When AI Draws the Map: Co‑Designing Levels with Machines

How critique‑driven tools boost iteration without replacing taste.

We don’t ask AI to design levels; we ask it to critique them. Our PathSketch tool runs thousands of quick sims on a grey‑box map and flags the moments where flow breaks: dead zones, trap corridors, and sightlines that collapse combat readability.

Designers respond, not obey. Heatmap suggestions become conversations: raise this ledge to preserve momentum; widen that flank to support a second route; shift this pickup so it tutors a mechanic earlier. The machine brings breadth; the human brings taste.

The 80/20 split emerged naturally. AI identifies most friction, but the last mile—the difference between “works” and “sings”—is human iteration. By treating AI as a colleague with strong opinions and no ego, we build faster without losing identity.

The meta‑lesson: let AI find problems; let people choose solutions. Co‑design is a speed boost to taste, not a shortcut around it.