Devlog - Maps Design

Maps Design

Hello there Introverts! In today’s Devlog we would like to talk about Map Design. We hope it will give you some insight into our intentions when creating one and how we feel about map design.

Don’t Stare is a narrative game, so each level is built around the narrative we want to tell. Many of our spaces are “normal” spaces as mentioned, so we have a lot of city environments - but each environment is handcrafted. With that said, there’s a limit to how many assets and stuff we can make, so obviously you’re going to see the same Scandinavian post-modern terror building more than a few times.

When designing levels for Don’t Stare, the process usually starts with finding a central challenge of sorts, which is tied to a specific “skill theme.” So, if we want to test players’ timing skills, we’ll create a central challenge that is tied to that - like jumping on a moving platform at the right time. Then, we “evolve” the challenge by introducing new things, and “expand” the challenge by making it a bit harder - making the platform smaller, or making you have to jump from a balloon that is about to pop!

By evolving and expanding the central challenge into new challenges, our levels feel a bit more cohesive… though be advised, some levels are designed to just be chaotic to simulate the chaos of extrovert overload in public!

Generally, each level has a particular mechanic or combination of mechanics, that we want you to master and play around with.

In terms of the buildings and spaces we wanted to make, we wanted to create a “global city” that was a mix of all the different places our team’s from, and then some! We didn’t want any of our levels to feel like they’re from a particular continent or country, instead being something anybody, anywhere, can find something that feels like home.

There are 5 “warm up” levels, and 49 “RealTM” levels. There are also 5 epilogue levels, but you just talk to people in those, lmao. Our levels are split into five “zones,” which in Don’t Stare, are the months of your school semester! Each zone focuses on something different from the other.

The core inspiration is that I am a fast walker, and a very grumpy dude, so when people get in my way in public, I wish I could parkour over them! We wanted to set each level in a “normal” space, with many of our levels being spaces in between spaces - going to school, concerts, or the café.

Most maps either introduce a new gimmick, or a new extrovert or find new ways to combine gimmicks and extroverts! I’m sure you might find some challenges that are similar to each other (if not almost identical lmao) but we were fortunate to have a lot of extroverts and gimmicks to play with in making our levels, allowing us to serve something new pretty often!

There are collectibles in the levels themselves, where you’ll find stuff for your character, and for your room. You’ll have to look for them, tho - no collectible is awarded merely for completing the level!

Thank you for your time, we hope that you like the next steps in the development of our game!

See you in the next Devlog!