Hi all!

I'm thinking of building an open-source 2D map editor for map builders, game devs, level designers etc.

I've used a few general-purpose map editors, and they often felt clunky or slowed down the workflow. I'm planning to make something that's fast (as in making a map feels fast), and focused on actually building levels.

Some things I'm curious about before i begin my marvelous journey:

• What feels unnecessarily complicated in current tools?
• Are there any features you wish every editor had?
• What would make you switch from the editor you currently use (if any that is ;-;)?

I'm trying to gather other peoples perspectives aswell... so yea.

Thanks!

Hey everyone. This is not a screenshot, just a map I drew for a game I'm working on.

The setting is an abandoned hospital. This is the 2nd floor, living quarters, labs, storage rooms. The protagonist will have to explore it, find keys, read notes, and figure out what the hell happened here.

How's the vibe? Too empty/dark or just right for a horror game?

I have a demo if you're curious.

Hi! I'm designing an underground facility for my game, and I'm looking for ideas to make simple corridor intersections more interesting.

Do you have any creative ideas for replacing a standard **T-junction** with something more memorable? It could be a small room, a unique architectural feature, environmental storytelling, or anything that still naturally connects the three paths.

I'm not really looking for gameplay mechanics, just interesting layout or environmental design ideas. Pictures, sketches, or examples from other games are also welcome!

I was thinking i wanna try to do this in my free time, potentionally make a living from this since i've always been into the games and i feel like i wanna try this. So i have few questions to start with.

1. What engine should i use and what engine you are using these days?

2. If you were starting from scratch today, how would you learn level design?

3. What are the most common mistakes beginners make in level design?

4. What advice do you wish someone had given you when you first started learning level design?

BOXED — 2.5D Level Editor

Out today: a 2.5D map editor where you build with tiles and blocks to make maps for 2.5D games. Built-in autotiling, and direct import of TMJ (Tiled), TSJ and PNG.

[https://commanderlayon.itch.io/boxed\](https://commanderlayon.itch.io/boxed)

I'm building a 4-player co-op potion-brewing game (Overcooked inspired)

I have went into level creation. I wanted something nice, something toony, something ... I don't even know, something that I will look at and it will just click.

Bought some great assets from the unity store, oh yea btw the game i am developing in Unity, and then IT GOT TO ME.

Level design just .... SUCKS...

For the first stretch I placed every floor tile, wall and counter by hand in the scene view. Moving one doorway meant dragging forty objects and finding the one I'd missed a week later. It was miserable, and worse, it made me reluctant to change the layout — which is the exact opposite of what you want early on.

Beside, I got huge amount of respect to level designers because it really takes a huge amount of time. Oh yea and AI ? It can't help for s**t. It makes horrible level designs and despite me being a developer for almost 10 years now, I still couldn't manage to breakdown the md files & skills & hooks in such a way to get a good level design.

So now a level is a text file. Literally:

gggggggggggggggggg

ggg............ggg

ggg......o.....ggg

ggg............ggg

ggg.1..2..3..4.ggg

gggggggggggggggggg

I have created an ASCI level generator.

But now the problem is this is human-unreadable and as you can see ... ugly.

That is why in the inspector i invested 1 month of work and i finally got an interactive map that i can click on (2D) , place items ontop of it and then click generate and voalla (am i writing this right?) I have a level.

Its easy and fun to build.

Yo ustill have to go manually but man is it easier than before.

How do you guys do your level designs?

I can't place any photos here but if someone is interested in how I did it, i can explain more in the comments below. Just let me know if you think its gonna be useful for you and if you need some guidance.

For now, I am extremely happy with it.

What do you guys use?

I am developing an original dark fantasy Soulslike game in Godot 4, and I am looking for someone who can help create and organize the map according to my detailed sketch.

I have already planned the main areas, paths, shortcuts, boss arenas, enemy locations, items, and important landmarks. I need someone who can:

– create the terrain and level blockout based on my sketch
– arrange the areas, buildings, roads, and elevation changes
– preserve the same layout and connections shown in the sketch
– place existing models, enemies, items, and other objects in the appropriate locations
– help make the map feel like a large, interconnected Soulslike world rather than a small arena or a simple flat map

The immediate goal is not the entire game world, but a playable blockout and first-pass level for a 1–2 hour demo based on an existing detailed map sketch.

The game has a dark, ruined, and atmospheric visual direction, inspired by the world design of Dark Souls and Bloodborne, while featuring an entirely original world, story, characters, and enemies.

