Hello! Sorry for the lack of updates on my website. I’m preparing a few big things, some updates in the Knowledge Base and some small projects I’m crafting at night. Anyway, here’s a list of the  latest news from the level art and design part of the games industry.

By the way, we have a great occasion to celebrate! The Reference Database hit more than 41 000 pictures in all the galleries! Thanks to all contributors!

If I’ve missed an interesting article or a video about the level design, feel free to let me know and I’ll post it right here!

LEVEL-DESIGN.org News Roundup – Volume 26:

Articles:

• Environmental Storytelling in Games by Jethro Jongeneel
• I Don’t Want To Design Levels Any More by Geoff Ellenor
• Level Design “Dramas” […] by Hamish Todd
• Deep In The Shadows: Thief Design Analysis by Justin Keverne
• Designing Guacamelee! Super Turbo Championship Edition
• Excerpts From An Architectural Approach To Level Design by Christopher Totten

Contests and Challenges:

• MapCore Unreal Engine 4 Whitebox Challenge

Interviews:

• SpronyvanJohnson from MapCore interviews Thiago “Minos” Klafke, Environment Artist at Blizzard

Videos:

• CustomGamer: Teh Ratz in Teh Wallz by Scampie – Quake 1 SP Commentary Video by Daz
• CustomGame: Yellow Brick Grotto by RickyT23 – Quake 1 SP Commentary Video by Daz
• Procedural Level Editor by Machiel van Hooren
• Great Level Design and The Artistic Expression of Mathematics

Tools:

• CryEngine 3.6.6 Released
• Sony Releases Level Editor That is Open-Source and Engine-Agnostic

LEVEL-DESIGN.org Reference Database Updates:

• Oblivion – Full story quest walkthrough plus some minor locations
• NeoTokyo – Complete MP Walkthrough
• Dead Space 2 – First level

LEVEL-DESIGN.org Knowledge Base has been updated with a new article on Composition in Level Design.

When designing a level you’re able to freely compose your virtual environment with any objects you want. This distinguishes level designers from the landscape photographers. You don’t have to adopt to existing elements of nature or architecture. You can affect the scene dramatically. A level designers’ work can be compared to that of a painter. Now let’s see the level as the art gallery and the level vistas as paintings. It means that a player can traverse from one composition to another.

You can read the article here. Have a good reading!

Update:
You can also read the article on Gamasutra Blogs – link.

Hello fellow designers and artists! I’ve been quiet for a long time. I was a bit busy with the Knowledge Base but it’s all fine now! Here’s a pack of level design news from few last weeks:

LEVEL-DESIGN.org News Roundup – Volume 25

Articles:

• Visual Guide For Multiplayer Level Design by Bobby Ross [Bobby’s Portfolio Website]
• Interview with Lens “penE” Monath, Environment and Lighting/VFX Artist by SpronyvanJohnson [MapCore Articles]
• 11 Things I’ve Learned From Dream Worlds [World of Level Design Article]
• The Skywriters of Destiny [Interview & Video]
• Level Generation [Monothetic Devblog]
• Telling a Story, Again and Again and Again [Monothetic Devblog]
• One Thousand Cuts – Q1SP Post Mortem Article by Sock [Sock’s Portfolio Website]

Tools:

• Unreal Engine 4.4 Released [UE4 Release Notes]

Videos:

• LevelCap Bashes Battlefield 4 Level Design [YouTube Video]
• Honey Theme of Digs – Quake Single Player – Custom Gamer Video Commentary [YouTube Video]
• Year Long Alarm by Chuck Wilson – Half-Life 2 Single Player – Custom Gamer Video Commentary [YouTube Video]
• Great Levels in Gaming – Episode 9 – Dishonored [YouTube Video] [The Rest of The Episodes]

LEVEL-DESIGN.org Reference Database Updates:

• Sanctum 2 [Gallery]
• SpecOps: The Line – Complete SP Campaign [Gallery]
• Battlefield 3 – Multiplayer Levels [Gallery]
• Doom 3 BFG Edition: Resurrection of Evil – Complete SP Campaign [Gallery]

I’m happy to announce that my own Wiki-based knowledge base is now available – LEVEL-DESIGN.org Knowledge Base! First page that is ready to publish is about Dominants. I hope you’ll find it useful. Please, feel free to contact me with any hints, requests or comments!

Here’s a quick note about the new website:

Most of the books and articles I’ve read were very game- or engine-specific. I was looking for a very universal knowledge that shows very detailed level production phases from video game development. I couldn’t find any so I’ve decided to pick MediaWiki engine and write down everything I know about making levels. The results are what you’re reading right now, LEVEL-DESIGN.org Knowledge Base. This website gathers information about all the aspects of the level creation process and is prepared for both aspiring and experienced Level Artists & Designers. In my series of articles I’ll try to explain principles of Level Art & Design on neutral ground, without technical requirements and capabilities.

All the content is written from my own experience, observation and analysis with as much development tidbits as I could put in. Comments, thoughts, requests and bug reports are welcome!

I don’t know how often the website will be updated, please follow LEVEL-DESIGN.org Blog or my Twitter feed to know about the updates. I can assure you that the next update will be about Composition and it will be available in the beginning of the next week.

