{"id":2559,"date":"2025-08-26T02:41:25","date_gmt":"2025-08-26T02:41:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/mmp-270-fall-2024\/?page_id=2559"},"modified":"2026-02-05T10:31:41","modified_gmt":"2026-02-05T15:31:41","slug":"level-design-techniques","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/mmp-270-spring-2026\/level-design-techniques\/","title":{"rendered":"Level design techniques"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>This is not an exhaustive list, but includes some common techniques used in level design.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"signposting\">Signposting<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Signposting is using literal instructions, visual or audio clues, character dialog or narrative, or other signals to direct the player through a level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/270.owen.cool\/notes\/level\/zelda-sign.jpg\" alt=\" Zelda sign\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Image source:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/articles\/2019-09-20-zelda-links-awakening-walkthrough-guide-6812?page=22\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/articles\/2019-09-20-zelda-links-awakening-walkthrough-guide-6812?page=22<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"gating\">Gating<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Gating is restricting areas of a level, requiring players to find literal or figurative keys to open doors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/270.owen.cool\/notes\/level\/Ice_key.webp\" alt=\"Ice Key\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Image source:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/banjotooie.fandom.com\/wiki\/Ice_key\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">https:\/\/banjotooie.fandom.com\/wiki\/Ice_key<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"risk-vs-reward\">Risk vs reward<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Risk vs reward is a scenario where a reward or goal is placed in a dangerous area of a level. The player must evaluate the value of the reward vs the danger of the risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/270.owen.cool\/notes\/level\/Blood_Gulch.png\" alt=\"Blood Gultch\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Image source:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Blood_Gulch\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Blood_Gulch<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"safe-zone\">Safe zone<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The safe zone technique gives a player a safe area to move in and out of as they navigate a level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/270.owen.cool\/notes\/level\/space-invaders.png\" alt=\"space invaders\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Image source:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.smithsonianmag.com\/science-nature\/original-space-invaders-icon-1970s-America-180969393\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">https:\/\/www.smithsonianmag.com\/science-nature\/original-space-invaders-icon-1970s-America-180969393\/<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"foreshadowing\">Foreshadowing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Foreshadowing is revealing future rewards or challenges to the player before they reach them in the level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/270.owen.cool\/notes\/level\/outer-wilds.jpg\" alt=\"outer wilds\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Image source: <a href=\"https:\/\/innuendostudios.tumblr.com\/post\/617963920366452736\/thoughts-on-outer-wilds\">https:\/\/innuendostudios.tumblr.com\/post\/617963920366452736\/thoughts-on-outer-wilds<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"branching\">Branching and bottle necking<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Branching is giving a player multiple options to complete a challenge, avoid an obstacle, collect a reward or reach a goal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Related to branching, bottle necking is when the possible paths coverge on one area or challenge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/270.owen.cool\/notes\/level\/bottlebranch.png\" alt=\"bottle necking\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Image source: <a href=\"https:\/\/heterogenoustasks.wordpress.com\/2015\/01\/26\/standard-patterns-in-choice-based-games\/\">https:\/\/heterogenoustasks.wordpress.com\/2015\/01\/26\/standard-patterns-in-choice-based-games\/<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"layering\">Layering<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Layering is when two or more previously introduced game mechanics are present in one level or scene.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/270.owen.cool\/notes\/level\/roadattacker.jpg\" alt=\"mega man\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Image source: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.honestgamers.com\/guides\/mega-man-x\/8\/read\/97.html\">http:\/\/www.honestgamers.com\/guides\/mega-man-x\/8\/read\/97.html<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This is not an exhaustive list, but includes some common techniques used in level design. Signposting Signposting is using literal instructions, visual or audio clues, character dialog or narrative, or other signals to direct the player through a level. Gating Gating is restricting areas of a level, requiring players to find literal or figurative keys&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/mmp-270-spring-2026\/level-design-techniques\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Level design techniques<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":34,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"portfolio_post_id":0,"portfolio_citation":"","portfolio_annotation":"","openlab_post_visibility":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2559","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/mmp-270-spring-2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2559","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/mmp-270-spring-2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/mmp-270-spring-2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/mmp-270-spring-2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/34"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/mmp-270-spring-2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2559"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/mmp-270-spring-2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2559\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2560,"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/mmp-270-spring-2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2559\/revisions\/2560"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/mmp-270-spring-2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2559"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}