Lineal no significa "pasillo": la arquitectura de los niveles lineales

Second part of the section on linear levels, corridors, paths, and routes in video games. A linear level doesn't have to be a straight line, nor a corridor without choices. It can have rhythm, contrast, changes in scale, moments of tension, rest areas, previews, postviews, and transitions that help the player understand the space without needing arrows. Here we delve into how to design the player's flow within a linear route: hard and soft linearity, compression and expansion, exposure and refuge, information pacing, natural and forced transitions, 180º turns, bait and switch, vertical reorientation, and spatial awareness. The central idea: linearity isn't the problem. The problem is designing it as if it were just a corridor. Level design livestreams:   / jesus_machina   Discord, challenges, and community:   / discord   Chapters 00:00 Introduction: Corridors, Paths, and Routes 00:52 Why We Follow a Path 02:39 Hard Linearity and Soft Linearity 03:32 The Route as Rhythm 04:23 Compression, Expansion, and Scale 05:26 Exposure, Shelter, and Information 07:21 Simple and Complex Spaces 09:23 Contrast as the Basis of Rhythm 10:53 Transitions Between Spaces 11:17 Natural Transitions 12:50 Artificial or Forced Transitions 14:51 180° Turns and Axis Changes 15:44 Bait and Switch 17:40 Vertical Reorientation 18:59 Previews and Postviews 20:09 The Preview as a wish 21:29 The postview as a spatial reward