Traverse - Revision history

Staffan Björk at 07:47, 20 May 2022

2022-05-20T07:47:09Z

Staffan Björk at 18:10, 9 August 2016

2016-08-09T18:10:50Z

Staffan Björk: /* Using the pattern */

2016-07-13T08:09:19Z

‎Using the pattern

Staffan Björk: /* Can Be Modulated By */

2016-07-13T08:07:20Z

‎Can Be Modulated By

Staffan Björk at 17:05, 8 July 2016

2016-07-08T17:05:22Z

Staffan Björk at 07:49, 30 October 2015

2015-10-30T07:49:00Z

Staffan Björk at 06:32, 3 August 2015

2015-08-03T06:32:21Z

Staffan Björk at 12:48, 13 August 2012

2012-08-13T12:48:30Z

Staffan Björk at 12:35, 23 January 2012

2012-01-23T12:35:15Z

Staffan Björk at 08:08, 18 October 2011

2011-10-18T08:08:40Z

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 == Using the pattern ==
-[[Traverse]] goals are often introduce in games to create [[Races]], or to make it sure (or at least make it likely) that players visit certain parts of [[Game Worlds]] or [[Levels]]. [[Quests]] and [[Game World Navigation]] tasks can specifically require [[Traverse]] goals to be completed and [[Levels]] can in themselves be seen as creating [[Traverse]] goals since they most often have an entry and exit point which players need to move between to finish them. The mere existence of [[Game Worlds]] and [[Transport Routes]] can also indirectly cause [[Traverse]] goals to emerge whenever players have a reason to want game elements to be in other locations or move to other locations. For example, [[Strategic Locations]] such as [[Chargers]] can make players want to move game elements close to them, especially if they can gain [[Area Control]] over them, and the presence of [[Big Dumb Objects]] may make players want to get to them simply to investigate them. The three main considerations when designing [[Traverse]] goals are: where are the goal areas, how one can move there, and what are the layouts of the game spaces one has to move through.
+[[Traverse]] goals are often introduce in games to create [[Races]], or to make it sure (or at least make it likely) that players visit certain parts of [[Game Worlds]] or [[Levels]]. [[Quests]] and [[Game World Navigation]] tasks can specifically require [[Traverse]] goals to be completed and [[Traverse]] goals can provide [[Narration Structures]]. [[Levels]] can in themselves be seen as creating [[Traverse]] goals since they most often have an entry and exit point which players need to move between to finish them. The mere existence of [[Game Worlds]] and [[Transport Routes]] can also indirectly cause [[Traverse]] goals to emerge whenever players have a reason to want game elements to be in other locations or move to other locations. For example, [[Strategic Locations]] such as [[Chargers]] can make players want to move game elements close to them, especially if they can gain [[Area Control]] over them, and the presence of [[Big Dumb Objects]] may make players want to get to them simply to investigate them. The three main considerations when designing [[Traverse]] goals are: where are the goal areas, how one can move there, and what are the layouts of the game spaces one has to move through.
 The simplest way to define goal areas is to make use of [[Check Points]], and if the overall distanced need to be traveled is long this can be broken down into several [[Supporting Goals]] each with their own [[Check Points|Check Point]] (races in [[Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas]] does this) or through making [[Goal Hierarchies]] (the overall game structure in many of the games in the [[Super Mario Bros series]] can be described like this). The intermittent goals make natural locations for [[Save Points]] (and make new shorter [[Traverse]] goals), although the use of these may disrupt the [[Temporal Consistency]] of a game. Having intermittent goals as points in [[Progress Indicators]] is a quite natural way of presenting to players how far they (and other players) have gotten towards finishing their [[Traverse]] goals. While simply getting to the area may be enough to complete the goal, a couple of more specific [[Traverse]] goals with other requirements exist. One common variant is [[Deliver]], where a goal object needs by somebody to the goal area (''Capture the Flag'' matches in the [[Quake series]] are examples of this). Another is [[Herd]], where [[Deliver]] is combined with [[Indirect Control]] and [[Agents]] to make players in various ways affect other game objects to make them move to specific points ([[:Category:Pool Games|Pool Games]] such as [[Eight-ball]] and [[Snooker]] are examples of this). Not giving players the location of the goal area adds a [[Gain Information]] component to the pattern, and this forces players to engage in [[Game World Exploration]]. The use of [[Invisible Walls]] may make the goal locations easy to perceive but difficult to reach, create a need for [[Game World Navigation]] rather than [[Game World Exploration]].
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 [[Connection]],
 [[Game World Navigation]],
 [[Quests]],
 [[Predetermined Story Structures]],

