Is that what the performance was called? Learn 13 terms with 'Useable starting tomorrow! Introduction to Level Design terms that frequently appear in overseas literature” [CEDEC 2024]

On August 21, 2024, at CEDEC 2024, a conference for game developers, a session by game designer Atsushi Chiku ``You can use it starting tomorrow! Introduction to Level Design terms that frequently appear in foreign literature'' was held.

Although this session was aimed at developers, it was explained in a gentle manner with real-life examples, which made people think, ``Is that what the name of the production used in that game was called?'' from a gamer's perspective. But it was something to enjoy. Would you like to take a look at the world of games from the perspective of a level designer?

Mr. Tomohisa is a freelance game designer with experience in level design work in genres such as hack and slash STG and competitive TPS. He also works as a game development researcher as a side job. At first, some people might look at the session name and think, ``Why foreign terms?''

. This was also the case with the author, but according to him, there are few communities in Japan that share technology and know-how across organizational boundaries, and there is a limit to the information that can be gathered in Japanese.
In comparison, overseas countries have a deep-rooted culture of publishing what they have created, which makes it easier to gather knowledge in the field of level design. Many people who try to search foreign literature for this purpose end up giving up when faced with a number of unfamiliar words.
In light of this current situation, the purpose of this session is to explain ``Level Design terms that frequently appear in foreign literature'' to help you access more knowledge. ``I want to look up examples of that method, but I don't know the English name...'' This will be a helpful resource for those who have had such experience.




By the way, as mentioned at the beginning of the session, level design methods are interpreted differently depending on the project or organization. Please also note that the content presented does not represent the views of any particular organization.

Before we get into the terminology, let's all understand the concept of “Level Design”

Level design in Japan has a variety of meanings depending on the project and business type, such as ``stage layout,'' ``difficulty adjustment,'' and ``growth design,'' and it is difficult to express its role in one word.
Similarly, there seem to be various interpretations in English-speaking countries, but in general, it often refers to "Level Design".

Therefore, he proposed that level design in this session is ``creating an enjoyable stage through the composition and arrangement of elements''
.

Specifically, the role is to design the space in which the player operates and arrange various elements such as enemies, obstacles, and stories on the stage to provide comfortable and fulfilling gameplay.




Next, he explained the role of level design, which will be the focus of this session. The terms introduced in the session are roughly classified into three roles, each of which has a different effect. The first one is
“Presentation of tasks and pacing”
. This refers to the role of allowing players to appear at a pace that allows them to easily overcome the challenges they must overcome. Not only does it give people a sense of accomplishment and self-affirmation, but it also has the effect of leading people to complete the game without getting bored with the well-defined plot. The second
"Indirectly controlling the player's movements"
is the role of providing "hospitality guidance" so that new discoveries can be made naturally, and providing hints to the player to formulate an action plan. The game uses landmark objects to motivate exploration, increasing the player's motivation and smoothly guiding them to the next task. The third one is
"Interactive access to stories and worldview"
. Create opportunities for players to interact with the environment (world and objects), increase the sense of presence in the world, and increase immersion in the game world. That's how it is.

13 terms to remember Once we had a clear understanding of the premise, the discussion moved on to ``Introducing Level Design terminology.'' As mentioned above, each term is classified into one of three roles, and even within that classification, each term has a different purpose.

Below, a total of 13 terms are listed in the form of for each group, and explanations are summarized. Now let's get down to business.

・Beat Chart A beat is the smallest element that separates the player's experience between levels and missions, and the sheet that summarizes them is called a Beat Chart (Beat Sheet). Write down the name of each world, time period, underlying story, play concept, expected play time, background image color, etc. on the sheet, and manage the appearance timing of enemies and hazards (gimmicks such as traps).

By listing them on a sheet, you can not only eliminate overcrowding and monotony of elements, but also make it easier to adjust inconsistencies with the scenario.

・Intensity Graph
A graph that shows the excitement of a game and changes in difficulty over time. It is also called the tension graph or tension curve, and is also used to explain the three-act structure in the context of Hollywood movie script theory and story production. "Left 4 Dead" was cited as a gaming example. The Director AI(*) used in this work dynamically controls the generation of enemies in order to effectively produce tension curves.

In addition, the Intensity Graph is used in conjunction with the Beat Chart, and is used in pacing design to measure the intensity of tension and excitement, and whether play time and effort are appropriate.

*An AI that adjusts the pace and difficulty of game progress by determining when to drop infected people, setting target players, and when to rest, depending on the player's progress and performance.

＜Task presentation and pacing: in-level experience design＞

・Level Diagram
A simple diagram for designing rooms, passages, and events on a stage based on Beat Charts and Intensity Graphs. Before creating detailed layout drawings, this drawing not only confirms the connections between spaces, but also confirms the size of the spaces and the pacing of battles.
In some cases, a simple chart with only circles and lines called a Bubble Diagram is used.

