Quote: "Use as little entitys as possible."
Sorry Nickydude I don't want to start fight.But you are going to get statements like the one above.Who is going to filter out the rubbish.
@gorba flamingo
I just want to correct you in a polite manner.
Good level design regarding entity placement.
Entity placement plays a important part in level design as it has numerous states it can be in dynamic, static or foliage.
Dynamic entities: Are entities that are either non-movable or movable that a player can interact with directly as well indirectly by means of scripts and trigger zones as well as physical inter-actions.
Dynamic Entities are continually updated in cpu clock cycles and are very taxing on the engine.Dynamic entities should be used on a need only basis.With exceptions of dynamic doors as dynamic doors from part of level culling in other words rooms or areas behind doors are not rendered till the door is interacted with directly or indirectly and does offer some speed gains.
Static entities and foliage : Static entities and foliage are non-movable objects that are found within a level that can not be moved by or interacted any means by the player.Static entities can be used more freely than dynamic entities however should still be used with cautious as it can result in higher polygons which can slow the frame rate.Static entities and foliage are mostly use to bring more realisms to levels as static entities can provide cover for the player for example.
Foliage is used to make your level more realistic by adding grass or trees a rope a grate or a well for example.Foliage have normally higher polygon count than static entities as it forms part of the players visual interactions with the level you have designed.
Static entities and foliage should be mixed equally in a level and
also not be cluttered or over used in a area as this will result in slower frame rates in those areas.
The rule of thumb is to design the core of the level the walls/floors/doors and ceilings and the enemy/dynamic entities then you can add the static entities and foliage to your level.Test your level on a regular basis without light mapping for quicker loads to check frame rates
Test every inch make sure there are no slow downs if there are any slow downs in a specific area of your level remove either dynamic or static entities to find the right balance in that area of the level.
Remember dynamic/static entities as well as foliage add to the visuals of your level.Entity placement forms a very important part of level design and it takes time to tweak a level to match a frame rate that is both visually good looking,interactive and has good playability.
Pointless Assault video
http://w13.easy-share.com/1408971.html