Game World Navigation - Revision history

Staffan Björk at 09:30, 15 July 2016

2016-07-15T09:30:26Z

Staffan Björk at 06:58, 3 August 2015

2015-08-03T06:58:51Z

Staffan Björk at 09:02, 10 February 2015

2015-02-10T09:02:25Z

Staffan Björk at 11:54, 9 February 2012

2012-02-09T11:54:31Z

Staffan Björk: /* Can Be Modulated By */

2011-09-22T13:49:09Z

‎Can Be Modulated By

Staffan Björk at 12:01, 9 September 2011

2011-09-09T12:01:23Z

Staffan Björk at 07:20, 9 September 2011

2011-09-09T07:20:32Z

Staffan Björk at 07:57, 8 September 2011

2011-09-08T07:57:37Z

Staffan Björk at 09:58, 7 September 2011

2011-09-07T09:58:11Z

Staffan Björk at 09:53, 7 September 2011

2011-09-07T09:53:16Z

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 [[Game World Navigation]] is the activity of trying to find one's way from one point in a [[Game Worlds|Game World]] (or [[Levels|Level]]) to another. This is typically achieved by presenting several alternative [[Transport Routes]] or having open areas that through the placement of [[Obstacles]] or [[Inaccessible Areas]] create the same options. Besides the presence of these environments, this also requires that [[Movement]] in possible and that it is possible to get lost or take unnecessarily long routes. For the last requirement, [[Traverse]] does not always give rise to [[Game World Navigation]] (e.g. completing [[Levels]] in [[Donkey Kong]] or [[Frogger]] requires completing [[Traverse]] goals but these is no risk of getting lost) while the opposite is true. This being said, [[Traverse]] goals can motivate players to engage in navigation, e.g. to get to [[Strategic Locations]], while requiring [[Game World Exploration]] can force players do [[Game World Navigation]] although in this can one cannot be sure of the exact location one is trying to get to. [[Game World Navigation]] is most common in games with large [[Game Worlds]] (e.g. the [[Grand Theft Auto series]] and the [[Just Cause series]]). However, games relying on text-based descriptions, e.g. the [[Zork series]] can have [[Game World Navigation]] and make the activity into one of [[Puzzle Solving]] by consciously breaking [[Diegetic Consistency]] so that moving in one direction and then moving in the opposite direction does not brings one back to the original position.
-In games with abstract [[Game Worlds]], e.g. [[:Category:Tabletop Roleplaying Games|Tabletop Roleplaying Games]], [[Game World Navigation]] is typically handled as a [[Skills|Skill]]. In contrast, when the layout of [[Game Worlds]] and [[Levels]] are present to players as a consistent representation this layout can heavily affect how easy or difficult [[Game World Navigation]] is. [[Obstacles]] in general makes it more difficult while [[Big Dumb Objects]], [[Clues]], [[Diegetically Outstanding Features]], [[Landmarks]], [[Point of Interest Indications]], [[Props]], and [[Traces]] makes it more easy, especially if players can have [[Line of Sight]] to these from great distances.  An exception to this is when the latter are used to create [[Red Herrings]]. [[Inaccessible Areas]] (which may be caused by [[Movement Limitations]]) can also cause [[Red Herrings]] since players may at first perceive that a certain route is feasible only to later discover it is not. [[Leaps of Faith]] can be used to introduce [[Risk/Reward]] considerations into navigation. [[Warp Zones]] can provide quick ways of getting between places but can also cause confusion since they may not work in both directions and may not even be noticeable (making them into [[Leaps of Faith]]). [[Mini-maps]] can make [[Game World Navigation]] easier by not only indicating where players are and what direction they should be moving, but also when the goal location is (the [[Mini-maps]] in both the [[Elder Scrolls series|Elder Scrolls]] and [[Fallout series]] are example of this) but this is a somewhat risky design strategy since it can easily become too easy. [[Game State Overviews]] can do the same, and some types of [[Privileged Movement]] - primarily flying - can effectively give the same functionality to players besides making navigation easier by allowing more forms of [[Movement]]. One a general design level, the division of [[Game Worlds]] into [[Levels]] makes [[Game World Navigation]] easier as smaller areas have to be navigated and being able to have [[Strategic Knowledge]] about an environment naturally also helps navigation of that environment. All these possibilities provide efficient ways to ensure either [[Casual Gameplay]] or [[Challenging Gameplay]] regarding [[Game World Navigation]].
+In games with abstract [[Game Worlds]], e.g. [[:Category:Tabletop Roleplaying Games|Tabletop Roleplaying Games]], [[Game World Navigation]] is typically handled as a [[Skills|Skill]]. In contrast, when the layout of [[Game Worlds]] and [[Levels]] are present to players as a consistent representation this layout can heavily affect how easy or difficult [[Game World Navigation]] is. [[Obstacles]] in general makes it more difficult while [[Big Dumb Objects]], [[Clues]], [[Diegetically Outstanding Features]], [[Landmarks]], [[Point of Interest Indicators]], [[Props]], and [[Traces]] makes it more easy, especially if players can have [[Line of Sight]] to these from great distances.  An exception to this is when the latter are used to create [[Red Herrings]]. [[Inaccessible Areas]] (which may be caused by [[Movement Limitations]]) can also cause [[Red Herrings]] since players may at first perceive that a certain route is feasible only to later discover it is not. [[Leaps of Faith]] can be used to introduce [[Risk/Reward]] considerations into navigation. [[Warp Zones]] can provide quick ways of getting between places but can also cause confusion since they may not work in both directions and may not even be noticeable (making them into [[Leaps of Faith]]). [[Mini-maps]] can make [[Game World Navigation]] easier by not only indicating where players are and what direction they should be moving, but also when the goal location is (the [[Mini-maps]] in both the [[Elder Scrolls series|Elder Scrolls]] and [[Fallout series]] are example of this) but this is a somewhat risky design strategy since it can easily become too easy. [[Game State Overviews]] can do the same, and some types of [[Privileged Movement]] - primarily flying - can effectively give the same functionality to players besides making navigation easier by allowing more forms of [[Movement]]. One a general design level, the division of [[Game Worlds]] into [[Levels]] makes [[Game World Navigation]] easier as smaller areas have to be navigated and being able to have [[Strategic Knowledge]] about an environment naturally also helps navigation of that environment. All these possibilities provide efficient ways to ensure either [[Casual Gameplay]] or [[Challenging Gameplay]] regarding [[Game World Navigation]].
 === Diegetic Aspects ===
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 [[Movement Limitations]],
 [[Obstacles]],
-[[Point of Interest Indications]],
+[[Point of Interest Indicators]],
 [[Privileged Movement]],
 [[Props]],