・Critical Path：
Basically, the term is used to refer to the ideal shortest movement line expected in a linear, one-track game. Hospitality guidance will be placed to encourage players to act along the Critical Path.
Golden Path and Flow were also mentioned as similar terms. Golden Path has the same meaning as Critical Path, and Flow represents the state and flow line that allows the player to move smoothly through the stage.

・Blockout：
A process to set up simple polygons according to metrics (*) and test whether the play will be as designed. Also called Grayboxing or Whiteboxing.

*Height and distance regulations derived from player actions such as movement and jumping.

＜Indirectly controlling the player's movements: Restricting their actions＞

・Gating：
It is a general term for things that obstruct the player's movement, and in addition to doors and gates, it also includes things such as fences, ladders, blocked bridges, and strong enemies. There are two types of obstacles: hard gates that cannot be passed through and soft gates that slow movement.
A related term is Lock & Key, which requires specific items or abilities to break through. A Skill Gate that cannot be passed without a certain level of player skill. Valve refers to a one-way situation where the road behind you is closed if you pass through.

・Encounter Design
It refers to developing and expanding the game design, which is the core of combat, through spatial design and layout configuration. How will you encounter the enemy and how will you deal with it? Also, would it be easy to convey the image of designing the layout that is the starting point for the strategy?
　A term deeply related to Encounter Design is cover, which is a place where an attack can be evaded. Chokepoint is a place where encounters and stalemates with enemies are likely to occur. Vantage Point, where you can calmly observe the situation, was also mentioned.

＜Indirectly control player movement: visually guide＞

・Points of Interest (POIs):
A spot where you can expect some sort of reward or event, such as a high tower, treasure chest, or dungeon. Objects that are easily recognizable landmarks or targets, such as a water tower visible through a gap in the bushes, are also types of POIs and are called landmarks.

As an example, "The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt" is designed to encounter POIs once every 40 seconds. The optimal interval for placing POIs is calculated based on travel distance, time, and speed, and this ``40 second rule'' is used to create a design that will keep players from getting bored.

・Breadcrumbs：
Small objects (so-called breadcrumbs) placed to guide players, such as coins, cobblestone streets, and yellow paint. The birch tree that appears in God of War Ragnarok, cited as an example, is a good example of breadcrumbs placed to guide you to the critical path.

・Affordance：
　研究者によって意味が微妙に異なるそうだが，ゲーム開発分野においてはプレイヤーが環境やオブジェクトを知覚し，そこから想起する行為の可能性のことを指している。例えば，ドアノブを見たら扉を開きたくなる，階段を見たら登りたくなる，といった直感的な行動を示唆させるものがこのAffordanceと呼ばれている。

＜インタラクティブに物語や世界観へアクセス＞

・Environmental Storytelling：
　日本語でいうところの環境ストーリーテリングのこと。プレイヤーが配置されたオブジェクトを目にした際，「ここで一体なにが起きた？」と物語や世界観に思いを馳せるきっかけを作る手法である。
　メインストーリー上では語らなかった背景をさまざまな場所に散りばめて，プレイヤー自身が能動的に物語を構築する体験を与えられる。

・Meaningful Choice：
　意味のある選択肢という意で，主な使われ方はつぎの2つ。1つめは，選択に応じて結果が変化するインタラクティブな選択肢を与えるとき。左右で雰囲気の異なる分かれ道などがこれに該当する。もう1つは，物語やプレイヤーの倫理観に関わる重大な決断を問う，究極の選択を迫るとき。「ドラゴンクエストV 天空の花嫁」でビアンカとフローラのどちらを選ぶか，といったシチュエーションがこれに当てはまるだろう。

・Emergent Gameplay：
　創発型ゲームプレイのこと。プレイヤーの行動やギミックの組み合わせによって，開発者の想像を超えた展開が生まれるプレイのことを指す。PvP，サンドボックス，イマーシブシムがこれに該当する。
　対義語は進行型ゲーム（Game of Progression）。いわゆる一本道のゲームのことである。

　氏によって解説された用語は以上である。

　最後は「海外の知見に触れるきっかけとなり，日本のステージ制作のさらなるレベルアップにつながることを願っています」という氏のコメントで締めくくられ，本セッションは幕を閉じた。

　あわせて，今後ゲームデザインの意見交換ができるDiscordコミュニティの立ち上げを予定しているとの告知もあった。興味がある人は氏のXをフォローしてアナウンスを待つといいだろう。

The above is the detailed content of Is that what the performance was called?　Learn 13 terms with 'Useable starting tomorrow! Introduction to Level Design terms that frequently appear in overseas literature” [CEDEC 2024]. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!