One of the best presentations I've heard on Level Design. I constantly find myself rewatching this lecture and feel like I learn something new each time. Thank you for sharing!
I did my level design test with the help of this video and passed, now I've been working as a level designer for an indie company for over 6 months now :)
This could be a semester-long course in level design, yet presented in under 40 minutes with clear, concise examples. Toggling between different possible solutions to show why one method works better than the other is extremely effective. I plan to re-watch this periodically as a refresher. Thank you for taking the time to create it, and for generously sharing such a wealth of information with those hungry enough to learn.
This talk legitimately made me feel robbed that I didn't get to play this level... ! The effort you put into the space to aid in this explanation is much appreciated! Fantastic communication on such a complex topic.
When I was a student in university, this video helped me a lot getting started. I still keep coming back constantly and getting new ideas from this video after 3 years in 3A industry. I can tell that this video is truly the essence of level design regarding building level in 3d. Master this video and one will master designing 3D level in majority situations. Thank you for the magic in this video. Appreciate it a lot.😋
I have been looking for Level Design videos for some time and none of them gave me as much useful information as this video. Also it was presented in a easy to understand way. Dreams was really perfect for this 3D - Power Point presentation.
7:48 This example bad communication reminded me of Antichamber. The whole concept there was bad communication. Release comes when you walk away, whether you've stuck through it all or abandoned it. The author was very proud of himself.
Amazing video! A lot of great info in there! But two situations confused me. - In the first room, seeing the lighthouse in the distance and with the blinders waving with the wind dragging my attention and telling me that the window is open, it was much more obvious to me that the way forward was jumping out of the window instead of over the crates. - The locked gate that you need to interact to knock down the crate also felt strange. From a medium distance the gate looks blocked because the padlock is pretty obvious. On the other hand it's impossible to know that you need to interact with it first to knock down the crate and open the path forward. The crate and the gate are not logically connected with each other, so might be a situation where the player looks at the gate, realizes it's locked and start to roam around without a way to find the key just because they didn't interact with the gate first. Just my 2 cents. Again, thank you! Awesome talk!
I definitely agree with the portion about the locked gate being connected to the crates nearby. As a suggestion for the maker/modeler of this game for that portion I would recommend including a cutscene showing a quick overview of the area including the padlock, the crates and any important information needed like some sort of small action (like a person dropping the keys in the drawer it was in in the guard tower). This might be helpful for other parts of the game, too!
@@lhmsc I agree with both of these points. I think the window could be solved by just having it be a fall to death, or a dead end (dead end is more elegant imo) The padlock was always the bit of the demo I was slightly unsatisfied with, but good problem solution ordering examples are super hard to come up with. I think the simplest solution would be just hiding the padlock on the other side of the fence or behind a box but it's probably worth looking for a completely different setup that is cleaner :)
Would really enjoy a short series of reviewing popular games which implement some of these techniques! I think it would really help solidify my understanding in the different use cases.
Easily the best tutorial and best presentation I've seen in my life. Kept me engaged the entire time and every second was crammed with genuinely useful information that was straight-forward and logical.
one of the coolest things about this talk is realizing that, after all this, you still get to add the actual mechanics. he made something fun with literally no mechanics other than basic movement. adding combat etc to this should make it just overflow with fun
Thats definitely the idea. I try to do this with all of my level design huddles too. To try to make them as applicable to different genres and game types as possible :) peterfieldis.wixsite.com/peter-field-design/level-design-huddles
so i was sorting through my "youtube watch later" backlog, and i skimmed through this briefly, to see if it was valuable keeping in the "to be watched" playlist. just listening for like 20 seconds hinted that I was looking at a Level Design GOLD MINE. so here i am watching it for real. This is, like many have voiced, the one of the best level design videos I have ever seen. I plan on this never leaving my Watch Later playlist now in hopes I rewatch and fully absorb this video.
I am personally responsible for at least 5 of the views on this video, and more to come. Please do more of this if you can/ want to. The way you walk through each thought so clearly and precisely, while leaving room for specific applications of those thoughts is effective, and entertaining. Thank you so much for making this 4 years ago!
Thank you a lot Peter, very interinsting and usefull notions. It's very nice to understand the non-verbal communication in our favorite games. I am discovering more and more that the main charachter in Half Life serie or The last of us is actually space and world building. Simplicity can tell a lot of stories.
Yeah, thats a good point. I think it could be solved by hiding the padlock but there is also this example from a puzzle I made for The Last of Us that may be a cleaner example :) ruclips.net/video/GKBVe2blh0w/видео.html
@@peterfieldis which by the way looking back at what I said, the rest of the tutorial stood out to me and was very insightful. I learned a lot actually and would like to compliment you there.
