How to understand our cognitive map: The Image of the City by Kevin Lynch
- Paths
- Landmarks
- Districts
- Edges
- Nodes
Path
What:
- A linear space that directs movement/travel
- Tends to be dominant in CM
Examples:
- Sidewalks
- Streets
- Trails
How to identify:
- Travel tends to be concentrated on them
- Most temporal element
Features:
- Relies on continuity, proprioception, calculation, or intuition
Uses:
- Guiding players quickly to a destination
- Catching lost players
- Establishing player flow in a level
- Connecting large areas
Landmark
What:
- A single, localized, and memorable feature
- Point-References
Examples:
- Towers
- Statues
- Founations
How to identify:
- Tend to be objects/structures
- Things you might think to take a picture of
- Recognizable visually/narratively/experientially
Uses:
- Most useful element when journey becomes less familiar
- Orient players from a distance (if visible)
- Situate elements of the level among themselves
District
What:
- A region identifiable by characteristic or quality
- Zonal/Area reference
Examples
- Industrial Zones
- Downtowns
- Nature Preserves
How to identify:
- “Squint” tests
- Has edges - “Go Through”
- Mid-Large scale
- Color-by-number
- In a “Place with a place,” it’s usually the bigger place
Uses:
- Groups of things like other things are easier to remember than random groups of things
- Clusters can be semantic, or mechanic, not just visual
- Helps definie unique identity of a space
Edge
What:
- Linear non-paths that indicate, separate, or control continuity
Examples:
- Gates/Walls
- Cliffs
- Borderlines
- Doors, Apertures
- Tunnel openings
- Paved -> Non-paved
How to identify:
- Tend to be elevational
- “Go around/along”
- Thresholds you cross through between places
Uses:
- Level transitions
- Level boundaries
- Mechanical boundaries
- Portals
- Ledges/Walls/Cliffs etc
Node
What:
- Convergence of paths
- Point-References
Examples:
- Traffic intersections
- Transit hubs
- “Home” spaces
How to identify:
- Many “Ins” or “Outs
- Denser activity than adjacent areas
- Strategically placed in or between districts
- Branching milestones when traveling along paths
Uses:
- Re-use/revisit multiple times
- Place-making
- Nodes can be destinations
- Good nodes can be experienced “in” not just “through”
- Make/spend more time here
Implementation
- Audit
- Identify existing Paths, Landmarks, Districts, Edges, and Nodes
- Assess their clarity and readability
- Organize
- Draw your level’s plan using only these elements. Is is clear, readable?
- Draw your level’s section using only these elements. Is is moving, emotional?
Plan is structure, Section is emotion.