Creating and Populating Levels Based on Gameplay Needs

What the talk is about

Vitaliy Moroz uses an isometric 2D farm game, in development for 14 months, to show how to build levels from gameplay needs within genre and technology limits. He explains why the first 3D prototype with a single mesh failed and the team moved to pure 2D with tiles that are easy to edit and can overlap without visible seams. He advises making a map half the size you want, since effort grows much faster than area. He also covers resource objects, including ones removable only by paying, buffer zones for paying players, guiding the player with paths and landmarks, and balancing object counts. Q&A touches on donations and procedural generation. Useful for game and level designers.