A Look At Tomb Raider's Fantastic Level Design
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- čas přidán 28. 06. 2024
- Come join me on this journey through Tomb Raider, as I revisit a precious game of my childhood and share some really cool things it does with its Level Design!
Shout out to Lushie for helping me out a bunch with this video, and taking over explaining one of the sections!! Go check her out!
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One of the games that stood out for me in the 90s, back then the ambience and feeling of loneliness from the game managed to put me on edge and sometimes scare me. There's just a certain charm to it in level design and the locations are memorable. It was clear they put a lot of effort into it and the twists that was made to make the game more paranormal and horror the further you got , really fit the game. Despite getting confused by the puzzles back then, it's a game i feel really nostalgic for.
200 years in the past, i played this game with my father, and now i'm making a 3d platformer as my first game, devouring essays like yours to understand more about level design and stuff. This game is the reference of exploring and awe i've told him about, and this video inspired me to implement the five directional jump because it rocks
heck YEAH dude thats so awesome to hear!!!! i love seeing more people studying games, thats awesome! I hope your game kicks ass, and have fun making it!!! :D
11:19 I just replayed TR1 this past week, and I really appreciated what this secret is trying to do.
Up to this point, the game has trained us to jump carefully by walking to the edge, hopping back, and executing the run-jump.
But in only a few instances in the game, this one included, you should actually start your run-jump a few steps back from the edge. This allows you to land on the near side of the collapsable tile, which gives you enough room to follow through with a second run-jump to the other side.
It's simple and obvious from a platforming game's perspective, but for Tomb Raider, it's a strange deconstruction of the typical mechanic and rewards a slight change in strategy.
Man, this game is great. And I really enjoyed your video! Looking forward to more! 🙂
Ah the sheer nostalgia. No other game quite nailed the feeling of being alone exploring a tomb no one has seen in centuries.
Right??? The atmosphere was sooooo good!!! I think its wonderful so many people had so much fun with exploring in this game, always glad to hear it!!! :D
The music in the Tomb Raider games is amazing.
My father was a HUGE Tomb Raider fan when I was a child. this led me to playing all tomb raider games except the last trilogy. I only finished choronicles from the original series and finished all of the legend series. I still download the original games and play them I love them so much. Infact I have played it so much that even the most difficult jumps are not that difficult. This is most likely not my skills but my muscle memory compeletly memorising when lara jumps until certain circumstances. If you are standing still lara will immideatly jump when you press the button. When lara starts running she has to run the length a little longer than a tile before she jumps. If she has been running for more than a tiles length she will jump almost immideatly when you press the button. if she lands from a jump and keeps running she has to run half a tile before doing another running jump . When you do a long jump if you look closely you will see that Laras last step lands on empty space. Since lara jumps a little further from where she is supposed to be able to jump she jumps to a further place but the jump itself is not longer than a normal running jump. You can do a long jump without preperation if you are skilled enough. You just have to jump the moment lara steps on empty space. Most platformer games have something like this where they will let you jump for like for like half a sec when you are supposed to fall off a ledge its only purpose is assisting players. 12:00 since long jump makes you jump more than you want to what you had to do was prepare for a long jump and then take one step back and then do the long jump. There should be just enough distance between your landing point and the ledge to do another running jump. If this doestn work take two steps back and try again. Most of the time in Tomb Raider you have to acomplish things trough trial and error. Yes if you get more skilled at controlls you can pull of hard jumps easier but you will always have to figure things our trough trial and error in the end. The fact that all of the original games use quick save makes this trial and error much less frustrating. The playstation 1 version uses one time only save crystals that makes you save when you touch them so dont play the PS1 version save system sucks there.
also about trigger tiles. There should be also big vertical invisible, uninterractable and kinda wall like triggers that are impossible to bypass unless you use glitches or hacks and are used in big spaces. the only way for you to see them is trough a level editor. If tile triggers were used in the dinosaur fight we could avoid it by not stepping onto that spesific tile. so they use vertical "wall" triggers in open areas and tiles are used in tight corridors or small platforms. even then they can still be bypassed. Many speedrunners use precise jumps to avoid them. So if wall triggers are more useful why are they not used all the time? I dont knoıw. it may be because of hardware limits. A single tiles hitbox is much easier to procces than a walls.
Edit: added a lot of things
Same I was introduced to tomb raider by my father, he was a huge fan of it and it got me playing it.