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 == Consequences ==
-[[Traverse]] goals gives players clear goals related to [[Movement]] and achieving [[Contact]] with a specific game object or gameplay area. One example of the former is when [[Reconnaissance]] goals are defined by following specific routes to notice differences in [[Game Worlds]]. They most often allows players to judge their local progress by their position in the game space, but while this may seem to remove the need of [[Progress Indicators]] if the end point is known - since the positions of player's game elements provide a diegetic measure of progress - it does not necessarily provide good overviews. Then again, many [[Traverse]] goals stringed together can function as [[Progress Indicators]]. Making players think about how they should move their [[Focus Loci]] or other game elements to succeed with [[Traverse]] goals is likely to support [[Spatial Engrossment]].
+[[Traverse]] goals gives players clear goals related to [[Movement]] and achieving [[Connection]] with a specific game object or gameplay area. One example of the former is when [[Reconnaissance]] goals are defined by following specific routes to notice differences in [[Game Worlds]]. They most often allows players to judge their local progress by their position in the game space, but while this may seem to remove the need of [[Progress Indicators]] if the end point is known - since the positions of player's game elements provide a diegetic measure of progress - it does not necessarily provide good overviews. Then again, many [[Traverse]] goals stringed together can function as [[Progress Indicators]]. Making players think about how they should move their [[Focus Loci]] or other game elements to succeed with [[Traverse]] goals is likely to support [[Spatial Engrossment]].
 While [[Traverse]] goals are often placed in games to create [[Races]], the presence of other types of [[Traverse]] goals can make [[Races]] emerge if two or more [[Agents]] decide to strive for the [[Traverse]] goals (an example of this can be found in the [[Civilization (video game) series|Civilization series]] where different players may be rushing to find as many ruins as possible before other players do). [[Traverse]] goals through environments containing [[Enemies]] suggest [[Stealth]] goals to players as long as the environment and the perceptual abilities of the [[Enemies]] make [[Conceal]] goals possible.
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 == Relations ==
 === Can Instantiate ===
-[[Contact]],
+[[Connection]],
 [[Game World Navigation]],
 [[Quests]],

