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Level Design Chapter 6
Note Cards on Chapter 6 of Game Level Design
63
Games
Graduate
02/08/2011

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Cards

Term
What shouldn't you do when yo have a good idea for a level?
Definition
Jump right in and start designing it
Term
What are the two major limitations level designers face?
Definition
Technical Limitations and Environmental Limitations
Term
What does being part of a development team often require level designers do before building their levels?
Definition
Pre-planning and coordinating with others
Term
What is the "Game Platform" and why is it important
Definition
The hardware a game runs on, it plays a large role in determining technical limitations.
Term
What do technical constraints affect and what do they not affect
Definition
Does affect how its made
doesn't affect what the level is
Term
What are the 8 biggest factors in dealing with technical limitations?
Definition
Memory, Processing Power/Frame Rate, Performance, Polycount, Level Lighting, AI, Media Format, Hardware Specs
Term
What are the three methods used to deal with memory constraints?
Definition
frequent small loads, infrequent large loads, streaming information in and out of memory constantly.
Term
Of the three ways of dealing with memory constraints which is the preferred?
Definition
Streaming
Term
What is one major limitation of constantly streaming level information in and out of memory?
Definition
It can't handle large sudden shifts in environment.
Term
What four questions should you ask yourself while you design to help you stay inside your memory limitations?
Definition
Do I need a new asset or can I re-use an existing one?
If I do use a new asset will the player notice?
What can I do to ease the transition between visually separate areas?
Should my level be broken into smaller maps? Where should this happen? Where should it not happen?
Term
What does the CPU Handle?
Definition
Most of the calculations including projectile movement, AI, keeping track of objects in the world.
Term
What does the GPU calculate?
Definition
Lighting and shadows, special effects, decompressing image files and textures from memory.
Term
What is Frame Rate and how is it measured?
Definition
Frame rate is the rate at which the still images appear on the screening and is measure in Frames Per Second or FPS
Term
What FPS do movies use and how does this differ for games?
Definition
Movies use 24 FPS and games use variable fps.
Term
What determines FPS?
Definition
The amount of processing power available.
Term
What is most likely the biggest of all the potential problems you might encounter in designing your level?
Definition
Frame Rate
Term
What do consumers typically consider to be higher performing games?
Definition
Games with higher frame rates
Term
What type of players are most concerned with frame rate
Definition
Online FPS players
Term
What will having a consistently low frame rate do?
Definition
Annoy your players
Term
What costs do you need to be aware of when starting to build your level?
Definition
The costs of your decisions in terms of frame rate.
Term
What are polygons, or Polys?
Definition
The simplest geometric shapes that can describe a volume, the space between three points called vertices
Term
The more complex an object the more _________ it has.
Definition
Polygons
Term
What is typically the problem with polygons, the overall count in the level or the number visible at one time?
Definition
The number visible at one time
Term
What are two ways to run into poly count problems?
Definition
Expansive detailed terrain, too many characters in one area.
Term
What types of games use simple low poly count terrain and why?
Definition
RTS games, to compensate for the large number of units they need to display
Term
How do particle emitters negatively affect the performance of your level?
Definition
They can quickly generate large numbers of small models or images.
Term
What is a major growing source of GPU strain?
Definition
Lighting and shadowing
Term
What is dynamic lighting?
Definition
Lighting that is constantly being calculated, allowing for realistic shadows and responses to turning lights on and off.
Term
What is being replaced by Dynamic lighting?
Definition
Static lighting that where all the lights and shadows were fixed in the game environment.
Term
What is the major draw back of dynamic lighting?
Definition
Its GPU costs are very large so you have to limit your use of it in your level.
Term
What should you not plan for in your level without checking with the programming team first?
Definition
An extravagantly lit area
Term
What are the three main ways that AI uses processing power?
Definition
Awareness
Decision Making
Navigation
Term
Is it critical to know the relative performance hit for all the actors in your level?