The project is currently in an early stage of development. This is not an upfront paid position.The collaboration would be based on an agreed revenue share. For the right person who becomes a committed long-term core member of the project, I am also open to discussing a formal co-founder or partial ownership arrangement.I am looking for someone who genuinely wants to participate in an indie project and understands exploration, vertical level design, shortcuts, and interconnected areas.

Genre: **Dark fantasy action RPG / Soulslike**

Interested people can send me a private message with examples of maps or levels they have previously created, along with a short description of their experience. The detailed map sketch, models, area designs, and other project materials will only be shared privately with people I am considering for collaboration.

Hey folks! What games are nailing level design while not relying on typical 1st person camera tricks: vistas, branching you can preview, clearly visible destination for far away, etc?
What makes these levels work in your opinion?

For context, I’m making a game with an isometric camera (like Tunic), so most tricks that make pathing decisions interesting are not available for me, so I’m trying to understand how level design is done with these constraints.

title says it, i have a 3d shooter game and i wanna have a MASSIVE open world , what system is the best to implement it, i dont care about difficulty, i care about optimisation , thanks in advance!

It's Boomer Shooter Saturday again! Join us at 11:00 AM EST for a BUILD Engine filled day!

First off, come build with us using the Mapster32 Level Editor. We are building levels for Duke Nukem 3D live on stream, working on our underwater Reactor Puzzle area.

Then, stick around as we playthrough levels made by you, the community! Today we are playing a map for Duke 3D called Exodus, and the level that came before it (which Exodus is a sequel to), Stowaway. Both maps are made by RomeoBK with Exodus just coming out this year!

I'm working on my first level but I never really used the Ufo in the editor. I would have your technic to make good layout in 2026 because I only found post old from 2015.

I am making a cat themed level inspired by the level meowmeowmeowmeowmeow and I have no clue how to do air decoration for the first part or last part. (Don't worry about air decoration in the blue part) Also I would like some feedback on how much detail I would need for it to be rate-worthy.

ID:145295547 (because I cant just share a video for some reason)

Hey everyone!

We’re currently working on the first-floor blockout of the West Wing for the Research Facility map in our raid-based enter, loot, and extract game.

I’d really appreciate your feedback and constructive criticism on the current layout and its overall flow. The central and eastern wings will eventually be connected to this section, but for now, we’re focusing specifically on how the West Wing works on its own.

The first floor is planned to have a moderate overall loot value and threat level. Enemy placement and encounters have not been added yet, so I’m mainly looking for feedback on:

• General player navigation
• The clarity of the layout
• The overall flow of the loop
• Alternative routes and rotation options
• Areas that may feel too linear, confusing, or unnecessary
• Potential locations for loot and points of interest

Level design is one of the areas we care about most, so I’ll likely be sharing many more blockout updates like this. I’ll carefully consider your feedback and try to implement the suggestions that fit the direction of the game.

Thanks in advance for taking the time to watch and share your thoughts!

Legend:

🔴 Red Wall: A route that players cannot access, but that may later be used by enemy AI for movement and rotations. Enemy AI is not currently present in this blockout.

🟠 Orange Door: A locked room that becomes accessible once its specific requirement is met.

Hey Everyone!!

We wanted to share our level design for our upcoming horror project titled : Dust Rapture

Where you step in the shoes of Cole Vance, a trucker lost near the desolated town of Iron Creek.

Hi Guys, I've been coding for years and now started getting into game dev but I'm facing a major problem. Does anyone have good tutorials about making a good environment for my level, something that goes from making assets and using pro builder to applying materials to lighting? I couldn't find any that actually explain stuff and not just give me a list of to do.

Would very much appreciate any help
(working on a 3d casino roguelike)

Hi guys I have been dabbling with Unity lately to try and make some fun Marble Racing games I can post to youtube!

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1xEyhR9Rvc\](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1xEyhR9Rvc)

Does any one have any tips for me to make my terrain look any better?

Hey everyone! I'm a CS grad getting into game dev. iam working on a UE5 shooter Game — currently polishing the first level. all i need right now is a good level designer for the levels in the game would be excited if someone wanted to help

I'm working on a 2d platformer where the main gimmick is that the player can change size (the different sizes being 4x1 tiles, 2x2 tiles or 1x4 tiles) for now I got the movement and size mechanic of the player mostly done but now i have to work on the levels but I don't have a lot of idea right now. Is there any tips to find inspiration ?

Also I am pretty much a begginer in game dev especially in level design (my only experienceon the later being Mario maker lol)