Entrepreneurship And Selling Essay Example for Free

Business enterprise And Selling Essay 1.0 Introduction There are different kinds of white espresso are selling in the market at present. In this way, I might want to share about my new image of white espresso, Fah Sin white espresso. As we as a whole know, this industry in Malaysia is notable, with various brands, for example, Old Town White Coffee, Nescafe White Coffee, Ipoh White Coffee thus numerous others. For this item that I am going to share, is it completely possessed without anyone else. Along these lines, this is a completely sole-owner organization. Before we go any further, let us glance through the historical backdrop of white espresso. White Coffee is a local result of Malaysia. Malaysia Origin White Coffee is made of all around picked Liberica, Arabica and Robusta espresso beans and premium skim milk, handling in mellow low-temperature heating and uncommon procedure to evacuate the severe and acrid taste cause by high-temperature flame broiled, and limit the caffeine, sharpness and harshness to the most minimal with no added substances included, exceptional fragrance, delicate to stomach and hold the first shading and kind of espresso, the shading is more gentler than the normal espresso, light brilliant yellow with unadulterated traditional taste. The white espresso is a one of a kind espresso drinks in Malaysia with around 100 years of history. White espresso doesn’t mean the shade of espresso is white; it is made of very much picked Liberica, Arabice and Robusta espresso beans, heating without caramel at direct low-temperature which takes 2.5 occasions longer than the high-temperature charcoal preparing, and pound into espresso powder. It evacuates the singe and sharp taste cause by regular high temperature seared and charcoal broiled, however holds the common flavor and rich smell of the espresso, vital fragrant and perfection. Delicate to stomach, don't get aggravated, low caffeine, unadulterated gentle quality, suits the prerequisites for current taste of existence with remarkable smell. 2.0 General Macro Environment Elements. Enterprise can be characterized as the technique for using one’s individual innovativeness and imaginativeness to get changes to a previously existing business or to start another business with the end goal of creating and growing it and make it a monetarily beneficial endeavor. To guarantee this new item could make a triumph and another effect on people in general, we need to consider the endeavors of condition evaluation. The accompanying graph gives a more clear vision of the significant pieces of the appraisal. As a business person, we need to take a gander at the elements that is encompassing in our general public, so as to accomplish the objective deals that we plan. The full scale situations incorporate the significant powers that demonstration on the firm itself, yet in addition on its rivals and on components in the smaller scale condition. The large scale condition will in general be harder to impact than does the smaller scale condition, however this doesn't imply that organizations should essentially stay latent; the powerlessness to control doesn't infer a failure to impact. Regularly the large scale condition can be impacted by acceptable advertising exercises. The principle components of the large scale condition are known as PEST, which implies: P †Political and Legislation. E †Economy S †Socio-Cultural T †Technology 2.1 Political and Legislation †Political factors frequently sway on business: ongoing models are the overall development towards privatization of previous government-claimed utilities and organizations, and the move away from security of workers’ rights. Firms should have the option to react to the predominant political atmosphere, and change the advertising approach as needs be. For instance, British Telecom, Deutsche Telekom and Telstra of Australia have all needed to make significant rearrangements to their promoting approaches since being privatized, and specifically since seeing a rise in serious levels. Practically all the firms’ exercises have been influenced, from cutting the lead time among requesting and acquiring another phone, through to value rivalry in light of competitors’ cut-cost significant distance and global calls. English Telecom was the UK’s fifth greatest high-roller on publicizing during 2003. This section is the field wherein distinctive intrigue bunches seek consideration and assets. This is the place I can practice my political force by obeying and hold fast to the approach, enactment and guidelines on how the business works. There are 2 sorts of issue which we have to consider, which is the worldwide issues and the national issues. With respect to my organization, I will just need to watch the national issues, where tax assessment and guidelines are progressively significant. The explanation is on the grounds that the effect of tax collection on business tasks can decrease the money accessible for undertakings to contribute while some expenses are great for just certain business and disadvantageous to other people. 2.2 Economy †Economic components envelop such zones as the blast/bust cycle, and the development in joblessness in certain pieces of the nation because of the end of customary businesses. Full scale financial components manage the administration of interest in the economy; the primary instruments governments use for this are loan cost controls, tax collection strategy and government use. On the off chance that the administration builds use (or lessens tax assessment), there will be more cash in the economy and request will rise; if tax collection is expanded (or consumption cut), there will be less cash for customers to spend, so request will recoil. Increases in financing costs will in general lessen request, as home advances become progressively costly and Visa charges rise. This factor assumes a fundamental job in the achievement or disappointment of another business. As a business visionary, we have to dissect this factor at the worldwide, national and nearby levels. In the interim, we should likewise examine, screen, estimate and evaluate the macroeconomic components that can influence the new business. 2.3 Socio-Cultural †This factor comprises of two significant related angles: 2.3.1 Demographic changes: It occurs because of changes in the populace, ethnic gatherings, and populace structures as per age, sexual orientation, geological area, and their salary. These components will plainly give the information of consumers’ request, purchasing power and modern limit. We have to survey these adjustments so as to distinguish our business openings. Segment changes can effectsly affect organizations: the declining birth rate in most Western nations obviously affects deals of infant items, however will in the long run affect the arrangement of state benefits as the resigned must be bolstered by an ever-contracting number of individuals of working age. Similarly, changes in the ethnic organization of urban areas or in the populace fixation (with scarcely any individuals living in the downtown areas of huge urban areas) cause changes in the interest for nearby administrations and retailers, and (all the more quietly) changes in the kind of products and enterprises requested. 2.3.2 Social patterns: This identify with the way of life of an individual. We additionally need to screen the way of life changes so as to distinguish business openings. Be that as it may, yet, as a business visionary, we additionally need to estimate and evaluate the importance of changes for our business by taking a gander at their own personal circumstance. 2.4 Technology †This is additionally a fundamental factor for another endeavor through item improvement and commercialization. Mechanical change occurs in two structures: 2.4.1 Pure Invention: This alludes to the formation of something new that is unique in relation to existing innovation or item. Ordinarily it has monetary worth and has no contenders at introductory stages and it is regularly imposing business model by person. In any case, there will be no market at the beginning period. Then again, new innovations can make new markets and open doors for business. For instance, the development of semiconductors made busi ness openings in PCs and cell phones. 2.4.2 †Process Innovation: This alludes to the little changes in structure, item definition and assembling, materials and appropriation. Filtering and observing changes in innovation are difficult errands because of data isn't effectively accessible. 3.0 Elements of Macro Environment That Affects Our Organization. At the earliest reference point, we have glance through all the main considerations or the full scale condition components. Would we be able to find what the elements that may influence our new business are? We need to gather more data and information before we can dispatch another item and to do looks into about our country’s current circumstance. 3.1 - Political and Legislation: Malaysia is a tranquil nation. We have no wars contrasted with different nations like Israel or Pakistan. We have additionally numerous sorts of ethnic in Malaysia, where we have malay, chinese, Indian, kadazan thus numerous others. Our enactment is constrained by our decision government and we in every case live in harmony and agreement. 3.2 - Economy: Malaysia economy is developing quickly, with numerous abroad financial specialists and furthermore new pursuits. This expanded the working chances and the normal salary of a neighborhood researcher is RM 1800.00 †RM 2500.00, and consequently this will likewise assist with expanding the purchasing power. 3.3 - Socio-Cultural: If we look carefully to the way of life of the working grown-ups, we are consistently occupied and continually searching for something moment to eat or drink during in the workplace. Consequently, our new white espresso is helpful and reasonable for working grown-ups as it is a 3 out of 1 espresso bundle. Drinking espresso additionally consider as a culture to working grown-ups, to support up their endurance while at work. 3.4 Technology: As for this white espresso, we have our own one of a kind innovative work group. We are additionally wanting to include other home grown plants into this white espresso as an added substance fixings with the goal that our espresso will taste better contrasted with other brand. Enterprise, as talked about prior, contains all the parts of the new pursuit and the business visionary can confront difficulties from every one of them. For occasions, the accounts for

Edward Hopper and Tim Eitel Comparison

Edward Hopper and Tim Eitel Comparison Presentation The accompanying pages will break down and think about American pragmatist Edward Hopper (1882-1967) and German contemporary pragmatist Tim Eitel (b. 1971). The works chose are Office in a Small City, painted by Hopper in 1953 with oils on canvas, and Ohne Titel (Ausblick)/Without Title (View) by Tim Eitel in 2002 with acrylic paints on canvas. The two specialists depict dejection, and offer a typical topic of separation. This was passed on in my fifth studio work, which is a semi-pragmatist painting of a youth photo of me after my family and I moved to the United States from Germany. The occasion affected my personality to an enormous degree, and I needed to pass on the confinement I felt. In this manner, I utilized comparative strategies as Hopper and Eitel, essentially regarding structure, tone, and concealing. Container Examination of formal characteristics Expressed to be one of the most noticeable American craftsmen, Hopper portrayed pragmatist urban and rustic scenes of post-war American life, and rendered his own vision of it. Conceived in 1882 in New York, Hopper examined representation at college, however moved to expressive arts and was attracted to oil painting. He was intensely impacted by Edgar Degas and Èduard Manet, especially their utilization of compositional gadgets and their delineations of present day urban life, which is clear in his works. The stature of Hoppers acclaim was accomplished through his oil painting Nighthawks (1942) which renders exhaustion, concern, and strain of clients and a server in a urban, unknown cafe in the profundities of the night. In the same way as other of Hoppers works, it is accepted to resound wartime tension and vulnerability through the feeling of detachment created through Hoppers utilization of organization. This subject of separation is clear in Hoppers later fills in too, for example, Office in a Small City (1952, oil on canvas, 71.1 cm * 101.6 cm). Masterminded in a moderate piece, the work delineates a man watching out at urban engineering and cityscapes. He