Learn the ART of Level Design

Learn the ART of Level Design, available at $84.99, has an average rating of 4.3, with 75 lectures, based on 290 reviews, and has 2666 subscribers.

You will learn about Youll learn design principles and skills so you too can design game levels like a pro. Quickly iterate, and get awesome results. This course is ideal for individuals who are If you want to learn the fundamentals of level design, level building and how to iterate quickly like a pro, then this course is for you. It is particularly useful for If you want to learn the fundamentals of level design, level building and how to iterate quickly like a pro, then this course is for you.

Enroll now: Learn the ART of Level Design

Summary

Title: Learn the ART of Level Design

Price: $84.99

Average Rating: 4.3

Number of Lectures: 75

Number of Published Lectures: 75

Number of Curriculum Items: 75

Number of Published Curriculum Objects: 75

Original Price: $39.99

Quality Status: approved

Status: Live

What You Will Learn

Youll learn design principles and skills so you too can design game levels like a pro. Quickly iterate, and get awesome results.

Who Should Attend

If you want to learn the fundamentals of level design, level building and how to iterate quickly like a pro, then this course is for you.

Target Audiences

If you want to learn the fundamentals of level design, level building and how to iterate quickly like a pro, then this course is for you.

WHAT YOU ARE GOING TO LEARN:

Design compelling, engaging video game levels like a professional. To do this you need game design skills, and if you want to stand out from the crowd, you need to build your own levels and present your skills to potential clients / employers.

Drawing on 30 years of game development, experience in art and game design, and a game design book published by Pearson Education (not included), I will show you how to create your own game ready levels from scratch. You will begin with learning the basics of creating bubble diagrams and sketching on paper to iterate quickly, then onto creating a 3D game environment presented  in Unity. You will learn to use pro builder and pro grids to aid in your level creations.

DESIGN / STORY / EMOTION:

Creating levels for games, is at the heart of this course, but it’s also about the ideas and the game design process that spawn the levels and worlds in which we play our games. The story you can tell through level design and the emotion your scene can invoke is also key to creating a successful level, and I will show you techniques on how you can deliver that in this course.

DESIGN PRINCIPALS:

I will teach you over 30 design principles and level creation techniques that level designers use today in top selling AAA games. Principles like; Design From the Core; Foreshadowing; Exposure; Layering; Immersion; Fight or Flight; Up the Ante; Pacing; Progression; Player Feedback; Situational Awareness; Scalable Rewards; Difficulty Ramping; Enemy Placement; Loot Placement; Player Choice; Colour as a Design tool, and many, many more.

You will learn how to build a level in a 3D environment and install a character controller so you can explore and see your level from the players perspective, and come to realise what an iterative process level design actually is.

This course is perfect for anybody seriously wishing to pursue a career as a Level Designer in the video game industry and would like to follow the process of level design by building an entire white box scene using various design principles and techniques.

It’s suitable for beginners to Intermediate levels. The more advanced designers may find that you’re going over old ground in some areas, but it can still be a worthy refresher course. Over time, the course will get regular updates and keep on trend with industry techniques and standards.

PLEASE NOTE: This IS NOT AN ART COURSE. Level design is a very specific discipline within the games industry, and here we are primarily focusing on highly detailed, level creation process in white box form. I am also not a programmer so there is no prgramming in this course. However, I am going to add an additional section to cover some basic scripting at a later date, as an extra section to this course.

Course Curriculum

Chapter 1: Introduction

Lecture 1: Introduction to The Course

Chapter 2: Course Details

Lecture 1: Course Requirements

Lecture 2: Course Structure

Lecture 3: How to Get the Most From This Course

Lecture 4: Join our Facebook Page.

Chapter 3: Whats it all About?

Lecture 1: Introduction

Lecture 2: What is a Level Designer

Lecture 3: What is a Level?

Lecture 4: Constraints

Lecture 5: Position Your Level

Lecture 6: Level Components | Breaking it down

Lecture 7: Conclusion

Chapter 4: Developing Your Concept

Lecture 1: Introduction

Lecture 2: So where do I start – Ideas.

Lecture 3: The Design Brief

Lecture 4: CHALLENGE | Create Your Own Design Brief

Lecture 5: Creating Reference / Mood Boards

Lecture 6: Get Scribbling

Lecture 7: CHALLENGE | Create your Bubble Diagram

Lecture 8: Conclusion

Chapter 5: Design Principles

Lecture 1: Introduction

Lecture 2: The Map (first look forward)

Lecture 3: CHALLENGE | Follow Along

Lecture 4: Beats

Lecture 5: Design From the Core

Lecture 6: Exposure / Priming

Lecture 7: Layering / Immersion

Lecture 8: Shaping / Fight or Flight

Lecture 9: Up the Ante

Lecture 10: Pacing and Progression

Lecture 11: Communication / Player Feedback

Lecture 12: More about Communication

Lecture 13: Situational Awareness & Resolution

Lecture 14: Scalable Rewards & Difficulty Ramping

Lecture 15: Foreshadowing

Lecture 16: Colour as a Design Tool

Lecture 17: Refine Your 2D Map

Lecture 18: Conclusion

Chapter 6: Setting Up Unity

Lecture 1: Installing Unity, ProBuilder and Grids

Lecture 2: Unity | ProBuilder Overview

Lecture 3: Unity | Setting Up The Controller

Chapter 7: White Boxing | Blocking Out The Shapes

Lecture 1: Introduction

Lecture 2: Example of a Good White Box Level

Lecture 3: Form Follows Function | Part 1

Lecture 4: Form Follows Function | Part 2

Lecture 5: Composition and Colour | Part 1

Lecture 6: Composition and Colour | Part 2

Lecture 7: What is Modular Design?

Lecture 8: Modular Design | Part 1

Lecture 9: Modular Design | Part 2

Lecture 10: Modular Design | Challenge

Lecture 11: Focal Points

Lecture 12: Keep it Clear of Clutter

Lecture 13: Into The Lions Den

Lecture 14: Storytelling Mechanisms

Lecture 15: Progress Update | Challenge

Lecture 16: First Draft | Basic Structure

Lecture 17: Conclusion

Chapter 8: Adding The FUNctionality

Lecture 1: Introduction

Lecture 2: Your Fix List

Lecture 3: Re-focus on the Game Mechanics

Lecture 4: Placeholder Prop Preperation

Lecture 5: Core Object Placement

Lecture 6: Whitebox Level Update

Lecture 7: Enemy Placement / Pacing | Part 1

Lecture 8: Enemy Placement / Pacing | Part 2

Lecture 9: Walkthrough Update

Lecture 10: Pickup Placement | Part 1

Lecture 11: Pickup Impact | Part 1

Lecture 12: Pickups Can Change Your Level | Part 2

Lecture 13: Game Events and Traps

Chapter 9: Scripting / Functionality

Lecture 1: Introduction

Lecture 2: What is NavMesh

Lecture 3: Adding NavMesh to your scene

Chapter 10: Bonus Lecture

Lecture 1: Bonus Lecture

Instructors

Kevin Oxland
Game Developer, Creative Director and Writer

Rating Distribution

1 stars: 11 votes

2 stars: 8 votes

3 stars: 27 votes

4 stars: 82 votes

5 stars: 162 votes

Frequently Asked Questions

How long do I have access to the course materials?

You can view and review the lecture materials indefinitely, like an on-demand channel.

Can I take my courses with me wherever I go?

Definitely! If you have an internet connection, courses on Udemy are available on any device at any time. If you don’t have an internet connection, some instructors also let their students download course lectures. That’s up to the instructor though, so make sure you get on their good side!