Level Design Master Class: All in One Complete Course

Explore the difference between game design and level design, and learn how documentation from one pager to ldd guides pacing, composition, and player flow.

Define mechanics as the rules that govern how a game works, detailing physical, mental, and control aspects, actions, entities, and win-loss conditions.

level design process part 2 builds on the first lecture by bringing concepts to life through artist handoff, sound, and narration, then cross‑department testing and performance optimization.

Explore the four gamer audiences—killers, achievers, socializers, and explorers—via the Bartel taxonomy, and learn how to tailor level design for competitive play, achievements, social interaction, and exploration.

Sign up for an Unreal Engine 4 account and install engine version 4.23.1 using the Epic Games launcher for this course. Learn to select engine versions and navigate the launcher.

Explore the Unreal Engine interface, launch the editor, and manage packages from the marketplace. Build a third-person project, inspect the inspector, and test play using blueprints.

Create your first level in Unreal by recreating a grid-based map using BSP geometry, skylight lighting, and extrusions to build walls, floors, and the layout from a provided diagram.

Explore the Unity interface and ProBuilder, set up Unity, design grid-based layouts, and build a small level to bring a concept to life, while comparing Unity and Unreal.

Explore the Unity interface and packaging workflow to create a small 3d prototype, learn about scene layouts, components like box colliders, and installing Pro Builder via the package manager.

Explore pro builder in unity by starting with a cube, adding shapes, and extruding faces to form walls and a roof for a simple house.

Save your Unity projects using save and save as, keeping the maze scene accessible, and compare Unity's 2D strengths and level design with ProBuilder to Unreal's visual scripting and marketplace.

Learn a hands-on level design workflow that turns theory into practice by planning environments, defining concepts, themes, narratives, features, lighting, and art direction, then building levels in the engine.

Define your level design portfolio by choosing an environment or a playable map, and document your process for employers with visuals, screenshots, or flythrough videos.

Collect architectural, environmental, lighting, and prop references to build a mood board that defines your level's style, lighting, and atmosphere for level design masterclass.

Craft a cohesive game world by building a strong story through a world design document, balancing explicit and implicit storytelling with the four w's of who, what, where, and when.

Define a distinctive art direction by shaping your level’s style through architecture, textures, lighting, and color palettes; apply color psychology and palette dynamics to govern mood and atmosphere.

Draft a concept map for level design using a rough draft and first iteration. Define a compass street grid, enemy placements, puzzles, and a modular insertion plan.

Refine your concept draft into a clean, labeled level design map with clear blocks. Add final touches and export the map to showcase theory-driven design to potential employers.

Complete the level design mapping theory by building the level design document. Explore the overview, mission location, difficulty, environment, mood, visual themes, and gameplay mechanics, plus the level flowchart.

Design a level design document overview for the fearful forest campaign, detailing mission locations, a cyberpunk atmosphere, and a progressive difficulty curve through acts and puzzles.

Develop a cohesive level with a dark forest mood and a story arc, detailing visual areas and map objectives like freeing prisoners, destroying the power grid, and reaching the watchtower.

Design the level's user interface and HUD, map layout, and objective system, then define gameplay mechanics, enemy types, progression chart, level flow, and layout to guide player progression.

Explore foreground layers to frame the center of interest, the dominant, and recreate the setup in Unreal and Unity using geometry and pro builder.

Design background layers that highlight the dominant center of interest by strong color contrast and brightness, while keeping the foreground minimal and avoiding distracting heavy objects in Unreal and Unity.

Explore site angles and how low, flat, and high perspectives shape the dominant element in a composition, altering emotional triggers and anticipation in level design.

Explore front angle as a depth technique by separating foreground, center of interest, and background to avoid flat scenes, with Unreal and Unity demonstrations.

Explore half front angle to reveal the dominant composition as players approach a mountainside, using Unreal Engine and Unity workflows and practical geometry.

Explore side angle compositions by showcasing a strong dominant from the side, creating depth and balance with foreground and background layers in unreal engine and unity.

Examine observation spots in level design to funnel players, guide focus with angles and lighting, and maintain a consistent dominant across linear and open world layouts.

Explore dynamic, asymmetric composition by placing a medium-sized dominant on one side and balancing with smaller surrounding elements for an organic, weight-distributed scene in level design.

Explore asymmetric composition with no balance, focusing on weight distribution and a distinguishable dominant element through color, lighting, and scale, with Unreal Engine examples.

Explore asymmetric balance in level design by balancing visual weight across dynamic compositions, using Unreal and Unity examples to place dominant and supporting elements with two paths.

Explore symmetric, balanced composition in level design, centering a dominant element and balancing weight across both sides, with Unity and Unreal Engine examples.

Leverage audio to guide the player and shape level mood, using distant sounds to entice exploration and cue doors or other paths.

Explore how leading lines guide players through level design by using practical, virtual, and poetic lines in horizontal, vertical, and curved forms within varied compositions, emphasizing direction and dominant area.

Learn how curved lines create organic level flow, guiding players along an s-shaped path toward a dominant feature, with practical Unreal and Unity examples.

Explore color basics, harmony, contrast, and schemes to design harmonious level visuals that guide the player, using hue, saturation, and value to craft effective palettes.

Use lighting to guide players, highlight exits and paths with contrasting light, and showcase enemies while keeping color palette and art direction consistent.

Use motion to create a dominant moving element that draws the player's attention to the foreground center of interest, while lighting guides decisions and reveals depth.

Create a Unity 2019.3 project, import assets, and design a forest map with ProBuilder by building exterior walls and sectioned interiors. Prepare section one for subsequent sections.

In section 4 of the level design master class, build a 3d map in unity, detailing walls, platforms, modular pieces, and plan the top floor with a cutscene and guards.

Design a six-level tower map with spiraling stairs, interior pillars, and an entrance, then prototype, lay out sections, and test the ascension and battle sequence.

Place and arrange level assets in section 1, focusing on trees, walls, platforms, and lighting to look organic and create clear gameplay space.

Place and stage assets in section 2 to guide player flow, balance lighting and walls, and position enemies and patrols to create leading lines toward the exit.

Place and adjust wire fence assets to build the prison in section 3, resize and snap models, copy elements from section two, and verify alignment along the forest path.

Master asset tuning and tweaking by strategically placing trees, walls, and panels to block line of sight. Refine lighting with spotlights and directional lights and test changes in play.

This refresher explains recreating a cohesive map in the engine using techniques learned, starting with a boxed layout, then adding placeholder enemies, puzzles, and a boss room, guided by lines.

Move and rename the grid to Master Floor, then design Section three with precise layouts, dimensions, and interior boxes, while testing with a scaled player character and planning future assets.

Design section five by establishing the elevated tower space and floor layout. Place cylinders, stairs, and placeholder boxes to visualize the interior in perspective and prep assets ahead.

Learn to enrich a grey box Unreal Engine level by importing free assets: tempered vegetation, spruce forest, infinity blade grasslands, furniture pack, skybox, construction props, and M5 VFX fire pack.

Place assets across section four to craft a grungy, deeper map area, arranging rocks, statues, trees, and ruins while adjusting outlines and visibility as you progress.

Place and arrange ruinous tower assets in the Unreal map, configure stairs and walls, and refine interior sections to create a castle-like inner environment.

Expand the level map and build an immersive environment by organizing an environment folder, placing grass, vines, trees, rocks, and decorative props, then test and tweak to block player movement.