I wish I could be a kid discovering games for the first time again, when I didn't know what they were capable of. This is one of the first games I played and it blew my mind, the concept, the atmosphere, the discovery all amazing! Even now, my heart jumps remembering the secrets, exploration and jump scares! New games could really learn from streamlined yet revolutionary games like this. To me, even the newer trilogy was missing the atmosphere of the originals.
Absolutely!!! Gosh that would be the best, I'd also love to experience TR again for the first time, it would feel so magical! 😭😭😭
This game is so good. Even 25 years later. I still remember borrowing my friends copy and being blown away by the visuals. It was very immersive and the very finicky and precise but exciting move set was cool. The grid is a benefit because you always have a good idea of what is possible to reach once you've found it. Mario is slightly different because you can gain momentum; There is a physics to it. But also Mario 64 was similar levels of exciting and challenging exploration platforming. This game was a continuing of the Prince of Persia style platformer. They Got the animation so right without using film footage for animations like in Prince of Persia. Though Lara's model looks blocky, she moves very fluidly. Especially that ledge pull up she does. And you feel the effort of it and the ease and you feel very strong. And as a teen, also very attracted! The perfect balance was struck to make Lara a strong female role model and the object of men's desires in equal measure. You really feel a strong female gaze. When you played the game it feels serious. The stakes are high. Lara is ready for it but appears a but vulnerable yet fast in her geographer outfit. It's like Sigourney Weaver in Alien.
It can be a bit difficult to get back into this original series though. It doesn't look so good on an HD TV. Unless there is a remaster out. It is important to preserve the legacy of these games and make them playable on modern hardware. It's such a brilliant game in every way. It made use of the limitations of the hardware very well. It took the tough problem of 3D puzzles and pioneered it.
I love how old tomb raiders connect us all via one string & that is that this was a game which is a generation old i.e., we all grew up watching our parents play it & this is so emotional
& now here we all are (the next generation) all grown up reviewing & reliving the game 🥺❤️🥺❤️
Absolutely!! Omg that's so sweet to think about too aww now I'm gunna cry!!! 😂😂😂
"I will not tell about every secret" nooooooo, tell everything i'm studying it. I want to know everything XD Good Video
Hehehe maybe one day I'll make a video explaining the first three games secrets as their own thing!! Any excuse to talk about tomb raider again! :D thank you so much im glad you enjoyed it!!
I've been replaying some classic Tomb Raider, and now that I'm gradually becoming a game designer, it's been fun playing them and understanding how they work. In general, Tomb Raider has four core pillars in its gameplay: Jumping, Puzzles, Combat, and Exploration. The jumping gives the levels a sense of verticality in their structure and offer a lot of challenge variety, the puzzles tease the player's brain and gets them thinking, the combat provides some action to break up the monotony and inject a bit of spectacle, and the exploration is what gives it all a purpose in creating a fun methodical adventure game with varied pacing, obstacles and general structure.
Of the ones I've played, Tomb Raider 1 & 3 generally do a great job of having all three pillars feed into the exploration one in such a way that just works. Although 1 is the better designed of the two, 3 does some things that make all of its pillars all the more purposeful, like how a lot of the secrets reward save crystals, which has an effect on how the player manages resource when playing the main path. The other games though, tend to prioritise one pillar far more than the others. Tomb Raider 2 was basically a shooting game, with controls that didn't suit that type of game, and The Last Revelation put exploration and puzzles at the center with the jumping and shooting being more of a secondary thing, which made it have a more monotonous rhythm to its pacing and challenges. Then you have Chronicles which changed focus depending on the location, but I don't have the motivation to talk about that game.
A good video on TR1's level design. It is indeed fantastic, and it does make for a compelling discussion on what makes these games click even today despite their age.
good video cheers. Tomb Raider was very special and remains my most treasured of gaming memories. I soon after moved onto the N64 but even before Mario 64, I had already been captivated by Tomb Raider's remarkable ability to immerse me into a truly astounding world. Something I took very much for granted back then but the whole experience is so exceptionally crafted when you look back to it
As a lover of Tomb raider that wS brilliant, lived it. Thank you
I grew up playing these games. I'm glad they're still receiving the love they deserve. also awesome video and analysis!!!!!!
Thank you so much!!!
Great coverage of the level design TR1 I played them back in 1996 - 1998 on the PS1 / Tomb Raider 123 remastered are now available on many platforms Aspyr did a great job including all the extra dlc levels the classics are still the goat !
