Design, in fact there's stuff here I don't recall being covered in my class, like one-way valves, tearing down walls, and privileged perspective. Gonna keep this video in mind when making my final project!
@@InjuredMuffin2 yeah, the truth is we are all just making it up as we go. There is no rule book or right way to do this stuff. Just gotta trust your gut and do what you think is best. I think my tips would be different even now if I were to make something like this again :)
Thank you so much, such a great presentation and a lot of useful information!
This is by far the best level design crash course I've seen. It's a masterclass!
What an amazing video
This is an exceptional video and guide.
An actually useful presentation of things that most games are lacking in level design.
Great job!
Phenomenal breakdown of core concepts with great examples!
So far one of the best videos on level design and blocking, appreciate your proper work!
This was fantastic. So much great information packaged so succinctly. Thanks for the lesson! 🙏
Seriously, this video should have waaay more visibility! Awesome work! The best level design guideline I've seen so far, showing the levels on practice makes a huge difference.
this is the best level design talk ever!
Very nice presentation!! You are awesome!! Thank you for the video!! Excelente LD technique
Thank you for this video! As a level design student this was super interesting, both hearing stuff I've been taught before being repeated and explained in new ways (with an excellent presentation level, I actually found this video because one of my teachers referenced the "breaking down walls" part of the video in one of their talks), and lots of ideas I've never heard as well! My favorite tip was building on uneven terrain; I often find myself following the grid much more than I really need to without being sure of where and why I should move off the grid, but having an actual foundation below definitely sounds like it would help a lot!
I’m 3 years late but this is amazing🔥🙏🏾
Fantastic talk, and a great use of Dreams to create a more engaging way of presenting those ideas!
This was super helpful for study. Great job. Keen to see more of your insights :)
Amazing, you gives me a bunch of ideas and better understanding the exploration mechanics. I really appreciate that!
You gain a new follower 😁👍
This may be the most concise and well organized tutorial on a fairly abstract concept that I've ever seen in my life. Thank you!
First ever time ive genuinly found a good video on leve design. Masterful work and presented so simply
Lovely streamlined explanation of farily complex topics!
one of the best Level Design guide on youtube. I would love to pay and see a full course from Peter :)
I'm do environment art but this was still such a great line of insight to level design. I love that concept of establishing the starting area and end point right away! I think in terms of getting away from a blank canvas, that's easily the best advice for a first step that I can think of.
I always find myself coming back to this video, it´s extreamly underated and needs more appretiation !
Thank you for this video Peter !!
This was an amazing talk. I really liked your way of presenting your ideas and points. Like being in the game and stopping for a moment to elaborate.
Thanks a lot. 💝
Properly helpful and informative, many thanks 👍👍
Present a clear objective
- Removes blank canvas syndrome
- helps set up sight lines
- Gives the player a clear objective
Motivate mouvement
- Block the players sightlines
- Make them move around to gather information
- Force them to piece together a mental map
Tear down walls
- Still prevents players escaping
- More visually engaging
- Opportunities to reinforce goal
Reveal information trough new perspectives
- Create small pockets of tension
- Then release the tension in surprising ways
- Keep the player engaged and on their toes
One-way valve
- Gently nudges the player forwards
- Helps prevent player from getting too lost
- Creates a more manageable play space
Present a privileged perspective
- Study environment and form plan from safety
- Player pushes forwards when they are ready
- Difficult to learn a layout under stress
The illusion of choice
- Multiple routes that converge on a single point
- Unlikely player will see all routs
- Makes the space feel larger than it is
Attract the players attention
- Movement will catch the players eye
- Light makes geometry easier to read
- Sound will draw the players attention
Parallaxing elements
- Provide depth cues as the player moves
- Makes it easier to judge distance
- Creates a dynamic image
Affordances communicate function
- Doors and archways afford moving into a new space
- Steps afford climbing
- Recognizable forms like these arre strong attractors to players
Creating mystery
- Door slightly ajar tells the player it can be opened
- Door blocks view so player can’t see what’s behind it
- Things the player assumes exists, but can’t see creates curiosity and mystery
Create short cuts
- Allows access to earlier areas even whdn using one way valves
- Players to circumnavigate previous challenges
- Makes space feel more accessible and believable
Pinch points
- Control the players povement and therefore their camera
- Show the player something important
- Doesn’t take control away from the player
Build a vocabulary
- Build on idead that you have taught the player
- Use these ideas to seed plan in players mind
- Satisfaction in both seeing these plans be subverted or play out as expected
Safety Nets
- Restarts break immersion and flow
- Keep the player in the game as much as possible
- Doesn’t compromise or undermine challenge
Problem, solution ordering
- Try to ensure player recognizes the problem before they find solution
- Confusing for player if they discovers information out of order
- Can make puzzle feel redundant
Let the player get lost
- Getting lost creates tension in the players journey
- Finding where you are again is satisfying
- Canstly knowing where you are kill tension
All very good points 👌
This is an incredibly useful and timeless video that's true environment design. this isn't like all those garbage speed environment art courses that just show people throwing mega scans assets into an empty space.
great talk, thank you for this video. i really like how you have used the interactivity of dreams in this presentation. its really clever and a fast way to show what you are talking about. please create more content like this. i know its been 2 years already 😅
this guy is incredibly good in explaining
this is seriously very awesome :) i like how he presented what and why every detail is important :)
Dude this needs way more views
Well that was a masterclass on game level design!
It was so exciting, I learned a lot. Thank you very much for your detailed sharing.
Dude you're brilliant .. please make more like these .. don't stop ..
Love love love this! Amazing presentation to educate us on these ideas! Thank you! Could you make more? ❤
Such an amazing presentation! Love the work! Thank you for sharing!
I really thought he was gonna show all 3 of those paths in the falsely large area… he really does read our player minds
This was a very great presentation. I loved it. Very well done. Thanks so much!
Thanks for your insights! They seem very helpful
Incredibly valuable.
Thanks for sharing this. It is really an amazing content.
amazing level
and great explanation of flow about level
Such an amazing presentation. Thank you so much for sharing this version of it, helped me so much
Thank you so much for sharing this! Lovely work 😊
Awesome visualization of so many good points. Thank you for sharing those fundamentals :)
Thanks for making this video, Peter! This is a perfect introduction to level design and I enjoyed watching it! 👊
That's an amazing presentation, thank you so much! It was super clear, and also allowed me to experience the emotions that the level design is trying to craft for the player.
Such a great video, well presented with an excellent demo. And that level just shows how you can take simple concepts, tie them together and make something that guides the player incredibly well, without them even knowing they're being guided.
Excellent video thank you for all the advice and info!!
THE best intro to level design i've ever seen. Bravo
Great video, and very informative! Always amazes me how much work goes into good level design!
very good video I would love to see more content on your channel, the quality is excellent
Legitimately the most well constructed and informative presentation on Level Design I’ve ever seen. Wonderful content with perfect pacing, thank you for the effort you put into crafting this. It taught me so many techniques that I’m genuinely astonished (and rather frustrated) were skimped over in my “formal” education.