Listen to the players

A quick one today about the importance of player feedback and play-tests.
When I say "player feedback" it's basically anyone but you, including your colleagues or friends :)

Levels are complex structures mixing art, gameplay and narrative, and it would be foolish to think that you can build the perfect one from scratch.
You need to show it to other, and the sooner the better as long as you follow a few guidelines...

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO TEST ?

Whatever the advancement of your work, you should always be clear with the following points

• What do you want to learn from presenting your work?
• Does your current level has what it takes for the player to give you valid answers?

The second point is important : you can't wait for the level to be 100% finish to get some feedback, but you'll usually need enough so it's possible for someone to give you interesting answers.

i.e. To test orientation in your level, you'll need at least some evolved grey box version with early texturing (just so it's not all flat color from ground to rooftops) , shaping, lighting, and the landmarks + key orientation elements (props, etc). You'll probably also want objectives place holders to be functional.

One last point : don't be afraid to disclaim what is NOT there and should therefore not be commented.

LISTEN TO THE PLAYERS

There's Always a good reason...
When players complain, there's ALWAYS a reason for it, so you should always pay attention.

But finding the right problem/solution is the difficult part
The key is to evaluate the source of the problem, and I suggest you'd be cautious with direct play-testers feedback.
I'll give you a quick example : In versus mode multi-player games, players could complain that they are not moving fast enough. They constantly want to sprint and they'd like to run twice faster.
What you must understand is not "Let's make the player run faster" (changing this would affect combat, aiming, lag effect, GD balance + LD scale) but asking why they'd like to run faster?
Maybe it's because the map is too big? Or maybe the time to capture an objective is so fast that you feel like you don't have time to reach it and do anything about it? or it can be because the map structure is chaotic and you feel like you are having trouble finding a sustained stream of interesting PVP action?

And check your play-tester's profile
I mean, if a hardcore multiplayer Call of duty player finds your stealth level boring, it might just be because he doesn't like stealth games ^^

But there's always something behind it
Players never complain for nothing...

THE PATH OF LEAST LD RESISTANCE

Sometimes what you thought would be obvious is not and the majority of players go in the wrong direction or don't understand an objective.

I've seen some LDs deploying tons of efforts to guide the players where they wanted them to go, while sometimes, it's easier to simply follow the player's "natural path".

i.e. You placed the dynamites needed to blow up the bridge clearly visible in front of the commander's tent but  the majority of players tend to go directly to the truck, and it takes them time (and frustration) to finally find the explosives back at the tent. Unless there's some special super important reason, you'd better just move your dynamites next to the truck as it's where players seems to be looking for it :)

PLAY-TESTS ARE INVALUABLE

Play-tests are key to design good levels, not only because it helps you build a better version of the level you are currently working on, but also because it helps you understand others and how they play.

I recommend play-testing your level as soon as possible (start with colleagues) so you can iterate violently if needed ^^ (the very first thing to play-test is accessibility and orientation)

On top of that, there's nothing more satisfying than watching others having fun in the level you specifically crafted for this very reason, so don't be shy :)

To sum it up I'd say

• Never forget the intention / goal of your level
• Know what you want to learn from the playtest
• Listen to player's feedback...
• ...but be the judge regarding what and how to fix problems.
  (ultimately, you know why things are this way and how much it costs to change it)