1 00:00:16,340 --> 00:00:22,840 Hi, this is Mark Brown with Game Maker's Toolkit, a series on video game design. 2 00:00:22,840 --> 00:00:27,060 Near the beginning of Uncharted 3, there's this awesome section where you're playing 3 00:00:27,060 --> 00:00:32,540 as a young Nathan Drake and you're being chased across the rooftops of Colombia. It's awesome, 4 00:00:32,540 --> 00:00:36,570 specifically, because in most other games it would simply be a cutscene. 5 00:00:36,570 --> 00:00:40,080 That's because most game developers would struggle to make sure the player is always 6 00:00:40,080 --> 00:00:44,510 going the right way and making the right jumps - and not repeatedly falling off the roof 7 00:00:44,510 --> 00:00:46,210 or getting caught by baddies. 8 00:00:46,210 --> 00:00:50,140 In fact, most developers struggle to let you move through a static environment, let alone 9 00:00:50,140 --> 00:00:55,320 an intense chase scene, without some clunky navigational tool - be it a waypoint, a compass, 10 00:00:55,320 --> 00:01:01,580 a floating arrow, some kind of supernatural survivor's vision, or an ethereal space snake thing. 11 00:01:02,300 --> 00:01:06,350 So how does Naughty Dog do it? How does this developer let you make your way through the 12 00:01:06,350 --> 00:01:11,080 whole of Uncharted, and The Last of Us, without a map, when other equally linear games tell 13 00:01:11,080 --> 00:01:13,310 you where to go, at every step of the way? 14 00:01:13,310 --> 00:01:17,399 MONKEY: We're not in the clear yet. There's the way out. 15 00:01:17,399 --> 00:01:22,090 The secret is that Naughty Dog, and other developers like Valve and That Game Company, 16 00:01:22,090 --> 00:01:26,500 is telling you exactly where to go, but using subconscious clues that are hidden in the 17 00:01:26,500 --> 00:01:27,490 level design itself. 18 00:01:27,490 --> 00:01:32,840 They use tricks to grab your attention and guide your eye, which are borrowed from artistic 19 00:01:32,840 --> 00:01:38,369 composition. And they use in-world navigational aids, which are lifted from Disneyworld. 20 00:01:39,220 --> 00:01:44,660 "It’s very much a game in psychology," says Emilia Schatz, game designer at Naughty Dog. 21 00:01:44,660 --> 00:01:47,760 "You need to figure out what your environment is telling the player" 22 00:01:47,760 --> 00:01:51,460 "And figure out how you can give the player as much information as possible" 23 00:01:51,539 --> 00:01:55,429 So let's look at that Uncharted chase scene again, and see if we can figure out what the 24 00:01:55,429 --> 00:01:58,630 environment is telling the player here. 25 00:01:58,630 --> 00:02:04,099 The first eye-catching technique is light, which is streaming in through this open window. 26 00:02:04,099 --> 00:02:08,840 Light is the most common and arguably effective way of guiding the player, because we flock 27 00:02:08,840 --> 00:02:14,110 to it like moths to a flame. Provided the surrounding area is dark enough, light sources 28 00:02:14,110 --> 00:02:20,569 like lamps, car headlights, flames, and sunlight will always catch the player's attention. 29 00:02:20,569 --> 00:02:25,790 Here, visual composition tricks are used. The pillars and wall create a frame - which 30 00:02:25,790 --> 00:02:30,159 is like a portal that draws that player's eye to whatever is inside. And in the middle 31 00:02:30,159 --> 00:02:33,719 is this line which runs down the centre of the roof. 32 00:02:33,719 --> 00:02:38,079 Guiding lines are often used in painting and photography to lead the viewer's eye or focus 33 00:02:38,079 --> 00:02:42,709 their vision on a specific point. That's harder for level designers to use as there's no fixed 34 00:02:42,709 --> 00:02:46,750 viewpoint, but similar techniques can be used to suggest a path for a player. 35 00:02:46,750 --> 00:02:52,769 In a 2010 GDC talk, Naughty Dog art director Erick Pangilinan says "defining a clear path 36 00:02:52,769 --> 00:02:57,030 is really important and is something we look at all the time," and he says "When you're 37 00:02:57,030 --> 00:03:00,879 in a busy schedule it's really easy to create noisy, confusing environments". 