Posted by Dak on March 20, 1998 at 20:23:48:
In Reply to: JK levels verse levels in other games posted by Blue Ghost on March 20, 1998 at 18:14:53:
> Ok, just wondering if I can get some opinions here. I was wondering if I was the only one who thought that JK, and to some degree MOTS, levels were a bit too linear. That is to say, they aren't really levels in the sense that you can run around the entire level trying to accomplish your mission, but they're more or less just paths for us to follow. I'm talking about the single player levels now, not the multiplayer levels which by design allow access to all parts of the map. The reason I ask this is because I see this as a fundamental flaw in level design. I think back on the Wolfenstein, Doom and Doom II levels, and it seems to me that on many instances, but not all, a player could traverse the entire map and would, in this sense and in my opinion, get a better game experience out of those particular levels. I think about the "Downtown" or "Spaceport" levels from Doom II, and IMHO I think that those kinds of levels are superior to say something like "The Valley Enterance" level which I believe is the first level leading to the Valley of the Jedi in JK, where essentially you follow the stream until you come to a path, then a bridge and so on.
> Myself, as I design my level I'm trying to keep this in mind. Am I making a mistake?
> Opinions? Agreements? Disagreements? Insults? Admonishments? Praise? What do you think? Blue_Ghost
You're on the right track for sure... A linear level is a poor level, especially when you can tell the level author understood that he was making a linear level, wasn't sure how to make it more interesting... so he made the entrance to the next part of the level really hard to find, or guarded by thirteen Dark Troopers... or At-sts... or Dark Jedi statues and stupid stupid vornskrs.. :-)
The third level of Mots (second asteroid level where you start on top of the pipe after jumping off the ledge) is awesome in my opinion for it's non-linear scope. I was lost and confused for a long time... I loved it!!!!
Also, make neat places that would really exist in the world you are creating, even if they aren't important or necesary... I could do without another bathroom ... so don't over do it... and my main complaint it game design today is the fact that there are impossible to reach places that just happen to have a full compliment of storm troopers or other badies... good thing all those troopers had force jump so they could get up to that control room huh? Good luck!
-Dak