Antoine Richer | Level Designer
PROTOCOLE HEDERA
​​
ROLES
STUDIO
Level Design
Narrative Design
World-Building
DESIGN CONTEXT
AEC Level Design Final Project
Developed in 15 weeks
Team of 30 students
​
​
​
​
​
CAMPUS ADN, Montréal​​
GENRE
Third-Person Shooter​
PLATFORM
PC​
Level 3: Joy
​
Design Intentions
-
Emphasize level themes with architecture and gameplay
-
Bolster Narrative structure
-
Have exciting gameplay by making the most out of game ingredients
-
Respect creative constraints such as level size, duration and architecture style
-
Have the player master the gameplay mechanics
-
Presence of key Narrative moments
-
Integration of puzzles
-
Combination of different enemy types in various spaces
​
​
​
Context
-
Student Project developed in 15 weeks
-
Simulation of a professional workspace at Campus ADN, Montréal
-
Worked in partnership with Gabriel Guy (LA) and Simon L'Heureux (LD)
-
The Level is designed to showcase Combat, move the Narrative structure forward and highlight Puzzles
-
Additional roles includes: World-Building, Narrative Design, Level Metrics and Level Dressing
​
​
What I've learned
​
-
Collaboration with other departments: Level Art, Scripting, Sound Integration and Animation
-
Communication in meetings and at work space
-
360 degrees game development, working while considering other departments priorities and limitations
-
Importance of scoping in pre-production
-
Importance of playtesting and third-party feedback
-
Staying up to date with documentation
-
Proper use of version control​​
​
LEVEL DESIGN
COMBAT
​
​​​
Difficulty and Pacing
​
-
Create a fast pace early on with combat, nuanced with navigation and puzzles
-
Balance of difficulty is managed with
-
​Amount and combinations of enemies
-
Amount of health pick-ups
-
​
Strategy
​
-
Exploring the level gives the player an advantage
-
The different "auras" of the enemies forces the player to frequently change his types of attack
-
Player is suggested to use the Ultimate attack
-
Orbs replenishes the Ultimate attack, they can be found quite easily throughout the level
​
PUZZLES
​
​Uses of puzzles in Level
​​​
-
There is three types of puzzles in the level
-
Skills tested: Observation, Precision, memory
-
Provides rewards for player
-
Restricts certain areas until completed
-
Used for game pacing after more intense sequences
​
ARCHITECTURE
​
Architecture as a narrative tool
​​​
-
"Walls can talk"​
-
A space has the power to influence human behavior
-
Level Art and Sound Design can dramatically augment the player experience
​​​​
Designing the Library
​​​​
-
The player's entrance in the library is the highlight of the level
-
Narrative and Architectural Point of Interest
-
Make the player navigate from narrow corridors to an open space
-
Establish a standoff with the game's antagonist to convey a Narrative intrigue
-
Use of verticality (multiple floors )to create an interesting gameplay situation
-
Subtle backtracking to maximize the use of space
​
​
​
​
Level Design Documentation
​
-
Serves as a guide for the designer throughout the development process​
-
Contains all essential information about the level
-
Regularly updated documents
-
Gives an idea of the scope of the game
-
In pre-production, documents help shape the overall direction of the game ​
​
​​
​
Level Flow Chart
​
​​​
-
Provides linear overview of the level
-
Modular understanding of sequences
-
Useful tool for narrative design
​
​​
-
Rough blockout made with custom modular assets
-
Have a functional level as fast as possible in blockout phase
-
Daily testing
-
Iterations based on feedback
​
​
​​
-
Top-Down of level
-
Detailed sequence of events
-
Simple and visually understandable
-
Frequently updated