Level designer

A level designer is a person who creates levels, challenges or missions for computer and/or video games using a specific set of programs. These programs may be commonly available commercial 3D or 2D design programs, or specially designed and tailored level editors made for a specific game.

In addition to actually making the environments the player inhabits in the game, a level designer may also work on enemy or Non-player character placement or scripted story events. They may also write high-level code, altering game rules or scoring in a multiplayer game, for instance.

Level design and mappers

A level designer may also be called a mapper; this term is however chiefly used in reference to people working on lower level free mods. This term technically only applies to people who are only able to work well in few specific areas of the level design process, such as being able to create geometry while unable to properly illuminate it. Using the term level designer to describe someone is generally reserved for those that have attained a certain level of mastery, in the engine they are designing for, so that they may control all aspects of the player experience.

Process

In developing a game, level designers are responsible for producing scenarios that the player will enjoy. A level designer will usually work on a level from design to completion, though rarely is one designer the sole editor of a level. For each level in a modern game, this task involves documenting its design, modeling or laying out its environment, and placing game entities in it. To perform these duties, many level designers have skills as both a visual artist and as a game designer, although in recent years the responsibility for visual, structural and gameplay related tasks has been increasingly divided among several specialists.

Notable level designers

A number of individuals have made significant contributions to the field of PC First Person Shooter (FPS) levels. These level designers include: John Romero, responsible for a great deal of the level design for "Doom", and Richard "Levelord" Gray, creator of a number of levels for "Duke Nukem 3D" and "SiN".Fact|date=October 2007

History

One of the first games that had an individual whose job was solely to design the levels was 1983's "Lode Runner", which was also one of the first titles to ship with a level editor to allow users to create their own levels.

ee also

* Level editor