I've never heard these fundamentals presented so concisely, yet clearly demonstrated too, you've done a great job with this, as I am certain you do in your design work as well. Cheers!
Thank you for this video! As a level design student this was super interesting, both hearing stuff I've been taught before being repeated and explained in new ways (with an excellent presentation level, I actually found this video because one of my teachers referenced the "breaking down walls" part of the video in one of their talks), and lots of ideas I've never heard as well! My favorite tip was building on uneven terrain; I often find myself following the grid much more than I really need to without being sure of where and why I should move off the grid, but having an actual foundation below definitely sounds like it would help a lot!
Thanks for this video! I feel like this gets all the information I didn't know I needed about level design, and the fact that it's all built on communication. A good level is a constant conversation with the player.
Thanks for such a good presentation! I've been a game designer for a few years now and I'm currently deep diving into level design. This was super useful to learn new things and also to figure out how to put into words approaches and ideas that I generally have as I build my levels. It's quite hard to explain to others what is sometimes intuitive to me, and this is super helpful for that.
Wow, I've wanted to find a video like this for such a long time, so glad it came up on my feed. So many great techniques explained so clearly... can't wait to start trying to put some of this into practice!
dude, this was so so so usefull I can't even describe. I've recently started studying game design and level design has been really confusing for me to experiment and test on. I'm having fun with the experimentation, but having concepts to think while design stuff is very welcome and it is a nice tool since I do have a deadline on the projects lul. Thank you very much for the video!
Its true. I'm not really building a channel. I just use this as a place to share videos I ocasionally make. But glad these vids are helpful to people :)
Seriously, this video should have waaay more visibility! Awesome work! The best level design guideline I've seen so far, showing the levels on practice makes a huge difference.
Such a great video, well presented with an excellent demo. And that level just shows how you can take simple concepts, tie them together and make something that guides the player incredibly well, without them even knowing they're being guided.
This was an amazing talk. I really liked your way of presenting your ideas and points. Like being in the game and stopping for a moment to elaborate. Thanks a lot. 💝
This video is what we call "hidden gem". The level design reminded me of the games I played in the ps1-ps2 era. Thank you for making this. I am sorry that the algorithm gods have not blessed you appropriate, because this video deserves at least 1 million views! Cheers.
I'm do environment art but this was still such a great line of insight to level design. I love that concept of establishing the starting area and end point right away! I think in terms of getting away from a blank canvas, that's easily the best advice for a first step that I can think of.
great talk, thank you for this video. i really like how you have used the interactivity of dreams in this presentation. its really clever and a fast way to show what you are talking about. please create more content like this. i know its been 2 years already 😅
Legitimately the most well constructed and informative presentation on Level Design I’ve ever seen. Wonderful content with perfect pacing, thank you for the effort you put into crafting this. It taught me so many techniques that I’m genuinely astonished (and rather frustrated) were skimped over in my “formal” education.
That's an amazing presentation, thank you so much! It was super clear, and also allowed me to experience the emotions that the level design is trying to craft for the player.
This was amazing, thank you so much! The way you put complex topics into very logical and understandable chunks of information is just super cool! Also love all of your other videos, please make more :)
I'm studying Game Art and Design, this video basically TLDR'd an entire semester of Level Design, in fact there's stuff here I don't recall being covered in my class, like one-way valves, tearing down walls, and privileged perspective. Gonna keep this video in mind when making my final project!
@@InjuredMuffin2 yeah, the truth is we are all just making it up as we go. There is no rule book or right way to do this stuff. Just gotta trust your gut and do what you think is best. I think my tips would be different even now if I were to make something like this again :)
Thank you for such an informative talk. You illustrated your various points so well with each area of the level, and with the level as a whole. This is really high quality content that I'm grateful to have come across. I'm excited to implement these ideas in my own level design, and feel that I am much better equipped than before to approach design with solid conceptual tools at my disposal!
After building my 5 levels I was using so many of these ideas so it’s really cool to see that reinforcement from your talk that I’m on the right path. I did learn a lot more ideas which will be in the next game. More fun less frustration.
If a level designer from media molecule speaks. You listen. Some of the most memorable level design I've ever played. Thanks for this talk.
This is the level design crash course you never knew you needed.
Fr
Precisely
Probably the best level design guide I've ever seen
same!
true, I can't find another one that good
I agree. It is definitely the best I've come by on RUclips.
Whenever i find a video like this, with tremendous wisdom and low views, i wonder how many other hidden gems are out there that i may never find.
