[font="Arial"]Hi,This is my first thread on this forum. So, I hope this will go well.What will be given is the darft version of the Chapter that deals about the levels in my game design document. However, I personally do not have any experience in writing a GDD so there can be parts missing that one might expect in a chapter describing the levels in a GDD. If there are vital parts of information missing here; telling me what would be greatly appreciated. This is also probably why I am posting it; going for the old proven trail-and-error approach in learning myself how to write such a document.Of course feedback of any kind will be appreciated be it good or bad. Criticism is most oftne just aimed to get you to improve yourself.The game genre for this game: action-RPG.I thank you for your future help and kindness.

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[font="Arial"]The game world of Dungeon Law will be represented by an artistic drawn map of the world on which several (13 in total) locations are highlighted. These highlighted spots are the locations of the dungeons.

The highlighted locations are divided into 4 colours to make it easy for the user to distinguish the difficulty of the level it represents. The colours are: green, blue, red and yellow.



[font="Calibri"]1.1. Green


[font="Arial"]Green indicates that the level is easy. There will be four green levels, with one having a slightly glowing animation to highlight it even more. That one is the tutorial level in which the most basic of basic gameplay is explained to the player. Most green levels take place in unexpected sunny or well lightedl l[font="Arial"]ocations; like inside canyons or tropical, thick jungles or open air ruins.
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Key elements of the green level are: a simple, comprehensible lay-out in which a player can hardly manage to get lost in. The critters and targets inside the level are easy to manage and not hard to defeat.

The role of the green levels and especially the special tutorial green level is to make the player familiar with the gameplay of Dungeon Law.



[font="Calibri"]1.2. Blue

Blue is the intermediate level of which there will be six present in the game. The blue levels will take the player to the underground; like dark caverns or chasms with lava rivers.

Key elements of the blue level are: advanced lay-out for the level in which disorientation becomes an issue for players. A regular re-spawning rate for the critters, which are tougher and own their own special ability that can cause some real damage to the player’s team. The targets in the level are tougher, having tougher abilities. Due to this managing your team will become an important aspect in the player’s game experience.

The step from green to blue is a steep one and the first time the player enters the blue level, after two or several green levels, will be a most challenging experience.



[font="Calibri"]1.3. Red

Red is only for the seasoned player and is thus aptly named the expert level. The game will have only two expert levels. These levels take place in a most gloomy setting like a dilapidated castle or frighteningly dark dungeon.

Key elements of the red level are: a complex lay-out for the level in which disorientation is most likely to happen even if the player is getting familiar with the level.The re-spawning rate for critters is slightly faster and there are even more points where the re-spawn happen. The special ability critters have are on par with the skills a green target possessed. The targets in the red level are complex encounters requiring sometimes a trail-and-error approach of the player. Management of the team becomes an important aspect throughout the level.

The step from blue to red is not as steep as it was for green to blue, but the size and complexity of the red level will boggle the player.



[font="Calibri"]1.4. Yellow

The yellow level is reserved only for the most accomplished player among players and is called the Deity level. In the game there is only one and can only be accessed once both red levels have been completed. This dungeon takes place in a large environment with changing scenery.

The key elements of the yellow level are: a complicated lay-out that will always be disorientating for the player, though this may also be due to the sheer size of the yellow level. The re-spawn locations for the critters are randomly placed around the level and over a fixed period of time the locations are altered. The re-spawn timer is very short in regard to game-play. The abilities of the critters in the yellow level are on par with the abilities of the targets in a blue level. The targets of the yellow level are a massive undertaking and overcoming an encounter with even one is an accomplishment on its own. Management of the team is key to success in this level.

The step from red to yellow is as steep as the step from green to blue. Conquering the yellow level is designed to take several days.



[font="Calibri"]1.5. List of Levels



[font="Calibri"]1.5.1. Green– Bumbly Beach – Tutorial

Bumbly Beach is the green, tutorial level that takes place on a beach with the land side being obstructed by white cliffs. It has a paradise feeling with the crystal pure sea reflecting the sun with puffy clouds in the air.

The player just has to follow the beach to reach his end destination. He starts off with his team’s feet standing in the water, with a sinking ship on the background. While he is making his way to his destination he will face various basic elements of the game which he be explained to him by the game. He will be obstructed often by environment in progressing the level. After he has ‘learned’, thus performed[font="Arial"], the action that is taught to him at that specific location the obstruction will be removed. There are three major location to which the player is directed: an Idyllic bay with some palm trees and exotic shrubberies, a grotto in the white cliffs and the end of the cliffs and thus entryway to the remainder of the island and final goal of thep layer in this level.
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The first main part of the level, the bay, has an idyllic atmosphere with the palm trees offering shade. There is not a single blemish that can be found that would ruin this scenic image. Here the player will learn the basic aspects of dealing with targets in Dungeon Law.

