How to Design a Multi-player Level for an Action Game

While there are huge differences between different types of action games, their level design (especially on multi-player maps) is often very similar. The key to a good map is balance, and the key to balance is symmetry. Everybody needs access to the same amounts and types of gear. Read on to learn how to design a multi-player level for an action game.

Instructions

Difficulty: Challenging

1. Decide on the basic layout of your map. Figure out who starts where and what sorts of landforms you'll need to use.
2. Look through your tool set and find a nice selection of different barriers. These walls, whether they are actual walls, or even hills, rubble or other obstacles, will be the cornerstone of the map. Use these to funnel players in certain directions towards one another.
3. Make sure that the map is symmetrical. If you place a barrier in one spot, place a barrier in a similar spot on the opposing team's side. They don't need to be the same object, or even in the exact same place, just similar enough that one side won't have an advantage over the other.
4. Build at least two ways into and out of any location. Good maps let people make fast escapes.
5. Spread power-ups and weapons evenly across the board. While you don't need to make the weapons exactly the same for both sides, you should give everybody the same kinds of weapons. For instance, each side gets two close combat, two fast fire, one long distance and one heavy damage weapon.
6. Ensure that any neutral heavy weapon, such as a turret or gun emplacement, can affect both sides evenly and has multiple angles of clear fire. That way one's person or team can't simply reach it and dominate the rest.