appears to be segregated both genuinely and inwardly. Through the two huge and open windows which nearly appear to have no glass, the watcher can see all through the workplace. The figure is gazing out of the window, and doesn't appear to be effectively working, and rather maybe sitting tight for something or staring off into space. He is the main figure in the piece and is disengaged from concealed conceivable collaborators. This triggers the feeling of physical confinement. Exposed condition of a corner office which differences open windows and a blue sky, the man appears to be caught, which promotes his physical disengagement. Besides, he is surrounded by the workplace windows, and his head is profiled towards the windows and the mass of structures past, which recommends regulation inside his condition. The figure is gazing detachedly outside towards the close by structures and splendid blue sky, maybe with something much the same as longing of breaking liberated from the physical limits set which trigger his confinement. There is no sign of a specific calling, and the watcher can't perceive any subtleties of his face. The workplace highlights dull, mass-delivered office furniture and the white dividers show an also flat structure. The obscurity, anonymity, and solemn isolation of the figure could be illustrative of Hoppers analysis towards post-war American business culture, as the man is by all accounts caught by the limits set by his working environment. Thusly, Hopper could be scrutinizing the flood in post-war American free enterprise and maybe the secluding impact this had on standard laborers, for example, the figure depicted. Moreover, there is a solid complexity between the obvious, utilitarian appearance of place of business and the enriching, bogus front of the structure inverse. This could show Hoppers indecision towards present day urban life which is exhibited in his different works which likewise depict current and urban American culture. Comments The topic of the piece is the basic highlights of post-war American life and of its occupants, which was ordinarily depicted by Hopper. Regarding visual properties, Hopper utilizes light, shadows, and cold hues to expand feeling of dejection, just as a vibe of a mass delivered and industrialized condition. The structure itself is of insipid plan with enormous windows, which appear to trap the figure and is likewise a nearly surrealist component, seeing as it is conceivable that the room has no windows by any means, as there is so noticeable sign of glass. The unmistakable, articulated and equal piece assists the spotless lines of the work. A feeling of solidarity is delivered through the strong dark shade of the divider, and the solid shade of blue of the sky. The general procedure and style of the piece is improved authenticity, exhibited through the unmistakable and articulated shadows and solid tones that have little variety. Statements As a rule it very well may be said that a countries craftsmanship is most prominent when it mirrors the character of its kin. Container (through edwardhopper.net) Understanding of capacity and reason Container himself expresses that his point was to attempt to give the feeling of a disconnected and desolate office inside fairly high noticeable all around, with the workplace furniture which has an exceptionally positive importance to me. (metmuseum.org) He didn't further state what positive importance this was, yet as the workplace furniture is dull, plain, and mass-delivered, one can accept that Hopper wished to facilitate the possibility of a detached, melancholic and desolate laborer kept both truly and truly by his condition, be it his work explicitly or the bigger society of post-war America. Created in 1953, the general public Hopper lived in during the time the piece was rolled out experienced incredible improvement. The post-war monetary blast made the United States become progressively materialistic and entrepreneur, which set off a huge extension of the white collar class and individuals who worked in enormous association, for example, workplaces as depicted in the piece . This move of working in an increasingly natural, littler condition to working in an enormous business as an insignificant representative, likewise to a gear-tooth in a machine. Besides, beforehand little mechanical urban communities developed enormously during this time. Along these lines, one would have frequently felt segregated, which could be a potential motivation behind why Hopper decided to depict the laborer as truly and intellectually secluded and far off. Container utilized meaningful and hostile to account imagery to pass on this. Assessment of social centrality The work delineates seclusion and depression of man in a particularly obvious manner, which could be illustrative of post-war American consumerist and industrialist society through portraying a mysterious working man caught in a keeping and confining condition. In another sense, it is imperative to take note of the setting of the work. Painted during the 1950s, the piece includes a reductive style, which is characterized by clear lines, decreased framed, smoothed out sythesis, and an unmistakable creation. This style contradicted dynamic expressionism. Additionally a post-war development, conceptual expressionism tried to make works fuelled by the inner mind. Painting was viewed as a programmed and unconstrained activity. Containers pragmatist style is contrary to crafted by Pollack and Rothko. In contrast to unmistakable craftsmen of the time, Hopper didn't paint unreservedly. Because of this, Hopper was regularly named as passã © antiquated. Post-war, Hoppers achievement step by step declined, yet, he kept on working. His works of art remained deliberately arranged with an eye for creation. He kept on interpretting American existence with almost no shows. His organized scenes appear to be normal, with separated, solidified figures in pra ctically clumsy stances. While different works at the time were vivacious and theoretical, his pieces stayed monotone, yet valid. Container evacuates any pointless subtleties, and in fact, this real and uncomfortable pragmatist style enamors and reverberates with the watcher, even decades later. Eitel Examination of formal characteristics Conceived in 1971, German contemporary craftsman Tim Eitel is one of the most noticeable pragmatist painters of the twenty-first century in the European workmanship scene. Eitel contemplated German language, writing, and theory before considering painting at college, bringing about his performance debut in 2006. Eitels essential medium is oil on canvas, with which he makes moderate scenes in a pragmatist style with a feeling of conceptual creation. Eitel is most popular for portrayals of a to some degree changed and arranged reality, and particularly his decision of foundation and piece are regularly theoretical and, it could be said, strange. This can be found in his work Ohne Titel (Ausblick)/Without Title (View) (acrylic on canvas, 2002, 30 cm * 30c cm). The piece shows a man gazing out into a woodland, maybe remaining before a window or entryway or something to that affect. It isn't en-face. Dim blue fringes encompass a scene of a timberland. The inside has a Mondrian-like viewpoint through strong squares of shading; mint and dull blue. It is uncertain whether these are windows or entryways, or a surrealist component of the piece. The man is distant from everyone else, and gives a feeling of isolation. The arrangement of the work-with the impression of the figure on the floor and the man looking out into the separation emphasizes the intelligent idea of the work, just as the forlornness depicted. The thick, dull blue outskirts around the man make accentuation on the figure and detach him truly. Intellectually, the figure appears to be segregated in that we can't see his face, and he is basically gazing out into the separation. He isn't associating with the watcher, which makes a cool separation. The dull outskirts appear to trap and oblige the figure, giving the work a fairly strange and unpropitious air. The man, in any case, doesn't appear to recognize the fringes, and rather gazes longingly outside towards the backwoods, maybe with an end goal to get away from this disengagement. The earth is chilly, an impact made through the virus hues utilized of white, light green, dim green and dull blue, which promotes the feeling of I

Into Thin Air Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Like a phantom - Case Study Example The ramifications of dynamic and influence of a gathering by a hiking chief prompted the demise of nine individuals inside a solitary day as an awful tempest clobbered up on Mount Everest (Krakauer, 2009). From the portrayal of Jon Krakauer, it is uncovered that during this hiking experience, three additional lives were lost before a month slipped by. This mountaineering involvement with Everest occurred in the spring of the year 1996. In dynamic, data or information is one of the most urgent components of a pioneer of a gathering. This is provided that there is absence of information, creation of decisions isn't probably going to be educated. For instance the climbers for the situation study had no information that anything was probably going to turn out badly as they began their business endeavor for the Everest Summit at the South Col. It is absence of any information on what was ahead that influence was accomplished and the gathering settled on a choice to proceed with the undert aking. In any case, pioneers of a gathering are obliged to make individuals mindful of the dangers which are related with the choices that they make (Robert, 2001). This is exhibited for the situation where it is said that all individuals from the mountaineering campaign were aware of the conceivable difficulty that they would confront however they didn't understand that it would prompt loss of lives and make it the most exceedingly awful mountaineering undertaking at Mount Everest (Krakauer, 2009). ... Experience makes pioneers equipped for settling on the correct choices and the achievement they accomplish motel dynamic is credited to the confidence that individuals from a gathering have for such pioneers and their influence request (Robert, 2001). The dynamic of the climbing guide for the group was a fixed and exacting turnaround timing which Hall put at 1 pm. It is outstanding that during the climbing experience most climbers didn't hold fast to the turnaround time as posted by the guide. This is seen by the way that a few climbers pivoted at 3 pm (Krakauer, 2009). In this sense it very well may be contended that the guide of the climbing undertaking couldn't effectively convince the gathering of the significance that was joined t adherence to the turnaround time and the potential results that would radiated from choices of neglecting to turnaround when anticipated. The choice Hall had for the gathering for the 1 pm turnaround end up being expensive for the entire gathering. Thi s is a result of the way that as of now the air at the mountain is extremely slender (Krakauer, 2009). It is considering this slant it is contended that the choice that was made by the pioneer of the gathering was not adequately educated. Also, in the event that it was educated it s clear that the pioneer was prepared to face challenges related to dynamic. In any case the capacity of the pioneer in persuading the gathering to the 1 pm turnaround shows how influence for a gathering would prompt choices that are probably going to prompt negative ramifications late on. Charm and expressiveness are typically credited to the capacity of pioneers to settle on enticing choices that make individuals from a gathering persuaded to take action accordingly to what is chosen by the pioneer. Considering the contextual investigation, it very well may be contended that it is the

Long term psychosocial effects of parental divorce Essay

