I usually have no problem thinking up ideas that are great/innovative (IMO), but when it comes down to actually designing levels for the idea I find myself sitting there thinking for ages of level design. I could easily just throw a level down, but I want to make something great with each level. Every level should have the player set the controller down and just go "Wow....". Any books on the art of level design (not game design)?

Hello,

This is very large issue. Consider that it is difficult even for people who design the world we live in. Can you tell us more what kind of levels you are designing ? Perhaps architectural books are what you are looking for ? They are expensive though.

Quoting my professor who was quoting his professor : "Observe".

Cheers

I've never read any books on it, but during the past 6 years I've read quite some articles on the net. Besides that, observing existing levels and trying to break down what makes them good, or bad, helps a lot. As for your own levels, organizing playtests and trying to get as much feedback as possible is a must, too. It can help drawing out layouts on paper first, and doing small test maps, both layout and theme tests, to get a better feeling for the map you're creating.

I just read the following article:
An Architect's Perspective On Level Design Pre-Production - Gamasutra
I think you'll find this article usefull as well:
Bens Small Bible of Realistic Multiplayer Level Design (pdf)
And I know of a good article on level layout planning, though it's in German (but contains lots of images):
Spielhandeln im Deathmatch (pdf).

For some reason I never bookmarked the articles I read, but there's a good chance you'll find more usefull links in the mapping communities of games like Half-Life and Unreal.

When I am designing a level I will try to "Tell a story" with it.

By this I don't mean swamp the player with text or cut scenes, but use the tools of the story teller to aid in designing a level.

In a quick form:
1) Decide on a theme for the level. The theme will help set in place the enemies to include and the environment that will suit it.

In a recent game I was designing level for we had 3 level to make so I decided to use the end of level bosses to set the theme for the level.

In the first level the boss was a castle that the player had to destroy, so I used a farm like environemnt for the level. The enemies in the level were created to fit that theme (balistas, castle towers, etc).

In the second level we had a giant Beetle as the level bos, so I used smaller beetles as the main enemy and a desert environment.

In the third level the level boss was a fire breathing Dragon, so I use smaller dragon hatchlings as the enemy and had a volcano and lava environemnt.

2) Break the level into 3 parts. The beginning, Middle and End.

The beginning of the level introduces the player to the concepts used in the level and the enemies that you will use.

The Middle of the level should start with a twist (say a breif encouter with the level boss or its main minions, a trap, new weapon or some other twist) and lead up towards the end of level encouter.

The End of the level should start with the end of level encouter and then lead to the level exit.

3) Within the level try to create periods of fluctuating tension, action and rest. If you watch a movie or analyse a book you will find that this is what they do. They don't just have a linear progression of buildup frm the start to the final scene. Instead they change the "stress" of the plot up and down, but build gradually to the climax at the end.

This is a good way that you can hold the attention of the player through a level. By havining this fluctuation in the level layout you can keep it interesting for the player.

What kind of game do you need those 'Whow' levels for?
...Maybe I can help you with a few ideas, to get your own creativity kick-startet!

Thanks for the help. I'm mostly looking for ideas for side scrolling level design. I know all about the "themes" and adding points with lots of tension, then cooling off. I'm more having trouble with tile placement thats interesting (not art tiles, collision tiles). I suppose specific advice would need to know what the players abilities are..... I think trial + error, and getting feedback from a community might be my best option.