Difference between revisions of "Progress Indicators"

Revision as of 08:28, 13 July 2016

Information about players' current progress towards closures in addition to the configuration of game elements involved.

Progress Indicators are non-diegetic presentations of specific measurement of the game state that are shown to players to help them understand how the gameplay is progressing.

Examples

Left 4 Dead series

Using the pattern

Progress Indicators are used to help inform players about specific aspects of the game state, so their use is motivated by various needs related to this and the main challenge in designing them is to determine how they show be shown and when. One use of Progress Indicators is to help players understand how far they have gotten in some Extended Actions, e.g. Combos, Grind Achievements, Races, or Traverse goals. Another is to let players know what they need to do next as part of a series of actions they need to perform, with Rhythm-Based Actions as a typical example. Yet another is to let players know how much time is left until some event will occur in the game, i.e. they can help inform players of Delayed Effects, Development Time, and Time Limits and thereby also modify players experiences of Time Pressure. For Unwinnable Games, they may offer a way for players to compare their game instance with that of other game instances.

Many other specific gameplay design solution for games work as Progress Indicators and can therefore be considered when Progress Indicators are needed. Check Points, Supporting Goals, or series of Traverse goals do this automatically. Achievements, Alignment and Connection goals, and Increasing Rewards may not explicitly present themselves as Progress Indicators but can be used as such for players reflecting on the gameplay as it develops over time. More generally, Direct Information about the game state and Game State Overviews can otherwise be used to create Progress Indicators.

Since Progress Indicators give more information to players they counter Uncertainty of Information.

Interface Aspects

Progress Indicators tend to create Non-Diegetic Features in games unless the values they show can be given a diegetic representation.

Consequences

Progress Indicators support players in understanding how their actions help them or not reach certain goals. As such they can help players have a Determinable Chance to Succeed and experience Hovering Closures and Tension but if the Progress Indicators are in complete alignment with the overarching goals of a game they may also provide Exaggerated Perception of Influence or Illusionary Rewards. Progress Indicators typically create Races When players can view Progress Indicators for other players and themselves.

Progress Indicators provide quite different functionality depending on which information about the game state they show. By showing value that are central to the outcome of a game instance, e.g. Scores, they can be Game State Indicators. By instead showing only after players have just missed reaching a goal they can instead be Near Miss Indicators.

Progress Indicators can create Hovering Closures when combined with either Combos or Development Time.

Relations

Can Instantiate

Determinable Chance to Succeed, Exaggerated Perception of Influence, Game State Indicators Hovering Closures Increasing Rewards, Illusionary Rewards, Near Miss Indicators, Non-Diegetic Features, Races, Scores, Tension

with Combos or Development Time

Hovering Closures

Can Modulate

Combos, Delayed Effects, Development Time, Extended Actions, Grind Achievements, Races, Rhythm-Based Actions, Time Limits, Time Pressure, Traverse, Unwinnable Games

Can Be Instantiated By

Achievements, Alignment, Check Points, Connection, Direct Information, Game State Overviews, Supporting Goals, Traverse

Can Be Modulated By

-

Possible Closure Effects

-

Potentially Conflicting With

Uncertainty of Information

History

An updated version of the pattern Progress Indicators that was part of the original collection in the book Patterns in Game Design^[1].

References

1. ↑ Björk, S. & Holopainen, J. (2004) Patterns in Game Design. Charles River Media. ISBN1-58450-354-8.

Acknowledgements

-