Long haul psychosocial impacts of parental separation - Essay Example Regardless of whether they decided not to produce a great part of the results of their parents’ separate, the general public permits them little space to develop regularly with all the insults and analysis they bring to the table. The offspring of separated from guardians need to grow additional potential, endurance and perseverance to get by in the general public. Unfriendly impacts of the parental separation are unavoidable and begin to surface in the early long stretches of a child’s scholastic profession, when he/she needs to make reference to the name of watchmen on the affirmation structures. In the event that the youngster happened to live with just one of the guardians, he/she builds up a hazy area for the picture of the second parent in his/her brain. He/she can not understand what it feels like to be the child of the missing guardian and turns out to be much increasingly astounded, as his/her companions portray their relationship with the parent, that the youn gster needs. This paper examines the drawn out mental effects of the separation on the youngsters that they need to live with. Not long after the guardians separate, the most serious issue that the youngster faces is his/her proprietorship. In a dominant part of cases, the responsibility for is chosen by the laws. The kid may need to live away from the parent he/she was near. The kid additionally looses his/her grandparents. Albeit a youngster may not understand such a major loss of allies and family members, the inclination squeezes the kid in his inner mind and he generally misses something. The sentiments lives on with the kid as he/she grows up. Numerous kids experiencing comparative conditions may feel they need something, however less of them really understand that it is those relations that were surrendered soon as his/her folks went separate ways with one another. The turmoil makes the youngster create mental issues. The kid can not discover answers to numerous inquiries ascending in his/her own brain. The youngster needs to live on with those inquiries for the remainder of his/her life. The kid atte mpts to sift through who was

Words, Wind and Import Speech in the Book of Job - Literature Essay Samples

An emphasis on the relationship between speech and sin is present from the inception of the test of Jobs virtue. Satan challenges God that, if misfortune befell Job, he would curse [him] to [his] face, making Jobs sin not a psychological or physical one, but rather verbal in nature (1:11). This equation of sin with discourse is fleshed out by the remainder of the text. By general consensus, the mouth is a den of iniquity; Jobs friend Zophar explicates this idea through metaphor over four verses, saying that the godless hold [wickedness] in their mouths . . . It is the venom of asps within them (20:13-14). These verses are full of imagery which construes wicked mouths as roiling with this venom and a perverse enjoyment. They seem intended to connote decadence, as though the godless relish, however briefly, the spoils of sin, misperceiving poison to be pleasurable. Their mouths are presented as the location and crux of their sin.Job, in pleading the case for his righteousness, sa ys, I have not let my mouth sin by asking for their lives with a curse (31:30). Here as elsewhere, it is clear that the act of speech itself is not sinful, but that sin instead resides in the meaning of spoken words. This idea is iterated, in slightly varied forms, several times throughout the Book of Job. When Job describes wicked people, he lists the actions which characterize them and thensums up their sins: They say to God, Leave us alone!' (21:14). Perhaps this statement is implicit in their actions, or perhaps Job means that the wicked literally say that, but in either case, this statement is the focal point of sin. During his theophany at the end of the text, God construes verbal sin differently; he says that its essence is words spoken without knowledge (38:2). This is a specific reaction to the speeches of Jobs friends, which misrepresent the nature of God. What unites these definitions of verbal sin is the fact that each statement betrays its speakers flawed relatio nship with God. Job cursing other people would be unkind and would constitute taking advantage of his position, the sinful people he describes distance themselves from God, and his friends pass off their speculations and rationalizations about divine truth as fact.Rife with complexities and contradictions, the Book of Job makes two notable arguments against the equation of sin and speech. The first occurs when Job addresses God, making the case for his innocence. If I sin, he says, you watch me, and since one watches actions and hears discourse, this verb choice and the contradiction it creates seems, at first glance, inexplicable (10:14). However, actions can be said to speak, and perhaps Job is referring to this form of speech. It could also be that this is a slight, off-hand expansion of the definition of sin beyond speech acts, not intended to blend completely with the message of the rest of the book, but in either case, the issue is sufficiently resolved. The second argum ent is found in the institution of prayer, and its role in the verbal relationship between humans and the divine. While the sin of Jobs friends is the words they speak, their salvation comes from speech as well. God demands that as recompense for their sins, Job will pray for [them], and I will accept his prayer(42:8). Prayer is a considered, formal variant of everyday speech, and this may be its chief virtue. In contrast with the speeches of Zophar, Eliphaz, and Bildad, prayer assumes nothing of God but his existence. The ritualistic nature of prayer, as well as the fact that it traditionally subjugates the person offering it before God, distinguishes it from ordinary and potentially wicked speech. While these arguments serve to complicate the equation of sin and speech, they by no means undermine it.Though the content of speech, not speech itself, is construed as sin, silence is always represented as virtue. This idea, though finally confirmed by God, is expressed throughou t the bulk of the text by Job alone. He articulates it on four separate occasions. The first, and necessarily the most lengthy of these instances, is an explication in the form of a criticism of his three friends. If you would only keep silent, that would be your wisdom! Job tells them, and then goes on to explain that each word spoken of God risks offending him through deceit or over-partiality (13:5). Your maxims are proverbs of ashes, he concludes, metaphorically reducing their speech to a fragile construction of dust (13:12). Job later uses his own situation as an exemplary tale: Look at me, and be appalled, and lay your hand upon your mouth (21:5). While on the surface this is directed at the three friends, it is in fact intended for the reader of the text as well, and could indeed be taken as the central message that this book is intended to communicate to believers. The final iteration of this idea occurs near the end of the text, and neatly concludes Jobs argument. N ow espousing near-total silence in the presence of the Lord, he says, I have spoken once, and I will not answer twice, but proceed no further (40:4-5). His position validated, he can lapse out of discourse into observation of a code of virtuous silence.Silence is a human virtue only. [Gods] voice roars; he thunders with his majestic voice and he does not restrain the lightnings when his voice is heard (37:4). There is a consensus throughout the book that Gods voice is not only sound but sound so powerful that its ramifications on the physical world are both spectacular and destructive. The speech itself is usually equated with thunder, and during the theophany, God describes a sea monster called Leviathan that can be read as a metaphor for God and Gods power. This creatures mouth is represented as a pit of fire, and its every breath is accompanied by flame (41:21). The choice of fire and of thunder, which is closely related to it as the physical corollary for Gods voice is a n interesting one, since humans both need fire for survival and fear it as an agent of destruction. The fire metaphor seems carefully chosen to explicate by way of connotation the proper relationship of humans with God, at least as the Book of Job defines it: it should be an intimate one simultaneously characterized by both fear of and subservience to the divine will.The meaning of Gods words also have a direct impact on the world. God uses his voice, rather than an unspoken will, to bring things into being. It is his verbal command that brings about snow, rain, wind and icy weather (37:6, 9). The text construes Gods power as almost entirely grounded in his speech; for example, at the beginning of his theophany, God describes his creation of the oceans, initially with verbs like shut in and prescribed bounds, but in the summary at 38:11, the binding of theocean is represented as a speech act, when God commands the ocean directly: Here shall your proud waves be stopped. If spee ch is not the source of Gods power, then it is certainly the vehicle of that power.For all of its fiery magnificence and import, the human characters in the Book of Job seem to conceptualize the voice of God, as well as his words, at least partially as tools of instruction. The first notable evidence of this is when Zophar is criticizing what he takes to be Jobs impiety and sin. He says to Job, O that God would speak, and open his lips to you, and that he would tell you the secrets of wisdom! (11:5-6). It is not only the sinful friends who advance this conceptualization, since Job himself agrees with them when he says I would learn what [God] would answer me, and understand what he would say to me (23:5). Verbal, discursive teaching is integrally a speech act; it is the passing of concrete knowledge between minds on a bridge built with words. Teaching in this sense also seems to necessarily involve humans, since if it can be said that the Lord teaches Satan of the righteousness of Job, it is certain that Satan required a physical test rather than a simple lecture. By contrast, the men in Job attempt to teach one another through words, and God will eventually echo their approach, in effect joining their theological debate, albeit with a more certain perspective.However, if it stood alone, this viewpoint on the nature of Gods speech would seem to locate the divine and the human much too close on the rhetorical spectrum. God asks Job, can you thunder with a voice like [mine]? and the question clearly separates divine speech from the human equivalent (40:9). Elihu suggests some of the elements of Gods voice that are neglected in a purely instructional conceptualization. Indeed, heignores teaching altogether, and postulates that God speaks in one way, and in two, though people do not perceive it (33:14). The two ways he goes on to name and explicate are speech through dreams and through punishment, deprivation and pain. Elihus suggestions, perhaps repre sentative of the younger generation, are much more indirect; they suggest that the Lord speaks through metaphor and encourage believers to read events as omens and representations of divine speech. Earlier in the Book of Job, Eliphaz postulates a similar idea, saying that those who plow iniquity . . . by the breath of God they perish (4:8-9). However, God never confirms these ideas, and in fact the very actualities of the situation seem to deny its truth. Jobs misfortunes are not the voice of God embodied but are rather random cruelties achieved at the hand of Satan. These erroneous speculations probably join much of the rest of Eliphazs and Elihus discourse as the body of their sin.Though speech, silence and the voice of God are facets of the verbal relationship between the divine and the human, nowhere is this more directly expressed than in the human desire to speak with God. Elihu defines the human relationship to Gods commands verbally, metaphorically equating listening wi th obedience and open[ing] their ears with instilling belief (36:10-11). Despite his strong impulse to request this close verbal interaction, Job at first doubts its practicability. How then can I answer him, he asks, choosing my words with him . . . Though I am innocent, my own mouth would condemn me (9:14, 20). Indeed, the gap between the human and the divine seems too great to bridge with words. This frustration does not destroy the impulse to speak with God, especially for the characters like Elihu, who do not perceive it. Job, who has asense of the divine both more accurate and more nuanced, simply begins to request a formalization of the discussion: the forum of the legal court. He constructs the court as a point of verbal exchange: I would lay my case before him, and fill my mouth with arguments. I would learn what he would answer me, and understand what he would say to me (23:4-5). Jobs interest is not in receiving justice so much as in receiving instruction. This f ormal version of interaction with God is acceptable, in Jobs mind, in much the same way that prayer is acceptable; since he lays out only conditional arguments before the court, as he would lay out only requests in prayer, and then passively awaits a divine response.If divine speech in irrefutably good, human speech is not so privileged. Your words have supported those who were stumbling, and you have made firm the