Tagged Questions

7
votes
2answers
633 views

Some theory questions about classic endless arcade games

I had read in the book "A theory of fun for game design" that once the player realizes that he cannot overpower the computer in anyway (or) the AI is unbeatable (badly designed/coded) he will leave ...
2
votes
0answers
120 views

How to a go about making my modding into a career? [closed]

I am 16 years old and still at school(UK). I really enjoy creating maps using things like the creation kit and workshop on steam. I have loads of game ideas and every game I play creates 100 more. ...
2
votes
1answer
251 views

How should I go about randomizing levels in a “runner” game?

I'm working on a runner type of game (basically it's a never ending run through hordes of enemies and platforms and whatnot). 2d platformer view. Should I random a bit of map every now and then? Few ...
1
vote
1answer
272 views

How do I simplify a 2D game grid for level management while keeping its by-pixel features?

(I cross-posted this from StackOverflow as this seems to be a more appropriate f̶o̶r̶u̶m̶ community. I've looked around a little here and I did not find an answer, so I hope this is not a recurring ...
6
votes
3answers
583 views

What is the best way to render a 2d game map?

I know efficiency is key in game programming and I've had some experiences with rendering a "map" earlier but probably not in the best of ways. For a 2D TopDown game: (simply render the ...
3
votes
3answers
585 views

Create Levels using blender

I am creating a game and I have a custom level format for levels in my game. I wanted to know if it is possible to create levels for that kinda format in Blender. My format is XML based and just ...
9
votes
3answers
333 views

Bejewelled Next Best jewel selection

Is there a game design technique I can use so that I completely remove 'No more moves left' situations. ie. the game should contain no impossible scenarios. As far as I've guess It all depends on ...
0
votes
4answers
384 views

Is the city of the GTA, L.A. Noire, Assasins Creed or Saint Row games considered a level? [closed]

I'm trying to figure out whether or not the worlds in which these games take place are levels or not, for the sake of level design. I consider the world to be one big level and all the missions and ...
3
votes
1answer
236 views

Loading enemies in a 2d platformer

What would be the best way to load enemies in a level. For example take Mario, are enemies rendered at their x,y positions as the game is loaded or when the player walks past a specific x value. ...
15
votes
2answers
450 views

Is there a definitive reference on Pinball playfield design?

I'm looking at designing tables for Future Pinball but I'm not sure where to start as I've little background in game design per se. I've played scores of pinball tables over the years so I've a fairly ...
3
votes
5answers
372 views

Player choices affecting a massive online world

Current generation MMOs are pretty static in that choices don't really affect the world for more than the scope of one or two quests -- but that doesn't give you a good sense of immersion, simply a ...
0
votes
1answer
852 views

I need an enemy spawning algorithm for a 2D tower defense

I need an enemies spawning algorithm for a 2D tower defense game. I have 4 maps, each has 4 stages and each stage has 40 rounds. I need to create an algorithm which will instantiate waves, increase ...
14
votes
3answers
624 views

Is there a rule of thumb to scale up the environment by 33%?

I was reading an article on Gamasutra called A Rational Approach to Racing Game Track Design, and I found the following: A commonly acknowledged rule for third person games is that the ...
3
votes
2answers
403 views

Visual Design for AI

i'm developing an editor for a game... and tonight i have been thinking about implement a visual ai designer... this is how i think it should be: What kind of visual components are used in ...
3
votes
1answer
532 views

Can world depth be achieved in a side scroller?

I tend to build games with strong stories, which usually involves quite an indepth world environment. Typically I develope typical 2.5 over head view JRPG style (think Zelda, Final Fantasy 3, etc) ...
12
votes
1answer
780 views

Programming a climbing system like tomb raider

I was wondering if anyone knew or had knowledge of how to program a climbing system like the one found in tomb raider/uncharted. I had thought of just having bounding boxes at all the climbable ...
5
votes
3answers
373 views

Game/Level Design Career translations in other fields

Although I would love to get a job in the gaming industry I can't help but feel I should have a backup plan. What I wanted to ask is game/level design a marketable skill that translates to other ...
2
votes
4answers
164 views

Looking for games in environments similar to a pinball table

I'm on a team of students working on a third-person adventure game that takes place inside a pinball machine (like, small scale, on the surface, avoiding pinballs, etc). One of my responsibilities on ...
5
votes
1answer
651 views

Random generation of interesting puzzle levels?

I'm making a Sokoban-like game i.e. there's a grid that has some crates on it you can push and you have to get the crates on crosses to win the level (although I'm going to add some extra elements to ...
0
votes
4answers
691 views

Creating Level iPhone

I am thinking about a new game idea for the iPhone and presumably all the levels would have to be made programatically. So Im wondering what the best method to approach it? Say I have a game with a ...
0
votes
3answers
413 views

Is there a leveling guide somewhere?

I am designing a simple game and am looking for some help designing different level/ranks. For instance, starting from "Novice" to "Intermediate" to "Master". Is there are repository somewhere that ...
3
votes
3answers
364 views

How to do an infinite torus topology battlefield for over-the-shoulder perspective

I'm currently prototyping a simple two-player adversarial game, where the players are able to move around and shoot at each other with cannons. I would like the playing area to feel essentially ...
16
votes
5answers
1k views

Enemy Spawning method in a Top-Down Shooter

I'm working on a top-down shooter akin to DoDonPachi, Ikaruga, etc. The camera movement through the world is handled automatically with the player able to move inside of the camera's visible region. ...
55
votes
19answers
7k views

Level Design Tips [closed]

What are some pitfalls or pieces of good advice when designing levels or maps for a (presumeably 3D but not necessarily) game?