Quick links:

• LEVEL-DESIGN.org Knowledge Base Main Page – Table of Contents (wiki.level-design.org)
• About LEVEL-DESIGN.org Knowledge Base
• Dominants on LEVEL-DESIGN.org Knowledge Database

LEVEL-DESIGN.org News Roundup – Volume 24

Scenes and Levels:

• Korath – Witcher Saga Inspired Environment by Krzysztof Teper [Video]
• Cartographer’s Nightmare – New Quake 1 SP level by KillPixel [Trailer] [func_msgboard]

Interviews:

• Thibault “dkm” Courbet – Level Designer at Machine Games [MapCore Interivew]

Tools:

• Unreal Engine 4.3 Update Preview [Official UE4 Website]

Videos:

• Mass Effect – “Citadel” Environment Presentation Video [Polygon Fragments]
• Map Jam – Making of brushwork by Simon “Sock” O’Callaghan [Part 1] [Part 2]
• Unreal Engine 4 Cave Effects Tech Demo [Video]
• Probable Carcinogen – Quake 1 SP Custom Gamer Commentary [Video]
• Jam1_Arrrcee – Quake 1 SP Custom Gamer Commentary [Video]

Other:

• LEVEL-DESIGN.org Level Art & Design Resources – Article Updated [List]

LEVEL-DESIGN.org Reference Database Updates:

• Outlast – First minutes [Gallery]
• Wolfenstein: New Order – Complete SP Campaign [Gallery]

LEVEL-DESIGN.org News Roundup – Volume 23:

Articles:

• Boss rush: Squaring up to one of videogames’ longest-running traditions, the end-of-level battle [Edge Magazine]
• The Iterative Level Design Process of Bethesda Game Studios [Bethesda Blog] [SlideShare]
• Types of Designers [Liz England’s Blog]
• Examining the Essential Building Blocks of Stealth Play [Gamasutra]
• Making of Jagged Alliance levels by Rasmus Künstlicher [Sector D8 Combat] [Making of Sector C14]

Contests:

• $5k Insurgency Mapping Contest 2014 [Game Banana]

Tools:

• Modular Builder Script [Polycount]

Videos:

• League of Legends: Summoner’s Rift – Level Design Analysis [Design Club]
• Super Mario Bros Level 1-1 Analysis [Design Club]
• Rage Subway Town – Environment Presentation [Polygon Fragments]
• Citizen Returns Part 1 – HL2 SP Level Design Commentary [Custom Gamer]
• Crow Avenue – HL2 SP Level Design Commentary [Custom Gamer]
• Level Design – Early Video Games [YouTube]

LEVEL-DESIGN.org Reference Database Updates:

• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 – Complete SP Campaign [Gallery]
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (MP) – Complete MP Campaign [Gallery]
• Call of Duty: World at War – Complete SP Campaign [Gallery]
• Call of Duty: World at War (MP) – Few first Multiplayer levels [Gallery]
• Dead Island: Riptide – Two first locations [Gallery]
• Wolfenstein: New Order – First few levels [Gallery]

LEVEL-DESIGN.org News Roundup – Volume 22:

Articles:

• How Mega Textures are working in Rage – Very technical and not related directly to Level Art & Design but it’s good to know how it works [Article & Movies]
• Raven Software Design Test 2014 – How to get a job in Raven Software [Design Test @ Raven]

Art Dumps:

• Watch_Dogs Art Dumps [Polycount Thread 1] [Polycount Thread 2]

Competitions:

• DiamondDogsVille Competition – Half-Life 2 Mapping Contest [PlanetPhillip]

Scenes & Portfolios:

• Ted McIlwain – Level Designer [Ted’s Portfolio]
• Metal Monstrosity – Quake 1 SP Level by Simon “Sock” O’Callaghan [Simon’s Website]
• System Shock 2 Homage – CryENGINE 3 Scene by Simon Pennington [Polycount Thread] [Simon’s Portfolio]
• Stylized Basement – UDK Scene by Michał Kubas [Polycount Thread] [Michał’s Portfolio]

Interviews:

• Francois “Furyo” Roughol – Senior Level Designer (BioShock: Infinite, Crysis 2, Assassin’s Creed) [MapCore]

Tools:

• CryENGINE is now available on Steam! [Steam Blog]

Videos:

• Call of Duty: Ghosts – Mutiny Map Preview [YouTube Video]
• Call of Duty: Ghosts – Pharaoh Map Preview [YouTube Video]
• Metal Monstrosity – Quake 1 SP Level by Simon “Sock” O’Callaghan [CustomGamer Video]
• Ceremonial Circles – Quake 1 SP Level by CZG [CustomGamer Video]

Websites:

• Art For Games [ArtForGames.com]

LEVEL-DESIGN.org Reference Database Updates:

• Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood – Complete SP Campaign [Gallery]

LEVEL-DESIGN.org News Roundup – Volume 21:

Articles:

• Titanfall – Making of Runoff level by Geoff Smith [Titanfall Blog]
• Lighting is Everything [The Astronauts Blog]

Scenes & Portfolios:

• Deus Ex Corridor by Wiktor Ohman [Polycount Thread] [Wiktor’s Portfolio]

Videos:

• Titanfall – Making of Swampland [YouTube Video]
• Final Threat by Andrew “Than” Palmer [CustomGamer Video]
• Level Design Diary – PowerStruggle v1.1 [CustomGamer Video]
• Dark Souls 2 “Maluja” [Polygon Fragments YouTube Video]

Other:

• Quake 1 Mod – Quoth 2.2 Released [func_msgboard]

LEVEL-DESIGN.org Reference Database Updates:

• Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood – First few levels [Gallery Page]
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 (MP) – DLC Levels [Gallery Page]
• Fallout: New Vegas – DLC Levels [Gallery Page]