Task 11: Elements of game design, part four: environment

Level design is one aspect that all games need to have, if they do not then a game will not work. When a developer makes an environment then he needs to consider what sort of objects and pathways are going to be in it. They also need to make it compelling as well as easy to navigate for users. The developers in Mirror Edge used unique markings on different parts of the map, to make it suitable for users. Mirror Edge is a game where the character needs to find a route and somehow get to that place. The level design is very interesting as the whole map is usually in a very plain colour, however the important parts are coloured in red so the player can identify where he/she needs to go. I think without this it would have been very difficult.

Depending on the environment the mood and atmosphere can change dramatically, it will allow the user to figure out what is happening in the game. When the mood and story are combined this is when a game or even a film comes to life.

Big games such as Call of Duty have many developers working on a single map this is because the demand gets higher and higher as the year goes on. This is not to say that each year people will get a better map. I for one think that the previous maps for Call of Duty are better. Not everyone is satisfied with the end results. Small companies who are developing environments are sometimes better than the big companies.

I do not think that realism matters in games as I for one am a game play person rather than graphics person. There are some people who think that all graphics need to be on par with the current year; meaning each year all game graphics need to improve. I do not think this necessary as I think this will indefinitely increase the time in which a game is made, and thus people might lose interest in the game, as in the case for Gran Turismo 5.

Back in the Square-enix even they showed game play for Final Fantasy Verses 13, which was awesome! In an interview one of the developers said that one of the streets is actually a street scene from the Square-enix headquarters in Japan. This is something I think developers should incorporate in their games as users could identify themselves in that area and also be familiar with that certain location.