The second part of the level, the grotto, is a single short maze that can be solved with easy[font="Arial"]e. Showing the directional difficulties the player will face in the game. The grotto itself is a beauty of nature with alabaster-like walls and stalactites hanging above dripping their water drops in the sea.
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The goal of the level, the entryway to the island, mixes the two elements of the previous parts in a small lush forest. The player will have to find the way to its new target and defeat it. The forest is deciduous rich in foliage and small animals enrich the vibrant feeling with sounds of chirping birds. There are many paths leading to small open spaces, but only one path will lead to the other side of the t[font="Arial"]hink forest, that side is where the target is awaiting the team.
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The environment of this level is static for the large part; though the obstructing environment preventing the player’s progression will go away if the player meets certain conditions.

The lay-out of this level is simplicity to its core, linear. There is not a single place where the player can make an error which would result in the need to retract his steps.

The instance is single layered with a slight height differences, with environmental elements only being obstructive temporarily in scripted events.



[font="Calibri"]1.1.1. Yellow – Silverweb Downs

The yellow level is known as Silverweb Downs.It is a massive level, with changing scenery in the level design.

Players will start above ground, where the soil is ashen black, though the ‘road’ has a slightly greyer shade. The sky has an ominous red colour, filled with dark clouds that hide the sun. There is little to no nature as far as the eye can reach. It is truly a desolate place, where all will have a feeling of utter hopelessness.

As the players make their way down the road, soon they will be faced with a choice, three to be exact, for the roads splits in three ways. One way goes towards an opening in the cliffs, entering the vast cave system that is Silverweb Downs. Another continues as we were, but then the player will be faced with narrow paths spiralling across the cliff walls and natural bridges spanning across the canyons of the level.One misstep would result in the untimely demise of your team. The last option will immediately start your descent down to the bottom of the canyon, where the dark earth has been covered by a brown mucky river in which the team shall have to wade as they explore the vast canyon system.

If the player had chosen for the first option. He will soon find himself in a dark, foreboding cavern, where the sounds of drops of water splashing to the ground and the gusts of wind are disturbed only by the ominous sounds of the beings lurking in the darkness waiting to rip the team to shreds. The soil and walls of the cave have a darkish grey, wet texture that is sometimes covered in moss or mushrooms.

There is no ‘natural’ light illuminating once the team presses on deeper into the cave. It is thus important for the player that he ‘equips’ one of the team characters with the illuminate ability, see 15. Abilities for more information.This will result during combat in a lightshow, where the illumination fades as the character using illuminate is forced to perform other abilities.

Sometimes the passageways are small, near claustrophobic in nature. This has a large contrasts of the enormous halls to which they lead in which sometimes the player will find a target or a group of ravenous critters.

Now we’ll go more in depth for the second option the player could have chosen. This was the option where the player walks on narrow paths, that spiral along the cliff walls and natural bridges spanning across the canyons of Silverweb Downs. Here the player will experience sweat breaking moments as the dark stony paths seem so small that at any given moment he could fall to his demise. To make matters worse the idea of encountering critters in this situation with low manoeuvrability is what truly makes the player worry. However, when he has brief moments of respite he can bask in the glory of the awe-inspiring views he will witness. The mucky brown fog in the canyons, that start to form down below. The cliff walls are sometimes covered in dried, dead vines and black mushrooms. And artistic rock formations are implemented to make the environment less bland due to the lack of vegetation. The player will eventually make his way towards one of several paths that will descent into the canyon at some point.

The last option will be the most aesthetic due to the presence of vegetation and water to play around with. While the water is mucky brown, it is often covered in greenish brown weeds. At the sides, the canyon walls, vines sprout up from the water giving it a greener more vibrant feel. The air is filled with bugs such as fireflies. The air is brimming with sounds of insect life; though the player is sometimes startled by the noise of larger, more dangerous inhabitants. Some paths will lead to openings in the canyon walls to enter the underground.

The environment will be static for the most part, not interacting with the actions of both the player, critters and targets. However, certain elements above andunderground will contain scripted events that will be set in motion once the player’s team fulfils certain set conditions (e.g. proximity).

