Levels!? What levels, this is a computer game !!

Hostile_18

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Sorry for the dramatic title (not really). Thinking about what made Deus Ex so special made me realise one thing I loved about it was that the levels never really felt like levels but rather real world locations. It seems the majority of games these days have levels that mainly go from A to B, yet levels that are open ended to some degree are so much more fun. Now I'm not talking about open world games but rather games that have levels that feel and have a layout like real world locations, locations that can be approached multiple ways. Can anyone think of more games that have this approach to level design? Off the top of my head Deus Ex, Thief, Far Cry, The Darkness & Rainbow Six (the old ones) spring to mind. I'd love to play more games with this design philosophy!!
 

Vonhelmet

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Far Cry was definitely my favourite for that. It was great being able to traverse the islands in so many different ways.

Arkham Asylum and Fallout 3 did a good job of feeling like real places as well.
 

Demoniser

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It's a sign of good game design when you don't think of the fact that you're moving from level to level along a linear path, and when it doesn't break that sense of immersion.

Probably one of the reasons why i play so many RPG's. Stuff like Uncharted & Gears do a good job of that aswell imo. You think of the game progressing from one location to the next while you play out the chapters in a story, rather than progressing from level to level.

As for open ended stuff, mmm Halo 3: ODST kind of does that, but only when you're traversing New Mombasa as the Rookie. The various Splinter Cell games would be the best example i would give though, you could usually approach an objective or obstacle in several different ways. I quite like the ability to plan your actions. Many games nowadays, while they might seem free generally steer you down one path or another, so you don't feel like you have that much freedom.
 
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Vonhelmet

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Demoniser said:
The various Splinter Cell games would be the best example i would give though, you could usually approach an objective or obstacle in several different ways. I quite like the ability to plan your actions.
Click to expand...

I love Splinter Cell, but the levels are incredibly linear. The paths are completely proscribed, and the nature of the stealth means that there's basically one correct path through things - duck here, move to this cover, wait 30 seconds, run across the room... The levels are designed to be traversed, rather than Sam having the skills to traverse any room. Obviously there's always going to be an element of that, but it's painfully obvious where it's happening in Splinter Cell. Boxes at the end of guard patrols, pipes running the length of the corridors, cupboards for the bodies...
 

Hostile_18

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I think some linear games do do a good job of disguising it such as gears and drakes fortune but what I was getting at is more levels that if zoomed out would be more box shaped than long and narrow. Levels say that you could approach the objective multiple ways and due to the lay out of the levels feel like real places with more than one way to go.
 

Reaper 392

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i'm struggling to add to your list here. i was about to say "ZOMG thief deadly shadows was amazing, felt like there were no specific levels atall *nostalgia*" but then i see you have it on your list already
 
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