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 == Using the pattern ==
-[[Game World Navigation]] is the activity of trying to find one's way from one point in a [[Game Worlds|Game World]] (or [[Levels|Level]]) to another. Besides the presence of these environments, this also requires that [[Movement]] in possible and that it is possible to get lost or take unnecessarily long routes. For the last requirement, [[Traverse]] does not always give rise to [[Game World Navigation]] (e.g. completing [[Levels]] in [[Donkey Kong]] or [[Frogger]] requires completing [[Traverse]] goals but these is no risk of getting lost) while the opposite is true. This being said, [[Traverse]] goals can motivate players to engage in navigation, e.g. to get to [[Strategic Locations]], while requiring [[Game World Exploration]] can force players do [[Game World Navigation]] although in this can one cannot be sure of the exact location one is trying to get to. [[Game World Navigation]] is most common in games with large [[Game Worlds]] (e.g. the [[Grand Theft Auto series]] and the [[Just Cause series]]). However, games relying on text-based descriptions, e.g. the [[Zork series]] can have [[Game World Navigation]] and make the activity into one of [[Puzzle Solving]] by consciously breaking [[Diegetic Consistency]] so that moving in one direction and then moving in the opposite direction does not brings one back to the original position.
+[[Game World Navigation]] is the activity of trying to find one's way from one point in a [[Game Worlds|Game World]] (or [[Levels|Level]]) to another. This is typically achieved by presenting several alternative [[Transport Routes]] or having open areas that through the placement of [[Obstacles]] or [[Inaccessible Areas]] create the same options. Besides the presence of these environments, this also requires that [[Movement]] in possible and that it is possible to get lost or take unnecessarily long routes. For the last requirement, [[Traverse]] does not always give rise to [[Game World Navigation]] (e.g. completing [[Levels]] in [[Donkey Kong]] or [[Frogger]] requires completing [[Traverse]] goals but these is no risk of getting lost) while the opposite is true. This being said, [[Traverse]] goals can motivate players to engage in navigation, e.g. to get to [[Strategic Locations]], while requiring [[Game World Exploration]] can force players do [[Game World Navigation]] although in this can one cannot be sure of the exact location one is trying to get to. [[Game World Navigation]] is most common in games with large [[Game Worlds]] (e.g. the [[Grand Theft Auto series]] and the [[Just Cause series]]). However, games relying on text-based descriptions, e.g. the [[Zork series]] can have [[Game World Navigation]] and make the activity into one of [[Puzzle Solving]] by consciously breaking [[Diegetic Consistency]] so that moving in one direction and then moving in the opposite direction does not brings one back to the original position.
 In games with abstract [[Game Worlds]], e.g. [[:Category:Tabletop Roleplaying Games|Tabletop Roleplaying Games]], [[Game World Navigation]] is typically handled as a [[Skills|Skill]]. In contrast, when the layout of [[Game Worlds]] and [[Levels]] are present to players as a consistent representation this layout can heavily affect how easy or difficult [[Game World Navigation]] is. [[Obstacles]] in general makes it more difficult while [[Big Dumb Objects]], [[Clues]], [[Diegetically Outstanding Features]], [[Landmarks]], [[Point of Interest Indications]], [[Props]], and [[Traces]] makes it more easy, especially if players can have [[Line of Sight]] to these from great distances.  An exception to this is when the latter are used to create [[Red Herrings]]. [[Inaccessible Areas]] (which may be caused by [[Movement Limitations]]) can also cause [[Red Herrings]] since players may at first perceive that a certain route is feasible only to later discover it is not. [[Leaps of Faith]] can be used to introduce [[Risk/Reward]] considerations into navigation. [[Warp Zones]] can provide quick ways of getting between places but can also cause confusion since they may not work in both directions and may not even be noticeable (making them into [[Leaps of Faith]]). [[Mini-maps]] can make [[Game World Navigation]] easier by not only indicating where players are and what direction they should be moving, but also when the goal location is (the [[Mini-maps]] in both the [[Elder Scrolls series|Elder Scrolls]] and [[Fallout series]] are example of this) but this is a somewhat risky design strategy since it can easily become too easy. [[Game State Overviews]] can do the same, and some types of [[Privileged Movement]] - primarily flying - can effectively give the same functionality to players besides making navigation easier by allowing more forms of [[Movement]]. One a general design level, the division of [[Game Worlds]] into [[Levels]] makes [[Game World Navigation]] easier as smaller areas have to be navigated and being able to have [[Strategic Knowledge]] about an environment naturally also helps navigation of that environment. All these possibilities provide efficient ways to ensure either [[Casual Gameplay]] or [[Challenging Gameplay]] regarding [[Game World Navigation]].
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 [[Levels]],
 [[Movement]],
 [[Traverse]]

