Howdy all, It's time for another "Behind the Scenes" Devlog!

This weeks topic is: Level Design.

Each level in our game is built around a specific flow, which we outline in diagrams before creating them. Take this example, from our first level.

 Our level designer and universal fixer for this project is Nadyne Kemister. She's an environment artist at heart, with a beautiful portfolio you can check out here. Her job was to create an interesting and immersive environment for our player to traverse, and she's been doing a fascinating job.  

"Creating a world where there's more to do that press the 'W' key is very important to me. It allows for me to try and appeal to a wider audience as well as keep them engaged in the lower moments of gameplay."

The aim of the game for level design is to nudge the player in the right direction without them noticing. This arch is a great example. A visible landmark that funnels a player to a new location organically. This is what Nadyne would refer to as a "Landmark"

"Landmarks are being employed to allow for the player to orientate themselves to the world around them, giving a reference point for their progress."

These landmarks lead the player to the next encounter, then to the boss. Each level is designed to have 3 bosses, so we must keep distinct locations the player can remember, otherwise they'll end up backwards...or running into a wall somewhere. 

With our levels still in development, there isn't too much more Nadyne can say about the process, but she does have one more tip for those designing levels.

"Utilizing what you already have, rather than introducing new elements."

As any savvy level designer will tell, you will be reusing your level assets a *lot*. So designing a level around a relatively small pallete should always be kept in mind. Adjusting things like foliage to different orientations and scale is a great way to provide some variety in a game with small asset budget. Like our trees, here.

As brief as it was for a topic so deep, I hope you enjoyed our little inquiry into the level design process of the game. Hopefully you'll be able to pick up some of our tricks as you play when the game releases. Until then, thanks for reading.