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 [[Traverse]] goals are often introduce in games to create [[Races]], or to make it sure (or at least make it likely) that players visit certain parts of [[Game Worlds]] or [[Levels]]. [[Quests]] and [[Game World Navigation]] tasks can specifically require [[Traverse]] goals to be completed and [[Levels]] can in themselves be seen as creating [[Traverse]] goals since they most often have an entry and exit point which players need to move between to finish them. The mere existence of [[Game Worlds]] and [[Transport Routes]] can also indirectly cause [[Traverse]] goals to emerge whenever players have a reason to want game elements to be in other locations or move to other locations. For example, [[Strategic Locations]] such as [[Chargers]] can make players want to move game elements close to them, especially if they can gain [[Area Control]] over them, and the presence of [[Big Dumb Objects]] may make players want to get to them simply to investigate them. The three main considerations when designing [[Traverse]] goals are: where are the goal areas, how one can move there, and what are the layouts of the game spaces one has to move through.
-The simplest way to define goal areas is to make use of [[Check Points]], and if the overall distanced need to be traveled is long this can be broken down into several [[Supporting Goals]] each with their own [[Check Points|Check Point]] (races in [[Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas]] does this) or through making [[Goal Hierarchies]] (the overall game structure in many of the games in the [[Super Mario Bros series]] can be described like this). The intermittent goals make natural locations for [[Save Points]] (and make new shorter [[Traverse]] goals), although the use of these may disrupt the [[Temporal Consistency]] of a game. While simply getting to the area may be enough to complete the goal, a couple of more specific [[Traverse]] goals with other requirements exist. One common variant is [[Deliver]], where a goal object needs by somebody to the goal area (''Capture the Flag'' matches in the [[Quake series]] are examples of this). Another is [[Herd]], where [[Deliver]] is combined with [[Indirect Control]] and [[Agents]] to make players in various ways affect other game objects to make them move to specific points ([[:Category:Pool Games|Pool Games]] such as [[Eight-ball]] and [[Snooker]] are examples of this). Not giving players the location of the goal area adds a [[Gain Information]] component to the pattern, and this forces players to engage in [[Game World Exploration]]. The use of [[Invisible Walls]] may make the goal locations easy to perceive but difficult to reach, create a need for [[Game World Navigation]] rather than [[Game World Exploration]].
+The simplest way to define goal areas is to make use of [[Check Points]], and if the overall distanced need to be traveled is long this can be broken down into several [[Supporting Goals]] each with their own [[Check Points|Check Point]] (races in [[Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas]] does this) or through making [[Goal Hierarchies]] (the overall game structure in many of the games in the [[Super Mario Bros series]] can be described like this). The intermittent goals make natural locations for [[Save Points]] (and make new shorter [[Traverse]] goals), although the use of these may disrupt the [[Temporal Consistency]] of a game. Having intermittent goals as points in [[Progress Indicators]] is a quite natural way of presenting to players how far they (and other players) have gotten towards finishing their [[Traverse]] goals. While simply getting to the area may be enough to complete the goal, a couple of more specific [[Traverse]] goals with other requirements exist. One common variant is [[Deliver]], where a goal object needs by somebody to the goal area (''Capture the Flag'' matches in the [[Quake series]] are examples of this). Another is [[Herd]], where [[Deliver]] is combined with [[Indirect Control]] and [[Agents]] to make players in various ways affect other game objects to make them move to specific points ([[:Category:Pool Games|Pool Games]] such as [[Eight-ball]] and [[Snooker]] are examples of this). Not giving players the location of the goal area adds a [[Gain Information]] component to the pattern, and this forces players to engage in [[Game World Exploration]]. The use of [[Invisible Walls]] may make the goal locations easy to perceive but difficult to reach, create a need for [[Game World Navigation]] rather than [[Game World Exploration]].
 [[Movement]] is a basic requirement for [[Traverse]] goals to be possible at all. However, this can create [[Risk/Reward]] situations or require players to do [[Trade-Offs]] when players have a [[Freedom of Choice]] regarding the means of [[Movement]] available. [[Privileged Movement]] and [[Vehicles]] can provide [[Asymmetric Abilities]] regarding this, making [[Traverse]] goals different to different players or different between game instances. If some form of [[Limited Resources]] is consumed by the [[Movement]] required to succeed with the [[Traverse]] goal, this can create more [[Complex Gameplay]] especially if the rate of consumption depend on factors such as speed, vehicle used, and environment traveled in.

