A Focus On Levels

Interview #1 with Answers from Iikka "Fingers" Keranen:

Iikka "Fingers" Keranen is a level designer for Looking Glass.

Questions are in red.

What do you feel is lacking in the levels shipped in games on the market today, and also in user made levels? Why?

All that's lacking from most levels is effort put into them. Of course this means my own levels too, but it doesn't change the fact. Majority of levels even in commercial games seem quickly slapped together. Maybe people just don't care enough? This lack of effort covers everything from concepts to execution, too.

Do you think there is a solution for this?

Ya, people shouldn't spend so much time doing interviews. ;-)

Every level designer has developed his or her own unique style of design. What are some of the things you do in deathmatch or single player levels to make your levels stand apart from others?

I try and make them enjoyable for myself, and have fun building them. Also I go for imaginative but consistent themes.

Are there any things about your designs or style that you see room for improvement on? If so, what are they and how do you see yourself improving them?

I need to concentrate more in creating a sense of actual location, which is lacking in most levels these days... What is this place we're running around in? What's outside of it? Q3A levels are a good (or bad) example of this; they're just "enclosed spaces you play deathmatch in". Some UT levels (e.g. "Morpheus") on the other hand have a very strong sense of location.

Are there any particular settings or themes you favor over others? If so, why?

Well, I prefer settings and themes that don't fall into a done-before category of any kind. It doesn't need to be "Gimmicky" to be something else than a military installation or a warehouse or a castle with skulls on the walls.

When you have a certain layout in mind for a level, do you have any specific way you like to execute the design? For example, do you build all the architecture first, then go through and do lighting etc. or do you complete one 'area' before moving on?

I usually design the layout first, with major areas/rooms and their connections, often on paper. Then I work area by area, building architecture, decorating and lighting at the same time. After the architecture is (nearly) finished, I add the rest (items, possible enemies, etc).

What are your favorite 3 levels from any FPS game? Why are these your favorites?

The first episode of Doom was most excellent. Very consistently built and detailed, it was nearly a magical experience after earlier games like Wolf3d.

The Ziggurat Vertigo was my favorite Quake level after the first few times I played CTF in it :-) (Remember the ax-voreball-nails grappling hook and keys for flags?)

My favorite recent level is the already mentioned Morpheus level in UT. Excellent theme, a lot of nice touches and great gameplay. This is the way Q3A "floating platform" levels should've been done.

Which games do you feel have had the most impact on level design in terms of quality and execution of design?

Mostly the id "golden age" games (Dooms, Quake), but also Dark Forces had many excellent levels that defined the design style of many later games.

Do you get inspiration for themes from movies or real buildings? If so, list them and your reasons why.

Occasionally, but not entire buildings... Small details and architectural features of older buildings are good sources for inspiration. For example, when I made my "blue levels" for Quake, they were inspired by a book cover I saw that had a picture of a hindu temple with archways surrounded by ancient writing etc :-)

What is the most challenging aspect of level design in your opinion, and how do you approach that challenge?

Keeping the whole level as good as the centerpiece or great idea that made you start it. People often start with a single very cool room, but run out of inspiration with what's around it. When I was making my latest level (Ikdm9), I had to rip out and rebuild some of the areas a couple of times just because they looked boring compared to the central room.

In your opinion is there anything about current engines that inhibits design? If so, what are they and what kind of solutions might you suggest for the future?

The only thing that inhibits design is that many people get lost in all the visual-technical goop and forget to actually design what they do. Building aesthetically pleasing shapes and proportions is not dependent on what engine you're working on, nor is good gameplay as long as the game itself is good. An ugly, disproportional square room is an ugly, disproportional square room no matter how many polygons you use or whether there's volumetric fog and curves in it or not.

Want to submit interview questions or answer these questions for your own interview? Send them in!

Home