Chapter 18 Exercises

These exercises move you from observation to practice. Most can be done without a computer — a pencil, paper, and a willingness to play games critically are enough. The final exercises connect 3D principles back to your 2D project.

Work through them in order; later exercises build on earlier ones.

Exercise 18.1: 3D Landmark Audit

Time required: 45-60 minutes Materials: A 3D game you have played before, a notebook

Pick any 3D game you have played — preferably one with outdoor environments or explorable areas. Boot it up and play for thirty minutes with a single task: catalog every landmark.

For each landmark you identify, record:

  • Location (which level or area)
  • Scale (macro, meso, or micro)
  • Visibility (from which directions can you see it?)
  • Distinctiveness (what makes its silhouette recognizable?)
  • Function (does it mark a decision point, a destination, a reward, or just decoration?)

Aim for 15-20 landmark entries. After, review your list and categorize:

  • How many were macro vs. meso vs. micro?
  • Did any surprise you by being more important than you expected?
  • Are there areas where landmarks are sparse, and did you get lost there?

Write a 200-300 word reflection on the game's landmark design. Is it well-tuned? Where does it fail?

Exercise 18.2: Paper Vertical Space

Time required: 60-90 minutes Materials: Graph paper, pencil, ruler

Design a vertical combat arena on paper. The arena should have:

  • Three vertical levels (ground, middle, top)
  • At least two connections between each pair of levels (so at least four total vertical connections)
  • Cover at each level (standing and crouching)
  • At least one environmental hazard (pit, explosive, etc.)
  • A distinctive "anchor" landmark visible from all three levels

Draw three views: 1. Top-down floor plan for each level, with stairs and ladders marked 2. Side elevation showing all three levels and their connections in cross-section 3. A first-person sketch of what a player standing at the starting point would see

Answer: - How does a player retreat if overwhelmed? - How do enemies flank the player? - Where is the "best" position to defend? Can the player reach it easily, or does it require effort? - Is there a "trap" position — looks safe but is actually exposed?

Exercise 18.3: The Breadcrumb Walk

Time required: 45 minutes Materials: A 3D game with decent lighting design

Load a single-player 3D game and walk through a linear section (one that does not branch much). As you play, screenshot or note every lighting cue that guides your movement. Look for:

  • Bright areas that draw the eye
  • Lit doorways or passages
  • Light sources at key decision points
  • Shadow contrast emphasizing architectural features
  • Any "dark" areas that are clearly not the path

Count the total breadcrumbs. Was the game using lighting for navigation? If so, how effectively?

Then disable the lighting (if the game allows — or imagine it disabled) and ask: would the navigation still work without the lighting? If yes, the geometry is doing the work. If no, the lighting is carrying the level.

Write a 150-word analysis of what you found.

Exercise 18.4: Environmental Storytelling Scene

Time required: 45 minutes Materials: Pencil, paper

Design a single environmental storytelling scene. The scene is: a kitchen after a family argument. The family has left. You have 20 minutes.

List all objects in the scene and their positions. Aim for 12-20 specific details. Include:

  • At least three objects that hint at the cause of the argument
  • At least one object that suggests which family member(s) were involved
  • At least two "normal" details that make the space feel lived-in without bearing story weight
  • At least one detail that only reveals its significance on close inspection

Present your scene as a written list and a rough sketch. Then show it to someone who has not read this chapter and ask: "What happened here?" Record their interpretation. Did they get close to your intended story? What did they miss?

Exercise 18.5: First-Person vs. Third-Person Analysis

Time required: 30 minutes Materials: Two 3D games — one first-person, one third-person

Pick a first-person game and a third-person game you have played. For each, answer the following in 100-150 words:

  1. How does the camera choice influence the pace of movement?
  2. How does the camera choice affect combat?
  3. How do the games handle tight spaces?
  4. How does each game show the player information behind them?

Then write a 200-word comparison: if you swapped the cameras (made the first-person game third-person and vice versa), what would change? What specific level designs would need to be redone?

Exercise 18.6: Vista Design on Paper

Time required: 45 minutes Materials: Paper, pencil

Design a vista reveal. Describe the following in writing and sketch where helpful:

  1. The approach — what does the player see for the 2-3 minutes before the vista?
  2. The threshold — what geometry defines the moment of reveal?
  3. The view — sketch what the player sees. Label foreground, midground, background. Mark the focal landmark.
  4. The sound — what music or audio cue supports the moment?
  5. The follow-through — where does the player go next? Is the vista also a wayfinding tool?

