How to design levels/adventures for video and tabletop games
Pulsipher Technology Associates
Course Summary
How to design entertaining episodes for video and tabletop games: levels, stages, adventures, scenarios, missions . . .
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Course Description
This is a class about how to design episodes for games (both video and tabletop), rather than how to program them - no instruction in using specific software, for example, but a lot about what to put in the level (and not put in it). Adventures (for D&D) preceded video game levels, and levels follow the same principles as those adventures. In games that require episodes (stages, missions, levels, adventures), the episode designer is the person who delivers the enjoyment to the players. Entire books have been written about level design, though much of the material in these books describes how to manipulate a specific level editor such as Unreal III. There's not so much in these books about the actual design of levels/adventures. This course is strictly about design, not production, though we do discuss documentation. There are two major audiences: those who want to make levels for video games,and those who want to design adventures for tabletop RPGs. It may also help those making scenarios for wargames.
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Course Syllabus
Section 1 - Introduction Lecture
- Lecture 1: What you'll discover 02:13
- Lecture 2: Introducing your teacher - needs replacing 02:33
- Lecture 3: How this class works 03:59
- Lecture 4: This is not about software, it's about DESIGN 04:36
- Lecture 5: You'll understand this better if you know some game design 03:49
- Lecture 6: Platformers? No. 02:24
- Lecture 7: Start writing things down NOW 04:01
- Lecture 8: Anonymous Entry Survey Text
Section 2 - What is level/adventure design?
- Lecture 9: Why design levels/adventures? 04:43
- Lecture 10: What are you trying to accomplish? 04:46
- Lecture 11: Who is the audience, and what is the player going to DO? 04:00
- Lecture 12: One page game design 1 page
- Lecture 13: The process of creating a level/adventure 04:40
- Lecture 14: Level design documents (video games only) 02:31
Section 3 - Questions you must consider when you make a level/adventure
- Lecture 15: Originating a level/adventure 04:41
- Lecture 16: Strategic or tactical? 03:10
- Lecture 17: Overcoming obstacles, or solving puzzles? 02:03
- Lecture 18: Open versus linear levels/adventures 02:58
- Lecture 19: Story/objective 04:21
- Lecture 20: The Role of story - from my "Learning Game Design" course 06:21
- Lecture 21: Characterization and Role-playing 02:27
- Lecture 22: Taking control away from the player (e.g. cut-scenes) 02:30
- Lecture 23: Realism, fidelity, suspension of disbelied - not what it used to be 06:32
- Lecture 24: Style and Mood 05:25
- Lecture 25: Tutorials 01:51
- Lecture 26: Player versus player/"Multiplayer" 05:53
- Quiz 1: Self-assessment at the halfway point 10 questions
- Lecture 27: Have you been writing things down? Text
Section 4 - Producing the design
- Lecture 28: Obstacles animate and inanimate 06:44
- Lecture 29: "The Map" 06:52
- Lecture 30: Puzzles 04:25
- Lecture 31: Quests 07:19
- Lecture 32: "Bosses" 04:41
- Lecture 33: "Loot" 03:20
- Lecture 34: Practice: list the elements you'll use in a level/adventure 1 page
- Lecture 35: Map-drawing Practice Text
- Lecture 36: Pacing 02:53
- Lecture 37: Phases, Acts, and the Hero's Journey - from my class Learning Game Design 05:56
- Lecture 38: Game Balance 03:32
- Lecture 39: Example of a fantasy game level overview 2 pages
- Lecture 40: Practice - write your own overview of a level/adventure Text
- Lecture 41: Co-operative play 05:39
- Lecture 42: Dos and Don'ts, Part 1 09:23
- Lecture 43: Do's an
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Recommended Background
You need to have some knowledge of game design, e.g. from my book or Learning Game Design audiovisual class.
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Course Format
Online audiovisual, self-paced, with questions answered by instructor. The class is about design, not about learning particular level-creation software. The focus is on how to put in the "right stuff", not on actuallyi programming a level.
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Suggested Reading
The level design chapter in "Game Design" by Lewis Pulsipher (McFarland, 2012) There are several video game level design books available, though much of their focus is on software. Books about RPG adventure design do not exist.