feeble knees, says Eliphaz to Job at 4:4. The implication of this statement and the following argument, however, is that Jobs words, once so powerful, are now as feeble as the knees they used to strengthen. Over the course of their speeches, Jobs friends imbue his speech with less and less import, referring to it instead as unprofitable talk (15:3). This decay of confidence in the significance and impact of speech and therefore in the efficacy of speech acts is mirrored in the rest of the Book of Job as well. Gods momentous decision to allow Satan to taunt the most righteous of men potentially undermines much of the Judeo-Christian traditions understanding of its deity as a rational and loving entity. It might also begin to undermine the power of speech to deal with such apparently irrational events, which are so far removed from the sphere of human power. If the system in which sin begets punishment and virtue earns reward in which the culture is soinvested is to hold true, Jobs words must lose their truth and power, since they directly contradict it. Therefore, his friends preface each of their rebuttals with an indictment of the verity of Jobs words, saying that the words of [his] mouth [are] a great wind (8:2). They thereby reconcile what they are witnessing with what they formerly held to be true.Job himself also begins to doubt the power of speech, especially as his prayers go unanswered. If I speak, he says, my pain is not assuaged (16:6). In this case it seems the import of the words was couched in his expectation that they would have a perceptible effect, rather than in the achievement of that effect. For some time he was willing to suspend disbelief, to simply wait for God to act, but as a response seems less likely, he gives up belief in the power of prayer. While these dismissals of the power of speech may seem to be exceptions to the general rule, they are confirmed, oddly enough, at the conclusion of the Book of Job. In his final speech, Job admits to God that I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; and therefore I despise myself (42:5-6). This statement, which passes without comment, construes the entire verbal relationship between God and humans as penultimate, and enthrones direct contact as the preferred method of learning holiness. These two modes of interaction are by no means mutually exclusive, since even in the first of the speech acts mentioned in Job Satans challenge that Job will curse [God] to [his] face seems to imply some sort of physical presence a s well (1:11).Verbal interaction is, therefore, presented by the Book of Job as a necessary component of the human relationship with God. This implies not only the direct discussion that Job is privileged to receive but also the more indirect implications ofignorant speech pregnant with sin, and worshipful silence. The Book of Job serves to define some formal modes of proper verbal interaction with God, such as prayer. For all that it questions, complicates and contradicts, the heavy textual emphasis on speech and speech acts confirms their central role. The Bible is, after all, thought by the Judeo-Christian tradition to be the authorized word of God. Job accuses God of writ[ing] bitter things against [him], equating the written word with action (13:26). Given this, the Book of Job constitutes nothing less than a set of codes for believers verbal interaction with their god.

Designing a game level - Free Essay Example

Designing a game level from visual inspirations Abstract Designing a level from visual inspiration focuses on some of the key strategies as well as general methods used in designing a level. This dissertation focuses on the working minds of artists (mine included!) and elicits the strategies one uses, inside their head. By doing so, I could lay out a guideline by which, others could try out the same things to make a level. This is to convince the reader that the artistic process isnt a rare talent to a select few individuals, but rather, a way in which we think and would also help them get along with their own levels. Its organized chapter wise, beginning with a brief history followed by the basics. As we move further on, more and more diverse topics are introduced. Lot of the general requirements in creating a level is covered. The 2nd chapter, entitled Inspiration, Vision, Dreams is a bit more detailed since part of the dissertation is about visuals. Introduction Welcome to Designing a game level from visual inspirations. This is a dissertation that takes the reader through the process of creating a game level from visual inspiration to the final output. Once a level is done, fellow gamers can rejoice by playing the level. A lot of valuable information and techniques from my research and experience will be provided here, which anyone, beginner or expert will have something new to look forward to. Level design in short is like putting a puzzle together. Except here, the puzzle can unfold in many different ways depending on the way required, only limited by our imagination. Usually, a level designer need not create the assets, textures or even the source code. But by putting these together, one can make works of art that touch gamers profoundly and provide them with hours of entertainment. Building a level can be a long process, depending on the scale, resources and technical knowledge. But nonetheless its a very rewarding experience, where one gets to see their level come out, every second of it. Planning is the key, and knowing what to do next is important. So its crucial that the big picture is in mind first, with the major areas and gameplay worked out. Throughout this dissertation, Ill be eliciting strategies from my observation of others, from creating visual dreams and inspirations to realizing it on the game itself. There will be a few step-by-step instructions which one could try out instantly. The Format This dissertation is organized in a straightforward way, chapter wise. A lot more is focused on the strategies one uses inside their minds, rather than the technical know-hows. Chapter 1: The Basics of Level Design. This chapter deals with the basics of level and game design and introduces some of the requirements in any level, which should be keep in mind before starting. Chapter 2: Inspiration, Vision, Dreams. This chapter deals with ideas and strategies behind the artistic process inside the human mind. It also covers some of the outside use of references. Chapter 3: Refinement and Paper Work. This chapter builds upon the previous chapter and works on refining the already given ideas. Chapter 4: Building the Landscape. Here, ideas will be presented to start up the actual level construction. How to make it more strategic and fun gameplay wise. Chapter 5: Mood and Atmosphere. A lot about the lighting, effects and sound will be discussed upon here and the importance of it. Chapter 6: Testing and Finalizing. In this chapter, the final stages of the level will be discussed. Chapter 1: The Basics of Game and Level Design Making a level is a very creative and enriching experience. Stretching our imagination and making works of art for a living is one of the most satisfying jobs ever. Playing a level might be fun, but making it brings out a profound state of pleasure. Its another world experience, where the designer creates a body of work for others to play and get entertained. If youre reading this, then I hope to convince you through my research that anyone mildly interested in video games can create levels. A good first step for making a level would be to make a design document. Levels are basically the content of a game so when one makes a level, a clear idea of whats required is important. The first and foremost thing is to completely BELIEVE that itll succeed, even before designing the level. Being tenacious and driven is important as that makes us to look for as many ways as possible to succeed. Modeling the successes of others and using it works as well. Of course, whats a success and whats a failure when it comes to making works of art is always relative. What might be small for a veteran level designer might be a big achievement for an amateur. But its always better to aim for the best and strive to achieve it with every part of your body and soul. Its how powerful it is inside our mind that makes it shine on the outside as well. Letting our imagination run away is a good thing. So throughout this dissertation, Ill be presenting strategies that might not have much to do with lev el design itself, but it all comes together eventually. BELIEVING is what makes things real on the outside. Seeing is not believing its the opposite. All too often, beginners seem very excited to create their level or game but fall short most of the time. There might be different reasons, such as motivation, procrastination etc. but usually it boils down to the fact that they dont back themselves enough and end up abandoning the project. Others just end up making uninspired levels with bad and unimaginative gameplay. But this research will prove otherwise anyone could be convinced about their own capabilities. To avoid this, we need to be smart and ferociously approach the creation process. Reading books articles always helps in that regard. Finding out how others have succeeded and trying it out is an unbelievably easy yet powerful strategy. This chapter deals with the following: History of game and level design The basic knowledge required about level design How to empower the player Challenges and Pacing A bit of History Earlier on, the term level design never used to exist. The programmer did all the work including the visuals. But the visuals werent all that hard, since the computer could only handle so much and hence had to be kept at a minimal. Early Stages MUD was one of the earliest game that required a bit of level design. Developed by Ralph Koster, Brad McQuaid and J.Todd Coleman, it was a realtime multi-user dungeon game which basically revolved around texts. The player interacts with each other by typing in commands. Then on 1978, Tomohiro Nishikados Space invaders was released. Its a simple 2-dimensional game, where the player shoots aliens moving towards the ship. In the 1980s, came along a landmark game, pac man created by Toru Iwantani. Its a 2D game which really displays one of the earliest examples of level design. Of Course, its not as complicated as it is now, but hey, making it fun is the whole point. Another famous example of the 80s would be super-mario bros developed by Nintendo, which almost anyone would be aware of. The 90s include some of the earliest examples of FPS games such as wolfenstein 3D, duke nukem and half-life. The late 90s (1998) is when epic games released unreal tournament and their unreal technology. This brought about a reform in modern games since the technology allowed for greater flexibility. Some of the highlights of the 2000s were Far Cry (2004), F.E.A.R (2005) and Crysis (2007). Unreal History June 1998 Unreal was launched with a warm welcome from the gaming community. Its the first game to use the unreal engine and one of the best looking games of that time. The games lush environment and beautiful graphics took gamers by storm. The game also had a robust multiplayer mode that could be played against artificially intelligent bots, I.E, players controlled by the computer rather than human beings. The games development laid the foundation for the unreal engine. Its modular design allowed Epic, or its licensees, to easily customize parts of the engine without needing to rewrite the entire program. The game also made it possible for the mod makers (those who edit pre-existing games) to insert their own UnrealScripts to enhance and customize their gaming experiences. November 1999 Unreal Tournament was launched for the PC and ported to the Sony PlayStation 2 and Sega Dreamcast console gaming systems. The game was originally intended to be an expansion pack for the original Unreal. Focused on multiplayer gameplay, it also offers an intense single-player experience by implementing some of the most advanced bot AI ever to be used in a game. Unreal Tournament was also backward compatible with maps from the original Unreal. March-July 2001 The Unreal Developer Network (UDN) website goes online, giving the world a central location to find documentation and tutorials for content creation and other aspects of the unreal engine. To this day, licensees and mod makers use the site regularly, and it remains one of the most respected resources for information on Unreal Engine and its development. September 2002 Unreal championship is launched on the XBOX closely followed by Unreal Tournament 2003 on the PC. Both games focus mainly on multiplayer gameplay, with