Difference between revisions of "Line of Sight"

Revision as of 14:54, 27 March 2011

The requirement of an clear view from the agent doing an action to the target of the action.

Many of the actions done in games are done through avatars or units, and these may diegetically not be able to perceived the game state in the same way as the players controlling them. When the avatars and units can only act on things they themselves can perceive this is most often determined if they have a clear Line of Sight to that which they wish to interact with.

Examples

Most Miniature Games and tactical Wargames, e.g. Warhammer 40K, Advanced Squad Leader, and Memoir '44, require that firing units have clear Line of Sight to their targets. This is in many cases not only dependent on the absence of buildings, rubble, and blocking vegetation but also the ground itself when the battlefield has height differences. Units excepted from having to have Line of Sight include artillery and other units capable of indirect fire, but these may require having other units spotting for them.

In Frag avatars can only shoot at the other avatars which are not hidden behind walls.

Just Cause 2 lets players shoot with grappling hooks at anything the can aim at to move there, or draw items and people towards the players' avatars. Several mods to the Quake series include similar grappling hooks to make movement easier. The Legend of Zelda series] also contains grappling hooks but only lets players hook onto specific parts of the game world with them. Portal lets players shoot portals to whatever part of a level they can see (except through some types of glass), and can then move there by entering the matching portals.

Using the pattern

Line of Sight is most often used to modulate Combat, but can also be used as a part of Movement (e.g. the use of grappling hooks in Just Cause 2 or the portals in Portal). For Combat, the use of Line of Sight opens up for the possibility of having indirect fire as Privileged Abilities, although they may still require Line of Sight from others.

All these examples are also examples of using Aim & Shoot,

Automated Responses

Quick Travel

Units Avatars

Focus Loci

Line of Sight requires that there is something that can block it in the Levels or Game Worlds, and this is typically Environmental Effects, Game Items, or simply walls and other Obstacles.

Being able to Aim & Shoot requires being able to have Line of Sight to what one is shooting at, so the former pattern instantiates Line of Sight. In contrast, the presence of Line of Sight in a game can be used to create Alignment goals.

Diegetic Aspects

Interface Aspects

Narrative Aspects

Consequences

Line of Sight change how players have to relate to Game Worlds and Levels, and what is in them.

Relations

Can Instantiate

Alignment

with ...

Can Modulate

Combat, Movement, Game Worlds, Levels

Can Be Instantiated By

Aim & Shoot

Can Be Modulated By

Environmental Effects, Game Items, Obstacles, Privileged Abilities

Possible Closure Effects

Potentially Conflicting With

History

New pattern created in this wiki.

References

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Acknowledgements

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