Reddit reviews Level Design for Games: Creating Compelling Game Experiences
We found 5 Reddit comments about Level Design for Games: Creating Compelling Game Experiences. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
I found these helpful
https://www.amazon.com/Art-Game-Design-Lenses-Second/dp/1466598646/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1481045565&sr=1-1&keywords=game+design
https://www.amazon.com/Level-Guide-Great-Video-Design/dp/1118877160/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1481045521&sr=1-5&keywords=level+design
https://www.amazon.com/Level-Design-Games-Compelling-Experiences/dp/0321375971/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1481045538&sr=1-3&keywords=level+design
These books are more theoretical and about self growth as a well-rounded designer, if you want game theory others listed some great ones like Rules of Play and Book of Lenses. That said, here's my list:
It's more of a broad game design book since it talks about all the pipelines / processes of all departments coming together, with an emphasis on scripting / level design for crafting experiences. Portion of the book uses Unreal Engine 2 as a reference, but you can probably use UE4 or something else to follow along the actual game design lessons he's teaching and not have the take away be a technical tutorial.
I cannot describe how invaluable this book is, if you're only to get one from the list it'd be this one. While it does covers Pixar's history as a frame of reference for a lot of stuff, it's also more importantly about their ideology for fostering creativity, productivity and work/ life balance -- all of which are important and can be applied to Game Design.
I read this one after Gabe Newell recommended it one of his interviews and it was at a time in my career when I was working at a AAA studio struggling with the corporate forces that got in the way of creativity / productivity. It was one of those that changed me as a developer. It's more from a management point of view, but seriously applicable if you are collaborating with other people in game development, either on the same level as you or those who rely on your work to do theirs. Or if you are going to work at studio, AAA or indie, it's also an insightful book to evaluate whether the culture cultivated by management is in your best interest so that you have the tools to do your best work without burning out.
This one is like Peopleware but not as exhaustive, it's an easier read since it's a compilation and edit of blog posts the authors wrote on their old website 37signals. It's more or less about getting stuff done and filtering out noise, simplifying things to make results better -- this one is relatable for planning game project milestones. A lot of it will sound like common sense that a lot of people may say they already know, but it's surprising how many don't actually practice it.
making maps in source landed me my first level design job :) you can definitely learn much by creating your own level for a popular game. but I'm not sure if learning unreal engine would be more valuable today.
I can also recommend this book here https://www.amazon.com/Level-Design-Games-Compelling-Experiences/dp/0321375971/ref=mp_s_a_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1537244630&sr=8-7&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=level+design&dpPl=1&dpID=51%2B%2BTIueTAL&ref=plSrch
also a bit old but still .. oh man I think I'm old lol
There aren't that many books about level design, but here are two:
https://www.amazon.com/Level-Design-Games-Compelling-Experiences/dp/0321375971
https://www.amazon.com/Level-Design-Concept-Theory-Practice/dp/1568813384
Meanwhile, one of my favorite tips about level design is setting up decision points. This is just one tool of course; there are a lot of things to consider when designing levels, but this is a useful little non-obvious way to spice up a level. Create places where the player has to choose which way to go, and there isn't a clear right answer because both directions have pros and cons.
A classic example is when the high road bypasses a bunch of enemies, while the low road has several enemies and an item pickup. Avoiding the enemies has obvious appeal, but then you also skip over the pickup.
Read the book A Pattern Language by Christopher Alexander. It is actually a book for architecture, but you can use allot of it in game design. Another good book is Level design in games by Phil Co.