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 generally make all of the assets from scratch as I go, more for practice than anything. I definitely ended up making a lot of very similar stairs and pillars each week :)
yeah that's definitely the kind of guidance we need my game is a third person hack and slash I never understood the room to hallway combat environment design I see in Devil may cry and Bayonetta
That was great! I think taking all of these learning and applying them to a study of other games to help identify when they are being used is a great way to understand the concepts even better. A game that I think has great level design is Half Life 2, now I want to replay it with these ideas in mind.
This was definitely inspired by Half Life 2's lost coast level. If you havent played that defo check it out. I love their level design too. Its almost invisible in how it guides the player sometimes.
@@raulalaris Its also a very Half Life 2 style level. I definitely like the Naughty Dog / Valve style of level deisgn. Want to explore more of a Dark Souls level design style next :)
Man I wish there was an hour compellation of just walking through all these worlds and designs. Even just the same ones on repeat. It's fascinating to see your work, and hope you continue these!
totally agree. I skipped story setup so the talk can focus on level design, but for a game you could give the player more context. But tbh lots of games start the player off in situations like this and it usually works because as a player you will quickly see that there is a problem to be solved (how do I get out of here?) and start solving it.
when will you make another talk like this? there is nothing else like this out there I reference this video all the time at work for our new environment artists
Also, regarding your 28:36 point - you just talked about creating vocabulary and avoiding unnaturally placed things at 25:30, but after that you show a puzzle with a gate which served as a dead-end indication at 15:30. So in this case at 28:36, it's not obvious that I should approach the gate cuz it's already a dead-end for me. I would rather make a puzzle more visible and obvious, or changed the gate look.
Yeah, that has actually come up before. I guess the simplest change would be to hide the padlock for this gate so the player tries the gate and then reveal the padlock in the cutscene
Awesome video, but just as always it is with such tutorials, the question is this: how do you manage to even blockout this? Did you start from one room and destination point and then went further releasing your creativity on the way? Or maybe you knew from the very beginning how exactly you wanted to make this map and you didn't question what to do in this area, how to achieve this, how to create tension here, etc? When it comes to creating levels, it's always hard to understand what to build around the point A and point B, let alone using different interesting techniques, or building a vertical level. It's also hard to understand the size: where I should stop building more and more/how big the level is, etc. These points make it harder to make levels, and usually serve as a blank page problem.
Its a good question. I cover a little of this at the start of the talk. I place the start & end and then fill in the gap. I dont have all the details worked out before hand (very few tbh) as I find it much easier to visualise ideas once there is something on screen to play with. I always work really modularly so it is easy to change and move things as I go. Its a very itterative process. I actually didnt know where I was going to put most of these talking points when I started sketching out this level. :)
@@peterfieldis have you explained that preference before? Keyboard and mouse on the PS4 or the controller? Is it just what you know? Or are there benefits such as being able to play through it as you build?
@@godonholiday I'm happy with any setup. I've used traditional editors for about 15 years, but I helped make the Dreams tools so they are basically a custom, personalised level design tool at this point. Its waaaay faster and more intuitive and I much prefer using Dreams. But all the work I did on Uncharted & The Last of Us was using traditional editors so it can be done, just not as fast or fun :)
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.
Did a design course at uni many years ago. I learnt more in these 30 minutes than 6 weeks of that course. Well done and thank you for sharing. On the topic of the key I am slightly confused. Isn't it possible that the player will feel rewarded for their exploration if they find the key before they reach the gate? If the gate has a lock on it, why would I as a player interact with the quite clearly marked locked gate, whereas if I have obtained a mysterious key the locked door may be something that I specifically look for. I suppose the lesson is problem, solution ordering; not hyper focusing on the specific key example.
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.
Are obects assets or did you create them on your own?
I generally make all of the assets from scratch as I go, more for practice than anything. I definitely ended up making a lot of very similar stairs and pillars each week :)
Thıs is a very good video! thank you! Both the quality of information and the presentation are great!
this is inspiring...
Holy moly! You just earned a new subscriber!
one of the best Level Design guide on youtube. I would love to pay and see a full course from Peter :)
Incredibly valuable.
This video is so underrated. I learned so much from this.
Very nice presentation!! You are awesome!! Thank you for the video!! Excelente LD technique
Great video, really insightful thanks a lot
why Dmc Dante specify do you have a connection to ninja theory?
I worked at Ninja Theory on Enslaved & protoyped for a few months on DmC. This was one of those prototypes
yeah that's definitely the kind of guidance we need my game is a third person hack and slash I never understood the room to hallway combat environment design I see in Devil may cry and Bayonetta
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 💎
That was so interesting! I, for one, would love a second part, even if it’s been a while
Level Design Masterclass. Incredible.
Wow what a treasure trove of design principles, thanks for sharing
That was great! I think taking all of these learning and applying them to a study of other games to help identify when they are being used is a great way to understand the concepts even better. A game that I think has great level design is Half Life 2, now I want to replay it with these ideas in mind.