The level has two ‘layers’ an above ground layer and underground layer. There are several passageways to the underground at various locations. However not all underground passages are connected to each other, which will force players who are trying to find their way around to change scenery every so often. However, the few that are connected will lead, assuming the player made the right decisions in regards to directions, to the massive underground system that will ultimately lead them to their primary objective. Fully exploring the cavesystem will be encouraged by placing various secondary targets in the level.This will make any route the player chooses an interesting route.



Thank you for your support, feedback and suggestions,



Tyberthia,



Edit: I didn't edit the section I had already posted, that portion will be the general description of what the levels are; each level will be fully explained seperately as given in the example of Bumbly Beach and Silverweb Downs. I would be deeply appreciative on any remarks you have on this. It is my first time doing as such, thus it is for me more a learning experience.

[font="Arial"]PS: It seems the copy-paste from my Word-template to the forums didn't go well...please, forgive me for the space-errors in the text.

I think your space bar is broken!

But beyond that, it was very clear and easy to understand. I'd suggest going into even great detail, though. List each level specifically and describe the stage beyond just "dark and gloomy." IE, Blue level #3 is a ruined city in the desert. Yellow level #2 is an old mine filled with lava falls. The more detail the better. You can always go back and change it if it needs a new direction for whatever reason!

Hehe, thanks for the input, PatrickL. However, the space bar is not broken*. The main body of the text is just copy-pasted from the word-document to here and I didn't change much to the formatting, because I think it is easier on the eye to read it like this. Of course, if others say it is silly I will take it into account.

Anyway, I will take your input to heart.

Tyberthia.

*i just noticed what you meant with the spacebar and yes seems something went wrong when pasting it to the forums. Time for some editing.

Made an update on my level chapter and am eagerly awaiting feedback about it.

I thank you for all your help,

Tyberthia

I'd suggest to rethink your color ordering suggestions. Let's have a look at the spectrum (attached below).
As you can see, blue comes before green. Green is blue + yellow. Then there's yellow, orange and red.
Also recall traffic lights. Order is green, yellow/orange, red.

Assuming blue < green < yellow < red,
I personally I think the most difficult transition should be green to yellow and not blue to green.

1.5.1. Green– Bumbly Beach – Tutorial
...
There are many paths leading to small open spaces, but only one path will lead to the other side ... The lay-out of this level is simplicity to its core, linear ...While this is true in gameplay terms (the alternative paths seem to be irrelevant), it does not quite feel completely linear in layout. It is unclear to me how the player will have to find its way. Line of sight? Hints? Experimentation?

1.1.1. Yellow – Silverweb DownsI like the detail you're putting in there. I have not fully understood if player's choice is a choice of sequence or not. In other words, are the three paths mutually excluding? To complete the level, how many paths needs to be completed?
I have some concerns regarding the possibility of implementing dynamic scenery in a thing like that. It looks like only minor changes would be possible, personally I don't think the environment supports much dynamic variation. Unless you mean to say it changes game-to-game.

First of all...You put a lot of thoughts in colours, don't you? I actually more or less picked colours at random, though I put a few thoughts in it.

Yellow/Gold : A colour one could place with the divine and as the level difficulty is the Deity difficulty.
Red: A fierce and dangerous colour, hence the expert levels are linked to it.
Green: A colour of freshness, new life. Thus beginner.
Blue: A colour related to inexperience.

In the Bumbly Beach a player won't have much problem navigating through the level. He just has to follow the beach from his starting point to the end of the level. He will be pretty much guided around, with little choice in his movement. He can just follow the beach. Of course there where there are little mazes prepared for him, he has a bit more freedom, but since only one direction is the right one he'll eventually follow the intended path.

This is in strong contrast to Silverweb Downs, where there is nothing that will give even a slightest hint to where you should go. He has to find his own way to his target. Here he will have to navigate through the level on a trail and error basis.

To complete a level technically you only have to complete one path, the path that leads to the primary target and in the earliest levels players won't have a big problem with finding that path. In the red and yellow level, that will be one of the biggest issues.

As I mentioned it is overall a very static enviroment, though at some location the enviroment have some scripted events that are to cause hurdles for the player to overcome.

It is still a draft. Still drawing out the lay-out of the level with a little markers here and there to point out where targets are located. And it seems certain things are still not clear so I'll have to rewrite those parts.

(Also perhaps a problem to fully understand what I'm going towards is just that I'm not divulging a lot of details on the game, since I'm trying to keep it to myself, protecting my creative ideas and all.)

First of all...You put a lot of thoughts in colours, don't you? ...

No, it was immediately apparent. Traffic light model, in case you wonder, from HCI. I originally thought they were originally linked to difficulty, but now you write about their rationale, I feel the urge to let you know the only I agree with is
RED = DANGER
all the other seemed completely random to me.

