
Steambirds: How handcrafted levels prevent game design iteration - dirtyaura
http://www.lostgarden.com/2010/12/steambirds-survival-goodbye-handcrafted.html
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RodgerTheGreat
For some genres, procedurally-defined levels are fine, but when handcrafted
levels are done properly there's a pretty substantial difference. I'm reminded
of an interview[1] with Shigeru Miyamoto and Satoru Iwata discussing the first
level of Super Mario Brothers:

    
    
      "But if you avoid the first Goomba and then jump and hit a block above
      you, a mushroom will spring out and you'll get a shock. But then you'll
      see that it's going to the right so you'll think: 'I'm safe! Something
      strange appeared but I'm okay!' But of course when it goes against a pipe
      up ahead, the mushroom will come back.
    
      At that point, even if you panic and try to jump out of the way, you'll
      hit the block above you. Then just at the instant where you accept that
      you're done for, Mario will suddenly shake and grow bigger! You might not
      really know what's just happened, but at the very least, you'll realize
      that you haven't lost the turn."
    

[1] <http://us.wii.com/iwata_asks/nsmb/vol1_page4.jsp>

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T-R
The author makes a good point that randomly generated levels significantly
affect the way that a game is played, but they shouldn't by any means be
considered superior to handcrafted levels - players have different preferences
for playstyles, and game designers should consider which playstyles they
intend to appeal to when deciding on a genre and a level design strategy.

Consider the Megaman series - players are encouraged to master each level, and
speed runs are a major draw and source of replay value. Similarly, part of the
brilliance in the level design in Sonic 3&Knuckles (that disappeared from
later Sonic games) was that it encouraged the player to try different paths to
find an optimal route for finding special stages. Exploration and speed runs
are a draw for the Zelda, Mario, and Metroid series as well - the quality of
level design is a major selling point for the core audience of these series.

Randomly generated stages certainly have their advantages for replay value,
but they also remove incentive for exploration and speed runs, which means
you're potentially forfeiting the audience that prefers those play styles.

To go a step further into the realm of "video games as art", consider the RPGs
and survival horror games like Fatal Frame - cinematography is a significant
element, as is the player's emotional connection to certain areas. Randomly
generated levels don't create as strong a connection with players, which
diminishes the designer's ability to use locations as a significant story
element. It would be difficult to create such strong storytelling without a
high level of control over the environment.

Some genres, like Arcade Shooters, RTS, and FPS may lend themselves less
toward these play styles, but it's certainly not restricted by genre, either -
Bullet Hell shooters, like Ikaruga, for example, are designed with players who
favor level mastery in mind. It all depends on the audience you want to appeal
to and the game elements that you want to focus on.

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dkersten
Sonic 3 & Knuckles was a beautifully crafted game (and one of the few popular
platformers of the time where there were multiple routes through levels). Its
still one of my favourite games to this day.

" _consider the RPGs and survival horror games ..._ "

Speaking of survival horror games, the Left4Dead procedural editing of levels
works quite well (though the general layout is handcrafted). I think a similar
mechanism would work quite well for games where completely procedurally
generated levels aren't desirable.

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pbiggar
One problem with Left 4 Dead is that you rapidly run out of levels (even
though each level is very well designed).

I think random levels would work very well, especially for online gaming. If a
team didn't know the level, it would really feel like exploring a dangerous
zombie infested world.

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dkersten
Oh, I agree. I just meant that its a reasonable intermediate level of
procedurally generated levels. I think for a future version they could ramp up
how much is randomly generated instead of hand crafted.

I like the idea because you get a nice mixture between replayable random
levels and nice and well designed human designed levels.

Theres definitely a lot of room for future improvement though and I'm excited
to think about what we may have to play with in the future.

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TheEzEzz
I can't stress how fantastic it is being free from the chains of handcrafted
levels. You can really iterate and refine the core mechanics all the way up to
end of production. It's liberating!

For some genres interesting levels are a must though. My own current project
is looking at how to generate platformer levels that are both interesting and
possible to beat. I've got a pretty powerful algorithm up and running, with a
pre-trailer up at <http://www.pwnee.com>

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thristian
I'm sure you already know about this, but people interested in randomly-
generated platformer levels may well be interested in Spelunky:

<http://www.spelunkyworld.com/>

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TheEzEzz
Awesome. Great to see some more procedural stuff out there! And they made it
on to XBLA, that gives me a lot of hope =D

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podperson
There's an insight here and a fallacy.

The insight is that behavior is more interesting and flexible than content.

The fallacy in the title is the idea of a "level" entirely encapsulating the
gameplay opportunities. The point is that the game developer needs to trade
off static content vs. dynamic behavior. Some "behavior" may look like
content.

Or next we'll argue than randomly generated graphics are equally liberating,

Still, as always, an interesting article.

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zupatol
I like the opposition of lifelong hobbies to disposable media.

Next time someone asks if games are art, dismiss art as disposable media. But
seeing art as a consumer product is sterile. It's healthier to consider it a
lifelong hobby. In the end, conclude that the artist is the one who plays the
game, not the author.

I wasted so much time playing the first Steambird, it's great, a masterpiece!
I really hope the second one won't become my lifetime hobby.

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johnny22
s/like/liken/ ?

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zupatol
I was referring to this sentence:

 _Deeper, more meaningful systems yield lifelong hobbies, not disposable
media_

I like how he opposes lifelong hobbies to disposable media. It's completely
natural coming from a game designer, but to me it also sounds like he
unintentionnaly questions the meaningfulness of art. This inspires me
sentences that are not entirely clear, late at night.

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jasonkester
This difference is plainly visible if you look at games you're still playing
over and over again after you've 'won'. I have a copy of Master of Orion that
I've been playing since 1991.

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netghost
Just a quick note, this guy did the art for my absolute favorite game of all
time, Tyrian. Definitely worth some play on dosbox at the least ;)

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T-R
Interesting. I was actually thinking about Tyrian as an example of a game
where random level generation would work well (in contrast to those mentioned
in my above comment), and wouldn't detract from nostalgia replay value.
Another example would be X-COM. Both excellent games.

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moultano
Minecraft is the best example of this so far I think.

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obilgic
Please make this game full screen !!!

