Game State Overviews - Revision history

Staffan Björk: /* Using the pattern */

2016-07-19T07:49:19Z

‎Using the pattern

Staffan Björk: /* Relations */

2016-07-19T07:48:41Z

‎Relations

Staffan Björk: /* Can Be Instantiated By */

2016-07-17T12:30:15Z

‎Can Be Instantiated By

Staffan Björk: /* Relations */

2016-07-17T12:29:54Z

‎Relations

Staffan Björk at 12:25, 17 July 2016

2016-07-17T12:25:19Z

Staffan Björk at 12:23, 17 July 2016

2016-07-17T12:23:05Z

Staffan Björk: /* Examples */

2016-07-17T12:19:41Z

‎Examples

Staffan Björk: /* Examples */

2016-07-17T12:19:33Z

‎Examples

Staffan Björk: /* Examples */

2016-07-17T12:17:33Z

‎Examples

Staffan Björk: /* Using the pattern */

2016-07-17T12:07:43Z

‎Using the pattern

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 [[Game State Overviews]] are used in games to provide players with information about the game state, e.g. [[Area Control]], [[Negotiation]] contexts, [[Perceivable Margins]], [[Preventing Goals]], [[Player Defined Goals]], or [[Scores]], sometimes to help players know when [[Attention Swapping]] is required. This information may be to help players with [[Movement]], either directly with [[Game World Exploration]], [[Game World Navigation]], [[Reconnaissance]], or [[Traverse]] goals or indirectly with positions in [[Races]]. For [[Combat]] situation, it can provide players with help on [[Tactical Planning]] where [[Camping]] or [[Sniper Locations]] are located while for [[Puzzle Solving]] it can modify [[Memorizing]]. On a more general navigation level, this can be how [[Levels]] are perceived or how [[Fog of War]] functions. For games with [[Units]] it can help players keep track of all the [[Units]] under one's control while in those with [[Player Characters]] it can instead help support [[Identification]]. The presence of [[Game State Overviews]] are likely to affect how players interact with each other in [[Multiplayer Games]], e.g. regarding [[Collaborative Actions]], and well as how [[Perfect Information|Perfect]] or [[Public Information]] is perceived. Of course, [[Game State Overviews]] can also provide information about [[Extra-Game Actions]] since this is part of the game interface which already is outside the diegesis in some way.
-The basic elements for providing [[Game State Overviews]] are various [[Game State Indicators]], e.g. [[Bookkeeping Tokens]] (with [[Public Information]]), [[Geospatial Game Widgets]], [[Goal Indicators]], [[HUD Interfaces]], [[Near Miss Indicators]], and [[Score Tracks]] (but publicly observable [[Scores]] can work equally well). [[Auxiliary Game Screens]], [[Mini-maps]], [[Picture-in-Picture Views]], and [[Split-Screen Views]], are more complex solutions which in themselves can provide [[Game State Overviews]] ([[Cutscenes]] and [[Narration Structures]] can also do this but often doesn't present game state information beyond acknowledging that a certain game state has been met since they have been initiated). [[Cameras]], [[God Views]], and [[Third-Person Views]] let players have a form of [[Game State Overview]] in that they are given some agency over what view they should have of the game state (this solution assumes that there is [[Game Worlds]] that a player's point of observation can be manipulated within). [[Privileged Movement]] which allows flying work similarly. [[Dedicated Game Facilitators]] (especially [[Game Masters]]) can of course create [[Game State Overviews]] since they can completely control players' access to what parts of the game state they perceive.
+The basic elements for providing [[Game State Overviews]] are various [[Game State Indicators]], e.g. [[Bookkeeping Tokens]] (with [[Public Information]]), [[Geospatial Game Widgets]], [[Goal Indicators]], [[Near Miss Indicators]], and [[Score Tracks]] (but publicly observable [[Scores]] can work equally well). [[Auxiliary Game Screens]], [[HUD Interfaces]], [[Mini-maps]], [[Picture-in-Picture Views]], and [[Split-Screen Views]], are more complex solutions which in themselves can provide [[Game State Overviews]] ([[Cutscenes]] and [[Narration Structures]] can also do this but often doesn't present game state information beyond acknowledging that a certain game state has been met since they have been initiated). [[Cameras]], [[God Views]], and [[Third-Person Views]] let players have a form of [[Game State Overview]] in that they are given some agency over what view they should have of the game state (this solution assumes that there is [[Game Worlds]] that a player's point of observation can be manipulated within). [[Privileged Movement]] which allows flying work similarly. [[Dedicated Game Facilitators]] (especially [[Game Masters]]) can of course create [[Game State Overviews]] since they can completely control players' access to what parts of the game state they perceive.
 [[Alarms]] can modify [[Game State Overviews]] by showing that certain closures are near occurring while [[Outcome Indicators]] can provide detailed information about closures that have occurred. [[Game Pauses]] and [[Turn Taking]] let players that have possibility of observing [[Game State Overviews]] without stress and can thereby make better use of the information they provide.

