Level Design
Plan level flow, pacing, difficulty curves, and environmental storytelling before blocking out spaces in Unity or similar engines.
Overview
Level Design is an agent skill for the Build phase that guides flow, pacing, difficulty progression, and environmental storytelling for game levels.
Install
npx skills add https://github.com/pluginagentmarketplace/custom-plugin-game-developer --skill level-designWhat is this skill?
- Five design pillars: flow, pacing, visual guidance, environmental storytelling, player navigation
- Parameterized level_type and game_genre enums with retry and observability hooks
- Tooling references: ProBuilder, terrain tools, modular assets
- Metrics alignment: completion_time, death_count, exploration_percentage
- PRIMARY_BOND to 01-game-designer agent in SASMP workflow
- 5 level design pillars in the documented framework
- 5 level_type enum values: linear, open_world, hub, procedural, puzzle
- 6 game_genre enum values including action, adventure, puzzle, platformer, fps, rpg
Adoption & trust: 1 installs on skills.sh; 30 GitHub stars; 3/3 security scanners passed (skills.sh audits); trending (+100% hot-view momentum).
What problem does it solve?
You are blocking out levels without a shared framework for pacing, guidance, or difficulty so playtests feel random instead of intentional.
Who is it for?
Solo game devs defining linear, hub, or open-world levels in Unity-style workflows before heavy art pass.
Skip if: Non-game SaaS builds, pure code-only backend work, or teams that only need asset store listings without spatial design.
When should I use this skill?
Planning or revising game levels when flow, pacing, guidance, or environmental storytelling must be specified before editor work.
What do I get? / Deliverables
You leave with pillar-aligned level design guidance and typed parameters ready for blockout in ProBuilder, terrain, or modular asset pipelines.
- Level design plan JSON with principles and tools
- Parameterized design brief for blockout and playtest metrics
Recommended Skills
Journey fit
Level design is core product construction for games—canonical placement is Build while shaping playable spaces and progression. PM subphase fits structured design specs (level type, genre parameters) and pillars before engine tooling work.
How it compares
A structured design methodology skill—not a terrain sculpting MCP or automated navmesh generator.
Common Questions / FAQ
Who is level-design for?
Indie and solo game builders pairing an AI agent with a game-designer persona who need pacing and spatial guidance before engine blockout.
When should I use level-design?
During Build while scoping a new stage, hub, or procedural slice and you want flow, visual guidance, and difficulty progression defined first.
Is level-design safe to install?
It is documentation and planning guidance; review the Security Audits panel on this Prism page like any third-party skill before agent use.
SKILL.md
READMESKILL.md - Level Design
principles: - flow - pacing - visual_guidance - environmental_storytelling tools: - probuilder - terrain_tools - modular_assets # Level Design ## Principles - Flow & pacing - Visual guidance - Environmental storytelling - Player navigation #!/usr/bin/env python3 import json def plan(): return {"principles": ["flow", "pacing", "guidance"], "tools": ["probuilder", "terrain"]} if __name__ == "__main__": print(json.dumps(plan(), indent=2)) --- name: level-design version: "2.0.0" description: | Level design fundamentals, pacing, difficulty progression, environmental storytelling, and spatial design for engaging gameplay experiences. sasmp_version: "1.3.0" bonded_agent: 01-game-designer bond_type: PRIMARY_BOND parameters: - name: level_type type: string required: false validation: enum: [linear, open_world, hub, procedural, puzzle] - name: game_genre type: string required: false validation: enum: [action, adventure, puzzle, platformer, fps, rpg] retry_policy: enabled: true max_attempts: 3 backoff: exponential observability: log_events: [start, complete, error] metrics: [completion_time, death_count, exploration_percentage] --- # Level Design ## Level Design Philosophy ``` ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ LEVEL DESIGN PILLARS │ ├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │ 1. FLOW: Guide the player naturally through space │ │ 2. PACING: Control intensity and rest moments │ │ 3. DISCOVERY: Reward exploration and curiosity │ │ 4. CLARITY: Player always knows where to go │ │ 5. CHALLENGE: Skill tests that teach and satisfy │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ ``` ## Level Structure Patterns ``` LINEAR LEVEL: ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ [Start] → [Tutorial] → [Challenge] → [Boss] → [End] │ │ │ │ PROS: Easy to pace, clear direction │ │ CONS: Limited replay value, less exploration │ │ BEST FOR: Story-driven games, action games │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ HUB & SPOKE: ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ [Level A] │ │ ↑ │ │ [Level B] ← [HUB] → [Level C] │ │ ↓ │ │ [Level D] │ │ │ │ PROS: Player choice, non-linear progression │ │ CONS: Can feel disconnected │ │ BEST FOR: RPGs, Metroidvanias, open-world │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ METROIDVANIA: ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ ┌───┐ ┌───┐ ┌───┐ │ │ │ A │───│ B │───│ C │ (locked: need ability X) │ │ └─┬─┘ └───┘ └───┘ │ │ │ │ │ │ ┌─┴─┐ ┌─┴─┐ │ │ │ D │───│ E │ (grants ability X) │ │ └───┘ └───┘ │ │ │ │ PROS: Rewarding exploration, ability gating │ │ CONS: Can get lost, backtracking tedium │ │ BEST FOR: Exploration games, 2D platformers │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ ``` ## Pacing & Flow ``` INTENSITY GRAPH (Good Pacing): ┌────────────────────────────────────────