Write approximately 300 words walking through the sequence. The goal is a single memorable moment. Do not try to make the vista useful for combat or progression — make it emotionally potent.

Exercise 18.7: The Interior-to-Exterior Transition

Time required: 30 minutes Materials: A 3D game you know well

Find a scene in a 3D game where the player transitions from interior to exterior (or vice versa). Play through it twice.

First playthrough: walk normally. Second playthrough: stop at the threshold. Stand there for thirty seconds. Look around.

Now answer in writing (200 words):

  • How does the lighting change?
  • How does the audio change?
  • What does the new space reveal that the old one did not?
  • How does the transition affect your emotional state?

Then: if the transition happened instantly (like a loading screen) instead of a smooth walk-through, what would be lost?

Exercise 18.8: Wayfinding Diagnosis

Time required: 30 minutes Materials: Any 3D game where you have gotten lost before

Recall a moment in a 3D game where you became lost. Return to that level if possible.

Diagnose the failure. Was it:

  • Missing landmarks? Too few distinctive features.
  • Repeated geometry? The same-looking corridors repeated.
  • Broken sightlines? Landmarks that should have been visible were occluded.
  • Insufficient breadcrumbs? No lighting or visual cues pointed forward.
  • Rotation disorientation? You turned or teleported and lost your bearings.
  • Scale confusion? You could not tell how far things were.

Write a 200-word diagnosis explaining the specific failure mode and proposing a specific fix. Assume you are the designer. What one change would you make to the level to prevent future players from getting lost?

Exercise 18.9: Translate to 2D — Landmark Design

Time required: 45 minutes Materials: Your progressive project

Look at your current 2D level. Identify:

  • Your macro landmark (visible across the entire level or in the parallax background)
  • Your meso landmarks (anchor distinct sections of the level)
  • Your micro landmarks (help with room-to-room orientation)

If any category is missing, add one. Sketch the level with landmark positions marked.

Write 250-400 words describing your landmark hierarchy and how each landmark supports wayfinding. Address: can a player, lost in the middle of your level, use landmarks to reorient themselves? If not, what specifically fails?

Exercise 18.10: Translate to 2D — The Wienie

Time required: 30 minutes Materials: Your progressive project

In your 2D level, identify your "wienie" — the distant attraction that pulls the player forward. If you do not have one, add one using the parallax background.

Answer in writing (200 words):

  • What is the wienie?
  • Where is it visible from? (Ideally most of the level.)
  • Does it promise something specific (danger, reward, revelation)?
  • How does the player's proximity to the wienie change as they progress? (Does it grow as they approach? Move in the parallax?)

Sketch your level showing the wienie's position and the player's path toward it.

Exercise 18.11: Environmental Storytelling in 2D

Time required: 60 minutes Materials: Your progressive project, paper

Pick one screen or room in your 2D project. Design environmental storytelling for it.

Add or redesign 5-10 details that convey a backstory about what happened in this space. The story should be readable without dialogue or text. A player walking through should pick up on:

  • Who was here? (What kind of person/creature inhabited the space?)
  • What happened? (What disturbed or changed the space?)
  • Is there any hint about what comes next? (Does a detail foreshadow the next area?)

Sketch the scene with your details. Then write approximately 300 words describing what each detail contributes to the story and why you chose it.

Exercise 18.12: Capstone — 3D Principles Essay

Time required: 90-120 minutes Materials: Your progressive project, this chapter as reference

Write a 600-900 word essay titled "How 3D Principles Inform My 2D Level Design."

Address:

  1. Two specific 3D techniques you have imported into your 2D level (be concrete — describe the exact design changes)
  2. One 3D technique that does not translate well to 2D, and why you are not using it
  3. How the absence of a true Z-axis changes your design compared to a 3D version of the same level
  4. One principle from this chapter that you did not fully understand before, and what working on your 2D project has taught you about it

This essay is the written deliverable for Chapter 18's progressive project component. Save it with your project documentation.

Grading rubric (for self-evaluation or peer review):

  • Specificity (25%): Do you cite concrete design decisions, not vague generalities?
  • Connection (25%): Do your 3D-to-2D translations make sense?
  • Reflection (25%): Is there genuine thinking about what you have learned, not just summary?
  • Application (25%): Does the essay improve your level, or just describe it?

Reflection Questions

After completing these exercises, write a short paragraph for each:

  1. Which exercise changed how you look at game environments?
  2. Which principle from this chapter has been hardest to internalize?
  3. Which 3D game, after these exercises, would you recommend as a learning resource, and why?

Keep these reflections with your project journal. Chapter 19 will reference the themes here as it scales up to world design.