Level (video games)

[1] In games with linear progression, levels are areas of a larger world, such as Green Hill Zone.

[10][11][12] Early games often featured a level system of ascending difficulty as opposed to progression of storyline.

[10] An example of the former approach is the arcade shoot 'em up game Space Invaders (1978), where each level looks the same, repeating endlessly until the player loses all their lives.

The same year, the multiplayer dungeon crawl Dandy was released, and it also shipped with a level editor which was documented in the manual.

Often, promoted users were assigned to make new paths, new rooms, new equipment, and new actions, often using the game interface itself.

[19] Half-Life, Quake 3, and many other games have notable mapping tools and communities[citation needed] focusing on user-generated content.

[20][21] Once completed, these concepts transform into extensive documentation, environment modeling, and the placing of game specific entities (actors), usually with the aid of a level editor.

A level editor may be distributed as a complete stand-alone package, at times, rivaling commercial 3D modelling software.

General steps include: The first level of the game is usually designed to get players to explore the mechanics of the game, notably in World 1-1 of Super Mario Bros.[24] Cut scenes may be triggered by events in a level, but require distinctly different skills, and may be produced by a different person or team.

Good level design strives to produce quality gameplay, provide an immersive experience, and sometimes, especially in story-based games, to advance the storyline.

Often the level layouts feature power-ups and items positioned so that collecting them inevitably makes the player move in the correct direction.

Another method is strategic placement of obstacles and aesthetic environment props that direct the player's attention to "clear" paths instead.

The player may be required to enter areas in which their view of the world is plausibly restricted, sometimes referred to as "loading tunnels".

For this, specific compilers and converters of models, textures, and audio data may be required to lay out a level.

Sometimes, professional 3D editing software, such as 3D Studio Max, Blender, AutoCAD, Lightwave, Maya, Softimage XSI or Grome is used, usually customized with a special plugin developed for the specific game.

The development of various third-party editors led to the formation of an online community trading fan-made maps.

Gimmick maps are sometimes developed to explore selected features of gameplay, such as sniping or fist fighting.

Level designers sometimes make hidden rooms and areas that usually require more effort for the player to reach or to notice.

A player might be able to find a specific spot where they do not have to move to gain experience, because monsters are constantly spawned but can be easily and immediately killed.

[41] In some cases, specific mapping tools can be designed to automatically detect problems such as falling "outside" a level, and reaching "stuck" areas.

[42] In most cases, the best way to improve a map is by playtesting it with experienced players, and allowing them to try to exploit any problems.