However Damnation are apparently going a different way and basing their Level Designs on Concept art. 

I’m interested in seeing how this process works out in terms of actual gameplay as a good concept artist can throw out sketches faster than you can block out a level in sketchup and tend to get hired on the strength of their imagination. In contrast Level Designers are often hired for their technical skill more than their artistic ability.

Being able to use a game Editor and script in LUA will push your Resume closer to the top of the pile compared to somebody who can make their own textures (ProTip: If you spend longer making your level look awesome than play awesome apply for Environment art jobs).

So with that in mind inspiration can be tricky when coming up with your designs. Having a Concept artist onboard early in the process will at least introduce a sounding board for ideas and a second perspective from somebody who can visualise a 3D scene and then communicate it quickly. So long as it’s a two-way process with the artist and designers inspiring each other I can’t see how it could fail.

So here’s hoping Damnation is actually fun.