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 [[Game World Exploration]],
 [[Game World Navigation]],
 [[Memorizing]],
 [[Movement]],
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 [[Goal Indicators]],
 [[God Views]],
 [[Mini-maps]],
 [[Narration Structures]],

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 [[Narration Structures]],
 [[Near Miss Indicators]],
 [[Picture-in-Picture Views]],
 [[Privileged Movement]],

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 [[Narration Structures]],
 [[Near Miss Indicators]],
 [[Picture-in-Picture Views]],
 [[Privileged Movement]],

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 [[Category:Mechanical Patterns]]
 [[Category:Interface Patterns]]
 [[Category:Needs revision]]
 [[Category:Needs examples]]
 [[Category:Needs references]]
 [[Category:To be Published]]
 ''Information provided to players that extends beyond the observational abilities provided by simply observing game elements.''
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 Many [[:Category:Board Games|Board Games]], e.g. [[Amun-Re]], [[Carcassonne]], [[Dominant Species]], [[Inca Empire]], [[Egizia]], [[Pictionary]], and [[Ursuppe]], include [[Score Tracks]] that help players have a good overview of the positions of all players. [[Ludo]], [[Pachisi]], and [[Snakes and Ladders]] show how this overview can be the game board.
-Computer-based [[:Category:Strategy Games|Strategy Games]] such as the [[Age of Empires series|Age of Empires]] or [[Civilization (video game) series|Civilization]] series make use of [[Mini-maps]] that allows players to have an overview of a larger part of the game world that would otherwise be possible. Similarly, most [:Category:Racing Games|Racing Games]], e. g., the [[Mario Kart series]] and the Monkey Race party games in the [[Super Monkey Ball series]], provide a small overhead map that shows the location of other players on the track.
+Computer-based [[:Category:Strategy Games|Strategy Games]] such as the [[Age of Empires series|Age of Empires]] or [[Civilization (video game) series|Civilization]] series make use of [[Mini-maps]] that allows players to have an overview of a larger part of the game world that would otherwise be possible. Similarly, most [[:Category:Racing Games|Racing Games]], e. g., the [[Mario Kart series]] and the Monkey Race party games in the [[Super Monkey Ball series]], provide a small overhead map that shows the location of other players on the track.
 == Using the pattern ==
 [[Game State Overviews]] are used in games to provide players with information about the game state, e.g. [[Area Control]], [[Negotiation]] contexts, [[Perceivable Margins]], [[Preventing Goals]], [[Player Defined Goals]], or [[Scores]], sometimes to help players know when [[Attention Swapping]] is required. This information may be to help players with [[Movement]], either directly with [[Game World Exploration]], [[Game World Navigation]], [[Reconnaissance]], or [[Traverse]] goals or indirectly with positions in [[Races]]. For [[Combat]] situation, it can provide players with help on [[Tactical Planning]] where [[Camping]] or [[Sniper Locations]] are located while for [[Puzzle Solving]] it can modify [[Memorizing]]. On a more general navigation level, this can be how [[Levels]] are perceived or how [[Fog of War]] functions. For games with [[Units]] it can help players keep track of all the [[Units]] under one's control while in those with [[Player Characters]] it can instead help support [[Identification]]. The presence of [[Game State Overviews]] are likely to affect how players interact with each other in [[Multiplayer Games]], e.g. regarding [[Collaborative Actions]], and well as how [[Perfect Information|Perfect]] or [[Public Information]] is perceived. Of course, [[Game State Overviews]] can also provide information about [[Extra-Game Actions]] since this is part of the game interface which already is outside the diegesis in some way.
-The basic elements for providing [[Game State Overviews]] are various [[Game State Indicators]], e.g. [[Bookkeeping Tokens]] (with [[Public Information]]), [[Geospatial Game Widgets]], [[Goal Indicators]], [[HUD Interfaces]], [[Near Miss Indicators]], and [[Score Tracks]] (but publicly observable [[Scores]] can work equally well). [[Auxiliary Game Screens]], [[Mini-maps]], [[Picture-in-Picture Views]], and [[Split-Screen Views]], are more complex solutions which in themselves can provide [[Game State Overviews]] ([[Cutscenes]] and [[Narration Structures]] can also do this but often doesn't present game state information beyond acknowledging that a certain game state has been met since they have been initiated). [[Cameras]], [[God Views]], and [[Third-Person Views]] let players have a form of [[Game State Overview]] in that they are given some agency over what view they should have of the game state (this solution assumes that there is [[Game Worlds]] that a player's point of observation can be manipulated within). [[Privileged Movement]] which allows flying work similarly. [[Dedicated Game Facilitators]] (especially [[Game Masters]]) can of course create [[Game State Overviews]] since they can completely control players access to what parts of the game state they perceive.
+The basic elements for providing [[Game State Overviews]] are various [[Game State Indicators]], e.g. [[Bookkeeping Tokens]] (with [[Public Information]]), [[Geospatial Game Widgets]], [[Goal Indicators]], [[HUD Interfaces]], [[Near Miss Indicators]], and [[Score Tracks]] (but publicly observable [[Scores]] can work equally well). [[Auxiliary Game Screens]], [[Mini-maps]], [[Picture-in-Picture Views]], and [[Split-Screen Views]], are more complex solutions which in themselves can provide [[Game State Overviews]] ([[Cutscenes]] and [[Narration Structures]] can also do this but often doesn't present game state information beyond acknowledging that a certain game state has been met since they have been initiated). [[Cameras]], [[God Views]], and [[Third-Person Views]] let players have a form of [[Game State Overview]] in that they are given some agency over what view they should have of the game state (this solution assumes that there is [[Game Worlds]] that a player's point of observation can be manipulated within). [[Privileged Movement]] which allows flying work similarly. [[Dedicated Game Facilitators]] (especially [[Game Masters]]) can of course create [[Game State Overviews]] since they can completely control players' access to what parts of the game state they perceive.
-[[Alarms]] can modify [[Game State Overviews]] by showing that certain closures are near occurring while [Outcome Indicators]] can provide detailed information about closures that have occurred. [[Game Pauses]] and [[Turn Taking]] let players that have possibility of observing [[Game State Overviews]] without stress and can thereby make better use of the information they provide.
+[[Alarms]] can modify [[Game State Overviews]] by showing that certain closures are near occurring while [[Outcome Indicators]] can provide detailed information about closures that have occurred. [[Game Pauses]] and [[Turn Taking]] let players that have possibility of observing [[Game State Overviews]] without stress and can thereby make better use of the information they provide.
 [[Game State Overviews]] can work against several other design solutions since it can reveal too much information. Examples of patterns which can be negatively affected by [[Game State Overviews]] include [[Game World Navigation]], [[Leaps of Faith]], [[Limited Foresight]], [[Memorizing]], [[Reconnaissance]], and [[Surprises]].