38 00:03:00,879 --> 00:03:05,799 So he talks about clearly separating the ground and the boundaries of the level, and says 39 00:03:05,799 --> 00:03:09,760 "putting shapes in the middle of the path creates a stepping stone effect that can lead 40 00:03:09,760 --> 00:03:12,099 the eye through". 41 00:03:12,099 --> 00:03:16,819 When Drake leaps over the barrier, these birds fly off. This gives us motion which, in a 42 00:03:16,819 --> 00:03:22,400 mostly static scene, really grabs your attention. Things like sparks, flashing lights, and banging 43 00:03:22,400 --> 00:03:27,170 doors are hard to ignore, and encourage the player to draw in closer. 44 00:03:27,170 --> 00:03:31,090 The birds in Uncharted not only do that, but they fly off in the direction of where Drake 45 00:03:31,090 --> 00:03:35,219 needs to go next, subtly guiding you to the right when the more obvious route is to continue 46 00:03:35,219 --> 00:03:36,040 along the roof. 47 00:03:36,040 --> 00:03:40,019 Of course, the enemy here will force you to the right if you weren't already going that 48 00:03:40,019 --> 00:03:44,249 way. Rules and mechanics can push and pull the player very effectively - as you'll run 49 00:03:44,249 --> 00:03:48,040 away from enemies you can't attack, but will chase down collectibles like they're a trail 50 00:03:48,040 --> 00:03:49,709 of bread crumbs. 51 00:03:49,709 --> 00:03:54,439 Down here, we see an example of affordance in level design. A ramp is there to be jumped 52 00:03:54,439 --> 00:03:57,310 off, and the player will dutifully play along. 53 00:03:57,310 --> 00:04:02,269 You can't discount the camera during this entire section, of course. It swings around, 54 00:04:02,269 --> 00:04:06,060 keeping your next destination in the centre of the frame. But you're always free to wiggle 55 00:04:06,060 --> 00:04:11,549 it about and look wherever you please - the game rarely takes control away from you entirely. 56 00:04:11,549 --> 00:04:17,030 Now the guiding lines point up, except for these windowsills. The contrast in directionality 57 00:04:17,030 --> 00:04:22,109 makes them stand out - not to mention their colour. This is another common trick in level 58 00:04:22,109 --> 00:04:26,120 design - as long as the colours in the rest of the stage are carefully considered, a bright 59 00:04:26,120 --> 00:04:29,280 and contrasting colour can really grab your attention. 60 00:04:29,280 --> 00:04:35,199 Mirror's Edge famously uses red, but The Last of Us and Uncharted do the exact same thing 61 00:04:35,199 --> 00:04:39,449 with yellow. And Tomb Raider paints all its important elements in white. 62 00:04:39,449 --> 00:04:44,190 All of these tricks are used to subtly nudge you through the section and keep you on the 63 00:04:44,190 --> 00:04:49,030 carefully scripted path that Naughty Dog has laid out. But it doesn't stop there, as similar 64 00:04:49,030 --> 00:04:52,000 visual clues are littered throughout the entire game. 65 00:04:52,000 --> 00:04:56,280 There are other tricks, too. Like negative space, which forms an attractive portal. And 66 00:04:56,280 --> 00:05:00,599 audio can be used, too - everyone goes into this room at the start of The Last of Us, 67 00:05:00,599 --> 00:05:07,060 not just because of the alluring light but because of the distant sound of the TV speakers. 68 00:05:09,080 --> 00:05:12,660 SARAH: You in here? 69 00:05:12,669 --> 00:05:17,289 And then there are weenies. That's right, weenies. This is a technique from Walt Disney, 70 00:05:17,289 --> 00:05:21,139 who plopped the giant castle in the centre of Disneyland to lure visitors into the 71 00:05:21,139 --> 00:05:25,220 centre as soon as they enter the gates, and give them a navigational aid so they're always 72 00:05:25,220 --> 00:05:27,440 be able to return to the middle of the park. 73 00:05:27,440 --> 00:05:32,190 So, characters in Uncharted and The Last of Us spend half the game pointing at far-off 74 00:05:32,190 --> 00:05:36,080 landmarks which then loom over the skyline and give you something to work towards and 75 00:05:36,080 --> 00:05:37,979 a static position to aid navigation. 