BackDoorBandit on 16/5/2001 at 17:02
<a href="http://gamespot.com/gamespot/stories/features/0,12059,2717726-1,00.html">Gamespot's Question of the Week</a> asks, "Which game has the best level design?" In the answers provided, Deus Ex gets a noteable mention.
What part of Deus Ex's level design do you find extremely noteworthy?
I really appreciated the openness of the maps. How you could choose your path, and how they gave you multiple options to finish the level, and took out the linearity of most FPS's.
Baron Bifford on 16/5/2001 at 22:01
In layout terms, it could have been better, perhaps. What set it apart was the objectives, narratives and non-linearity, but if it went out on pure level layout it wouldn't score that highly. Perhaps it's a matter of matching it to style of play, but if it were pure running around and shooting it isn't that fantastic.
Phydeaux on 17/5/2001 at 04:13
How the hell is Halflife ahead in the votes? I mean, it was a great game and all, but the follow the yellow brick road style of level design should disqualify it.
In my mind, nothing beats Deus Ex. Thief/SS series were great too, but when it comes down to real life realizm Deus Ex is #1.
kostoffj on 17/5/2001 at 19:59
Quote:
Originally posted by Phydeaux:
<STRONG>How the hell is Halflife ahead in the votes? I mean, it was a great game and all, but the follow the yellow brick road style of level design should disqualify it.
In my mind, nothing beats Deus Ex. Thief/SS series were great too, but when it comes down to real life realizm Deus Ex is #1.</STRONG>
That's because Halflife has lots and lots of fanboys. Still, that didn't irk me nearly as much as the number of Gamespot commentators who mentioned Serious Sam as an example of great level design.
I think that a lot of people must have very differing ideas of what constitues great level design. My criterion is: how much like a real place is a given level? How believeable is it? This being so, I think that DX hands down has the best level design of any game to date. Every map in DX feels like an actual, lived/worked in place, even the high tech labs and secret installations.
I also think that SS/SS2 are quite good, but DX trumps them in variety of places modeled. So, in addition to realism, variety of environments. From secret labs to seedy bars to actual landmarks in major cities - no other game has anything like that.
Although, honorable mention to Thief 2 for the Life of the Party level - that was a masterpiece.
Fomar on 18/5/2001 at 20:27
I think the reason you see Half Life and Seruous Sam mentioned is simply because those kinds of levels are what most people think of when they hear the word "level". Level's from Half-Life vs Deus Ex are definate Apples and Oranges. So much so there should be a different question covering both :)
Still action/shoot everything element aside for HL and SS the levels were quite good I thought. The serious sam engine had excellent effects in terms of sky and scope. And Half-Life just had a lot of atmosphere (even years later). Also, although I've never played them, screenshots from some of those Half Life mods are some pretty dang realistic places.
I prefer games like Deus Ex much more than HL or any FPS shooter for that matter. Because of the level design and because of what you do running around it. So when someone mentions "level" or "map" in Deus Ex I know (like we all do) they're talking about more than just brushes and textures.
I agree about System Shock 2 as well. That game had some incredible levels. I think Hydroponics is the best 3D map I have ever seen.
FOMAR