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 ''Information provided to players that extends beyond the observational abilities provided by simply observing game elements.''
-This pattern is a still a stub.
+The game elements positions and configuration in a game provide players with information about what they can do. However, complex game states - especially the ones which are maintained in a computer system - may not be able to directly present enough information to players in one continuous and perhaps diegetic presentation. In these cases, additional information can be provided to players through [[Game State Overviews]] which collect and present information in other ways.
 === Examples ===

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 === Examples ===
-Many [[:Category:Board Games|Board Games]], e.g. , include [[Score Tracks]] that help players have a good overview of the positions of all players. [[Snakes and Ladders]] show how this overview can be the game board.
+Many [[:Category:Board Games|Board Games]], e.g. [[Amun-Re]], [[Carcassonne]], [[Dominant Species]], [[Inca Empire]], [[Egizia]], [[Pictionary]], and [[Ursuppe]], include [[Score Tracks]] that help players have a good overview of the positions of all players. [[Ludo]], [[Pachisi]], and [[Snakes and Ladders]] show how this overview can be the game board.
 Computer-based [[:Category:Strategy Games|Strategy Games]] such as the [[Age of Empires series|Age of Empires]] or [[Civilization (video game) series|Civilization]] series make use of [[Mini-Maps]] that allows players to have an overview of a larger part of the game world that would otherwise be possible. Similarly, most [:Category:Racing Games|Racing Games]], e. g., the [[Mario Kart series]] and the Monkey Race party games in the [[Super Monkey Ball series]], provide a small overhead map that shows the location of other players on the track.