My Thoughts Surrounding Open World Online Multiplayer Level Design
- mattbaileygamedesi
- Dec 22, 2022
- 10 min read
Open world online multiplayer games have seen a surge in popularity in the last decade. It seems there are new titles that fall under this umbrella being released all the time, some of which have become critically acclaimed household names in the gaming industry.
This includes titles like Elden Ring (FromSoftware, 2022), Sea of Thieves (Rare, 2018), and Valheim (Iron Gate Studio, 2021).
In this post I am going to be giving my thoughts on the level design seen within open world online multiplayer games, how it works to guide the player to objectives and how it incorporates many different areas into a world seamlessly, without breaking player immersion. I will be talking about immersion in many of my points as one of the main draws for players to open world games is the feeling of being immersed in a complete and cohesive world.
Open World Level Design - Traversal Mechanics
The first thing that must be considered when designing an open world is how the player is able to traverse it. Can the player cross large bodies of water? Can they climb tall cliffs? Can they jump especially high or not really? All of these mechanics will factor into how the level is designed for the player and which types of terrain or "biomes" will be present in the world.
For example, in the recently released Pokemon Scarlet and Violet (Game Freak, 2022), the world incorporates large bodies of water, large cliffs and easier to traverse areas like plains. The game offers the player different mechanics that they can unlock in order to traverse these different areas. This is a good way to stop the player from reaching areas with a higher difficulty level until they have gained access to the mechanic that allows them to reach said area. This is also a good method for hiding secrets, like hidden items, which the player will have to backtrack to once unlocking the right traversal mechanic, which incentivises players to go back to areas they have already been in, thus increasing the game's replay-ability.
Open World Level Design - Seamless Biomes
An open world game may feature many different types of areas or "biomes". These typically will have varying aesthetics and will often be relevant to real world climates such as deserts, tundras, mountain ranges and forests. Many open world games have a focus on being true to the real world or to being realistic in some degree so that the player feels immersed in a cohesive space. But how is this achieved? How do we design open worlds that incorporate different biomes seamlessly so that it is not a jarring transition for the player going from one area to another? The answer, I believe, lies in the study of real world geography.
For the sake of realism, one of the ways we can ensure a seamless transition from biome to biome would be the placement of the biomes within the world.
For example, you would not place a desert next to an icy tundra or snow capped mountains. Typically you would place these kinds of biomes at opposite ends of the map, the desert being in the south, and the icy mountains in the north. This is because this is what the player would expect from a realistic world.
Also, as designers we can look at the real world to see how different biomes or areas of terrain blend into one another. For example, in the real world, when going from an open plain to a large mountain, the terrain does not go straight from being flat to being elevated right away. In real world geography, mountain ranges are often surrounded by foot hills. The terrain gradually gets steeper instead of there being a sudden steep rise.
This kind of consideration for real world geography will aid the immersion of the player as it plays into what they would expect to see in the real world.
A great example of what I'm talking about here can be seen in Minecraft (Mojang, 2011). Here is a screenshot showing the terrain gradually becoming steeper as it transitions from a plains biome into a mountain range. It includes these foot hills that gradually increase the gradient for a seamless transition:
Many biomes present in open worlds have varying aesthetics and colour schemes. There are some techniques that can be implemented to create seamless transitions between biomes with wildly different colour schemes and aesthetics.
One of these could be the use of common art assets that gradually change in colour as the player enters a new area. For example, in Skyrim (Bethesda, 2011) there is a large area in the south east corner of the map called "The Rift". The Rift has a very different colour scheme to other places on the map. It has a very autumnal air about it, all of the trees and shrubs are very orange in hue and the vegetation becomes more sparse. Bethesda achieved a smooth transition into this area by gradually reducing the number of green vegetation art assets whilst increasing the number of trees and shrubs with autumnal colours and slowly changing attributes like the hue of the grass from green to yellow and orange as the player crosses from neighbouring areas into The Rift. It is better to swap out these art assets gradually instead of the player being suddenly thrust into a new area with completely different assets, which could cause a break in immersion. Another way to make this transition even more seamless would be to add lighting volumes that change attributes such as lighting colour and brightness, almost like a filter. Using lighting volumes that gradually change the hue of light between areas can help to create a seamless transition.
Here are some example images from Skyrim:
This change is very subtle and gradual but it goes a long way to not break player immersion.
Open World Level Design - Real World Architecture
Another technique used in creating a realistic open world is the research and use of real world architecture within the world. Players that want to feel fully immersed in the game world may find this difficult if the structures are not in some way representative of real world architecture and the time period that the game is set in.
Elden Ring has been praised for its incredible structures and Romanesque, gothic architecture. The game's buildings all seem to follow this sort of style to create a cohesive experience, and they fit into the bleak and shattered feel to the world. Although often fantastical they draw inspiration from real world structures and buildings.
For example, Malikeths arena clearly draws inspiration from the real world Baptistry of Pisa as seen below:
The domed roof, arches and façade all seem clearly inspired by this example of real world architecture, helping the player to feel a sense of familiarity, and making a structure that makes sense in the players mind despite its exaggerated and fantastical feel.
In terms of realistic town layouts, I feel that Whiterun in Skyrim is a good example of this.
It features all of the things that you could expect from a real world medieval market town hold.
