Hey, check out my new map!!

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3757334334

First impression might be "Wow this level looks nice and fun!!"

To be honest it's just a bunch of trees randomly scaled and placed around with zero thought or cohesion, maybe I'm just lucky that it even managed to be traversable at the very least.

I'm just not sure where to continue on ? I don't really have a specific vision other than "make a cool level" but, how could I get started with ACTUALLY DESIGNING this level from this point, I always seem to fail at grayboxing lul

Competetive 5 v 5 map for Counter Strike 2

I thought I might post this as I couldn't find a lot of content like this when I was looking around at the start of my project, like how the hell does one design a level anyway? The process I've figured out so far was:

Layout mockup in Affinity (2nd image)

I ended up being very thankful for putting a few days into this as I've tried to skip this step before and I wasted SO MUCH TIME just looking at my own half-finished level. This way I was able to quickly prototype and discard bad ideas. It helps that I have pretty good phantasia, so I was imagining the playable level as I went here. Seems obvious in hindsight, but in the past I naively assumed I could skip this step.

Attempt to make the level I designed using Probuilder (3rd image)

At this point I realised that I didn't want to introduce more game elements than I needed to, so I de-scoped the falling lava (red dots in the mock). I also realised I could make it way more interesting by introducing some semi-destroyed architecture, so I added leaning buildings for you to traverse time to time, and fallen pillars to roll along.

Side note; I took this screenshot at the end by turning the final assets off, so it's missing some stuff that was later replaced.

Fill it in with assets to make it look like an actual level (1st image)

This step also included a lot of revision to move stuff around to fit the assets properly, like rocks I couldn't quite fit into corners meant I had to move the path around a bit. It didn't end up being too bad, and often was a nice push to re-think parts of the level. I also realised that my bridge in the mock could just be a fallen pillar, which worked out nicely and I could skip trying to make a collapsable bridge.

Showcase (4th-6th images)

This is what it looks like in the game with the background and fog turned on. I'm pretty happy with it but the lava needs another revision I think, it's a bit flat. It's worth noting that players won't see most of these angles, from the ground you don't see any missing geometry.

Overall I'm pretty happy with the process though!

This is for my game Knights of Lunacy, you can sign up for the beta here.

Hi! Following a recent discussion in this subreddit, I’m going to start posting some of my old level design tips material here.

Most of this already exists elsewhere, mostly from a couple of years ago and on other social networks, but I think it could help spark some discussion and bring more level design content into the subreddit.

I’ll start with around five posts like this, one every few days, and then maybe I’ll continue sharing older work, sketches, or small breakdowns. Some of you may already know this material. Most of my educational content is normally in Spanish, but if anyone is interested, it’s easy to find with a quick search.

This first one doen't really talk about creating spaces yet, but it introduces the concept of scale, readability and landmarks. It's the one that actually sparked the idea for the ld tip series, is about very simple building readability.

The first sketch is the basic idea:

1. Box

2. Box with holes

3. Building

It came from a conversation about how players recognize urban environments, even when the art style is very stylized, simplified, or cartoonish.

A plain box is not a building yet. A box with holes starts to suggest one, but it can still feel abstract, like a generic volume with windows. What usually makes it read as a building is the way we structure it into recognizable architectural parts.

That is where “The Building Pie” comes in.

It is a simple framework I use to think about buildings in urban game environments. Whats the least you need to think when crating a urban environment that it still reads as urban, buildings etc...

A - Street Level

The most important part for gameplay and player interaction. It defines entrances, shopfronts, doors, scale, cover, navigation, and the negative space of the street around it. In many games, this is the part the player actually reads and uses the most.

B - Floors

The repeated middle layers. They give the building rhythm, height, scale, and silhouette. Even if they are not interactive, they help the player understand what kind of building it is and how big the world feels.

C - Top

The crown of the building. It helps make the building recognizable from a distance and can also become an important gameplay surface, especially in games with rooftops, climbing, parkour, vantage points, objectives, or vertical navigation.

The useful thing, for me, is that with only these three elements you can make very simple buildings read clearly without relying on lots of detail.