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 [[Category:Patterns]]
 [[Category:Diegetic Patterns]]
 [[Category:Level Design Patterns]]

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 While [[Game State Overviews]] and [[Mini-maps]] may help navigation by providing maps, they may also make it too easy to find where one is in a [[Game Worlds|Game World]] and in what direction one should be travelling, thereby making the activity of navigating closer to [[Excise]] than a gameplay challenge. The same applies to [[God Views]] since they can let players move their view of [[Game Worlds]] regardless of game elements, making [[Game World Navigation]] a trivial problem.
 == Relations ==
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 ==== with [[Leaps of Faith]] ====
 [[Risk/Reward]]
 === Can Modulate ===

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 [[Races]],
 [[Red Herrings]],
 [[Strategic Knowledge]],
 [[Strategic Locations]],

← Older revision		Revision as of 07:20, 9 September 2011
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−	~~[[Category:Staffan's current workpage]]~~
	[[Category:Patterns]]		[[Category:Patterns]]
	[[Category:Diegetic Patterns]]		[[Category:Diegetic Patterns]]

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 == Consequences ==
-[[Game World Navigation]] is the activity of trying to succeed with [[Traverse]] goals in [[Game Worlds]] or [[Levels]], and implies that players have a [[Freedom of Choice]] since otherwise there would be not challenge to the act of navigating. As mentioned above, [[Game World Navigation]] can require [[Puzzle Solving]] when [[Diegetic Consistency]] is broken but this can occur when players get lost or are unsure of which routes are possible. Through this, [[Game World Navigation]] encourages [[Cognitive Engrossment]] but can actually lessen [[Spatial Engrossment]] as it encourages players to perceive [[Game Worlds]] from an abstract perspective rather than through a diegetic perspective. While [[Game World Exploration]] may be the reason for engaging in [[Game World Navigation]], the reverse may be true since players may discover new areas while navigating.
+[[Game World Navigation]] is the activity of trying to succeed with [[Traverse]] goals in [[Game Worlds]] or [[Levels]], and implies that players have a [[Freedom of Choice]] since otherwise there would be not challenge to the act of navigating. In this way, requiring [[Game World Navigation]] can affect what skills are required in [[Races]]. As mentioned above, [[Game World Navigation]] can require [[Puzzle Solving]] when [[Diegetic Consistency]] is broken but this can occur when players get lost or are unsure of which routes are possible. Through this, [[Game World Navigation]] encourages [[Cognitive Engrossment]] but can actually lessen [[Spatial Engrossment]] as it encourages players to perceive [[Game Worlds]] from an abstract perspective rather than through a diegetic perspective. While [[Game World Exploration]] may be the reason for engaging in [[Game World Navigation]], the reverse may be true since players may discover new areas while navigating.
 While [[Game State Overviews]] and [[Mini-maps]] may help navigation by providing maps, they may also make it too easy to find where one is in a [[Game Worlds|Game World]] and in what direction one should be travelling, thereby making the activity of navigating closer to [[Excise]] than a gameplay challenge. The same applies to [[God Views]] since they can let players move their view of [[Game Worlds]] regardless of game elements, making [[Game World Navigation]] a trivial problem.
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 [[Privileged Movement]],
 [[Props]],
 [[Red Herrings]],
 [[Skills]],

