Skip to content

Level design template

Use this template when proposing or documenting a puzzle space. It is intentionally short so designers can duplicate it into a new note and fill it out quickly.

Summary

  • Level name:
  • Owner:
  • Status: pitch / blockout / playable / review / locked
  • Primary lesson:
  • Required runes:
  • Estimated playtime:

Goal

What must the player accomplish? State the goal in player-facing terms, not implementation terms.

Core mechanic

The main sentence or rune relationship the puzzle teaches or tests.

Examples:

  • Put a noun and verb into slots to maintain an effect while the sentence exists.
  • Use NOUN + VERB + NOUN to transform one class of object into another.
  • Rotate an object so it becomes both a door and a traversal tool.

Auxiliary mechanics

Optional supports: player movement, pickups, interactable objects, camera zones, memory palace review, or environmental reactions.

Deceptive element

What is the tempting wrong answer or incomplete answer? Good deception should teach a distinction, not punish the player arbitrarily.

Walkthrough beats

  1. Arrival and observation.
  2. First interaction or rune pickup.
  3. First attempted sentence.
  4. Environment response.
  5. Twist or second application.
  6. Completion state and reward.

Success criteria

  • The player can understand what changed.
  • The intended solution uses rune logic, not manual object handling.
  • The puzzle introduces at most one major new concept.
  • The puzzle remains readable with minimal UI text.

Handoff checklist

  • Required runes listed.
  • Required Blueprint actors / authored objects listed.
  • Camera zones or showcase beats listed.
  • Failure feedback described.
  • Open questions captured before engineering implementation.

After design sign-off — engineering next steps

When the checklist above is complete, hand off to implementation in this order:

  1. Rune authoring — configure data assets, slots, calculators, and runeable objects in the level.
  2. Adding a rune — step-by-step recipe for new noun/verb data assets.
  3. Debug toggles — in-editor test keys for verifying behavior.
  4. Verify in Rune Showcase — open Content/Levels/Rune Showcase, Play In Editor (PIE), and confirm the puzzle loop works before requesting review.

New to the Unreal editor? Read Unreal Editor 101 first.

Change history

  • 2026-05-23 — Gabriel Li — Handoff verify step uses Rune Showcase path; PIE spelled out.
  • 2026-05-08 — Gabriel Li — Added baseline change history section for weekly wiki maintenance.