Unreal championship being one of the flagship games for the debut of the Microsoft Xbox Live! Broadband online system. Digital extremes assist epic with content creation for the games. The new unreal game sport a wide variety of new engine features, including the implementation of powerful particle system, terrains and the karma physics engine. The game also includes martinee, an embedded system to generate in-game cutscenes and movies. Finally, the revolutionary static mesh is introduced, which allows levels to be populated with more geometric detail that had ever been seen before, while maintaining extremely fast gameplay and animation frame rates. February 2003 Unreal 2: The awakening is launched. Its the first Unreal game to focus on single-player gaming since the release of the original, almost five years earlier. The game pushed the limits of the Unreal Engine even further, showing an unprecedented amount of onscreen detail in a fast paced game with a deep plot and intriguing nonplayer characters (NPCs). The game also supports the user of static meshes, terrains, the martinee movie system, the karma physics engine, the materials and particles and was supplemented by the golem animation system from legend entertainment. March 2004 Unreal tournament 2004 is released. This game marks yet another leap in gaming experience that Unreal players have come to expect with the new Onslaught game type and the introduction of vehicles, players are no longer limited to simple levels. They now have vast terrains, skies and even outer space. The Present 2007 Unreal 3 was released which saw even greater improvements over the previous releases. The visuals are better and the system has been solidified all that much more. Its easier and quicker to add better graphics and effects to the level. Sound has also been improved upon vastly. The Basics Making levels or games can be a very daunting task as there are many things to be covered. A thing to remember is that its made for OTHERS to be ENTERTAINED. It can also on the rare occasion, serve as a medium for self-expression for the artist which can truly be an inspired process. Keeping that in mind, that the level is made for others to be happy and entertained enables the designer to go in the right direction. Having Fun Having fun doesnt only include the player, but it includes the creator as well. Fun and pleasure is what drives us to play the game, as well as making the level. And if its too much pleasure, it becomes an addiction. Some people enjoy jumping out of a perfectly fine airplane as a way to have fun. Others like to glide from top of mountains with sticks attached to their legs as a pleasurable activity. I figured that if they could enjoy those, I could just about make anything fun. What makes the creation process fun for the artist? * The fact that fantasies are becoming real * The process of creation itself is liberating * Using this digital platform as a form of self-expression * The fact that the lives of others will be enriched and entertained Video games are supposed to be fun for others. People expect to be entertained and use it as a medium to get away from their not-so-perfect day-to-day lives. And so, making a game fun should be of the first and foremost importance. Theres no short-cut method to make a game fun. The industry employs millions and millions of testers to find what works for them. And the truth is that, there are millions of ways to make a game fun and there are absolutely no limits whatsoever. Pleasing everyone isnt easy, but the level can be tweaked according to the information at hand. Target Audience As discussed before, since others play the level, a target audience is always a consideration. So knowing whom to aim for is crucial, especially during the early stages of the level. Everyone will have their opinions on whats fun and what isnt. To track down specific target audiences, the genre must be decided upon first. The weirder the level, the harder it gets to find a specific audience. Finding the gamers can be pretty simple, depending on the genre. Internet communities and forums are the easiest and most reliable method to find them. There are rather a huge number of internet gaming sites which one could check out and each of these sites may have different gaming communities. Genre Knowing the genre is equally as important as the target audience. Knowing what works so far in a genre and what players expect is a necessary input. There are many different genres with many different games in it. The genre and target audience are closely related. Of course, there are bound to be many open minded individuals who are open to just about anything, but then again, its more likely that theyll seek out a wide range of internet communities and magazines to find games of their liking. The genre is also followed by the platform on which the game or level is made. A strategy game on a PC uses the mouse to maneuver around and the keyboard for various shortcut and menus to make it fast paced. First Person Shooter (FPS) games use the W, A, S D keys to move around (which is quite common in most FPS). Empowering the player When a player plays a game or a level, they go with a belief such that they are experiencing a different world and that theyd wish its their reality. Its basically a fictional scenario, which one wishes its their reality since its a lot more fun. An important is that a player should be made to LIVE a role inside the level and make them experience it very deeply that it resonates with their neurology. The player should get immersed in it deeply such that its just too much pleasure to ignore. Theyll crave for it every second of their life. And this is a good thing as it keeps gamers coming for more and thereby, theyll call their friends as well. Putting the player with power is one of THE selling points of games when players can kill monsters, shoot people and accomplish big quests with their own character, it gives a lot of joy and a sense of empowerment. Powers can also come in various forms, like for example, the power to create magical spells. There are endless number of ways to empower the player and the vast number of video games out there that are different just proves that. Game mechanics Developing the game rules and mechanics can be a very hard task for a game designer. Every game has to have its mechanics, on how things works, how the experience system (XP) for example is set up; how much damage does your attack do and so on. For a level designer though, a lot of this is already in place. Theyre usually left with the option of tweaking it to their liking, but usually, a big chunk of the headache is over with. The physics of the game should be in place as well like gravity, destruction and such. Hence level designers are more concerned about how they put these things together. Putting things together and making them all relate is a big task for the level designer to figure out. Gameplay Gameplay is more or less what the player does inside the game. Its the players perspective and not the developer. Its how they perceive the virtual world and how much fun it is. When a game is in creation, the gameplay type it encompasses is important. Usually in the case of a level designer, some of the gameplay elements are already in place. Improving upon it though is never out of the cards. Challenges and Pacing Challenges in a level always take centre stage, as they are one of the key driving forces. Setting up goals to achieve, plans to be followed and missions to be completed will determine what the challenges are. Challenges can range from simple straightforward ones to really complex combined ones. A whole book could be written on the subject of challenge alone. Pacing generally refers to how the level unfolds to the player i.e. how players spend every moment while playing the level. It also includes the tempo of the level i.e. how slow or fast it is. The rhythm decides how it feels to the player. A good level will have all the ups and downs one could relate to in life rewards, joy, tension, anxiety etc. This makes it all the more important to think in terms of the players perspective right from the start. Overview At the end of this chapter, the following concepts were covered: Games are made for others to be entertained Find out what works and using them Fun factor always a priority Target Audience Genre Game Mechanics Gameplay Challenges Chapter 2: Inspiration, Vision, Dreams This chapter deals with the visualization process and strategies designers use to come up with the ideation and concepts. There are also some of my own experiments presented. Ideas are formed by using our different senses images (visual), sound (auditory), feelings (kinesthetic), smell and taste. By knowing the inside process other artists use to bring out their ideas, a guideline could be given which should convince anyone to try it out for themselves. Thats what level designers do. They take ideas and give it a solid form (in this case, a digitalized computer level). Hence knowing how to take these ideas in and convert them to in-game features is an important asset of level designers. This chapter deals with the following: * The visual process of an artist * References Images and Inspiration * Altered state * Building the mini-level The Visual Process Level designers are artists, period. The visuals are a major component one needs to tackle first. Visually inclined thinkers use their right brain more often than their left. Our brain is symmetrically divided into two halves left and right. Above is a picture of our brain with its various activities. The left brain handles all our analytical and reasoning skills, whereas the right brain handles majority of our imagery and non-verbal skills. The left brain might be the dominant one throughout most of our lives, but artists think a lot visually i.e. they use their right brain a lot more. And being able to see the big picture is all the more crucial. Dreaming and day-dreaming alike is a very much right-brain activity. The next part demonstrates this right-brain shift. The Right brain exercise: The following is a very simple experiment which changes the way in which we think, where our mind starts making pictures rather than thinking verbally. Doing this exercise allows us to experience this shift real time. Its usually found that participants drift away a bit while doing this. Using the following supplies, one could experience it themselves the point Im trying to illustrate. * Drawing paper * An HB or 2B pencil * Sharpener * A board to rest your paper on The following is a vase with an optical illusion where two faces are in symmetry. This will be the focus of our experiment. 1. We begin by copying one of these patters on a paper. Right-handers copy left face (figure 4) and left-handers right face (figure 5). Slight variations in the profile need not be corrected. 2. Continue by drawing the horizontal lines at the top and bottom. This forms the top and bottom of the vase. 3. Many at this point might be inclined to think verbally, such as this is the head, this is the nose, and this is the chin and so on. 4. The next step is to redraw the exact face on the opposite side, beginning at the top and making our way towards the end to complete the vase. 5. Half way through, our minds get confused on how to proceed. The best way forward is to let our minds resolve it without trying to use an eraser. 