Critically Analysing Conventional Level Design - The Division

brandonmcrae
Oct 11, 2022
8 min read

Updated: Oct 30, 2022

In this blog I will be detailing and analysing the level design of “Madison Field Hospital” in Ubisoft’s “The Division”. In this analysis I will cover how Ubisoft’s level designers use push and pull techniques to guide the player to the end of the level.

Firstly, what does it mean to “Guide the player” and how is it beneficial? To guide the player is to set an intended path for them to follow without revealing it and providing breadcrumbs in the form of design that show the player which why is forward. This can be beneficial as it adds to the player’s satisfaction while playing the level whilst freeing up their concentration to allow for more immersive flow of gameplay.

We will cover how Ubisoft utilizes the following core push and pull technics:

Facilitating mental mapping
Influence through Composition
Lure with affordance
Communicate through a language
Show with UI elements and cut-scenes
Drive with goals and narrative

Facilitating Mental Mapping

The facilitating of mental mapping allows the player the ability to gather a generalized idea of the layout of the level and where they may be positioned within it. If carried out properly this would allow the player to be able to make an educated guess on the paths at their disposal whilst making the experience less frustrating whilst also allowing them to plan more advanced tactics for their given scenario.

Simplify

One of the best approaches to level design is simplifying things as a starting point which makes higher level layouts easier to understand. Levels with more complex layouts can be more difficult to navigate and as such the player could become more frustrated with not having a clearer understanding of the layout which can ultimately be mitigated with a design that is simple at its core.

Use of Simple Geometric Shapes

Using primitive shapes to define the shape of playable space such as square, circles, triangles and hexagons are a useful starting point when designing levels as they are accessible for the player to remember given how recognisable they are. Below shows a wide room that uses a simple rectangular shape which allows the player to be able to grasp the scale of the environment and better prepares them for the upcoming combat situation.

Symmetry

Symmetry can be used to help players identify more reference points in the level which can become an issue when using geometric shapes as they can provide too much symmetry which can make it increasingly more difficult for the player to orientate themselves sense both sides are laid out the same. Symmetry is rarely used in this level although one major instance of it being used is when the player enters the stadium hallway. It is useful in this instance as the player is encouraged to move forward, being given two different paths to do so. Both sides run symmetrically to each other and provide the player with cover from each side to plan their next move forward as seen in the image below:

Recognisable Features

When playing in a level most players will be able to recognise certain features such as stairs as something they can use, in this case walk up to access new areas or to move to new vantage points when in combat as that’s how they would be applied in real life. In The Division this is also true as can be seen in the screenshot below. The escalators are instantly recognisable to the player as a point of progression that they need to follow. The use of features like this helps to hint to the player where they should probably go next as they are able to understand that stairs of any kind lead will lead them to new areas.

Familiarity

Making a level more familiar to the player makes it easier to understand and orient themselves using the environment’s characteristics. Familiarity in setting can be seen through the entirety of The Division with the events of the game taking place in the city of Manhattan and in this level in particular it takes place in a stadium. Most people have at some point had to traverse a large stadium at some point in their lives, especially those that live in the city so this is the perfect setting to give the player a battleground they can be familiar with when starting the level.

Creating A Scene of Geography

Vantage Points & Overviews

At points in the level, it is important to give the player overviews of the different parts of the level to allow them to paint a better mental map of the area along with its connections. Vantage points being similar to overviews differ mainly in providing the player more strategical information they would need for things like upcoming gun fights etc. Due to the close-combat nature of this map these overview scenarios can be limited though one major example of it being used in at the end of the level. When the player reaches the roof of the building, they are slightly more elevated than the enemies which allows them a more open view of the different cover in the area whilst also making them harder to hit behind cover due difference in head heights.

Landmarks/Weenies

Landmarks play a vital role in expanding the player’s mental map whilst giving them points of interest to begin moving to from a vantage point, be it a point of travel or if they are just there for the narrative. Landmarks are a powerful tool when utilized properly to help the player due to the fact that they act as a link between the information the player sees from the vantage point and what they will experience when leaving it.

In The Division our chosen level is made obvious to the player as the stadium the hospital is located in stands out from the rest of the scenery, acting as a landmark for the player to move to. As the player gets closer, the front entrance is made clearly apparent as seen in the image below.

Influence Via Composition

An interesting point about composition at all levels is that you don’t need to provide any convention or sub-text to the scene as this is something already established within people.