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 [[Obstacles]],
 [[Privileged Movement]],
 [[Quick Returns]],
 [[Safe Havens]],

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 == Consequences ==
-[[Traverse]] goals gives players clear goals related to [[Movement]] and achieving [[Contact]] with a specific game object or gameplay area. One example of the former is when [[Reconnaissance]] goals are defined by following specific routes to notice differences in [[Game Worlds]]. They most often allows players to judge their local progress by their position in the game space, but while this may seem to remove the need of [[Progress Indicators]] if the end point is known - since the positions of player's game elements provide a diegetic measure of progress - it does not necessarily provide good overviews. Making players think about how they should move their [[Focus Loci]] or other game elements to succeed with [[Traverse]] goals is likely to support [[Spatial Engrossment]].
+[[Traverse]] goals gives players clear goals related to [[Movement]] and achieving [[Contact]] with a specific game object or gameplay area. One example of the former is when [[Reconnaissance]] goals are defined by following specific routes to notice differences in [[Game Worlds]]. They most often allows players to judge their local progress by their position in the game space, but while this may seem to remove the need of [[Progress Indicators]] if the end point is known - since the positions of player's game elements provide a diegetic measure of progress - it does not necessarily provide good overviews. Then again, many [[Traverse]] goals stringed together can function as [[Progress Indicators]]. Making players think about how they should move their [[Focus Loci]] or other game elements to succeed with [[Traverse]] goals is likely to support [[Spatial Engrossment]].
 While [[Traverse]] goals are often placed in games to create [[Races]], the presence of other types of [[Traverse]] goals can make [[Races]] emerge if two or more [[Agents]] decide to strive for the [[Traverse]] goals (an example of this can be found in the [[Civilization (video game) series|Civilization series]] where different players may be rushing to find as many ruins as possible before other players do). [[Traverse]] goals through environments containing [[Enemies]] suggest [[Stealth]] goals to players as long as the environment and the perceptual abilities of the [[Enemies]] make [[Conceal]] goals possible.
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 [[Quests]],
 [[Predetermined Story Structures]],
 [[Races]],
 [[Spatial Engrossment]]

@@ Line 15: / Line 15: @@
 == Using the pattern ==
-[[Traverse]] goals are often introduce in games to create [[Races]], or to make it sure (or at least make it likely) that players visit certain parts of [[Game Worlds]] or [[Levels]]. [[Quests]] and [[Game World Navigation]] tasks can specifically require [[Traverse]] goals to be completed and [[Levels]] can in themselves be seen as creating [[Traverse]] goals since they most often have an entry and exit point which players need to move between to finish them. The mere existence of [[Game Worlds]] can also indirectly cause [[Traverse]] goals to emerge whenever players have a reason to want game elements to be in other locations. For example, [[Strategic Locations]] such as [[Chargers]] can make players want to move game elements close to them, especially if they can gain [[Area Control]] over them, and the presence of [[Big Dumb Objects]] may make players want to get to them simply to investigate them. The three main considerations when designing [[Traverse]] goals are: where are the goal areas, how one can move there, and what are the layouts of the game spaces one has to move through.
+[[Traverse]] goals are often introduce in games to create [[Races]], or to make it sure (or at least make it likely) that players visit certain parts of [[Game Worlds]] or [[Levels]]. [[Quests]] and [[Game World Navigation]] tasks can specifically require [[Traverse]] goals to be completed and [[Levels]] can in themselves be seen as creating [[Traverse]] goals since they most often have an entry and exit point which players need to move between to finish them. The mere existence of [[Game Worlds]] and [[Transport Routes]] can also indirectly cause [[Traverse]] goals to emerge whenever players have a reason to want game elements to be in other locations or move to other locations. For example, [[Strategic Locations]] such as [[Chargers]] can make players want to move game elements close to them, especially if they can gain [[Area Control]] over them, and the presence of [[Big Dumb Objects]] may make players want to get to them simply to investigate them. The three main considerations when designing [[Traverse]] goals are: where are the goal areas, how one can move there, and what are the layouts of the game spaces one has to move through.
 The simplest way to define goal areas is to make use of [[Check Points]], and if the overall distanced need to be traveled is long this can be broken down into several [[Supporting Goals]] each with their own [[Check Points|Check Point]] (races in [[Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas]] does this) or through making [[Goal Hierarchies]] (the overall game structure in many of the games in the [[Super Mario Bros series]] can be described like this). The intermittent goals make natural locations for [[Save Points]], although the use of these may disrupt the [[Temporal Consistency]] of a game. While simply getting to the area may be enough to complete the goal, a couple of more specific [[Traverse]] goals with other requirements exist. One common variant is [[Deliver]], where a goal object needs by somebody to the goal area (''Capture the Flag'' matches in the [[Quake series]] are examples of this). Another is [[Herd]], where [[Deliver]] is combined with [[Indirect Control]] and [[Agents]] to make players in various ways affect other game objects to make them move to specific points ([[:Category:Pool Games|Pool Games]] such as [[Eight-ball]] and [[Snooker]] are examples of this). Not giving players the location of the goal area adds a [[Gain Information]] component to the pattern, and this forces players to engage in [[Game World Exploration]]. The use of [[Invisible Walls]] may make the goal locations easy to perceive but difficult to reach, create a need for [[Game World Navigation]] rather than [[Game World Exploration]].
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 [[Player-Location Proximity]],
 [[Quests]],
-[[Strategic Locations]]
+[[Strategic Locations]],
 [[Conditional Passageways]] together with [[Inaccessible Areas]]