This is especially helpful during blockout, stylized art direction, or early environment design, where you don’t want to solve everything with decoration.

When you design urban buildings for games, what do you prioritize first: ground floor interaction, silhouette, interior layout, navigation, or something else?

Hey everyone!! :D

I wanted to ask everyone how they believe new furry social spaces should be run.

A small team of us is working on a comfy, browser-based, (adult only)), 2D social sandbox game called Furrytopia! The idea is to reproduce the memories of sites like Club Penguin and Animal Jam, where you can travel around biomes, decorate "Dens," and trade stuff. :)
In order to provide communities their own rooms, we are also incorporating Discord-style themed servers into it.

We are a small team with a very limited budget, which is the biggest reality check for us. It's gonna be a huge challenge to balance asset moderation and community safety on a tight budget because we want to let users upload their own unique art and fashion files using "Biscuits," an in-game hard currency.

I'd love to know what makes you think that a new social space is genuinely secure, friendly, and well-run. And maybe also what you think are the most common mistakes made by indie devs when creating a platform (or game)?

---

Also!! We are searching for a Social Media Manager:

We are currently lookin for a Social Media Manager who is a member of the furry community to join us because we are small and totally focused on getting the engine operating! To manage our public roadmap, provide updates, and influence how our community develops from the start, we need someone who enjoys these kinds of games.

If you're interested in being a SMM for the game, dm me!

Edit: we’ve found a social media manager!!

—

If you'd like to follow the development, also dm me!

Hi everyone! ❤️

I’m finally ready to share this with the world. I’ve started developing my own game, "Remains", inspired by Lara Croft and God of War✨

bit of level design

I'm an indie game developer with no budget, working on my first game entirely by myself,

I need experienced developers to share their help, advice, and suggestions.

This is a WIP for a paintball FPS. It's supposed to be where players can move around and do activities as they wait to join a game kind of like Inkopolis in Splatoon. Players, however, can't exit the gate. I'm new to level design, so I would love to hear your thoughts.

Hi everyone,

Today we're opening Cygon to everyone. If you're tired of spending hours building prototypes before you know whether an idea is fun, Cygon is for you.

After months of work, we're finally ready to put the first building block of Cygon into your hands: rapid prototyping. It's the first step toward a much bigger vision, and we're excited to share the rest with you soon.

In the video above, we explain our vision and where we want to take Cygon. Since it's only a minute long, it can't cover everything, so if you'd like to learn more about our goals, the reasoning behind our decisions, and our long-term vision, you can read our manifesto here: https://media.cygon.tech/cygon_manifesto.pdf

One question we know many of you have is about pricing.

Our goal is to keep Cygon afordable for everyone. To ensure it fits in your existing workflow Cygon will be free to use with all features available until you export your project. Exporting projects and using the full game engine integration pipeline will require a subscription. We explain why we chose this model in the manifesto.

If anything is unclear or you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comments. We're always happy to hear feedback and suggestions that can help us improve.

Thanks for taking the time to read this.

We hope to see you on Cygon soon!

Cygon Website : https://www.cygon.tech/

Hello everyone!

What do you think about the dungeon? What would you improve? Do you like it? The world: a medival world which doesnt have sun/moonlight. We are currently building a prototype/demo to see if the gameplay is interesting. We are aiming towards stealth based gameplay. Think of dishonored but way slower and without abilities like teleporting. The player has to rely on his gadgets only but those are also very Limited since there is a strict limit on how many things you can take. Its Not finished yet, im planning to add some more props. Its just a part of a bigger Level.
Let me know you ideas

From Shadow to Light… Literally #DevDiary16

In this post, you're looking at the exact same room before and after our lighting pass. No changes to the models or textures, only adjustments to the light sources, their intensity, and their placement.

It's a highly technical part of game development, but the impact is immediate. The scene becomes easier to read, the atmosphere starts to take shape, and the environment feels much more believable. 😎

Which version do you prefer: before or after the lighting pass? 👀

And if you'd like to see how the rest of the project comes to light, don't forget to add MegaGum to your wishlist on Steam : https://store.steampowered.com/app/4111300/MegaGum/ !✨