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 [[Category:Action Patterns]]
 [[Category:Needs revision]]
 [[Category:Needs references]]
 ''Trying to move from one place in a game world to another when the best way is not obviously apparent.''
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 === Examples ===
-In [[:Category:Tabletop Roleplaying Games|Tabletop Roleplaying Games]] such as [[Basic Roleplaying]] or [[GURPS]] movement between different areas is often handled abstract, possibly requiring players to make skill rolls to avoid getting lost or losing time. Text-based [[:Category:Adventure Games|Adventure Games]] such as the [[Zork series]] can made navigation difficult by having non-symmetric routes between locations: that one can move north from one place to another does not automatically means that one can return by going south, one might instead for example have to go west.
+In [[:Category:Tabletop Roleplaying Games|Tabletop Roleplaying Games]] such as [[Basic Roleplaying]] or [[GURPS]], movement between different areas is often handled abstract, possibly requiring players to make skill rolls to avoid getting lost or losing time. Text-based [[:Category:Adventure Games|Adventure Games]] such as the [[Zork series]] can made navigation difficult by having non-symmetric routes between locations: that one can move north from one place to another does not automatically means that one can return by going south, one might instead for example have to go west.
-The maze-like levels in the [[Doom series|Doom]] and [[Quake series]] required player to navigate within the environments to move efficiently between all parts of the levels. The large sizes of the game worlds in the [[Assassin's Creed series|Assassin's Creed]], [[Elder Scrolls series|Elder Scrolls]] and [[Fallout series]] would make [[Game World Navigation]] difficult if the games did not include various navigational aids such as compasses and maps.
+The maze-like levels in the [[Doom series|Doom]] and [[Quake series]] required player to navigate within the environments to move efficiently between all parts of the levels. The large sizes of the game worlds in the [[Assassin's Creed series|Assassin's Creed]], [[Elder Scrolls series|Elder Scrolls]], and [[Fallout series]] would make [[Game World Navigation]] difficult if the games did not include various navigational aids such as compasses and maps.
 == Using the pattern ==
-[[Game World Navigation]] is the activity of trying to find one's way from one point in a [[Game Worlds|Game World]] (or [[Levels|Level]]) to another. Besides the presence of these environments this also requires that [[Movement]] in possible and that it is possible to get lost or take unnecessarily long routes. For the last requirement, [[Traverse]] does not always give rise to [[Game World Navigation]] (e.g. completing [[Levels]] in [[Donkey Kong]] or [[Frogger]] requires completing [[Traverse]] goals but these is no risk of getting lost) while the opposite is true. This being said, [[Traverse]] goals can motivate players to engage in navigation, e.g. to get to [[Strategic Locations]], while requiring [[Game World Exploration]] can force players do [[Game World Navigation]] although in this can one cannot be sure of the exact location one is trying to get to. [[Game World Navigation]] is most common in games with large [[Game Worlds]] (e.g. the [[Grand Theft Auto series]] and the [[Just Cause series]]). However, games relying on text-based descriptions, e.g. the [[Zork series]] can have [[Game World Navigation]] and make the activity into one of [[Puzzle Solving]] by consciously breaking [[Diegetic Consistency]] so that moving in one direction and then moving in the opposite direction does not brings one back to the original position.
+[[Game World Navigation]] is the activity of trying to find one's way from one point in a [[Game Worlds|Game World]] (or [[Levels|Level]]) to another. Besides the presence of these environments, this also requires that [[Movement]] in possible and that it is possible to get lost or take unnecessarily long routes. For the last requirement, [[Traverse]] does not always give rise to [[Game World Navigation]] (e.g. completing [[Levels]] in [[Donkey Kong]] or [[Frogger]] requires completing [[Traverse]] goals but these is no risk of getting lost) while the opposite is true. This being said, [[Traverse]] goals can motivate players to engage in navigation, e.g. to get to [[Strategic Locations]], while requiring [[Game World Exploration]] can force players do [[Game World Navigation]] although in this can one cannot be sure of the exact location one is trying to get to. [[Game World Navigation]] is most common in games with large [[Game Worlds]] (e.g. the [[Grand Theft Auto series]] and the [[Just Cause series]]). However, games relying on text-based descriptions, e.g. the [[Zork series]] can have [[Game World Navigation]] and make the activity into one of [[Puzzle Solving]] by consciously breaking [[Diegetic Consistency]] so that moving in one direction and then moving in the opposite direction does not brings one back to the original position.
