Choose route connections for the decisions and movement they create

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The principle

Choose and test how spaces connect before treating their layout as finished. Judge a route pattern by the choices and movement it produces, not by how complex its map looks.

Applies when

Planning exploration routes, combat arenas, multiplayer lanes, or interconnected levels.

Does not apply / Exceptions

Not every level needs branches or loops. A corridor can support a deliberate sequence, and a network can obscure it. Patterns are vocabulary, not required templates.

Rationale

Connections control return trips, approaches, escape options, and encounter frequency. Similar-looking rooms can play differently when linked differently.

Implementation

Sketch spaces as nodes and passages as connections. Mark direction, gates, and changes after progression. Compare a direct sequence, hub, or loop against the intended experience. Walk the routes in play: observe return travel, unintended bypasses, and where players meet or miss one another.

Disagreement

Smooth, rapid movement is not always desirable: restricted turns or interrupted sightlines can create tension or tactical caution. More verticality and more routes are not automatically improvements.

Notes

Confidence 3: source-checked practitioner guidance. Spatial flow means movement through a level; it is distinct from the psychological flow state. Route structure supports agency but does not determine all forms of agency.