This was definitely inspired by Half Life 2's lost coast level. If you havent played that defo check it out. I love their level design too. Its almost invisible in how it guides the player sometimes.
@@peterfieldis oh nice - you know, maybe that’s why I was thinking HL2 when watching this demo!
@@raulalaris Its also a very Half Life 2 style level. I definitely like the Naughty Dog / Valve style of level deisgn. Want to explore more of a Dark Souls level design style next :)
Loved ittt
Thank you so much for sharing this! Lovely work 😊
Best part of this game. They even made this scene to the TV show.
This is the original sin of modern 3D game. These principles dominate level designers. It is very good, and it is evil in its own way.
Man I wish there was an hour compellation of just walking through all these worlds and designs. Even just the same ones on repeat. It's fascinating to see your work, and hope you continue these!
How did I only just find this, this is golden, thanks for all the wisdom! Very well done
Awesome visualization of so many good points. Thank you for sharing those fundamentals :)
8:40 so we're edging the player 😭😆
As a player, I have no idea why I started in that room and why there is not a door out. Just saying.
totally agree. I skipped story setup so the talk can focus on level design, but for a game you could give the player more context. But tbh lots of games start the player off in situations like this and it usually works because as a player you will quickly see that there is a problem to be solved (how do I get out of here?) and start solving it.
Gorgeous, thank you
This video is pure Gold! Thank you so much
well explained. thank you Sir.
hov is that models done?
Its all moddeled in Dreams on PS4 :)
Thanks for sharing this. It is really an amazing content.
A beautiful example of explaining level design... clap, clap
Astonishing work! One of the BEST videos in level design I've ever seen!
when will you make another talk like this? there is nothing else like this out there I reference this video all the time at work for our new environment artists
thank you man!! You've taken our knowledge to the next level ! 🚀
Thank you , you deserve a big amount of views
man your examine levels of this game is amazing please do the second part
Also, regarding your 28:36 point - you just talked about creating vocabulary and avoiding unnaturally placed things at 25:30, but after that you show a puzzle with a gate which served as a dead-end indication at 15:30. So in this case at 28:36, it's not obvious that I should approach the gate cuz it's already a dead-end for me. I would rather make a puzzle more visible and obvious, or changed the gate look.
Yeah, that has actually come up before. I guess the simplest change would be to hide the padlock for this gate so the player tries the gate and then reveal the padlock in the cutscene
Awesome video, but just as always it is with such tutorials, the question is this: how do you manage to even blockout this? Did you start from one room and destination point and then went further releasing your creativity on the way? Or maybe you knew from the very beginning how exactly you wanted to make this map and you didn't question what to do in this area, how to achieve this, how to create tension here, etc? When it comes to creating levels, it's always hard to understand what to build around the point A and point B, let alone using different interesting techniques, or building a vertical level. It's also hard to understand the size: where I should stop building more and more/how big the level is, etc. These points make it harder to make levels, and usually serve as a blank page problem.
Its a good question. I cover a little of this at the start of the talk. I place the start & end and then fill in the gap. I dont have all the details worked out before hand (very few tbh) as I find it much easier to visualise ideas once there is something on screen to play with. I always work really modularly so it is easy to change and move things as I go. Its a very itterative process. I actually didnt know where I was going to put most of these talking points when I started sketching out this level. :)
Not using curly braces in if statements made me worried for a moment 😅
Peter I assume these are not being blocked out in playCanvas?
Lol no, these were all made in Dreams on PS4 :)
@@peterfieldis have you explained that preference before? Keyboard and mouse on the PS4 or the controller? Is it just what you know? Or are there benefits such as being able to play through it as you build?
@@godonholiday I'm happy with any setup. I've used traditional editors for about 15 years, but I helped make the Dreams tools so they are basically a custom, personalised level design tool at this point. Its waaaay faster and more intuitive and I much prefer using Dreams. But all the work I did on Uncharted & The Last of Us was using traditional editors so it can be done, just not as fast or fun :)
@@godonholiday In terms of tools in Dreams, I use move controllers for sculpting and DS4 for logic & playtesting
Thank you very much for sharing
this is looking fantastic in my eyes 😮 thank you
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!
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.
Lovely streamlined explanation of farily complex topics!
What if the player breaks the bridge holders before the train is set loose?
Did a design course at uni many years ago. I learnt more in these 30 minutes than 6 weeks of that course. Well done and thank you for sharing. On the topic of the key I am slightly confused. Isn't it possible that the player will feel rewarded for their exploration if they find the key before they reach the gate? If the gate has a lock on it, why would I as a player interact with the quite clearly marked locked gate, whereas if I have obtained a mysterious key the locked door may be something that I specifically look for. I suppose the lesson is problem, solution ordering; not hyper focusing on the specific key example.
Love this, feels like a Dishonored map!
This video is genuinely helpful. Definitely worth watching more than once. I laughed out loud when he said he was so nervous.