 In games with abstract [[Game Worlds]], e.g. [[:Category:Tabletop Roleplaying Games|Tabletop Roleplaying Games]], [[Game World Navigation]] is typically handled as a [[Skills|Skill]]. In contrast, when the layout of [[Game Worlds]] and [[Levels]] are present to players as a consistent representation this layout can heavily affect how easy or difficult [[Game World Navigation]] is. [[Obstacles]] in general makes it more difficult while [[Big Dumb Objects]], [[Clues]], [[Diegetically Outstanding Features]], [[Landmarks]], [[Point of Interest Indications]], [[Props]], and [[Traces]] makes it more easy, especially if players can have [[Line of Sight]] to these from great distances.  An exception to this is when the latter are used to create [[Red Herrings]]. [[Inaccessible Areas]] (which may be caused by [[Movement Limitations]]) can also cause [[Red Herrings]] since players may at first perceive that a certain route is feasible only to later discover it is not. [[Leaps of Faith]] can be used to introduce [[Risk/Reward]] considerations into navigation. [[Warp Zones]] can provide quick ways of getting between places but can also cause confusion since they may not work in both directions and may not even be noticeable (making them into [[Leaps of Faith]]). [[Mini-maps]] can make [[Game World Navigation]] easier by not only indicating where players are and what direction they should be moving, but also when the goal location is (the [[Mini-maps]] in both the [[Elder Scrolls series|Elder Scrolls]] and [[Fallout series]] are example of this) but this is a somewhat risky design strategy since it can easily become too easy. [[Game State Overviews]] can do the same, and some types of [[Privileged Movement]] - primarily flying - can effectively give the same functionality to players besides making navigation easier by allowing more forms of [[Movement]]. One a general design level, the division of [[Game Worlds]] into [[Levels]] makes [[Game World Navigation]] easier as smaller areas have to be navigated and being able to have [[Strategic Knowledge]] about an environment naturally also helps navigation of that environment. All these possibilities provide efficient ways to ensure either [[Casual Gameplay]] or [[Challenging Gameplay]] regarding [[Game World Navigation]].
@@ Line 27: / Line 26: @@
 [[Game World Navigation]] is the activity of trying to succeed with [[Traverse]] goals in [[Game Worlds]] or [[Levels]], and implies that players have a [[Freedom of Choice]] since otherwise there would be not challenge to the act of navigating. As mentioned above, [[Game World Navigation]] can require [[Puzzle Solving]] when [[Diegetic Consistency]] is broken but this can occur when players get lost or are unsure of which routes are possible. Through this, [[Game World Navigation]] encourages [[Cognitive Engrossment]] but can actually lessen [[Spatial Engrossment]] as it encourages players to perceive [[Game Worlds]] from an abstract perspective rather than through a diegetic perspective. While [[Game World Exploration]] may be the reason for engaging in [[Game World Navigation]], the reverse may be true since players may discover new areas while navigating.
-While [[Game State Overviews]] and [[Mini-maps]] may help navigation by providing maps they may also make it to easy to find one's position and which direction one should be travelling in, thereby making the activity of navigating closer to [[Excise]] than a gameplay challenge. The same applies to [[God Views]] since they can let players move their view of [[Game Worlds]] regardless of game elements, making [[Game World Navigation]] a trivial problem.
+While [[Game State Overviews]] and [[Mini-maps]] may help navigation by providing maps, they may also make it too easy to find where one is in a [[Game Worlds|Game World]] and in what direction one should be travelling, thereby making the activity of navigating closer to [[Excise]] than a gameplay challenge. The same applies to [[God Views]] since they can let players move their view of [[Game Worlds]] regardless of game elements, making [[Game World Navigation]] a trivial problem.
 == Relations ==