design-level

/design-level — Design One Level

Overview

A level is a controlled sequence of player experiences in physical space. Layout, pacing, encounters, secrets, and reward gating must work together — a "fun layout" with a flat pacing curve still feels boring. This skill walks the six design beats of a single level and drops a node-tree skeleton ready for summer_create_scene.

Core principle: A level has a pacing curve and a teaching arc. If you can't draw the tension graph and name what the player learned by the end, the level isn't designed yet.

Steps

1. Pin the level type

Ask exactly one question:

What kind of level? Pick one: tutorial / hub / combat encounter / boss / exploration / puzzle / stealth / platforming-challenge / mixed.

Each type has different beats. Don't blend types in v1 — a "boss room with stealth and puzzles" is three levels poorly squeezed into one.

2. Read context

If .summer/GameSoul.md exists, read it. The level must serve the brief's core loop and the three mechanics.

Read .summer/GameSoul.md

If .summer/mechanics/ exists, list the mechanics. Quote them back:

Brief says mechanics are: dash, parry, double-jump. This level should exercise at least one and ideally combine two.

3. Define the teaching / experience goal

Ask plain:

What does the player know by the end of this level that they didn't at the start?

Tutorial-level answer: "How to dash." Combat-encounter answer: "That parrying converts damage to mana, and that big enemies need parry, not dodge." Exploration answer: "That this region's secrets are hidden behind double-jumpable gaps."

If the user can't answer, the level has no purpose. Say it:

If there's no answer to that question, the level is filler. Either give it a teaching goal, give it a failure-state goal (the player must die here to progress), or merge it into the next level.

4. Sketch the pacing curve

Draw it as text. Five beats, intensity 0-10:

Intro    Build    Peak    Release    Hook
 2  →    5    →   8   →    3      →   6

For a 5-minute encounter level:

Beat	Duration	Intensity	Player feels	Designer plants
Intro	30s	2	Calm, oriented	Visual landmark for the goal direction
Build	90s	5	Tension rising, small pressure	First weak enemy / first puzzle clue
Peak	60s	8	Stakes high, mistakes hurt	Main encounter / hardest fight
Release	60s	3	Catharsis, loot	Reward + breath room
Hook	30s	6	Curiosity for next	Visible-but-locked secret or path

Show the curve. Ask:

Pacing above. Does the peak land where you want, or does the level need a second wave?

5. List encounters and secrets

Encounters = explicit player tests (combat, puzzle, platforming). Secrets = optional rewards that respect the pacing curve.

State them flat. For a combat encounter level:

Encounters (in player-traversal order):
1. E1 — Tutorial enemy (1 weak grunt) at 0:30, in the open atrium. Teaches the basic attack.
2. E2 — Forced parry (mid-tier enemy with telegraphed wind-up) at 1:30, in a corridor with no dodge room. Teaches parry.
3. E3 — Mixed wave (2 grunts + 1 parry-required) at 3:00, in the peak arena. Tests both.
4. E4 — Mini-boss at 4:00 in the chamber. Combines.

Secrets (3 total — one per beat after intro):
- S1 (build beat): Behind a breakable wall in the corridor, holds 50 currency. Teaches "walls can break".
- S2 (peak beat): Visible from the arena, accessible only via parrying off an enemy. Rewards mastery.
- S3 (hook beat): Locked door, key in a future level. Plants curiosity for next level.

6. Define reward gating

What's behind which gate? Levels feel cheap when they hand out rewards without respecting the difficulty curve.

Reward	Gate	Why
Heal pickup	After E2	Player just learned parry; reward + safety net before the peak
New ability unlock	After mini-boss	Mastery-pinned; player demonstrates parry before getting upgrade
Currency cache	Behind S1 (breakable wall)	Optional; rewards observation
Story note	At the calm intro	Free; orients the player to the level's narrative

Ask:

Reward gating above. Anything missing or mis-placed?

7. Define the layout primitives

Every level is built from a small vocabulary of spaces. Name them. Most levels need 4-6 distinct spaces, no more.

For a combat-encounter level:

Spaces (node-tree skeleton):
World (Node3D)
├── Geometry (Node3D)
│   ├── IntroAtrium (Node3D)         # open, calm, well-lit
│   ├── Corridor (Node3D)            # tight, forces parry
│   ├── PeakArena (Node3D)           # large, multiple cover, exit visible
│   └── BossChamber (Node3D)         # contained, single exit, dramatic lighting
├── Spawns (Node3D)
│   ├── PlayerSpawn (Node3D)         # marker
│   ├── E1_Spawn (Node3D)
│   ├── E2_Spawn (Node3D)
│   ├── E3_Wave_Spawns (Node3D)
│   └── MiniBoss_Spawn (Node3D)
├── Triggers (Node3D)
│   ├── E2_GateTrigger (Area3D)      # locks door behind player on entry
│   ├── PeakWaveTrigger (Area3D)
│   └── BossDoorTrigger (Area3D)
├── Pickups (Node3D)
│   ├── HealAfterE2 (Node3D)
│   └── CurrencyS1 (Node3D)
├── Secrets (Node3D)
│   ├── S1_BreakableWall (StaticBody3D)
│   ├── S2_ParryLedge (StaticBody3D)
│   └── S3_LockedDoor (StaticBody3D)
└── Lighting (Node3D)                # WorldEnvironment + DirectionalLight3D

Show the skeleton. Ask:

Tree above. May I create the level scene levels/<level-name>.tscn with this skeleton?

