Nothing is perfect, thus question is wrong :) If you need more creativity, you need to allocate more time, if you dont have enough time it wont be that creative. Talk with stakeholders and find out how much they can give, and move accordingly.

Pour équilibrer la créativité et les délais dans la conception de niveaux, je commence par établir des jalons clairs pour chaque étape, ce qui me permet de suivre les progrès sans sacrifier l'innovation. J'intègre également des séances dédiées au brainstorming, afin de donner à la créativité l'espace nécessaire pour s'épanouir. Enfin, je revois régulièrement l'avancement pour ajuster si besoin, en maintenant un juste équilibre entre qualité et respect des échéances.

- Understand the time you are given, and use similar situations experienced in the past! - Know your worst-case, best-case, and likely-case of time flexibility when scoping the creative demands within the given time constraints! - Identify the positive and negative risks associated with implementing the creative demands while knowing when it is best to let go of certain demands!

The fact is that every design task is marked by a specific deadline but what matters most is the creativity and the quality work produced within this timeline. Balancing both at certain cases might be tough and it could be really draining at times. From my experience, compromising creativity is a no go. Do small but elegant and leave your mark on every work you do. A designer looks for inspiration everywhere and everyday. Jot down ideas whenever you can. And when the times are demanding. Use those ideas to empower yourself. If time allows test multiple variations, if not then just give your best shot.

Normally, plans were made in advance to mitigate the risks. 1- For a predetermined period of time, give all the freedom needed to allow for the most creativity possible, with a deadline. Plan for more content than what is needed so you can cut later. 2- Regularly assess the work done and give direction where needed. Make use of collaboration to improve where needed. 3- After the predetermined period of time, assess all the creations of every level designer and keep only the best creations, then fine-tune and finalize ! :) But if everything is awesome, maybe keep some for later DLCs ! So to strike the perfect balance, never compromise quality over quantity. Fun is what sells, and in enough amounts !

It is always a challenge to balance the creativity within deadlines, but knowing the "why" behind the design helps me focus on what truly matters, avoiding unnecessary complexities. This helps to make a clear vision while breaking down the level in different stages (concept, layout, greyboxing, playtesting and adjustments..)