Nice video, and a great game I have been playing for a long time. I believe level design is key in any game - this games controls aren't exactly fun, but the level design and game atmosphere keeps me coming back for repeated play-throughs even after my first play of the game over 20 years ago.
So very true!! Well said!! Thank you! 👍👍👍
Haha i also used to watch my mum play Tomb Raider. so much fun memories.
Awesome!!! Glad I wasn't the only one ahaha. Such good times 🥰🥰🥰🥰
glad i'm not the only one that found tomb raider scary as a kid! haha.
Oh absolutely!!! Many sleepless nights over it am I right ahaha 😂😂😂
Oh no, bro. Mummies and those noises they made scared me a lot when I was 12 and low on ammo 😅
Bartoli's Hideout is a perfect exemple of leveldesign
Wobbly textures and polygons are a PS1 only problem, same as some compenetration. The PC version did not wobble, and was somewhat more precise with hitboxes. The issue was that the PS1 did not support floating point calculations, only fixed point numbers. This causes loss of precision The result is that polygon vertexes position are approximated, causing them to jump around slightly in certain areas when the camera moves.
It's not a mid-'90s problem either: the N64, just to name another mid-90s console, did support floating points (and in fact it has no jittering), but its hardware was significantly more expensive.
I’ve played all the TR games and IMO the first is still the best. The isolation, fiendish puzzles, hidden switches and the amazing music. I was 29 when the game came out and spent hours wandering around the levels looking for the next key or the next switch (no instant access to a walkthrough then). The problem I have with an awful lot of games nowadays is that the developers tend to treat the player like a five year old. Also as a footnote, and not about TR. My PS2 is the only console I would never dream of getting rid of. 22 years later and it still works as perfectly as the day I got it. Great video, by the way.
What makes the first three Tomb Raider games so good is the exploration. It makes sense considering Lara Croft is an archaeologist but there's a charm on the essence of discovery. When you start off the level, all you see are grey rocks, snows and some wolves foot prints but as you travel further you'll see some plants, river flowing and bears. Giving that feeling that you're progressing and learning what ancient ruins you're dabbling into. This is why newer Tomb Raider games will never capture the feel of what made the classics so great and why Lara Croft was such a badass.
Thanks for an awesome video. I first played Tomb Raider on my cousin's SEGA Saturn and then got a copy for PC. I still go back and play it again from time to time
No worries! That's great to hear! I'm so glad people still enjoy picking up TR to this day 💖
thanks for the video, i played it in 1996 as soon as it was available for the sega saturn, it was magic, you were lost in another world and there was nothing like it at the time, and even though i played every tomb raider game since none of them were as good immersive or had the atmosphere of the original
Thanks for watching! TR1 is certainly magical and unique 🙏😭
What a nice video! I love Tomb Raider as well and the level design really is unique, and special. Yes, it's dated, but given the constraints of the technology of the time it was a brilliant solution and the best introduction to a new 3D world
Thank you so much! I couldn't agree more! Tomb raider did a lot for it's time and it's still a damn good and fun game to play!!! :D
Fun fact: the secret chime doesn't actually play on the PC version for that final secret on The Great Pyramid, but it is still counted as a secret
Hi, nice video! Thanks a lot. Did you know that the invisible platform in the giant sphinx room is supposed to be a design error? I saw an interview with Core‘s Toby Guard once where he talked about a render problem, but they decided to leave it in the game…. 🤭
No I didn't omg! I figured it was not supposed to be invisible by design but knowing there's more to it is fascinating stuff!! Thanks for sharing!! :D
@@EmileeAshe o yeah, I forgot, subscribed of course. Someone who is talking about a 1996 game deserves to be loved, don‘t you think? 👍🥂🤝♥️
Hugs from 🇺🇾, Mike
@@EmileeAshe you should love this:
czcams.com/video/eeMFdrIrdZY/video.html
I remember got it for the pc first as a kid but sadly the computer is wasn’t compatible so much cause it was 1999 and windows 95 was already outdated, I got to play it alittle though, (back then it wasn’t as easy to find ways to make older games compatible lol) so I am so grateful I got it for the ps1 later that year and I tell you the wolves music when it appeared scared the heck out of me lol didn’t expect it be there because the pc didn’t have it
I imagine that would have been terrifying kdhfkdfj the danger music is so wild and really hits you in the face, I can't imagine not knowing it was coming omg
Great video!