8. Scaffold via MCP

Preferred (Summer MCP):

summer_create_scene(path="res://levels/level_01.tscn", root_type="Node3D", root_name="World")
summer_add_node(parent="./World", type="Node3D", name="Geometry")
summer_add_node(parent="./World/Geometry", type="Node3D", name="IntroAtrium")
summer_add_node(parent="./World/Geometry", type="Node3D", name="Corridor")
summer_add_node(parent="./World/Geometry", type="Node3D", name="PeakArena")
summer_add_node(parent="./World/Geometry", type="Node3D", name="BossChamber")
summer_add_node(parent="./World", type="Node3D", name="Spawns")
summer_add_node(parent="./World/Spawns", type="Node3D", name="PlayerSpawn")
summer_add_node(parent="./World/Spawns", type="Node3D", name="E1_Spawn")
# ... and so on
summer_add_node(parent="./World", type="Node3D", name="Triggers")
summer_add_node(parent="./World/Triggers", type="Area3D", name="E2_GateTrigger")
# ... etc.
summer_add_node(parent="./World", type="Node3D", name="Lighting")
summer_add_node(parent="./World/Lighting", type="WorldEnvironment", name="WorldEnvironment")
summer_add_node(parent="./World/Lighting", type="DirectionalLight3D", name="Sun")
summer_save_scene

This is a skeleton, not playable geometry. Markers and Area3Ds, no meshes, no enemy scripts. Implementation in subsequent sessions / templates.

Fallback (no MCP): Print the .tscn file contents for the user to save manually.

9. Save the level design doc

Always write the design doc — it's the artifact that drives implementation. Path: .summer/levels/<level-name>.md.

# Level: <Name>

**Type:** combat encounter
**Duration target:** 5 min
**Teaching goal:** Player learns parry and that parrying mid-tier enemies is required, not optional.

**Pacing curve:** 2 → 5 → 8 → 3 → 6
**Beats:** Intro (30s) | Build (90s) | Peak (60s) | Release (60s) | Hook (30s)

## Encounters
- E1 — Tutorial grunt @ 0:30 (IntroAtrium)
- E2 — Forced parry @ 1:30 (Corridor)
- E3 — Mixed wave @ 3:00 (PeakArena)
- E4 — Mini-boss @ 4:00 (BossChamber)

## Secrets
- S1 — Breakable wall (Corridor) → 50 currency
- S2 — Parry-ledge (PeakArena) → cosmetic
- S3 — Locked door (BossChamber) → next level

## Reward Gating
- Heal pickup after E2
- Ability unlock after mini-boss

## Spaces
1. IntroAtrium — open, calm
2. Corridor — tight, forces parry
3. PeakArena — large with cover
4. BossChamber — contained, dramatic

## Open questions
<list anything the user couldn't answer>

Ask:

May I create .summer/levels/<level-name>.md with this design doc?

10. Route to the next step

End with:

Skeleton + design doc saved. Next:

• /summer:design-mechanic to design any mechanics this level requires that aren't designed yet.
• /summer:design-npc to design the enemies (E1-E4) in detail.
• /summer:art-direction if the visual style isn't pinned yet.
• Or open levels/<level-name>.tscn and start blocking out geometry.

Common mistakes

Mistake	Fix
No teaching goal	Every level teaches something or fails. State it explicitly.
Flat pacing curve	If intensity stays at 5 the whole time, you have a hallway, not a level.
Too many spaces	4-6 distinct spaces max. More fragments the player's mental map.
Encounters not tied to mechanics	E2 should require parry, not just allow it. Forced use teaches; optional use doesn't.
Secrets ignore the pacing curve	Don't put a major secret in the calm intro — players aren't curious yet.
Reward gating too generous	Free heals before the peak deflate the peak. Gate them after the test.
Blending level types	Stealth + puzzle + boss in one level = three half-baked levels. Pick one.
Building geometry before the skeleton	Skeleton-first lets you iterate on layout cheaply. Geometry comes after the design is locked.
Calling SetResourceProperty on inline sub_resources	Silent fail. See references/mcp-tools-reference.md § Trap.

Collaborative protocol

This skill creates a new scene file (.tscn) and a design doc (.md). Group writes per phase. Always ask before summer_create_scene. See references/collaborative-protocol.md.

Want a working starter?

This is a workflow that produces a skeleton scene. For runnable level examples, see:

• template-id: template-3d-fps (https://github.com/SummerEngine/FPS-template-Summer-Engine) ships a sample arena.
• template-id: template-3d-platformer (TBD) for jump-based level samples.

The skeleton this skill produces is meant to be filled in via /summer:design-mechanic, gridmap blockout, or a template merge.

See also

• references/collaborative-protocol.md
• references/mcp-tools-reference.md
• references/godot-version.md — Godot 4.5 API notes
• scene-and-project/brainstorm-game/SKILL.md — produces .summer/GameSoul.md
• gameplay-mechanics/design-mechanic/SKILL.md — designs the verbs the level exercises
• ai-and-npcs/design-npc/SKILL.md — designs the enemies the encounters reference
• rendering-and-lighting/3d-lighting/SKILL.md — sets the lighting in WorldEnvironment + lights
• rendering-and-lighting/art-direction/SKILL.md — defines the visual style the level expresses