One of the best presentations I've heard on Level Design. I constantly find myself rewatching this lecture and feel like I learn something new each time. Thank you for sharing!
That's what I was thinking! To come back and revisit this amazing video again!
same
same
I did my level design test with the help of this video and passed, now I've been working as a level designer for an indie company for over 6 months now :)
This could be a semester-long course in level design, yet presented in under 40 minutes with clear, concise examples. Toggling between different possible solutions to show why one method works better than the other is extremely effective. I plan to re-watch this periodically as a refresher. Thank you for taking the time to create it, and for generously sharing such a wealth of information with those hungry enough to learn.
Thank you for the kind workds @jesterspawn. I'm really glad you found this video helpful :)
This talk legitimately made me feel robbed that I didn't get to play this level... ! The effort you put into the space to aid in this explanation is much appreciated! Fantastic communication on such a complex topic.
@@whalics I'm looking into making a playable version but it will be a while off :)
When I was a student in university, this video helped me a lot getting started. I still keep coming back constantly and getting new ideas from this video after 3 years in 3A industry. I can tell that this video is truly the essence of level design regarding building level in 3d. Master this video and one will master designing 3D level in majority situations.
Thank you for the magic in this video. Appreciate it a lot.😋
@@callmeishmaelblue7187 aw, thanks so much for the kind words. I try my best. Where are you working in AAA now?
@@peterfieldis I have been working in Ubisoft since graduated and keep working on the latest AC project.
I have been looking for Level Design videos for some time and none of them gave me as much useful information as this video. Also it was presented in a easy to understand way. Dreams was really perfect for this 3D - Power Point presentation.
How did I only just find this, this is golden, thanks for all the wisdom! Very well done
This is seriously the best level design videos I’ve ever seen. I can’t thank you enough!! Much love ❤
fully agree, even feels wrong knowing I'm among the just 30K people who have seen it
7:48 This example bad communication reminded me of Antichamber. The whole concept there was bad communication. Release comes when you walk away, whether you've stuck through it all or abandoned it. The author was very proud of himself.
"presentable blockout" could be an interesting aesthetic for a game. it looks pretty cool
This is some really great, condensed information. The live demo is super cool and well-done!
Great talk! I really like the toggle you have to show different iterations of the space, it adds a lot to the walkthrough.
From start to finish, this is a fantastic dive into level design. Not a wasted inch of your viewing time.
Amazing video! A lot of great info in there!
But two situations confused me.
- In the first room, seeing the lighthouse in the distance and with the blinders waving with the wind dragging my attention and telling me that the window is open, it was much more obvious to me that the way forward was jumping out of the window instead of over the crates.
- The locked gate that you need to interact to knock down the crate also felt strange. From a medium distance the gate looks blocked because the padlock is pretty obvious. On the other hand it's impossible to know that you need to interact with it first to knock down the crate and open the path forward. The crate and the gate are not logically connected with each other, so might be a situation where the player looks at the gate, realizes it's locked and start to roam around without a way to find the key just because they didn't interact with the gate first.
Just my 2 cents. Again, thank you! Awesome talk!
I definitely agree with the portion about the locked gate being connected to the crates nearby. As a suggestion for the maker/modeler of this game for that portion I would recommend including a cutscene showing a quick overview of the area including the padlock, the crates and any important information needed like some sort of small action (like a person dropping the keys in the drawer it was in in the guard tower). This might be helpful for other parts of the game, too!
@@lhmsc I agree with both of these points. I think the window could be solved by just having it be a fall to death, or a dead end (dead end is more elegant imo)
The padlock was always the bit of the demo I was slightly unsatisfied with, but good problem solution ordering examples are super hard to come up with. I think the simplest solution would be just hiding the padlock on the other side of the fence or behind a box but it's probably worth looking for a completely different setup that is cleaner :)
This was an excellent and creatively presented design talk, amazing work!
Wow what a treasure trove of design principles, thanks for sharing
Would really enjoy a short series of reviewing popular games which implement some of these techniques! I think it would really help solidify my understanding in the different use cases.
Level Design Masterclass. Incredible.
Easily the best tutorial and best presentation I've seen in my life. Kept me engaged the entire time and every second was crammed with genuinely useful information that was straight-forward and logical.
one of the coolest things about this talk is realizing that, after all this, you still get to add the actual mechanics. he made something fun with literally no mechanics other than basic movement. adding combat etc to this should make it just overflow with fun
Thats definitely the idea. I try to do this with all of my level design huddles too. To try to make them as applicable to different genres and game types as possible :)
peterfieldis.wixsite.com/peter-field-design/level-design-huddles
so i was sorting through my "youtube watch later" backlog, and i skimmed through this briefly, to see if it was valuable keeping in the "to be watched" playlist. just listening for like 20 seconds hinted that I was looking at a Level Design GOLD MINE. so here i am watching it for real. This is, like many have voiced, the one of the best level design videos I have ever seen. I plan on this never leaving my Watch Later playlist now in hopes I rewatch and fully absorb this video.