Contrast

When colours with opposite characteristics contrast with each other strongly when used in tandem it creates contrast. Warmer colours tend to appear closer to one another to make scenes pop unlike colder colours which appear more further apart.

This can be subtle at times but still noticeable in “Madison Field Hospital” as cold, dark colours are used to set a damp feeling of emptiness as the level takes place in a stadium that was being used to house a hospital for those dying of the games threat (dollar flu virus). In contrast there are areas that are brightly lit and use warmer colours to show the player that there are rooms in use and they are worth checking out. This can be seen in the screenshot below that shows how cold blues are used to illuminate the vacant room whilst in the distance a contrast is created with warmer colours which attracts the player’s attention to where to go next.

Framing

Framing in level design refers to creating “an area with the player’s field of view that is defined by the composition, usually to highlight a subject in that scene” - Clement Melendez 2016. More subtle cases of framing could be things like using the silhouettes of trees in the environment to create a path or in more artificial environments like buildings it can be as simple as a doorway or window although this would be more obvious to the player that they are being guided that way. Our chosen level in The Division takes place inside so the opportunities for more subtle framing is limited and is mostly achieved view doorways at the end of each room entered in one way or another as seen in the screenshot below:

Lure With Affordance

Perceived Affordance

When it comes to showing the player affordance in a level, any elements of that level that hint at interaction to the player can be perceived as affordance. With affordance that element is meant to invite the player to interact with it in an intended way like for example doors invite the player to interact with them to open them. This is seen across two major areas of our chosen levels as seen in the screenshots below. The first shows one of many doors in the level that invites the player to open them to move forward and the second shows an elevator that the player needs to interact with to move up to the higher floors of the level.

Lure to Mechanics of Critical Accordance & Incentives

Certain gameplay mechanics play a vital role in maintaining the player’s engagement whilst also allowing the player to continue playing in some instances like ammo boxes or item drops that allow the player to continue moving forward without as much risk of running out of ammo or not having a weapon. The addition of these mechanics can then be used to guide the player in a way as they can be placed in key points in the level which almost sets the player’s path in a way as they will always have a need for ammo etc. In the case of The Division this is done quite well throughout all levels including our chosen one as “Restock Boxes” are scattered around the rooms of the player’s main path which act as breadcrumbs that show the player, they are going the right way.

Show with UI Elements & Cut-Scenes

User Interface (UI)

User Interface or UI is seen as a last resort to guiding the player when it comes to designing a level as it leans more to show and tell rather than push and pull techniques used for level design specifically. Guidance through this method can range from giving the player a written outline of what they have to do next to showing a marker on the screen that takes the player in the general direction of where they need to go.

In the case of our level in The Division UI like a mini-map and a world dot are used to help better orient the player without directly effecting the effect of the other push and pull techniques being used in the level as seen in the screenshot below.

Cut-Scenes

Cut-scenes can act as a more “in your face” way of setting a path for the player to follow and can be used at key moments during gameplay. Cut-scenes can also be used for feeding the player relevant information which they can use to set their own path although this only applies to games that use open worlds as the player isn’t instantly thrusted into a linier level after the cut-scene finishes unless it is part of a specific level.

In the case of our chosen level in The Division there are no environmental cut-scenes used however instead a cut-scene plays at the end of the level, giving them feedback that informs them they are finished with this level.

Flow Chart

If you watch the “Madison Field Hospital” mission you can see how the 20 minute long has been compressed into a flow chart which outlines the flow of gameplay and shows a layout of the pacing. The overall consensus is that the level is strongly focused on creating an even amount of combat and moving which creates an easier going playthrough that still has moments of intensity.

Conclusion

All of the information above clearly outlines the intricate details that go into designing a good level, using push and pull techniques along with good use of pacing and taking as little control away from the player as possible.

With the above information from my analysis, I can carry over this knowledge to design a more engaging level that doesn’t hold the player’s hand whilst at the same time won’t be too easy that it ends up boring. This including introducing elements of visual story telling in my level and reducing smaller issues like forcing control away from the player or guiding them in unsubtle ways.

Bibliography

Melendez, C., 2016. Clement Melendez. [online] Clement-melendez.com. Available at: <https://www.clement-melendez.com/portfolio/essays> [Accessed 15 October 2022].

LichtJune 03, M.S. and 2003 (2003). An Architect’s Perspective On Level Design Pre-Production. [online] Game Developer. Available at: https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/an-architect-s-perspective-on-level-design-pre-production [Accessed 17 Oct. 2022].

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