Definition
No, but it can save frustration when your level bogs down and you can't figure out why.
Term
The more complex your AI the more _______ it needs
Definition
Awareness
Term
Of the three ways AI uses processing power, what uses the most?
Definition
Decision Making
Term
What is the core of any AI?
Definition
Its ability o choose an appropriate actions based on the events its aware of
Term
What causes your AI to need more awareness and continue generating a plan to react?
Definition
Having more conditions and more possible reactions
Term
Even simple AI can drag down the performance of you map if?
Definition
They are present in large numbers
Term
What is the worst case scenario for your AIs navigation?
Definition
It uses some kind of constant awareness check to maneuver through the level.
Term
What is "ray casting"
Definition
It is when an actor projects a beam in a direction and see where and when it is interrupted. Telling the actor what kind of object is in that direction, and how far away it is.
Term
What do you not want to use for general navigation?
Definition
Ray Casting
Term
What should designers use to navigate their AI?
Definition
Path nodes and Navigation routes
Term
What are path nodes?
Definition
Path nodes are invisible points in the map that that AI units can travel between
Term
What is the advantage of path node based navigation routes?
Definition
The AI doesn't have to make any complex decisions as long as it doesn't leave the patrol route. Keeping them from having to constantly check surrounding and strain the CPU
Term
Beyond performance why are patrol route useful for designers?
Definition
Making AI look like it has a destination
Making sure AI goes where you want it to.
Term
What are Navigation Networks?
Definition
Networks of navigation nodes that tell AI how it can move in a space and avoid obstacles and where important features are.
Term
What is one advantage and one disadvantage of Navigation Networks?
Definition
Large well connected networks allow AI to accurately navigate the map
Each NPC must make more decisions when traveling on a network than on a route.
Term
How do many games overcome the problem with navigational networks?
Definition
Have NPCs followed pre-determined patrol routes until some event triggers them to leave the route and move onto the network.
Term
What is the overall lesson about AI that remains the same even as hardware improves?
Definition
The more information you can give an NPC upfront the fewer decisions it need to make as it moves and the better your performance will be.
Term
What types of games are most affected by Media Format constraints and why?
Definition
Consoles and handheld games. They can't install software to a hard drive so it must be stored on a disk or cartridge.
Term
What types of games are more concerned with meeting target and minimum specs and why?
Definition
PC games, all consoles have the same hardware but PCs are all different
Term
What is the "Target specification" for a game?
Definition
The ideal average hardware setup required to play the game
Term
What is the "Minimum specification?"
Definition
The absolute lowest level of hardware the game will run on without significant problems
Term
Where is the ideal you should design for in terms of Minimum spec and target spec?
Definition
Somewhere in the middle.
Term
What should you know before thinking about designing your level?
Definition
The performance specs for your game
Term
What does the term performance typically refer to?
Definition
Frame Rate
Term
What questions should you ask to prioritize the elements in your level?
Definition
Is it more important to have good visuals or better AI?
What can I remove without affecting the experience?
Are the models making the most efficient use of polygons?
Can I remove or scale down one or more of my textures without compromising the visual impression?
Term
What are some of the most direct constraints a level designer deals with?
Definition
Environmental constraints
Term
What are the 6 important factors for determining environmental constraints?
Definition
Local Geography, Local Architecture, Time of Day, Season, Weather, Gravity
Term
What two things should you be sure to be aware of when planning your levels lighting?
Definition
Time of day and weather, no brightly lit worlds under overcast skies.
Term
What should you do after finding out the environmental constraints of your level?
Definition
Create a reference file with photos, drawings, other information that will inform you about the setting of your level
Term
What is the third, less common, type of constraint designers will sometimes face in some games?
Definition
License constraints for licensed IP, this will limit some of the things you might want to do in your level because it doesn't fit with the existing world of the licensed IP.
Term
Where should you start in designing your level?
Definition
The location of your level, it will inform many of the decisions you will make as you lay out your design.
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