Let me just start off with, I've never blogged before. I have done a personal diary in the past but after most entries I got scared of someone reading it and destroyed it, thus making the whole point of owning a personal diary redundant. Not even my journal on Deviantart gets that much attention. But alas I am obliged to do this for my game design class. Who knows, maybe I'll come to enjoy making blogs and do this as a regular thing.
Chapter 1: History and Backgrounds
The world of the Level Designer
1. Imagine that you are a level designer working in the 1980's. Knowing the limitations associated with this era, what type of game would you develop?
1980 was the decade of the third and forth generation consoles, most notably the Nintendo Entertainment System, the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis and Nintendo's Game Boy. It also marks the first ever console war/rivalry between Nintendo and Sega.
During this era we see 16 bit games introduced early and take the world by storm. Despite this, my console of choice would have to be the Game Boy, which was developed in 8 bit. The Game Boy became immensely popular and I would like to develop a mulitplayer game that kids could verse each other with via a link cable. A game which players would collect points by defeating monsters to reach the highest score before time runs out. The stronger the monster, the greater the points you receive However, the other player can attack you and steal your points.
2. Play three games—one from the 1980s, one from the 1990s, and one released after 2004. Compare and contrast how levels and environments are designed in all three games.
1980: Super Mario Bro's
1990: Pokemon Gold
2004<: Bioshock
The leveling system and final goals become more and more obscure over each game. The typical 'Start to the left of one area and cross the finishing line to the right has changed to various different objectives. For example: Find this person to receive you mission then proceed to infiltrate building and assassinate target (That example was so not based off Assassins Creed).
Super Mario Bros is fairly straight forward. Start from the left, make your way right over obstacles and enemies whilst collecting coins and power ups until you reached the flag which indicated the completion of the level. Some levels have a boss fight, and the last level has a big boss.
Pokemon's leveling system is more personal. The player and their Pokemon will do battle with wild Pokemon and trainers to become stronger then they can choose when they fight the Gym Leaders (Boss Battle). Sometimes it is impossible for the player to advance straight to the next boss and win, they have spend time training with their Pokemon before the player is strong enough. The game has the illusion of an open world to explore where it pays to investigate and revisit areas. Going to the next 'level' can be seen as defeating the gym leader and moving to the next town.
Bioshock follows a linear story through the depths of Rapture, an underwater city in ruins. The initial set up of levels are even more ambiguous with the start and finish of the 'levels' either not clear or change. Any resemblance of traditional levels could be seen as the different areas of the city. There is 'personal leveling' were the player themselves become stronger through weapon and power upgrades. There's no Mini bosses however the enemies grow in strength and numbers.
In conclusion, as the years go by Traditional Leveling is used less and less and adapts to a more flowing tactic to keep the player immersed in the game. Any sense of leveling is done by the players choice in how they make their character stronger.