It features a market square, taverns, battlements, a castle and a watch tower on the outskirts. It is also positioned atop a hill in the middle of a large plain, which would be a very strategical location to place a hold in the real world. The architecture is the same as that of Nordic medieval structures which fits into the world of Skyrim. The main castle is positioned above the rest of the town so as to better withstand siege and to provide a panoramic view of the surrounding land, giving a strategic position in war.
These real world considerations can help us as level designers to create towns and cities within our open worlds that both serve the gameplay mechanics and utilize features and aesthetics of real world architecture, helping the player to remain immersed in our worlds.
It is also important to use architectural styles that fit in with one another and that fit the desired time that the game is set in. For example, I would not have one city inspired by old Nordic architecture in the same world as a cyberpunk metropolis. Yes, different areas and towns should have differing aesthetics to provide variety, but they should feel like they belong in the same world together.
It is also important to consider how the player will navigate these areas. We should take real world town layouts into consideration but also ensure that they are easy enough for the player to navigate. We can do this by featuring distinct areas within our towns, such as a market square which might act as a central hub for the player which then connects to other parts of the town. We need to consider how our towns and cities flow for the player. We can do this by providing clear roads and paths and using light and large structures which allow the player to orientate themselves.
Open World Level Design - Guiding the Player
In a large open world, players may easily become lost or disorientated. This can be overcome with some UI features like maps and compasses, however solutions lie in level design as well.
The concept of "weenies" is largely utilised in open world games. But what is a "weenie"?
Scott Rogers, an incredibly successful game director who has multiple AAA titles under his belt for companies like Disney, Sony, Capcom, Namco and THQ, gave a very insightful GDC talk on this subject.
Here is a link to this talk: https://www.gdcvault.com/play/1305/Everything-I-Learned-About-Level
In this talk, Rogers speaks about his time working for Disney and how in the real world Disney theme parks, weenies are used to guide visitors around the park.
Weenies are essentially large landmarks that are visible from almost anywhere in the park (or level) and positioned as or at points of interest. This theory translates well into open world level design. Having these huge landmarks allows the player to orientate themselves in relation to these large objects. Having several visible at any time will allow the player to get a general idea of their whereabouts.
Weenies also serve as a kind of waypoint or goal to the player. They are often places in game worlds that are locations for story progression, boss fights or areas that are beneficial to the player such as large towns and cities.
Another important feature of level design that can aid in guiding the player is lighting. Psychologically, the players eye will always be drawn to light, so positioning lights in such a way that they draw the players eye towards a path or a specific area can be very useful in guiding the player around your level. For example, the level designer could place many bright lights around an important location such as a city or boss fight arena that can be seen from far away, so as to draw the players eye and pique their interest.
Both of these tools are great ways of guiding the player around an open world if the game design requires a minimal UI. Guiding the player around using level design techniques rather than relying solely on UI allows the designer to show the player where they need to go without breaking immersion.
Multiplayer Open World Level Design - Hub Areas
In terms of designing an open world for multiple players means there should be areas where players can either join up or come together to fight.
In co-operative multiplayer open world titles, these may be towns or cities with large market squares or city centres that allow players to come together to interact, plan their excursion into the outside world, and stock up on any resources they may need for their journey. A good example of this is World of Warcraft (Blizzard Entertainment, 2004). Many of the towns and cities in WoW feature large shopping districts and taverns that act as meeting places where players can plan their journey and acquire any items they may need.
In this case, the hub area should have some open space to house a large number of players, well signposted shops and feature some kind of central art asset that can act as a meeting point for players. Take this fountain in the screenshot below for example:
In online multiplayer open world games where the focus is on PvP combat, such as the hugely successful Fortnite (Epic Games, 2017) these hub areas are different. They serve as spaces that are "hot zones" for combat. They are usually towns or cities that feature high tier loot and lots of cover for large groups of players facing off against each other with ranged weaponry.
Multiplayer Open World Level Design - Group Objectives and Open Space
Due to the potentially large number of players that will be inhabiting an online multiplayer open world, we must ensure that we take group objectives and space into account.
By this I mean that the group objectives on the map such as areas for players to fight enemies or each other must be spacious enough to comfortably house many players and have enough cover for multiple players to utilize. It is also important that there is adequate space for players because players may become overwhelmed by having too many players crammed into one small space. This is especially relevant if the game requires the use of different player abilities with large animations such as magic casting, as the screen could become very clustered with effects, causing them to either lose track of their character, team mates or objective.
This can be avoided by creating wide open spaces for players to interact with each other and the games objectives within, but whilst also featuring enough clutter and cover that the game world does not feel empty or provide enough cover for players to strategize around combat or other gameplay.
Summary
To summarise, in order to create multiplayer open world spaces that are both practical and immersive we can do the following:
Take into account traversal mechanics available to the player - this will inform the kinds of terrain present within your open world.
Create seamless biomes - utilize knowledge of real world geography, lighting and the gradual implementation of different art assets to make the transitions between different areas less jarring and more immersive.
Research and implement examples of real world architecture to inspire the buildings in your open world and ensure it is relevant to your desired time period.
Utilize level design techniques that allow you to guide the player without breaking immersion, such as "weenies" and lighting to draw the players eye.
Implement hub areas that allow players to either meet, interact and gather resources, or hub areas that provide high loot and combat zones for PvP.
Ensure that the world features enough space to comfortably house multiple players and avoid overcrowding, but also ensure that it features enough clutter and cover so as to provide a realistic gameplay experience and make the world feel less empty.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read about my ideas surrounding this topic!
Comments