Area Design I | 08.30.09

Building 101 - Area Design I thought I'd take a few down the path of how an area design leaves my mind and becomes part of the building process, which I hope to offer every Sunday until the area is complete. LOCATION and REASON This evening I'm going to create a swamp that will offer the player character enough to do and also pull them into the very reason for being there in the first place. As this is one of the first areas of a quest, it requires that jolt of input to shape what it is we want the player to experience. What information the player gathers before heading off here, is that a few villagers have been turned to stone as they venture deeper into the swamp to find a rare type of fish that offers a lot of gold on the open market. Due to its high demand, villagers take the risk of heading into the swamp to find them. As more and more villagers fail to return and those that do return speak of finding friends and family members as stone statues in the swamp, the talk in the village soon changes from finding rare fish to what villager was found as a stone statue. Soon, none of the villagers even want to risk going near the swamp in fear of becoming a stone statue themselves. Sadly, without the income from the rare fish, the villagers are struggling to keep a roof over their heads. Local crops just can't compete. So, like any player looking for some adventure, it offers the player character something to do, either as a side quest or part of a greater plot. One should never exist without the other when creating an area. Each and every area you create needs to have a purpose for existing, otherwise don't bother spending the time it will take to design it. THE AREA Welcome to a generic 6x6 (width x length) layout. For the sake of saving time, I've already plotted out its general design, adding in two small hills in the bottom left and top right of the map, along with some raised ground, all nestled between a dark layer of swampy water. Some trees do dot the landscape but they're part of the area tile itself. Placeables have yet to be added to this current area. Pretty simple, for the most part. Now I try to keep an area pretty small because I don't like the idea, as a player, running around through empty space. So, when I do build an area, I do my best to offer the player something to do in every corner. That's my number one rule because wasting the time of the player is never, ever a good thing. TIDBITS In the behind the scene information, the village is south of this area, so the player will be entering on the bottom left in this area. The water current, although never an issue in any area built with water, is moving from the bottom left to the top right. This is handy information if you use a boat to transition from one area to the next. Does one paddle with the current or against it? In the weeks to follow, I'll detail the hot spots of the area, sound placement, as well as lighting and placeables.