Level design for three in a row games



Three in a row is one of the most popular game genres. There are tens of thousands of games, and there are few articles on level design on the Internet, and they are the main component of the game. We will correct this shortcoming by posting our thoughts and experience on the Habré in the form of theses, notes on the essence and on the case, with reasoning and pictures.

General Provisions


The essence is three in a row: each level for the game should be a complete puzzle - this is the most important. If you succeeded, then you did it. You probably already made a hundred levels for future updates of the game and with a smile on your face you stick your nose into the tasks of the rest of the team, giving out free tips. If not, read on.

About puzzles: each game has a standard set of goals and obstacles and they must be properly managed. The levels should be understandable, interesting and carry a value for the player - a challenge or a fan.

About Interest:for example, you made a simple understandable level - that's good, but what if all the levels in your game are simple and understandable? Surely, the game will become boring. Evaluate the quality and diversity of your content - look for unexpected combinations of goals and obstacles, constantly surprise the player with something new, demand from the team the best level editor and the fastest production of unique features! You rivet hundreds and hundreds of levels!

About game modes:the more goals and obstacles in the game the more interesting levels you can do. And if your game has unique solutions, then you are in luck. There was stagnation in the genre, but hits appeared with new interesting solutions to old problems. Experiment! Look for new game modes and obstacles, you will only be at hand. The abundance of levels for collecting points is a disaster and degradation. Surprise the player from the very beginning of the game.

About variety:levels in popular games are often 300+, so you need to understand that doing ten levels in a row about breaking cells or lowering any objects is stupid. Your players will get tired after a couple of locations. Alternate standard game modes as often as possible, levels with new and unique chips can be set several times in a row at the time they appear in the game, but even they must alternate with familiar modes.

About the duration: here you need to understand who and on what devices and social networks plays your game and select the most successful duration of the levels. I prefer to make the bulk of the levels for 25-35 moves, sometimes including very short ones - less than 20 moves, and very long ones - more than 45.

About quality:levels are difficult and easy, but how to evaluate their quality? Very simple! Look at the loss figures - how complete is the level goal at the time of failure. For example, if you need to break 80 cells in a level, and the average number of conditions being satisfied when you lose is about 10, then you made a bad level. Most likely, the players simply do not understand how to get through it. Each project has its own figures, but you want the losses to always be at 90% of the level condition . Even at the most difficult and brain-bearing levels.

Beginning of work


The most important part when starting work on a project is to make a list of requirements for the content that you want to create. It is necessary to determine the criteria of complexity, strengths and weaknesses of the project, which levels are worth doing, and which are not, determine the value of the content for the player and the sequence in which new features and modes appear in the game.

Now directly to the design. I represent two levels for breaking cells, with two types of obstacles (grid and block) and a complex field shape (gray - holes), five kinds of stones drop out and the player is given 45 moves. What can you say about them for yourself?

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If you are well acquainted with the genre, you have already noticed the weaknesses of the levels presented - the complex form of the field itself is a serious obstacle. It is very, very difficult to break blue cells in both cases. 45 moves - this is a lot, moreover - with special bad luck, in both levels you can spend all the moves and not break a single cell. Obstacles are located in hard-to-reach places and do not perform their function efficiently.

The main principle that guides me when creating levels is that any level is bad by default, if I don’t know why I did it and did not think about determining to him the right place in the game.

Basic criteria for creating levels


The shape of the field



You can make many good levels without obstacles simply due to the good shape of the playing field. To do this, you need to understand the strengths and weaknesses of your project in the field of collecting combinations and bonuses. In general, all projects have similar rules - you should not make narrow corridors and small rooms, where the probability of collecting a combination is minimal and there is no way to get the target with the help of a bonus. Do not abuse free-standing cells, love symmetry and surprise with asymmetric solutions.

Level goal



The Rubik's Cube is difficult to solve, but understandable in action - turn it in all directions and you will be happy. Here the same thing - set a goal directly in front of the player and let him deal with it without reading the author’s notes and topics on the forum. If the level goal is not on the field from the start - you are a bad person. Eliminate the possibility that from the start of the level the player must make useless moves until the key element appears on the field. That is why levels for collecting points is a very dubious pleasure.

Obstacles used



Each obstacle has its own strengths and weaknesses, they must be known and used. Carefully cover the level goal to limit the player’s access to it. Avoid oversaturation of the level with obstacles and leave the player an entry point - an empty place where he starts his game. Make levels with meaning, draw a beautiful smiley and a flower through the entire field - bad taste.

Duration



As the wise said: "Any interface can be simplified by half." I believe them. If the level can be cleared of half of everything and go faster, while retaining interest and complexity - do it. There is no good reason to drag out levels. The duration of the levels should make sense both at a certain point in the game, and for the project as a whole. “For a long time I did not do long levels.” - so-so justification when choosing the number of moves.

Level value



Use the capabilities of your game to the maximum. For example, a couple of simple examples, the goal of the level is to collect fruits of a given color - set their generation only in the given areas and give the player the opportunity to easily create bonuses for the task. Create a large number of objects that need to be lowered to the edge of the field and separate them from the collection point with one obstacle - the player will experience wild pleasure collecting a large number of goals at a time.
The most interesting and successful levels are based on the interaction of game elements, and not because your level is like a bird.

Luck control



In three in a row, very much determines the factor of luck. It depends on the shape of the field, the level goal and the ratio of the number of available combinations in the current turn. Control luck - it will give you more predictable results. The player should have a chance to collect the most powerful combinations, but only where you planned it.

Aesthetics



I love beautiful things and am anxious about the appearance of my levels. But there are situations, for example, your game about collecting crystals, jewelry and the fight against magic, and for the most inexplicable reasons, your main obstacle is a cage in the form of a pig’s head. In this case, it would be nice to run away to the artists department and have a good scandal, but as long as they are aware of their mistakes and make adjustments, it would be nice to put up with the current state of things and not turn each level into a pigsty, but carefully use what is.

Play good games, get inspired and turn emotions into interesting content. That's all.

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