6. If an altered state wasnt produced, try repeating the experiment. If a state of shock or paralysis was experienced without knowing how to proceed, then its just our brain trying to sort out things. We learn by patterning and eventually memorizing it. But here, every time a new part is drawn, new patterns need to be made as drawing the forehead isnt the same as drawing the nose. So how was this resolved eventually? Probably by making calculated images of what the vase ought to be on the other side, inside our mind and using that as a reference. And this is how artists think they have a way of accessing their visual brain more often than others. If I ask someone a question how many chairs are there in your living room? theyd stop and think for a moment. An image of their living room was probably made after which the chairs were counted. What artists do so often is that they enter into a deep and relaxed state, which so relaxed that theyre able to vividly imagine what their final output would look like way before they even get started. By putting pi ctures together, breaking them apart, adding subtle details to it and connecting the dots all in our mind, the entire mechanism that creates visuals and lets us imagine things could be accessed. All great inventors are visual thinkers. Nikola Tesla, an Austrian-American scientist who helped create the first electric Light-bulb holds more patterns than anyone else to this day. He was very much a creative person. Now heres a visual thinker. Before constructing the electric motor, he imagined building the motor completely inside his head, part by part, even including the nuts and bolts. Then hed run the motor and see how it works and figure out its mechanism. All this was way before the actual construction of the motor, inside his head. Albert Einstein IMAGINED himself riding on a photon with all the other particles around him and manufactured all kinds of equations from it. The thing Im trying to emphasize is that we already have a mechanism inside our heads through which our creativity could reach the ceiling. The level I made was finished way before I even started on the editor. Reference and Inspiration Randomly making up images and trying it out isnt always the best strategy. Having reference images in accordance to the final output and letting ourselves be inspired will be a driving factor in the creation process. It also gives a starting point upon which adding new ideas would be easier. And references in the end, should always relate to whats being created. Reference can come in quite a few forms. Photographs of actual places are the most obvious one. Seeing the imagery of other similar levels and trying to emulate it is another. But for level designers though, usually, a lot of the images are already in place. Its how they are arranged and composed together that determines the final output. Additionally, level designers always have the option of creating their own custom content for the level and are usually a requirement in many cases. Photographs: Photographs are an obvious example of reference. In truth, any photograph can inspire a person. If theres any key architecture or building in the level, then finding appropriate photos from the real-world can prove very useful. If theres a futuristic city with big buildings, then getting a picture of New York seems like a step in the right direction. If a level has mountainous areas with lots of forest and nature, then getting something similar sounds like a good plan. Im not all that keen to know on how a photograph is acquired as long as they help, but visiting the place can make it an altogether a different experience which could be a driving force for a particular look and feel. One thing Id always like to do with photographs is to do a small mind exercise to get a full body experience. It involves going in to the picture and literally living it with all our senses. The mind body exercise This experiment involves stretching our imagination. Its basically using all the senses and our body to experience a photograph in a whole new way. Even if the photograph wasnt taken personally, this process might prove otherwise, since the artist has complete creative freedom. What it enables is to live the entire image so that we can get an idea of what the level should look and feel like. 1. We begin by taking looking up a photograph of interest. Making sure that its something useful and not letting our minds be disturbed is always a better thing. 2. The next step is to look at it thoroughly and give our full attention by making an image of it in our mind. Take a deep breath in through our mouth and out through the nose and closing our eyes helps. 3. Once my eyes are closed, I imagine myself floating inside the photograph, seeing what I see, hearing what I hear through my own body and feeling the atmosphere of the place. 4. I then Associate myself with the photograph i.e. see it through my own eyes. I turn the brightness up, increase the volume and feel the warmth or coolness of the place. 5. Now while totally living the picture, I start adding in new things. Think in terms of how this relates to the level and adjust accordingly. If its a coastal area I might want to add the sea on one side and mountains on the other. If Id want to change sunlight to night time, so be it. One important thing to remember during this process is that the designer has complete creative license and is free to add anything and everything as long as it fits in the level. 6. Altering the entire photograph to a more cartoonish and stylized look is never out of the cards as well, if thats what required. This simple process of deeply imagining what the level ought to look will make it much more accessible for anyone to come up with concepts and help during the creation process. Repetition is important, as that solidifies the ideas inside. Repeating it often with different photographs gives us all that much more variety. Playing similar games: The easiest and obvious source of reference and inspiration would be the games similar to that of the level. There are millions of video games out there with countless number of levels. Getting ideas from those isnt hard at all. What one needs to keep in mind are the toolsets used in creating the level. In the case of Unreal Editor, its always better to look for games which look similar, such as Quake and Farcry. Although ideas may come from many different sources, the core of the gameplay and visuals will be defined by the editor in use. So its always better to keep in check the minimum requirements of the genre by looking up at similar games before getting adventurous. Searching the internet: The internet and video games are so vast that its next to impossible even in an entire lifetime for a single person to keep track. The communities on the internet might provide some of the most valuable details ever in creating a level. Theyll give pointers on what works and what doesnt. Besides, there are many top level designers who would gladly give their advice as well on the internet. Everything else: Everything else literally can include anything. One could get inspired with new ideas from just about anything. From junk around our house to great paintings anything goes really. Brainstorming how to use it and how it all comes together is the key. Landscape paintings offer as a great source of inspiration. Great illustrators and concept artist of the past century have many to offer. There are countless movies to look up on. Eventually though, the ideas in our mind needs to be cohesive and vast enough to constitute a level. Once its a bit clearer on the overall look and feel of the level, the construction process becomes that much more easier as there are fewer chances of getting hung up. Planning is everything. Building a mini level Being able to alter our state gives us access to the unconscious portions of the brain. It gives the same process great artists, art-directors, visionaries and great inventors use. An altered state is just a heightened state of awareness where our sights, sounds and feelings become clearer. And while in this state, one can use the same tools as in the level editor and build an entire level completely inside the brain. Its just a focused attention, where we take our consciousness and focus on a particular activity very intensely. Everyone has done this all the time. People get inside the elevator and look at the ceiling thing. When the elevator stops, the command is to leave. At school, kids constantly day-dream and drift away during class. Its not something out of the ordinary. Weve all been doing it all the time. Our ability to induce an altered state and focus our attention so deeply on creating the level lets us complete the entire level in our minds. The Process 1. Lets begin by focusing our attention on the way we breathe. Breathe in deeply through the mouth and out through the nose. The more one does this, the deeper they relax. Its simply an activity our mind isnt used to doing before. 2. Disturbances such as inside voices could be slowed down and eventually removed. Reduce the tempo and change the tonality till they arent distractions. 3. The third step involves thinking of the feeling of shock experienced earlier while drawing the vase the feeling that makes our mind run around in circles. Doubling it intensifies it all the more. 4. Now I close my eyes and begin to relax. The deeper Im relaxed, the easier it is to visualize comfortably. 5. The next step is to imagine the level editor on a big screen in front of us. See where the image is located and make it centered so that its easily visible. The ideas and visuals already thought of are now projected onto the screen. 6. The virtual virtual level construction now begins. Since cohesive ideas are already formed on how it should look like, by using all the tools available in the editor we can begin constructing the level part by part. 7. Every time an area is constructed, our minds are capable of playing it in our imaginary world to get a feel on how its going. 8. This is done part by part for every area of the level till the big picture is complete. After completion, a pen and a notebook always proves useful to write down the details of the level or draw it out in a simple orthographic view. If it doesnt click the first time, then we just keep trying. The trick is to focus completely on the task at hand that time seizes to exist. Every part of our body should be lined up and directed at a particular area. Visualizing becomes a lot easier this way. Overview The topics covered here were: * How to access the right brain * Collecting references and using them * Coming up with great ideas * Getting into an altered state * Using the brain in such a way that makes visualizing easier * Building a mini-level Chapter 3: Refinement and Paper Work Refining the level for in-game purposes and doing the paper design would be the next task. This chapter deals with ideas and points to remember while drawing/writing out the level and sections of it. This chapter deals with the following: * To make the imaginative level more video game friendly * Points to remember while drawing out the level * Writing a design document * Creating maps Video game levels Video game levels have quite a bit more to them than the visuals alone. Although the previous chapter dealt with ideation and visuals, its always better to keep some general pointers in mind while dishing out the details of it in paper. The first line of action would be to take out a pen and paper (or pencil) and to consider how the environment of the level and gameplay match. Envisioning the players perspective enables the designer to get a grip on the gameplay and fun aspects. There are a few things to be considered, like the missions or quests of the level. What should the player achieve in order to win? Killing bosses, finding secret places or having a multiplayer gametype (if its a multiplayer FPS level) should be kept in mind. The next logical step would be to draw the level on a paper. Getting into the details isnt necessary as the proportions and area are of first importance. A completed top view gives the designer a reference point to begin the level construction. Its much easier to make boxes and circles as place holders for the buildings and landscapes from a top view onto the paper to cement the ideas. Once the perimeters are certain, drawing out detailed concepts becomes that much more easier. Point to remember Here are a few key points when it comes to beginning stages of any level Marking the player spawn point and where all the different obstacles are, such as cliffs, rocks, ladders, dead ends etc. is a necessity. A few other details to mark would be all the places of importance, such as treasures, bosses, hidden pathways and such. Many levels in other games might look open-ended, but theyre actually closed by invisible boundary markers which doesnt allow the player to move after a specific distance. The graphics and the pathways are what makes them seem large. The trick is the make the player think its really big by giving them multiple pathways. So giving the player more than one route is vital. If the game editor for which the level is being made still hasnt been decided, then limiting the enemies, objects and such to a smaller number to begin with is a safer bet. Some engines can handle more than others, depending on the pre-supposed graphics. Writing down as much as possible of the map such as lights, blocked pathway, boundary, the color of the ground, the texture and so on helps to keep on track during the construction process in itself. The more details, the easier it gets to nail down the ideas later. Once these details are done, a pretty good mental as well as a physical image should be available before starting the level construction. Its important that during every second of the process, one knows what theyre doing. Loitering around and trying out things can work out at times, but will be even more time consuming. A level might also need a strong plot, depending