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For reviews of three popular retail level editors and more, check out 3D Level Design: Level Editors
When GameSpot tracked down the top game designers in the industry with the hopes of tapping into their expertise about level creation, some interesting but not too surprising generalities arose. Passion, focus, and a sincere interest in the player's experience were some of the common ideas voiced by all.
Sure, many work for competing development houses with slightly different approaches to style and gameplay, but a level design job clearly requires adherence to a few fundamental rules. Think you know what makes id Software's American McGee and Paul Jaquays tick? Ever wonder why gamers praise the divine Levelord? Want to know what's going on in John Romero's hairy head over at ION Storm? Is Digital Extreme's Cliff Bleszinski too Unreal? We'll answer these questions and more.
We'll take you on a voyage through the minds of renowned level creators who are responsible for the world's best-loved maps. We'll also uncover what they feel the role of the level maker should be, while compiling some of their best expert advice for you to apply to your own designs. Going one step further, we've also cornered them into telling us what their favorite Quake and Quake II levels are, including some levels created by gamers like you.
We also talked with other authorities on level design, such as Sean "Redwood" Martin, Eric Brandel, the online editor for Meccaworld, Ben Morris, an ex-Valve employee and creator of Worldcraft, and various members from the prominent PlanetQuake pages.
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