| THE HOWS AND WHYS OF LEVEL DESIGN - SE - FAQ |
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About: Q: What is this book about? A: Advanced Level Design: Tips and explanations, theories and the do's/dont's of creating a high quality game environment. Q: Why do I want this book? A: Throughout the years, I have learned that certain methods simply do work better than others. I believe level design can be boiled down into a set of basic rules: what to do and what not to do. One could, of course, ignore all the tips and try to find out what works best independently, but that would be reinventing the wheel. Why waste precious time when one can start with a solid base? Q: Will the book help me to learn a program or editor? A: No it will not. There are already plenty of other books out there that focus on explaining the editors of, for example, Half Life or Unreal. Q: What does it cover then? A: Anything to do with the creation of virtual environments. Unlike most tutorials and texts, this book is not aim at one specific engine nor does it try to teach the reader a program. Instead, it explains how to create good-looking environments and well-playing levels. It explains why certain decisions are made and how they should be made. It also addresses what kind of elements in an environment can increase the overall quality and fun in a level. These are the insider tips and tricks on how to improve an environment both visually as well as gameplay-wise. The first half of the book consists of three major parts: Design, Gameplay, and Audio-Visuals. Each consists of multiple chapters such as Lighting, Texturing, Singleplayer Gameplay and so on. The second half of the book is made up of an Example chapter and an Interview chapter. The example chapter talks the reader through the entire design process of two UT2004 levels and one UT3 level made by the author. The interview element contains interviews with established commercial level designers, each one speaking on their topic of choice. The complete list of chapters and subjects can be found at the bottom of the About page. Q: What is the target audience? A: Anyone who has basic working knowledge of a game editor/modeling program. The book is not aimed at day-one beginners but is better suited for people who have only recently gotten into level design and everyone above. In other words it's main target group are advanced beginners and intermediates. However, well experienced people will also benefit from some parts of the book! Q: What game/technology is it for? A: The book has not been written with a specific game in mind. The concepts explained in the book are, theoretically, universal and can be applied to a wide range of games. The strongest focus, however, is on 3D action games and FPSes. Q: Does this book has anything to do with the Unreal Engine or any of its games? A: Not directly no. The book is written to be a general and universal guide to cool game environments. It is influenced by the Unreal games though since I as author originate from the Unreal community. The book also contains dozens of example screenshots from Unreal games. Q: Who are the interviewees and what did they do? A: Cedric Fiorentino - Level Designer/Environment Director - Arkane Studios, Webzen/Huxley, Epic/Unreal and Unreal Tournament games. Rogelio Olguin – Level Designer - Tactical Ops and Epic/Unreal Tournament 2004 Andrew Weldon – Level Designer - Natural Selection, Raven Software/Quake 4, Gearbox/Borderlands Tom Hanrahan - Level Designer - Monolith, TimeGate/F.E.A.R Extraction Point Daniel Luka - Texture and Shader Artist - Ubisoft Montreal/Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory and Rainbow Six Vegas, Valve/Day Of Defeat, Eidos/Deus Ex 3 Matthew Florianz - Audio producer - Spellborn/The Chronicles of Spellborn Q: How do I know if I'll like it? A: There are two example extracts available on the example page. Those who are familiar with my old set of tutorials can expect something equal but much and more extensive, better organized, more consistent, and more properly written. Q: The book seems to have a lot of do's and dont's. Isn't it very opinionated? A: Yes, it has many do's and don'ts and, as with anything, it surely will be influenced by the author's opinion in one way or another but that doesn't necessarily make it bad. On the contrary, my own view has gotten me quite far in level design. There are various reasons for the amounts of do's and dont's. Firstly, one must first master the basics of a subject before one can progress. The book is aimed at helping beginners and intermediates master those basics. Secondly, whether one likes it or not, there are always many do's and dont's in any profession. Most level designers apply dozens of do and dont's unconsciously. I have simply written the one's I've found down. Thirdly, the book never states that the written do's and dont's are the only way to succeed. It does state that the do's and dont's will make one's life as a level designer