Thanks Ry!!!!! BB)
Great game & music 🥰
I love this game, the whole series so far
I played it as soon as it appeared, spent hours solving puzzles, finding passages .... it was something completely new and even though it drove me crazy, I couldn't stop playing it
a game I adored and hated at the same time...
That's so valid! It sure is an experience that sticks with you!
@@EmileeAshe yes that's right .... I've been playing games since the time of Commodore 64 , when i was a kid....and I still love to play them, and lara will always be one of my favorite game heroes...greetings to all from Serbia
Great video! Hope you get around to do the other games from Core Design. Cheers!
Thank you so much!! I'd definitely love to in the future!!! :D
Triangle supremacy
Now I wanna see speed runs of the first game
voce me fez relembrar esse game..marcou minha geraçao..para relembrar mais estou ouvindo a music main theme
Tomb Raider was one of the first real 3d games, just like Mario 64. So we know what we are talking about when we say Tomb Raider.
LOVED TR joguei 5 vezes
Nice Lara 💚🌿
You're right and you should say it.
Yes, childhood. And era of first 3D.
Wow. It’s been a quarter of a decade already.
Great analysis. How long have you worked in game design?
Thank you!! Not very long! I work a full time job off games to pay the bills and what not, but I do dabble in my own game dev and I'm working on something that I can't discuss until completion! I'd say maybe a year or so of actual working in the field, even if I don't do it full or part time ^^
@@EmileeAshe that's great, keep us posted 😁
Sub up, nice to hear clear voice and discovered girl who like to play that amazing series of games. TR 1 to 5 are the best titles for me.
Have a nice time
Id love to see TR1 more or less as is, but converted to vr, so its the same game, just presented in first person
Oh wow that's such an interesting concept! I'd love to see that as well that sounds awesome!!
Look for first person view in open Lara. It's the closest to it.
@@emilianoestevarena5071 Im playing with the windows code now ( I use with oclulus air link). I have a build that defaults to 1st person view, and I intecepted the mouse x y, and put it in the camera, so I can do mouse look from a mouse, or the oculus head tracker. The problem seems to be that the oculus quest 2 head tracker as a mouse seems really noisy so the mouse look is all over the place.
great! something definitely for the die hard!
Thanks so much!! Glad you enjoyed it!!
The last secret requires you to give two back steps before starting the sequence. The idea is to jump for the breaking tiles with a square space of leway allowing for a running jump for the secret before the tiles break. As someone talking about level design this should be obvious 😅 dont mean to hate, I guess it just shows the ingenuity behind the design. Cheers
excelent video
i love you xD
Thank you!!! :D
Some of my favorite puzzles were in TR4: The Last Revelation. My favorite game in the series... sadly its quality drops after you reach Cairo.
MORE TR CONTENT, PLEASE!
PAL version of the game isn't any good let alone most titles because they only run at 50hz with slower animations. Tomb Raider 1 on the PC when i was a kid use to scare me being chased by bears and wolfs lol. This game is so good. I never got very far in the game as a kid but got further in the game as an adult lol
How’s this channel so small
Ahaha! Maybe cause I only make a good game video every six months 😂😂😂😂I can see why people might not want to stick around for the rest ahaha!
@@EmileeAshe nah it’s because the algorithm hardly ever recommends channels that don’t publish more r regularly :-(
I loved the original. Then Anniversary came and it was a worthy remake that replaces the old one in every way.
Anniversary is a good remake, but it doesn't replace the original in every way. It made some changes to the level design, some of which are for the better and some which are for the worse. It adds QTE moments to the combat and I don't like QTEs at all. Lara's character was re-written to have a more whiny personality.
Some changes are good, some are bad. Overall it's a great game, I love the new puzzles added in some Greece and Egypt levels, but hate the changes to the combat and Lara's character. The game is different enough that it can't replace the original, but it's good enough that it can stand next to the original and be considered worthy.
Both games are still worth playing to this day. And if you like level design, playing both back to back and comparing the differences is a great study.
I really hated the game when it was released because I really suck at puzzles :-) I gave it a try with the reboot of 2013 when it was on sale. I was surprised how much fun I had. For me as a casual gamer I enjoyed the whole reboot series and I like the modern interpretation of Lara Croft more than the old one. I still hate the older titles but I know how much impact they had, especially the first one. That‘s why thanks for the effort you put into this, very interesting documentation!
CONTROVERSIAL OPINION: All of Tomb Raider's sequels levels are fantastically designed............Except Aldwych.
The game is T rated not for children. So you being scared is your fault.
Great video!!!
thanks a bunch!!!!