76 00:05:37,979 --> 00:05:40,979 BILL: There's that truck. ELENA: You see that tower up ahead? 77 00:05:40,979 --> 00:05:45,099 TESS: There she is. That's our building. HARRY: There's the tower. 78 00:05:45,099 --> 00:05:49,479 JOEL: Alright, there's the bridge. That's our way out of here. 79 00:05:49,479 --> 00:05:53,729 The same applies to the Citadel in Half Life 2, buildings in Mirror's Edge, and the mountain 80 00:05:53,729 --> 00:05:55,449 in Journey. 81 00:05:55,449 --> 00:06:00,560 And then there are arrows. Sometimes hidden in the game world as props or as markings, 82 00:06:00,560 --> 00:06:04,389 and sometimes literal arrows, on signs and painted on the ground that point you in the 83 00:06:04,389 --> 00:06:08,970 right direction. Hey, that's what arrows are there for, right? 84 00:06:08,970 --> 00:06:13,199 You can use all of these examples in your designs. Even if it's just using light and 85 00:06:13,199 --> 00:06:17,599 colour to highlight places of interactivity. You'll need to test that it all works by observing 86 00:06:17,599 --> 00:06:21,349 random players as they move through your level, but you can also borrow a clever trick from 87 00:06:21,349 --> 00:06:22,490 Naughty Dog. 88 00:06:22,490 --> 00:06:26,229 Back when it was making Crash Bandicoot it would do something called the squint test, 89 00:06:26,229 --> 00:06:30,300 where level designers would squint their eye and see if the critical path through the level 90 00:06:30,300 --> 00:06:33,550 was the most dominant thing in each scene. 91 00:06:33,550 --> 00:06:37,740 You may be wondering why a game like Crash Bandicoot or Uncharted needs to bother with 92 00:06:37,740 --> 00:06:41,520 all this, when they're already so linear. And it's true: if you're not going down the 93 00:06:41,520 --> 00:06:45,080 critical path in these games, you'll often find yourself at a dead end. 94 00:06:45,080 --> 00:06:49,620 But that's kind of the point. The game provides multiple paths for the player, and they feel 95 00:06:49,620 --> 00:06:53,979 like they have the freedom to explore whichever they choose. As they always seem to stumble 96 00:06:53,979 --> 00:06:58,090 upon new content - not entirely aware that they were subconsciously persuaded to take 97 00:06:58,090 --> 00:07:02,770 that path or enter that door - it stands to reason that all the other exits and doors 98 00:07:02,770 --> 00:07:04,580 lead to new play spaces too. 99 00:07:04,580 --> 00:07:08,300 It makes the world feel bigger and less linear than it really is. 100 00:07:08,300 --> 00:07:12,650 It also helps keep up the pace of the game. Uncharted is supposed to be a rip-roaring 101 00:07:12,650 --> 00:07:16,630 adventure, and that would fall apart if you were struggling to find the next door in every room. 102 00:07:17,880 --> 00:07:22,639 And, crucially, this stuff just works. And you can test it for yourself: play Mirror's 103 00:07:22,639 --> 00:07:26,780 Edge and turn off runner's vision and you'll see how difficult it is to get through the 104 00:07:26,780 --> 00:07:31,169 game without these visual clues. If you're anything like me you'll get lost over and 105 00:07:31,169 --> 00:07:33,550 over and over again. 106 00:07:33,550 --> 00:07:39,319 And finally, knowing how to use these tricks will help other aspects of your level design 107 00:07:39,319 --> 00:07:43,530 too as they can be used for more than just navigation. Picking the right colour for your 108 00:07:43,530 --> 00:07:48,879 level doesn't just help you highlight platforms, but also set the right tone. Motion can be 109 00:07:48,879 --> 00:07:51,379 used to make sure the player is looking in the right direction. 110 00:07:54,060 --> 00:07:58,480 And frames in the level design ensure the player gets the best viewpoint for an important scene. 111 00:07:58,490 --> 00:08:03,310 But maybe we'll come back to all that in another video. Till then, thanks for watching. 112 00:08:04,940 --> 00:08:09,580 Have you ever seen a game that does something smart with navigation? Leave a comment below. 113 00:08:09,580 --> 00:08:14,449 Also, give the video a like, subscribe to the channel, or consider pitching in via Patreon.