Go for cool areas, and don't get too cliche. The things that make an interesting and memorable level are the unique situations. For example, if you have the same visual style and type of level throughout the whole game, people wil get bored pretty quick. Remember Half-Life? The whole game was interesting. There were unique places, scripted events, and interesting locations and characters scattered around everywhere. Just try to think up tons of cool stuff to do. Stuff that will make people remember the level, and say "Man, that was cool!"

There are a number of different approaches that people use... the following is just my own opinion [smile]

The first and most important thing is that you understand the gameplay that will take place within your level. If your game is about close-quarters combat, don't make a huge open level with lots of snipers in. If your game has stealth elements, ensure they can be played out. If the player can stick mines to walls and detonate them remotely, try and give them the opportunity to do that. And so on.

With that in mind - and with some preliminary information about the level itself (like the setting - alien base? ancient temple?) - you can start putting together a list of 'landmarks' in your level. That's both key locations (computer core, throne room, mystic shrine) and 'set pieces' that you could imagine the player defeating in cool and interesting ways (like the sentry gun next to an air vent - find a way to crawl through the air vent and disarm the gun by hand, throw a grenade, or just run from cover to cover and try and make it past?). Sketch some ideas on paper if it helps you.

Then work your way through the list, modelling each of them.

Then try and fill up the spaces inbetween with interesting things. A level that goes from interesting-thing to interesting-thing via dull-and-boring corridor is usually not a good thing. Naturally, it'll be impossible to make *everything* interesting to play through - and constant action can overwhelm the player - but you shouldn't ever have them thinking "man, I wish I could move faster to get past this bit quicker." A prime example of how not to do this is Die Hard: Nakatomi Plaza. You should be able to find it in the bargain bin; I recommend playing it so you know what to guard against.

Towards the end, something that is always nice is to have a 'functional' level. If your level is meant to be a derelict space-port, think about how it will have worked when it was functioning - where did ships dock? Where did cargo get taken? Where did people wait? There's nothing cooler than playing in a factory level and actually being able to trace along the conveyor belts from beginning to end [smile]

In short:

• Good environment for the gameplay to be executed in
  
• Variation
  
• Attention to detail
  

Quote:Original post by JimmyShimmy
In short-"physically" whats makes a good level?

Variety.

Change it up. Give the player a new kind of challenge with every level. That keeps things interesting.

Don't fall into the Halo pit: Copying and pasting the same room over and over again does not make good level design. Halo's single player was too damned tedious.

Also: Remember to avoid the anime fan-fiction pitfall that basically goes: "Bigger is better." Avoid long, linear hallways, meaninglessly large rooms.

Also: Flavor is handy. Try to ask yourself: "If I were designing a fortress or science lab (or wherever the game takes place in), what kind of structures would I need?" Duke Nukem 3D was cool because the levels were made to look like normal cities. Descent's levels did a decent job of representing the clostrophobic mining tunnels wherein the game took place.