In the Bumbly Beach a player...

I am not questioning about this. What I am questioning is: don't you think there's a small problem in saying there are branches and then saying the layout is core linear? Perhaps I'm a bit old schooled, but for old 3D games there weren't branches to start with. Not a preblem?

To complete a level technically you only have to complete one path, the path that leads to the primary target and in the earliest levels players won't have a big problem with finding that path. In the red and yellow level, that will be one of the biggest issues.

I didn't understand this was a key game mechanic rather than a mechanic from the specific level example.

As I mentioned it is overall a very static enviroment, though at some location the enviroment have some scripted events that are to cause hurdles for the player to overcome.

Then I think I have a problem in understanding English...

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[font="Calibri"]1.4. Yellow

The yellow level is reserved only for the most accomplished player among players and is called the Deity level. In the game there is only one and can only be accessed once both red levels have been completed. This dungeon takes place in a large environment with changing scenery.
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[font="Arial"]...
[font="Arial"][font="Calibri"]1.1.1. Yellow – Silverweb Downs

[font="Arial"]The yellow level is known as Silverweb Downs[font="Arial"].It is a massive level, with changing scenery in the level design.

Not a problem?

[size=2]<br> [size=2]On the colours…I just now realized why you started talking about traffic lights, I&#39;m so silly. But, I based the colour blue for example on one proverbs in my native language and other colours to personal feelings. But the colours aren&#39;t really important to the design in a whole as I said there wasn&#39;t put much thought or philosophy in the colours. They are just to be used as an easy way to identify the difficulty of the level. I think what colours you use isn&#39;t important as long as you are consistent in it. But if you feel strongly about it and others share your opinion, then I&#39;ll certain amend&#33;<br> [size=2]<br><br> [size=2]<br><br> [size=2]<br><blockquote>I am not questioning about this. What I am questioning is: don&#39;t you think there&#39;s a small problem in saying there are branches and then saying the layout is core linear? Perhaps I&#39;m a bit old schooled, but for old 3D games there weren&#39;t branches to start with. <span style=font-weight:bold;>Not a preblem</span>?<br> [size=2]<br><br> [size=2]Linear means to get from point A to point B there is only one path, The player has no choice in that. In this level there will only be one path, in that small section there is a little maze, yes. However there is still just one path. The branches are the hurdles the player will face to overcome that small portion of the level. However, to complete the level there is just one route.<br> [size=2]<br><br> [size=2]And I know it isn&#39;t a great reference, but it is one; according to wikipedia:[font=sans-serif][size=2]<span style=text-decoration:underline;>In a game with linear levels, there is only one route that the player must take through the level.</span> The level fulfills this requirement.<br> [font=sans-serif][size=2]<br> <br> [font=sans-serif][size=2]If this isn&#39;t clear then the problem is my description.<br> [font=&quot;sans-serif&quot;]<br> <br> [font=&quot;sans-serif&quot;]<br> <br> [font=&quot;sans-serif&quot;]<br> <br> [font=sans-serif][size=2][font=arial, verdana, tahoma, sans-serif]<blockquote>[size=2]<span style=font-weight:bold;><a href='"http://www.gamedev.net/index.php?app=forums&module=forums&section=findpost&pid=4766605"'><img src=http://public.gamedev.net/public/style_images/master/snapback.png alt=snapback.png></a>Tyberthia, on 29 January 2011 - 07:03 AM, said:</span><br><br> [size=2][size=2]To complete a level technically you only have to complete one path, the path that leads to the primary target and in the earliest levels players won&#39;t have a big problem with finding that path. In the red and yellow level, that will be one of the biggest issues.I didn&#39;t understand this was a key game mechanic rather than a mechanic from the specific level example.<br> <br> [font=sans-serif][size=2][font=arial, verdana, tahoma, sans-serif]<br> <br> [font=sans-serif][size=2][font=arial, verdana, tahoma, sans-serif]That is because the little information handed out about the game and here and you only have 2 levels, so you have little references. I would like to think it is because of that. But indeed &#39;path finding&#39; finding is a key feature.<br> [font=sans-serif][size=2][font=arial, verdana, tahoma, sans-serif]<br> <br> [font=sans-serif][size=2][font=arial, verdana, tahoma, sans-serif]<br> <br> [font=sans-serif][size=2]<br> <br> [font=sans-serif][size=2][font=arial, verdana, tahoma, sans-serif]<blockquote>Then I think I have a problem in understanding English…<br> [size=2]<span style=font-weight:bold;><a href='"http://www.gamedev.net/index.php?app=forums&module=forums&section=findpost&pid=4764218"'><img src=http://public.gamedev.net/public/style_images/master/snapback.png alt=snapback.png></a>Tyberthia, on 24 January 2011 - 05:58 PM, said:</span><br><br> [size=2][size=2][size=2][size=2][font=Arial]<br><span style=font-weight:bold;>[font=Calibri]1.4. </span><span style=font-weight:bold;><span style=text-decoration:underline;>Yellow</span></span><br><br> The yellow level is reserved only for the most accomplished player among players and is called the Deity level. In the game there is only one and can only be accessed once both red levels have been completed. <span style=text-decoration:underline;>This dungeon takes place in a large environment with changing scenery.</span><br> [size=2][size=2][font=Arial]<span style=text-decoration:underline;><br></span><br> [size=2][size=2][font=Arial]…<br> [font=Arial]<span style=font-weight:bold;>[font=Calibri]1.1.1. </span><span style=font-weight:bold;><span style=text-decoration:underline;>Yellow – Silverweb Downs</span></span><br> [size=2][size=2]<br> [font=Arial]The yellow level is known as <span style=font-weight:bold;>Silverweb Downs</span>[font=Arial].It is a massive level, <span style=text-decoration:underline;>with changing scenery in the level design.</span><span style=font-weight:bold;>Not a problem</span>?<br> <br> [font=sans-serif][size=2][font=arial, verdana, tahoma, sans-serif]<br> <br> [font=sans-serif][size=2][font=arial, verdana, tahoma, sans-serif]The scenery is overall static, because the scenery at a specific location is unable to change. There are no scripted events to make change happen. However the scenery in the level is changing, because the scenery the player has inside the caverns or atop the canyons are completely different; various locations have different scenes. If you move from a forest into a dessert you change scenery, that is what is being described with the underlined text.<br> [font=sans-serif][size=2][font=arial, verdana, tahoma, sans-serif]<br> <br> [font=sans-serif][size=2][font=arial, verdana, tahoma, sans-serif]Again this misinterpretation is a problem caused by shoddy writing. If you really think certain parts need to be rewritten, post them and I&#39;ll re-write them according to suggestions.<br> [font=sans-serif][size=2][font=arial, verdana, tahoma, sans-serif]<br> <br> [font=sans-serif][size=2][font=arial, verdana, tahoma, sans-serif]<br> <br> [font=sans-serif][size=2][font=arial, verdana, tahoma, sans-serif]Thank you for your feedback.