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 The layout of [[Game Worlds]] and [[Levels]] naturally affect how easy [[Traverse]] goals are to complete. [[Enemies]], [[Choke Points]], [[Conditional Passageways]], and [[Obstacles]] can make them more difficult while [[Safe Havens]] can be player respite along the way of getting the goal areas ([[Enemies]] can in practice make some [[Traverse]] goals impossible and this can be used intentionally by game designers). [[Privileged Movement]] can make [[Traverse]] easier for some while having to deal with [[Enemies]] that have this can instead make it more difficult. [[Backtracking Levels]] (with a [[Check Points|Check Point]] at the point furthest away) makes more use of the gameplay areas, while [[Quick Returns]] avoids the [[Excise]] of having to move back to the beginning after succeeding with the [[Traverse]] goal. The game space can either only allow one specific path to be followed (as in [[Snakes and Ladders]]), or allow players a [[Freedom of Choice]] to choose between different paths. The latter is an example of giving players a [[Selectable Set of Goals]]. It allow players to make plans depending on what [[Strategic Locations]] exist as well as what [[Enemies]] and [[Obstacles]] exist, for example, letting players choose between [[Evade]], [[Overcome]], and [[Conceal]] goals - the last of these create [[Stealth]] goals when combined with the [[Traverse]] goal. Like the case of not giving players the location of the goal area, not providing them with all the details about the area they need to move through adds an [[Gain Information]] component and makes them have to perform not only a certain amount of [[Game World Exploration]] but also [[Game World Navigation]]; [[Diegetically Outstanding Features]] and [[Traces]] can help make both tasks easier. If wanted, the need for them can be eliminated or at least significantly reduced by using [[Game State Overviews]] such as [[Mini-maps]]. The actual goal areas does not have to be perceivable if [[Conditional Passageways]] are used together with [[Inaccessible Areas]] since players can then instead work on the subgoal of opening the [[Conditional Passageways]] - this is a case where the [[Movement]] aspect of [[Traverse]] can be trivial.
-The typical design of [[Traverse]] is based on moving [[Avatars]], [[Character]], [[Units]], or [[Tokens]]. For games which make use of [[Player-Location Proximity]], the [[Traverse]] pattern can also be applied to how ''players'' move.
+The typical design of [[Traverse]] is based on moving [[Avatars]], [[Character]], [[Units]], or [[Tokens]]. For games which make use of [[Player-Location Proximity]] or [[Artifact-Location Proximity]], the [[Traverse]] pattern can also be applied to how ''players'' move.
 === Diegetic Aspects ===
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 === Can Be Instantiated By ===
 [[Area Control]],
 [[Big Dumb Objects]],
 [[Chargers]],