jobs - What is the difference between a level designer and an environment artist?

What are a level designer's roles in the development of a game, what are an environment artist's, and how do they compare? Are they overlapping roles? Does a game development team typically have both roles?

Answer

It depends on the studio. There are two fundamental camps. The terms are ones I've used, but probably aren't common elsewhere.

"Dallas-style" level designers typically do everything, typically using some kind of engine that has heavy brush editing (i.e. quake based). Usually from layout, texturing, placing props, lighting, NPC placement, scripting, etc. "Environment artist" isn't really a position that exists. Usually the art department are involved with making textures, ancillary props, skyboxes, and occasionally some integrated hero props (that are usually first roughed out with brushes and then exported into a format where the artist can make something over top of it in something like Max). You'll occasionally do things like paintovers from concept artists to give the LDs some artistic inspiration for the final art passes. The LD is primarily the one responsible for maintaining performance. A lot time this is with older engines that require a bit more care and technical knowledge because these engines are portal based.

"California-style" level designers mostly do layout and scripting only. This is more common with engines that are based around art tools (i.e. the LDs are also using Max). After gameplay is proved out, the environment artists go in and do the rest. Texturing, props, particles, sometimes lighting, and pretty much anything that isn't gameplay specific is done by the artists. They usually work pretty close with the concept artists. The artists have a good amount of responsibility with performance in this mode as well, usually in the form of "keep this number in the green" for a given scene.

Fortunately, "Dallas style" level designing seems to be going away. Splitting up responsibilities means that you aren't putting as much on the shoulders of the LDs. Plus you have a higher theoretical artistic bar if your artists are the ones doing the "arting up".

Why is "Dallas style" still popular at all? Mainly due to the engines being used. Artists generally are averse to learning LD tools. They can be very comfortable with Max/Maya, but trying to get a not-very-technical artist to use something like Radiant can be a bit of a disaster. Some studios have solved this as a culture issue.