Level design is something that is often there as a way to simply service the gameplay. You make sections that enable to game loop. Half Life 1 is designed this way: set pieces for aliens and marines to have interesting encounters.
Viktor designed levels that felt part of worlds that are lived in. City 17, where Half Life 2 takes place, feels like a believable dystopia. With evil guards and propaganda and a looming techno tower of Sauron.
Dishonored pushed this even further, with levels that not only are equally well presented, but can be traversed in so many creative ways. It’s a sandbox for the mind.
I remember listening to HL2 in-game commentary from the game devs. One that stuck to me was something along the lines "It really pains me that we put so much effort in all these connecting hallways and the players just run past them at mach 3 speeds, but you got to do it anyway otherwise the hallway looks out of place" (paraphrasing, not direct quote)
It’s the tension between narrative storytelling and content creation. Also why so many indie developers end up making games that are a couple rooms with changing details (12 minutes, etc)!
Level design is something that is often there as a way to simply service the gameplay. You make sections that enable to game loop. Half Life 1 is designed this way: set pieces for aliens and marines to have interesting encounters.
Viktor designed levels that felt part of worlds that are lived in. City 17, where Half Life 2 takes place, feels like a believable dystopia. With evil guards and propaganda and a looming techno tower of Sauron.
Dishonored pushed this even further, with levels that not only are equally well presented, but can be traversed in so many creative ways. It’s a sandbox for the mind.
Rip, your work was brilliant and inspiring.