Hey everyone! New here? We thought it would be interesting for you to have more in depth texts on different aspects of [b]XEL[/b] so we wanted to provide this through all our Devlogs! This time, we wanted to go more in-depth with our level design philosophy. We hope you guys enjoy it! [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40958825/1f6362e9dcee19052a17f32f341ab73139c08570.png[/img][h3]Design Philosophy[/h3] The level design was very important to us, as it is a staple of any memorable Zelda game. Therefore, we will also have similar types of dungeon archetypes with our own twist on them. These archetypes being: [list][*] [b]A gauntlet[/b] [*] [b]A lock and key/puzzle[/b] [*] [b]And lastly an exploration dungeon.[/b] [/list] Every dungeon will challenge you differently. The first dungeon will be a mixture between a gauntlet and exploration dungeon, whilst the second one will be a puzzle dungeon with some horror elements to keep you on your toes. The last dungeon will be one where you will be tested on your mastery of the game. If you are not ready, this dungeon will gladly let you know. The most important thing that we want to prevent is the player becoming bored. It was important to us that the world felt alive and not simply the meanest to an end. We wanted to make it so that even if it would be just a walking simulator, it would still be able to have a somewhat enjoyable experience simply from the level design alone. We didn’t want the player to be in a space that is only defined by the enemies and the mechanics within it. Now of course you will have a lot more options at your disposal besides walking. You will have gadgets by your side that will make exploring a lot more interesting. We wanted to make it so that the levels are designed in a way that promotes you to use your gadgets. An example of this would be the [i][b]webshooter[/b][/i]. With this, you can maneuver yourself or boxes in order to reach otherwise inaccessible locations. This way, we hope to keep the levels interesting and reward the players who take their time observing their surroundings. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40958825/50984401ad2162189b5e64fce0d483eebc122b94.png[/img] Whilst on the topic of exploring, we also wanted to prevent the player from feeling lost. One way we prevent this is by having landmarks that the player can orient themselves around. Every time you go somewhere unique, there should be something to remember. Now these are more generalized rules for each room within [b]XEL[/b]. When thinking about the individual rooms or even dungeons of [b]XEL[/b], we must know what the purpose of the area is before we do any form of designing. Therefore, it is important to make a list of design requirements for every part of the level, and once they are done you go to the drawing board. These requirements can be anything ranging from: [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40958825/1f6362e9dcee19052a17f32f341ab73139c08570.png[/img][b]Are there story elements?[/b] [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40958825/1f6362e9dcee19052a17f32f341ab73139c08570.png[/img][b]Which enemies are there and how do they behave?[/b] [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40958825/1f6362e9dcee19052a17f32f341ab73139c08570.png[/img][b]What gadgets are available to the player?[/b] [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40958825/1f6362e9dcee19052a17f32f341ab73139c08570.png[/img][b]etc.[/b] Once we have everything, we start with some really rough boxes, pretty much a 3d sketch. We then start playing it and get a grasp for the scope of the level. We don't do any art design up until the point where the level is done and tested. We have some other general rules for specific purposes. For example, if combat can occur within a level, we make sure that there are not too many obstacles in the way that the player can collide with to prevent frustration. These rooms would also be dressed more aggressively compared to puzzle levels, where you would have more of an overview of what you are doing. But other than that we try to stay flexible with rules as we feel that this allows for creativity and this environment promotes the most innovative ideas. We love to give each room the love and care it deserves with the limited time we have. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40958825/1f6362e9dcee19052a17f32f341ab73139c08570.png[/img][h3]Art Philosophy[/h3] The main theme of [b]XEL[/b] is that nature is claiming back man made things. So a lot of the levels would have an organic feel to them. We also wanted the player to experience different environments so you will not only be exploring [b]XEL[/b] in a bright, sunny pasture. We wanted to have the stereotypical settings such as forest, ice, fire, etc. But adding a twist to it so that it would fit within the setting of the lore (which I am not allowed to spoil, sorry :C). [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40958825/1f98f604430b8c1688c69c3ef7d0e91e56d87c22.png[/img] One of the main things we wanted to avoid was to be too repetitive, and we wanted to prevent the player from seeing the same things too many times. However, since we are working on this project with a deadline in mind we cannot create endless assets as they take a lot of time and effort to create. Therefore, we have to be smart when deciding if it is worth creating an asset for levels. The general way we have done so is seeing if the creation of a certain asset would improve the level because of it. For example, would it make it more unique or if you need one of the aforementioned landmarks to help guide the player. What we really want to prevent is that the scenery becomes too repetitive. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40958825/1f6362e9dcee19052a17f32f341ab73139c08570.png[/img][h3]Things we learned[/h3] One thing we learned is that you really need to know the purpose as well as the puzzle mechanics of a level, area or dungeon before you even consider making anything for it. What does game design want from this area? Is there something important for the story? We found that without direction the levels did not feel inspired and while playtesting, players would not understand the purpose of the level as frequently. Another thing we learned is that It's a process that never really ends. We never really want to close a ticket in terms of when a level is done. So we had to find a way to determine when a level is done, otherwise the game would never get finished. The solution came in the form of playtesting. As soon as an inexperienced player gets the idea and is able to navigate the level without guidance, we can say that we are done. All in all, we hope that you enjoyed this little in depth look at our thought process for the level design of [b]XEL[/b]. [h3]You still want more?[/h3] [u][b]Check out our recent devlogs and dev diary: [/b][/u] [list] [*][b]New XEL Dev Diary: Go Behind the Scenes of our Sci-fi Puzzle-Adventure XEL![/b] [list][*]https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1674640/view/3117049982315558020[/list] [*][b]XEL devlog #1: The development of XEL's protagonist Reid: [/b] [list][*]https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1674640/view/5167312537217504247[/list] [*][b]XEL devlog #2: The 6 Pillars of Gameplay[/b] [list][*]https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1674640/view/3119301148804752099[/list] [*][b]XEL devlog #3: Gadgets, Concepts, Inspirations - The video-devlog! [/b] [list][*]https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1674640/view/3191370791151511942 [/list][/list] Additionally, hit the [b]subscribe- and bell-button on Tiny Roar Games' official YouTube channel[/b], to get notified about the latest video uploads for XEL: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcHigwsBDjNhEcv_eusOTXQ https://store.steampowered.com/app/1674640/XEL/ [url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/1674640/XEL/][img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40958825/732501050dc7e9b6070e31d532f0f176cab0bbcf.jpg[/img][/url]