After reviewing a GDC talk of “Ten Principles for Good Level Design” which relates to my game theme, a good level/map design is fun for players to navigate and playground, players appreciate visual languages instead of manual telling them where to go, visual sign and senses are far more important than user manual.

In order to achieve visual language, clarity is very important for example different colours to indicate different state of different design, such as blue object for jumping, white object for running.

Players wouldn't enjoy game thats too challenging and confused, also wouldn't enjoy design thats too easy and boring, and players do want to have their own choices to change direction and tasks of game. And choices could be like multiple choices that players would have freedom to choose between for joys, which is like game winning missions, there could be parallel missions to win the game, which increase the diversity of game and missions, and these has to do with human brain enjoy “pattern analysis”; which means good level design matters in game and rhythem of each level design also matters to keep all level design intense and interesting.

Good level design can always bring surprises to players. They will allow players to find new gameplay or surprises or new challenges in an already accustomed level mode. Challenges also mean the player's own risk. New surprises and challenges need to give players the odds of failure as well as the opportunity for players to enjoy and try to challenge those possible failures and victories. I mentioned in the pitch of the game that there will be many traps and portals in the level design. Portals can be obvious or hidden, and even their design can be iconic such as fixed color or exterior design fixed/unfixed.

At the same time, these pros and cons, the probability of failure and success need to be felt by the player visually or audibly, such as evolution, upgrade, becoming a boss in the game, etc. These conditions and results of success and failure need to be intuitively felt by the player , and intuitively displayed in the game experience. For example, before the players in the game are about to be caught by ghosts, the overall UI design will have warning special effects, or the fear index will increase.

Layers of level can bring players a tense experience of early warning, such as early warning when the player is close to failure, giving the player a chance to get out of danger, and at the same time warning the player that he should take action, otherwise he will fail, which gives the player a delay. , instead of failing immediately or even trying to recover, it gives the player a kind of initiative and warning.