on the gametype. Storyboarding, writing bits and pieces on paper or having a comical paper design all helps to solidify the plot. When Im making a single player level, Id like to use a comical method of drawing to bring out the story. Others might prefer a traditional storyboard. Anything goes really. There are no rules only tools. A lot of the gameplay elements needs to be in check as well. The genre will be the deciding factor on this and if followed along the guidelines of this thesis, one should by now have a clear idea of what kind of level is in the making. Another mind trick would be to literally imagine playing the entire level in our heads. The players need to be given maximum flexibility. Writing a Design Document Design documents always help, even in terms of creating a level. A level has many of the elements required in creating a game and keeping on track is crucial. Its basically putting all the information gathered into meaningful, single document. Its especially useful for large scale levels. It helps in several areas, such as * Keeping on track * Remembering whats required * Makes it easier for other to follow along and give solid feedback Theres no particular format for a design document. It could be written in any way since its for our own reference. * The simpler the better. Complicated use of language isnt a requirement as long as the message is sent across. * Making it complete and cohesive implies that any major requirement of the level isnt forgotten. Usually every single detail possible should be included, such as environment, plot, players role, treasures and so on. * References need to be included as well, such as visuals, photographs, drawings, paintings, concept art, storyboards etc. * Its better to avoid programming or marketing strategies. This document is just to help the designer keep on track. Adding details not pertained to the level construction serve only to complicate things. Drawing Maps A picture equals a thousand words and hence, no amount of writing can bring about the points as well as maps and drawings. Making really detailed in-game views arent a necessity. A well defined top and front view should suffice for any level construction. Using the techniques and ideas already presented, one should already have the big picture in mind. Now its time to make a clear map of whats required. Here are a few pointers: * Paper without lines or graph paper is always better. Approximation of the area and drawing out the borders of the entire level should be the first step. * A map for terrain alone will be of great aid. The environment should be drawn where and when required, such as trees, lakes, mountains and so on. * The scale should be kept consistent in accordance to the level. This helps estimate what it would be like when the actual level is constructed. * Another map with all the major landmarks and playable area properly outlined is a requirement. Buildings maybe denoted by simple squares (if its in the top view). A top and front view (and maybe side) would suffice for all the maps. Right now, all we require is a clear idea of the perimeters of the level. The rest of the details can be filled in as the construction of the level is in progress. Overview Heres a brief overview of the chapter: * Things to remember while making a level * Drawing maps * Making a design document Chapter 4: Building the Terrain Building the landscape and terrain includes the basic setting of the level onto which details are placed. If a level has even a semblance of outdoors, then a terrain is essential. A lot of effort needs to be put into to it. A really bad looking and composed terrain will receive negative comments. This chapter covers: * Methods and tips on making terrain * Making it gameplay friendly * Texturing and placing props to flesh out the level Importance of Terrain Terrain continues to grow in beauty as the day passes by; with each new game coming out has ever stunning terrain. And along with the characters, props, lighting and effects, a level should be having all the basic requirements complete. Water for example is getting more realistic as the day passes by. Mountains draw us in even more. People like to look at these terrains as they walk by. Grass, trees, rivers, mountains etc. are all the bread and butter of a terrain. A lot of it depends on the kind of level in the making. Terrain needs to be in accordance to the patterns found in the real world a bit random and chaotic but, believable enough for the player to get involved with it. Terrains in current generation 3D games are nothing but a bunch of triangles modeled smoothly in a 3D software package, but the thing to keep in mind is that adding too many triangles into a level will make it unstable. Luckily for level designers though, a lot these terrains are already provided with the editor. So how we use them makes a big difference. Methods to generate terrain: There exists three different methods to generate a terrain using the right tools and softwares. Depth Map A depth map (sometimes height map) is a 2D black and white image that holds height information. It basically tricks the player into seeing things that arent actually there. It basically is a map where the greyer the color, the more height it denotes. The really black ones are the ones with lower height. The advantages of using this method are that its quicker and computer friendly. Modelling in 3D This can be a tedious and long process. Its basically using a 3D software package to model the entire terrain. The artist here models each terrain by using the software such as Autodesk Maya or 3D Studio Max and the sculpting tools associated with them. The advantage is that you get the finest results possible with stunning amounts of details. The disadvantage is that the artist needs to be careful on what to include and what not to, as frame-rates can be drastically hurt depending on the number of triangles. Using a mix of both The third method is probably the best approach. By using the advantages of both these methods, one can make the finest terrain with the best frame-rate. A lot of game companies do this and hence, develop their own tools. Luckily, for a level designer, many of these tools and editors are already provided. So, its how we use them that matters the most. The advantage of course is that the designer gets the best of both worlds the large scale construction of Height maps mixed with the finer details of 3D modeling. Tiled Terrains Many strategy and role-playing games use whats known as tiled terrain. The game area is basically divided into square tiles inside the level editor, upon which one may place objects and such. Tiles are great way to just get the big picture of a game, especially when gamers might not look for finer details. Its pretty simply to use and easy to manipulate. Gameplay Pointers The gameplay side of terrain is all about making it more fun and enjoyable. Making the terrain and laying it about can be a fun task, but one shouldnt get carried away without having the gameplay in mind. If its too hard, too inaccessible or with many bugs and glitches, players will find it hard to enjoy it and might even get frustrated. So to avoid this, here are a few pointers: * Make just as much as required for the game without going overboard. Too much of details can clog the machine and reduce frame-rates drastically. Less is more should always be a consideration. Add just as much as required to get the desired look. * Too many secret pathways for players to figure out all the time can be frustrating. They should be used sparingly. * Running around in a maze pointlessly might annoy the player and distract them away from the bigger picture of the level. This is of course assuming that the level isnt maze based. * Some things should make sense like it is in the outside world. If theres a hill with a path going downwards, making a sudden 120 degree angle upwards doesnt make any sense at all. * Players should be given subtle hints and pointers on where the borders and boundaries or end of the level are. A lot of times, especially in outdoor levels, there might be an unreachable mountain ranges and such. These should be made clearer to the player. Texturing and placing props to flesh out the level The look and feel of a terrain is vastly improved by placing appropriate textures since the surface details of an object are really important. Textures could be placed on 2D images by painting them in or by using photographs. In the gaming industry, full time texture artists are hired and level designers are left with the step of tweaking and editing these textures to their liking. Here are a few examples and important points on texturing a level: * Texture should be appropriate to the setting. Green textures in the middle of a desert just dont work. It should make some sense. * Textures should be seamless and tiled properly. This part can be time consuming, but its important nonetheless. The textures should flow from one part to another smoothly without making it look computerized. * Enemies or big areas shouldnt be completely dark. Not being able to see them makes it annoying to the player. * Keeping it relatively simple is always a good idea. Terrain should enhance and make the level look good. Over saturating it with bring colors and such just makes it annoying. Chapter 5: Mood and Atmosphere Setting up the mood is an important part of the level. It sets the player up to get immersed into the level. It increases the emotional impact of the level. This chapter covers: * Establishing the lighting * Effects * Audio introduction Lighting Lighting is of the first and foremost importance in establishing a mood to a level. The intensity of the light, color, shadows and movement will dictate how the lighting will end up. Proper lighting can convert a normal cave into an evil sanctuary, make the forest feel alive or bring about a vast change in weather condition. Lighting can be a tricky process, as it might take a lot of back and forth adjustments to get the correct look. Here are the types of lights: Types of Lights Static Lights are pre-supposed lights with a specific function. These lights are rendered before the level starts up since they stay common throughout. Since the rendering is in advance, static lights can be used often and throughout the map. Dynamic Lights exist within the game and their function can vary, depending on whats required. Dynamic lights are predominantly used to change the mood while the player plays the level. How Lights are used The first thing to keep in mind is always how it affects the player. Having just enough to get the particular mood required is the key. If its too dark or too bright, well, of course its bound to be annoying Using the ideas and techniques provided in chapter 2, knowing and getting to whats required shouldnt be hard at all since all it takes is a bit of patience and a lot of tweaking around. Mastery over the technicalities of using lights in the game editor helps immensely. Usually, lights maybe of different types such as point lights, spot lights and directional lights. Trying out all the properties listed in the editor is part of the learning process. Also, one needs to keep in mind that going extreme dark or light may work out depending on how the level looks. The game Thief by Ion storm games uses very dark lighting to make it feel scary. Lights also bring out the forms of the 3D or 2D terrain much more clearly. A few key important pointers while placing lights: * Color/Color Theory * Intensity * Position All three of the above are crucial in determining how the light behaves. Effects One of the best ways to create an ambience and mood in a game is by using effects (or particle effects). Effects can range from a huge fire, to smoke from a forest, to water splashing all over the player! Theres also the atmospheric effect such as fog and haze. Fog and haze are used to blur out vision and enhance the atmosphere. A dense foggy area can add so much more vibrancy to the level. Now-a-days, especially in outdoor levels, fog and atmospheric effects are a must. Other particle effects such as a few well placed torches, waterfalls or an icy wind can change the effect a level has upon the player dramatically. Most editors have their own way of applying particles and effects. Audio Sound is a very important part of a level. A game cannot exist without sound. Using the correct sound effects for the environment in itself is a challenge. Usually level designers are provided with sound in the editor and are only required to use it appropriately. There are two types of sound: Ambient sound/sound effects Sound effects include the audio that adds realism to a game. In-game voice recordings, sound of the