Thank you very much for this talk! It's amazing how many pieces of knowledge you've integrated in relatively short video. Great job!
Amazing presentation! The interactive format is very well-used. It's a pleasure to find such a high quality educational video!
I am personally responsible for at least 5 of the views on this video, and more to come. Please do more of this if you can/ want to. The way you walk through each thought so clearly and precisely, while leaving room for specific applications of those thoughts is effective, and entertaining. Thank you so much for making this 4 years ago!
This felt like a 10 Minute video, incredible! Maybe one of the best educational videos I have watched on RUclips period.
This video is an absolute gem. I will rewatch it over and over again in the future, that's for sure. Thanks a lot for sharing your knowledge Peter 💎
This video is genuinely helpful. Definitely worth watching more than once. I laughed out loud when he said he was so nervous.
Thank you a lot Peter, very interinsting and usefull notions. It's very nice to understand the non-verbal communication in our favorite games. I am discovering more and more that the main charachter in Half Life serie or The last of us is actually space and world building. Simplicity can tell a lot of stories.
A great breakdown for environment designers too. So streamlined. Thanks. 🎉
I wouldn’t have checked the gate seeing there was a lock on it. I would have assumed it was locked until I found something.
Yeah, thats a good point. I think it could be solved by hiding the padlock but there is also this example from a puzzle I made for The Last of Us that may be a cleaner example :)
ruclips.net/video/GKBVe2blh0w/видео.html
@@peterfieldis which by the way looking back at what I said, the rest of the tutorial stood out to me and was very insightful. I learned a lot actually and would like to compliment you there.
This truly is a college grade lecture. Thanks for putting it together
Really amazing presentation ! Planning your talk around a level rather than slides makes it so more powerful, thank you.
Astonishing work! One of the BEST videos in level design I've ever seen!
I've never heard these fundamentals presented so concisely, yet clearly demonstrated too, you've done a great job with this, as I am certain you do in your design work as well. Cheers!
A beautiful example of explaining level design... clap, clap
This was fantastic. So much great information packaged so succinctly. Thanks for the lesson! 🙏
Thank you for this video! As a level design student this was super interesting, both hearing stuff I've been taught before being repeated and explained in new ways (with an excellent presentation level, I actually found this video because one of my teachers referenced the "breaking down walls" part of the video in one of their talks), and lots of ideas I've never heard as well! My favorite tip was building on uneven terrain; I often find myself following the grid much more than I really need to without being sure of where and why I should move off the grid, but having an actual foundation below definitely sounds like it would help a lot!
Dang... this is the best thing I've seen on this subject. Very well put together. Thank you for all the examples.
Thanks for this video! I feel like this gets all the information I didn't know I needed about level design, and the fact that it's all built on communication. A good level is a constant conversation with the player.
I‘ve worked as a quest and level designer for almost two decades and this video is seriously amazing! Also your block-outs are beautiful!
Bravo, what a fantastic video. Thanks for taking the time to share this knowledge!
This video is so underrated. I learned so much from this.
So far one of the best videos on level design and blocking, appreciate your proper work!
Thanks for such a good presentation! I've been a game designer for a few years now and I'm currently deep diving into level design. This was super useful to learn new things and also to figure out how to put into words approaches and ideas that I generally have as I build my levels. It's quite hard to explain to others what is sometimes intuitive to me, and this is super helpful for that.
Wow, I've wanted to find a video like this for such a long time, so glad it came up on my feed. So many great techniques explained so clearly... can't wait to start trying to put some of this into practice!
Love this video. It's amazing what can be achieved by utilizing good level design and almost nothing else.
Phenomenal breakdown of core concepts with great examples!
bro thank u do much. I'm studying game design, I'm 5 years deep and nothing was as educative as this vid..
dude, this was so so so usefull I can't even describe. I've recently started studying game design and level design has been really confusing for me to experiment and test on. I'm having fun with the experimentation, but having concepts to think while design stuff is very welcome and it is a nice tool since I do have a deadline on the projects lul. Thank you very much for the video!
This guy has less subscribers than a couple people I know personally. I can't believe how much good information is in this video
Its true. I'm not really building a channel. I just use this as a place to share videos I ocasionally make. But glad these vids are helpful to people :)
Seriously, this video should have waaay more visibility! Awesome work! The best level design guideline I've seen so far, showing the levels on practice makes a huge difference.
