Jesus Machina

𝟬𝟰 - 𝗟𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗨𝗻𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗔𝗿𝗲𝗮 𝗶𝗻 𝗦𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 While level exploration is not an exact science and every player behaves differently, there are general behavior patterns that can be considered when designing a free-navigation level. Players tend to be attracted to areas they perceive will provide the greatest and most immediate reward.In this example, the player needs to find and collect 4 boxes in any order. The question is: 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗵 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹? The player has the following information:𝟭. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝟮. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗹𝘆 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝟯. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗹𝗲𝗱𝗴𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗼𝘅𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁The player’s brain rewards them in two key moments: first, when they locate a box, and second, when they collect it. Interestingly, locating a box but leaving it behind […]

03 - Designing with Perspective: How Cameras Shape Levels When designing levels, the choice of camera system is a critical factor that shapes not only the technical possibilities but also the artistic direction and, most importantly, the player's perception of the environment. In the image, three distinct urban elements—represented by differently colored shops—illustrate how spatial composition shifts depending on the camera perspective.Camera-Dependent Constraints and Opportunities in Level Design:🎥 Top-down 2D- 🛑Constraints: With only one wall facing the camera, composition is more restricted. This requires careful design to ensure that the limited perspective feels natural on screen.- 🟢Opportunities: Despite these limitations, top-down views allow for highly abstracted environments, where composition plays a key role in guiding the player. This perspective is ideal for puzzle-based gameplay or minimalist design.🎥 Isometric- 🛑Constraints: The addition of depth introduces challenges with occlusion and visibility, particularly in complex, multi-layered […]

02 - The 5 Ingredients of Game Town Design Continuing the series on urban design for game environments, let's start with the basics: the 5 elements of city image from Kevin Lynch’s "The Image of the City"—a foundational text for urban planners and a must-read for anyone looking to build a solid background in urban design. This classic framework can be effectively applied to designing towns and cities in video games, focusing on how players perceive, recognize, remember, and navigate your town.Here’s how these elements translate into game design:- 🛤️ Path: The routes players take through the town—main streets, alleyways, and roads. These paths are subject to hierarchy, which we’ll discuss another day, but they should always be unmistakable and recognizable (excluding secret paths and other rule-breaking for gameplay purposes).- 🚧 Edge: Boundaries that define areas within the town, such as walls, rivers, or […]

01 - The Building Pie In my last post, I shared some personal notes on the key elements that make a building recognizable and functional in a game environment. Today, I’m introducing the first tip in a series: “The Building Pie”—a simple yet effective framework for designing urban buildings that are easily identifiable and interactive, even with minimal detail.Here’s a quick breakdown:A - Street Level: The tallest floor, essential for shaping the urban play space and player interactions. This level not only serves as the foundation for gameplay but also defines the negative space in the surrounding environment, making it an integral part of the city’s design.B - Floors: Repeated layers that establish rhythm, scale, and the overall profile of the building. These floors also play a crucial role in defining the shadows cast at street level, setting the mood […]

Urban Environment Design: Personal Notes Not long ago, while working with my colleague Paolo Vicenzi on finding the right art direction for a highly stylized city builder prototype, we discussed the fundamental elements that help players recognize a structure as a building and read urban environments, even when the art style is exaggerated or cartoonish.This is the original sketch I made during our conversation to illustrate this idea. (Obviously, I didn’t draw it to share publicly, but I think it still makes sense even out of context.) I recently came across it and thought it could be the start of a very interesting personal project.This post is the first in a series where I’ll be sharing sketches and tips on designing urban environments that are (1) Recognizable, (2) Easily Navigable and (3) ImmersiveStay tuned!Translation: 1. Box 2. Box with holes […]

Sometimes the line between work and passion is incredibly thin. Especially in an industry like ours, where the "product" we create and sell is all about enjoyment and fun. The distinction often lies in timing and perspective.For instance, if I take out a box of Lego pieces and start building a castle dungeon, at age 8, it’s simply seen as playtime. Fast forward to age 28, and this same activity can be clearly recognized as level designing and pure dedication to one's work and professional growth. And if you’re a bit older, the circle closes and you may find yourself blending both worlds and using your work tools to bring a premium touch to today's session of Gloomhaven.In either case, the photo would be quite similar.To be honest, I'm a bit unreasonably proud of the upgraded experience I created in […]