I second the comment about the color scheme. Green-blue-red-yellow is distracting. Therefore it doesn't meet your assumption that:
"They are just to be used as an easy way to identify the difficulty of the level. "
Also, if they are not that important it should be okay to just change it right?

If you want to keep yellow as the last color, perhaps you could use Green-Bronze-Silver-Gold instead.

If you want to keep the Green-blue-red-yellow sequence, perhaps pair each color with a symbol. For example, Yellow might be a crown, while red is just a ruby. So when the player sees the icon they have some sense that the crown is harder.

Managing Player Anticipation

I also use color code for levels, but my associations are:

Blue = Tutorial: The ones that teach the player how to play, and can be skipped.
Green = Preparation: The ones where the player customizes the style he wants to use in the rest of the game.
Yellow = Impact: The ones where a bad outcome can make later levels harder.
Red = Critical: The ones where terminating outcomes exist. (i.e. if the player does something wrong, the journey can stop (gameover).)
Purple = Ridiculous: May be extremely hard or extremely wacky. This code captures the optional imaginations and unrealistic levels that do not fit the main story but are fun to play nonetheless. (In the story, these are treated as imaginations, dreams, or what-if scenarios when they are introduced.)

These codes are used to let the player know what sort of impact their choices would make to the rest of the story. So that the player can tell
the significance of the level even when they cannot derive it from the story.
(e.g. A vacation that will go critically bad will be marked RED, although all of the characters in the story only expecting to have fun. The color
code let the player anticipate so that the player doesn't get frustrated.)
o They don't explore too much when the level is not meant to be explored
o They don't try to get something that is just optional or ornamental
o They don't miss getting an item that is important for the story yet optional (items that are not necessary but could make the game easier in some situations)

Otherwise the code is mostly for myself so that when I look at the plot I can tell that each section has an appropriate mix of content.
(i.e. Some green, some yellow, few red, rarely purple.)

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Re: Scenery:

I think the description you want is:

"The yellow level is known as Silverweb Downs.It is a massive level that spans several scenic environments."