This vista at the start of Elden Ring is such a master class of level design. It illustrates a lot of the subtle motivational hooks available to designers. What I want to emphasize is that this scene causes players to ask a lot of questions, but the game does not answer these questions for a long time. What is that giant glowing tree? How strong is the Tree Sentinel? How do I reach Stormveil Castle? Notably, the player's first two attempts to reach the castle will most likely

Players usually hate escort quests... but what if the NPCs are escorting you? In the Gothic Remake, players must struggle for every scrap of progression. Every single piece of loot or experience in the early game is invaluabale. Therefore, having an NPC escort the player, provides players the opportunity to mooch off the NPC's exp and loot, which is a huge win for players. All of a sudden, sticking with your escort feels like power, instead of a tedious chore. It's also a gre

Melgar's Stand. A small band of militants hold a ruined site opposite a mysterious portal that periodically opens and unleashes hordes of undead. This was a quick 4 hours project with the goal of designing and set dressing a POI for a dynamic event with 3 states: 1. Contested (allies control one side, enemies the other) 2. Allied controlled (allies control one side, the other side dormant) 3. Enemy controlled (enemies control both sides) The event's current state also needs t