easier and get beginners and intermediate up to speed. Why waste years of research and practice to find out those basic rules by one's self if one could start with a solid basis? Reinvent the engine, not the wheel. No matter what engine is used, the car's (or the game's) wheels will always work in the same way. Q: What changed in this second edition? A: Have a look at the list of chances on the Content page. Q: Should I purchase this second edition if I already own the first one? A: That depends on valuable the first one was to you. This second edition has a much better look and layout and a considerable amount of new content, however in the end it is still the same book. It is up to you if you really need this new edition or not, but note that a big discount is available for those who already own the first edition, and wish to buy this second edition in PDF form. More information on the discount can be found further down this page. You can also email me for more information. Q: Do you plan to do a third and a fourth edition at some point? A: Not really right now. I do not plan to update this book any further in the next few years. Technical: Q: What are the details about the book? A: The book consists of nearly 180 pages and more than 120 screenshots, all of them in full color. What is the size and quality of the printed edition? A: A4 paper size (that is your standard paper size), perfect binding paperback, 80# white interior paper, full-color interior ink, 90# white exterior paper, full-color exterior ink. The paper, print and color quality is great and of the quality one would expect of a book. Q: Whats the difference between the PDF and the printed version? A: There is none apart from the fact that the PDF is obviously the digital version. Q: How large is the PDF? A: The PDF is only 14 MB large. Q: Who is the publisher? A: I am entirely self publishing my own book as an independent author with the help of my printer, Lulu.com. The printer lulu.com takes on a lot of the traditional publisher's tasks and also handles all orders. Q: I already posses the first edition but I am also interested in this new version. Do you offer a discount to previous customers? A: Yes, but due to certain limitations that are beyond my control, I can unfortunately only offer a discount for the purchase of the PDF version. Contact me by email if you wish to make use of this discount. If you bought the first edition through E-junkie all you need to give me is the email address you used for that purchase. If you bought it via Lulu.com I need to see a copy of the order confirmation email you got at the time of purchase, or some other type of proof. Q: So how does this discount thing work? A: When you've provided me with the necessary proof I will generate a discount code and email it to you. You then order the book via E-junkie and enter the code I gave to you. So do not purchase anything until you've received the discount code! Ordering and payment: Q: How do I order? A: Expand the Books menu on the left menu and click on the "Order!" link. The Printed version can only be ordered directly at Lulu.com, the printer. It is not available in any store or on other websites. The PDF can either be ordered via Lulu.com, or via E-junkie.com. Lulu.com has some very extensive FAQ's about their order and print process for those who want more information. Q: How can I pay? A: You can pay Lulu.com with either PayPal or with a number of well known credit cards. More info regarding payment can be found in Lulu's extensive FAQ's. Q: I have no credit card! A: It's also possible to order it directly through me, especially if it's concerning a PDF copy and if you live in Europe. Contact me for details. Q: Can I trust you or lulu.com? A: All orders go directly via Lulu.com. I have nothing to do with the order, processing, printing, or shipping of the book. Lulu.com is the largest worldwide print-on-demand company and they have an excellent reputation. Q: What is the delivery time? A: Printing the book takes between three and ten days. Shipping takes between a day to several weeks dependent on where you live and the kind of shipping method. Q: I live in "some random country", can the book be delivered to me? A: Apart from countries like Sudan and North Korea, Lulu.com delivers books world wide! Europe and North America are best served and will have the most speedy service. More info on delivery estimates can be found on Lulu.com Q: Can I order a PDF/print bundle, or a Level Design/Games Industry bundle? A: Lulu.com currently does not support bundles so no, sorry. Q: Do I get a discount if I order in bulk? A: Yes certainly. Bulk orders discounts require a minimum of 26 copies. Q: There has been a problem with my order or the copy is damaged. A: Please contact the Lulu.com support service. I personally have nothing to do with the printing and processing of the book and therefore cannot help in that regard. Other questions or problems? Email me at book@Hourences.com |