What is the best way to showcase your level design skills in a contest submission?
If you are a game designer who loves to create immersive and engaging levels, you might want to enter a contest and show off your skills. But how do you make sure your submission stands out from the crowd and impresses the judges? In this article, we will share some tips on how to showcase your level design skills in a contest submission, based on our experience and feedback from industry experts.
Before you start working on your level, you need to understand the criteria and expectations of the contest. Read the rules carefully and pay attention to the theme, genre, platform, engine, deadline, and format of the submission. You want to create a level that fits the contest's scope and goals, and that showcases your creativity and originality within the given constraints. You also want to avoid any technical or legal issues that might disqualify your submission or lower your score.
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Don't just know the criteria, know the judges. It never hurts to play to the judges' tastes a bit, as long as you still remain creative and such. Also very good for avoiding certain issues. If you know the judges dislike certain tropes, stay away from it or put a new twist on it. If they don't read descriptions, don't rely on it for any context for your level
Once you have a clear idea of the contest's requirements, you need to plan your level design. This means defining the core gameplay loop, the level objectives, the challenges, the rewards, the pacing, and the narrative of your level. You also need to sketch out the layout, the architecture, the lighting, the sound, and the art style of your level. You want to create a level that is fun, balanced, coherent, and memorable, and that showcases your design skills and vision.
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Especially for non-linear levels, don't just rely on graph paper sketches of the level. Do flowcharts as well. Use flowcharts to plan out the connections and locations you want the players to see, what the general layout is going to be in a less rigid sense. It can help iron out issues with areas being too in accessible, plan out interesting transitions from location to location, or help ensure the flow is even in a multiplayer map
After you have finished building your level, you need to test it thoroughly. This means playing your level yourself, as well as getting feedback from other players, preferably from your target audience or genre. You want to identify and fix any bugs, glitches, errors, or inconsistencies that might affect the quality or performance of your level. You also want to evaluate and improve the gameplay, the difficulty, the feedback, the immersion, and the emotion of your level. You want to create a level that is polished, optimized, and enjoyable.
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Always playtest everything all the time always. Run through your map, literally pretend to play the game even if the core functionality isn't programmed. Heck, pretend to play the map when it's still on paper. When you think you've playtested enough, run through it a few more times, but pretend to be a different kind of person. If your map is fun just to walk through, you've got a really good start
Besides your level itself, you also need to prepare a documentation that explains your design process and decisions. This might include a design document, a level map, a video walkthrough, a commentary track, or a presentation. You want to create a documentation that is clear, concise, and informative, and that showcases your level design skills and knowledge. You also want to follow the contest's guidelines and format for the documentation, and make sure it is easy to access and view.
Finally, you need to submit your level and your documentation to the contest organizers before the deadline. You want to create a submission that is complete, correct, and compatible with the contest's platform and engine. You also want to follow the contest's instructions and rules for the submission, and make sure it is easy to download and play. You want to create a submission that is professional, confident, and respectful, and that showcases your level design skills and passion.
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