environment and many others such as the sound of water splashing, air blowing etc. all adds to the mood of the game. Ambient sound is always present in real life. Adding them wherever necessary is important. Music Any game or level that starts has a soundtrack associated to it. A good soundtrack will get the player hooked on instantly. Soundtrack depends on the genre and setting of the level. Adding a soundtrack/music gives the game a cinematic feel. Music by Zone: Entering a different zone from the one the player is in might require a change in music. Music by Action: Its sometimes better to use appropriate music when the player is engaged in combat. Music by Choice: One could get a bit creative in this area. Adding a virtual radio station inside a game can give the player options to change the music. Similarly, one could include sound systems and such, depending on the level and area created. Overview Heres a list of topics covered: * Bringing about a mood and atmosphere to the level * Lights and how to place them * Types of lights * Atmospheric and particle effects * Ambient sounds * Music/Soundtrack Chapter 6: Testing and Finalizing This chapter deals with techniques and methods to polish and finalize the level. These are the final stages of a level creation. From visualizing to using our brains (no pun intended!) to building up the terrain, landscape, architecture and so on. And now, these are the final touches. This chapter deals with: * Fine tuning the level * Balance/bug fixes * Release Fine-tune Repetition Repeated plays are the key to fine-tune any game level. Playing it over and over again slowly reveals the flaws and errors, which could be fixed. Anything out of place should be looked upon immediately. Every corner of the level such as the environment, the insides, below rocks, behind trees and such must be checked clearly. Any issues with regards to lighting and effects should be resolved. If theres any area inadequately lit, fix it is of the highest priority. By going back and forth this way, any level could be smoothed out and polished. Here are a few key points: * Lights * Proportion * Glaring omissions * Frames per second Testing Official private or public testing of the level by others has many uses. The main thing is that it assures quality or at least gives pointers in that area. Testers come of different types, depending on the resources available. Theres free testing and professional testing. Free Testing As the title suggests, free testing allows one to test things freely! It basically means, the level is distributed to a select few individuals who are willing to test it out. This could be done by giving it to friends or via the internet. Free testing offers an advantage in that, since most of these testers arent professionally trained, they look for bugs where one might least expect it. And testing is just one of those areas where even a non professional could prove useful. Professional Testing A professional and planned testing involves making game testers do very specific activities in order to find bugs. These are usually the most obvious ones. For example, a test plan could look like this: 1. Jump 100 times. 2. Jump 100 times while firing shotgun. 3. Jump 100 times while alternating firing shotgun and kicking. 4. Jump 100 times while in cutscene. As the above example indicates, this type of setting is much more planned and thorough about whats required to find. The level designers work should be to note down everything possible a player might do in their level and make the testers test it. Bug fixes and balance Glitches Once the testing is underway and the glitches in the level have been found, its important to identify the types of bugs. Finding out what it is exactly and under which category allows us to rectify it instantly. Heres an example on the types of bugs which could be classified under category. A bugs: There are the most obvious and important bugs that needs to be rectified immediately. Such bugs might prevent players from finishing or completing the level. An example would be the game freezing or crashing. B bugs: These are bugs that dont prevent players from playing the level, but may still be major annoyances. This might make the level less fun to play. These maybe present all over the map from the terrain to textures and lights. C bugs: These fall under the category where the testers suggest ideas to improve the gameplay than fix things. Nonetheless, any good suggestion should always be approached with an open mind. Fixing bugs While many bugs might be found, fixing them is the next step. Big levels could get complex pretty quickly and some bugs act as a hindrance to the gameplay and fun. Some of the most common bugs are: * Terrain bugs: Bugs related to the terrain that is, the ground, landscape etc. * Architecture bugs: Glitches related to the buildings and architecture. An example would be incomplete architecture or collision related, where one could walk through walls. Fixing Gaps: Gaps may mean: Holes in the border or ground or in the architecture. Fixing them is very important. Fixing Normals: Problems related to the normals which generally means, players can see through objects such as wall.. Collision bugs: These are problems related to collision where the player is able to walk through things and such. AI bugs: AI bugs are bugs related to bots and artificial intelligence. A programmer might be required to fix these. Scripting bugs: Scripting bugs are just programming errors which might arise due to the editor in use. Again, a coder might be necessary. Balancing Balancing is simply issues related to how easy or hard the game is. Balancing a video game level might get complicated because its not easy to spot immediately. This process can take a while. A plan of action to balance a level would be to: * Try and get the feel of the overall difficulty. Asking questions such as is it too easy or too hard? usually gives adequate answers. * If its too easy, increasing the difficulty of a particular area is always a good option. If its too hard, reduce the enemies, traps and such. * Too many overpowering areas or items reduce the fun. While the rest of the level might be balanced, just the wrong thing at the wrong place and time can change the course of the game drastically. Finalizing Once tested, fine-tuned and balanced/fixed, the level now ready for release! An appropriate name and description is a necessity. Formalities need to be in place, such as file format (for example, unreal editor 3 uses the .ut3 and .upk formats). A quick descriptive document helps the player know what its about. Sending it over to friends and posting it over the internet are great ways of getting it out there. The party is just beginning! Overview: This chapter dealt with the following: * Polishing the level * Testing and the types involved * Bugs and types of bugs * How to fix glitches * Balancing * Final release Conclusion The end of this journey is now imminent. This dissertation is meant to convince the reader about their own capabilities. The industry is vast and level designers are only now being represented in the spotlight. Having the right mental as well as technical strategy are both key factors in creating a level. The thesis started out with the basics and a brief history, which then moved on to the fun stuff of creating the level in itself. A lot of pointers and ideas were given out especially in the visualization area. How to visualize inside our minds is especially an important point in being able to communicate through to the outside. Using our imagination is a highly undermined area where theres lot to be explored. The ideas and strategies presented here is just the tip of the iceberg. This is only the beginning for a whole load of things to be explored. Literature Review Introduction Level design has always been a creative endeavor and many feel intimidated about the entire process. The grandiose nature of current video games only makes it worse. Making a level can be a huge undertaking as there are lots to be covered by a single person. The scope for better information and improvement is vast in this area. Visualization is one of the key components in making a level for without visuals, theres no level. And with the right strategies in place, anyone can approach it with confidence. Typically, answers are arrived at from another field. Heres a quick rundown of relevant information Review of Literature Lenses and fundamentals are useful tools, but to truly understand level and game design is to understand an incredibly complex web of creativity, psychology, art, technology, and business. Everything in this web is connected to everything else. Changing one element affects all the others, and the understanding of one element influences the understanding of all of the others. (The Art of Game Design, Jesse Schell 2008) These lines basically sum up the complex and vast nature of level and game design. Level design is an element of game design, which contains all the requirements seen in an entire game. To truly understand level design takes a lifetime of learning. One must go beyond the boundaries of video games and seek out knowledge from other areas. An article by Rob Hale from https://agamesdesignblog.com states that level designers use a visual language as the basis to communicate with the player. He stresses the importance of players perspective and not to violate with their internal reality and rules. This topic is of particular importance, as too often, designers forget to take in players consideration. Heres the excerpt: A Visual Language is what Level Designers use to communicate with the Player. The Level Designer should really be telling the Player how to complete their Level. It is not a competition between the Player and the Level Designer to see who wins However what is important here is that the player has used their internal model of the games mechanics to solve a problem. The Solution may have been in plain sight but it is up to the player to establish the relationship between the elements and solve the problem. They will adjust the model to include this new information on how to kill this kind of enemy and similar encounters will appear much easier in future. (Rob Hale March 2009) When I was about seventeen, my thoughts turned seriously to invention. Then I observed to my delight that i could visualise with the greatest facility. I needed no models, drawings or experiments. I could picture them all as real in my mind. Thus I have been led unconsciously to evolve what I consider a new method of materialising inventive concepts and ideas, which is radially opposite to the purely experimental and is in my opinion ever so much more expeditious and efficient. (Nikola Tesla 1919) Nikola Tesla in his autobiography explained his methods of invention and visualizing. Using our minds, level designers can become inventors, innovators and creative masters. Tesla was able to visualize so vividly that he was able to construct everything inside his internal reality. This is a great tool which one could certainly use in other areas. Tesla further goes on to say: The moment one constructs a device to carry into practice a crude idea, he finds himself unavoidably engrossed with the details of the apparatus. As he goes on improving and reconstructing, his force of concentration diminishes and he loses sight of the great underlying principle. Results may be obtained, but always at the sacrifice of quality. My method is different. I do not rush into actual work. When I get an idea, I start at once building it up in my imagination. I change the construction, make improvements and operate the device in my mind. (Nikola Tesla 1919) Certainly, one area that has been overlooked is our own capabilities. What Tesla did isnt out of the ordinary. Were all capable of going to such lengths, but one needs to stretch their imagination to get better at it. This is just one of the few strategies used in visualizing that works. References The New Drawing on the right-side of your brain by Betty Edwards, 1999; Tarcher; Rev Exp edition. Prometheus Rising by Robert Anton Wilson, 1992; New Falcon Publications. Beginning Game Level Design by John Feil and Mark Scattergood, 2005; Thomson Course Technology. The Art of Game Design by Jesse Schell, 2008; Morgan Kaufmann Publishers. The Hows and Whys of Level Design by Hourences Nikola Tesla My Inventions by Nikola Tesla, 1919. A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future by Daniel H. Pink, 2006; Riverhead Trade. Amadeus (1984). Bibliography https://www.hourences.com/ https://agamesdesignblog.com/2009/03/01/continuity-level-design/ https://www.worldofleveldesign.com/ https://www.game-artist.net/forums/spotlight-articles/