RPG Level Design

http://bbrathwaite.wordpress.com/2009/04/26/rpg-level-design-or-musings-on-5-and-expensive-graph-paper/

Again today I am looking at level design in RPG games and once again I have found a blog post. However this blog has more academic credibility due to it being written by Brenda Brathwaite who has written books on game design previously.

Very much like the article yesterday she goes on to talk about how level design is not an exact science and gives advice on how level design is formed. She also compares RPGs to FPS games and talks about how level design in RPGs are less about constant tension and spikes of tension..but instead about exploration and discovery...and that the aesthetic of the levels differ from the genres making the art style very different between a FPS and RPG game.

She ponders how she usually designs concepts and layouts of her levels on paper, specifically graph paper to get a feel for how the 'world' should look, feel and be layed out. She also states that you want the player to think 'intrigue and secrets' make them explore every piece of the level and reward players by not opening a door to a new area..but by making them work for that.

She elaborates that 'making them work for it' refers to various ideas. Secret doors, locked door, series of lifts that have to be raised before you can progress etc. I pay particular attention to this line: "Beware the location that just welcomes the player in and shows him or her everything it has. It's not a game location. Its a gallery. You open the door, look around, and you're done." this is not good in terms of development money and time to play.

The last paragraph of the article goes into quest elements of players picking sides. While this may be relevant if I exapand my project into a quest...it is currently usless to me in temrs of level design.