#Blocktober DAY 13: Mechanics in Level Design Don’t design a level and then try to fit the mechanics into it. Design the level around the mechanics. When I worked on this level for S.M.A.C.K., the game’s movement and combat mechanics played a huge role in how I approached the design. Players could use objects as ammunition, alongside movement abilities like sprinting, double jumping, and sliding. These mechanics directly influenced how I approached the scale, layout, and traversal of my maps. For my Dig Site blockout, I had to consider: Scale: Making sure spaces and objects worked with the game’s unique mechanics. Verticality: Creating opportunities to use jumps and movement abilities to navigate the environment. Traversal: Designing routes that supported sprinting, jumping, sliding, and fast repositioning. Combat: Ensuring the layout gave players opportunities to use objects creatively during engagements. The important thing is to understand what makes your game’s mechanics unique and build spaces that encourage players to experiment with them. Your level shouldn’t just accommodate the gameplay. It should make the gameplay shine. Portfolio link: zswellstudios.artstation.com… #LevelDesign #GameDev #Blockout

#Blocktober Day 11 & 12: Creativity within Constraints I got so absorbed in learning the Halo 3 modding tools that I completely forgot to make a blocktober post yesterday! So we're combining two days into one! Today's topic is creativity with limited resources. While working on ARK: Aquatica, I had the opportunity to design spaces like The Shallows, a sunken city overtaken by coral, and the Cymathoa Dungeon, an eerie underwater dungeon built around a boss encounter. Working within an existing game's assets, tools, and visual direction taught me how much you can accomplish without building everything from scratch. A few things I keep in mind when working with limited resources: Reuse creatively: Find new ways to combine existing assets to create unique spaces. Think about composition: Use scale, silhouettes, and placement to make familiar assets feel fresh. Design with purpose: Let the layout support gameplay, navigation, and encounter pacing. Build atmosphere: Use lighting and set dressing to give spaces their own identity. You don't need a custom asset for every idea. Sometimes, the most creative solutions come from figuring out how to make what you already have work harder. Constraints don't kill creativity. They challenge you to approach problems differently. The Shallows portfolio link: artstation.com/artwork/kN3Oq… Cymathoa Dungeon portfolio link: artstation.com/artwork/8BVZJ… #LevelDesign #GameDev #ARKAquatica

#Blocktober DAY 10: Pathing in Level Design The path forward doesn't always need to be right in front of the player. In linear level design, guiding the player isn't always about placing a clear path directly in their line of sight. Sometimes, it's about using the environment to encourage them to look, explore, and figure out where to go next. This is the Castle level, one of five levels from my capstone project back in community college. One example is a section where fire blocks the main route, redirecting the player through a burning house to continue progressing. It's a way to use environmental obstacles to shape the player's journey while keeping the route grounded in the world. The level also features optional paths branching off of the main route, giving curious players another way to explore without interrupting the intended progression. These are some of the ways I think about player pathing: • Environmental cues: Use lighting, composition, landmarks, and obstacles to guide attention. • Route readability: Help players understand where they can go without spelling everything out. • Forced detours: Use obstacles to redirect players in ways that feel natural to the world. • Optional paths: Reward curiosity without disrupting the main progression. Good pathing doesn't mean the player always knows exactly where to go. It means they have enough information to figure it out. Portfolio link: artstation.com/artwork/qAy3B… #LevelDesign #GameDev #LinearLevelDesign