Thanks for making this video, Peter! This is a perfect introduction to level design and I enjoyed watching it! 👊
This is by far the best level design crash course I've seen. It's a masterclass!
Fantastic talk, and a great use of Dreams to create a more engaging way of presenting those ideas!
Amazing, you gives me a bunch of ideas and better understanding the exploration mechanics. I really appreciate that!
You gain a new follower 😁👍
This is an exceptional video and guide.
This may be the most concise and well organized tutorial on a fairly abstract concept that I've ever seen in my life. Thank you!
A great breakdown for the logic behind level design, just what a beginner needs
Such a great video, well presented with an excellent demo. And that level just shows how you can take simple concepts, tie them together and make something that guides the player incredibly well, without them even knowing they're being guided.
Thank you so much, such a great presentation and a lot of useful information!
This was an amazing talk. I really liked your way of presenting your ideas and points. Like being in the game and stopping for a moment to elaborate.
Thanks a lot. 💝
An actually useful presentation of things that most games are lacking in level design.
Great job!
This video is what we call "hidden gem". The level design reminded me of the games I played in the ps1-ps2 era. Thank you for making this. I am sorry that the algorithm gods have not blessed you appropriate, because this video deserves at least 1 million views! Cheers.
Very nice presentation!! You are awesome!! Thank you for the video!! Excelente LD technique
Amazing! Thanks for sharing your knowledge! Best overview on level design!
having this video and only 1.5k subs is criminal
I'm do environment art but this was still such a great line of insight to level design. I love that concept of establishing the starting area and end point right away! I think in terms of getting away from a blank canvas, that's easily the best advice for a first step that I can think of.
this is the best level design talk ever!
I always find myself coming back to this video, it´s extreamly underated and needs more appretiation !
Thank you for this video Peter !!
Incredibly good tutorial on level design
Dude this needs way more views
What an amazing video
First ever time ive genuinly found a good video on leve design. Masterful work and presented so simply
great talk, thank you for this video. i really like how you have used the interactivity of dreams in this presentation. its really clever and a fast way to show what you are talking about. please create more content like this. i know its been 2 years already 😅
this is seriously very awesome :) i like how he presented what and why every detail is important :)
THE best intro to level design i've ever seen. Bravo
Legitimately the most well constructed and informative presentation on Level Design I’ve ever seen. Wonderful content with perfect pacing, thank you for the effort you put into crafting this. It taught me so many techniques that I’m genuinely astonished (and rather frustrated) were skimped over in my “formal” education.
one of the best Level Design guide on youtube. I would love to pay and see a full course from Peter :)
This was super helpful for study. Great job. Keen to see more of your insights :)
That's an amazing presentation, thank you so much! It was super clear, and also allowed me to experience the emotions that the level design is trying to craft for the player.
One of the best videos on RUclips. Well done, thank you!
very good video I would love to see more content on your channel, the quality is excellent
Love love love this! Amazing presentation to educate us on these ideas! Thank you! Could you make more? ❤
This was amazing, thank you so much! The way you put complex topics into very logical and understandable chunks of information is just super cool! Also love all of your other videos, please make more :)
This was a very great presentation. I loved it. Very well done. Thanks so much!
I'm studying Game Art and Design, this video basically TLDR'd an entire semester of Level Design, in fact there's stuff here I don't recall being covered in my class, like one-way valves, tearing down walls, and privileged perspective. Gonna keep this video in mind when making my final project!
@@InjuredMuffin2 yeah, the truth is we are all just making it up as we go. There is no rule book or right way to do this stuff. Just gotta trust your gut and do what you think is best. I think my tips would be different even now if I were to make something like this again :)
amazing level
and great explanation of flow about level
Well that was a masterclass on game level design!
Thank you for such an informative talk. You illustrated your various points so well with each area of the level, and with the level as a whole. This is really high quality content that I'm grateful to have come across. I'm excited to implement these ideas in my own level design, and feel that I am much better equipped than before to approach design with solid conceptual tools at my disposal!
Dude you're brilliant .. please make more like these .. don't stop ..
Great video, and very informative! Always amazes me how much work goes into good level design!
Such an amazing presentation! Love the work! Thank you for sharing!
this guy is incredibly good in explaining
Incredibly valuable.
It was so exciting, I learned a lot. Thank you very much for your detailed sharing.
After building my 5 levels I was using so many of these ideas so it’s really cool to see that reinforcement from your talk that I’m on the right path. I did learn a lot more ideas which will be in the next game. More fun less frustration.