Difference between revisions of "Inaccessible Areas"

Revision as of 13:16, 5 May 2011

Parts of game worlds that players can perceive but cannot enter.

Games are typically set in some world but it is either for gameplay purposes or production purposes seldom worthwhile to let players actually be able to visit all parts of the worlds even if it would be thematically plausible. When players are made aware of parts of the game worlds that they cannot currently, or ever, visit, this makes those parts into Inaccessible Areas. Although inaccessible, it may be possible to affect these areas in ways e.g. by shooting or throwing things into it, and the area may not be inaccessible to other types of game elements that are not under player control or under the control of other players. It may also be possible for the player to enter the area later in the game, e.g. by finding the key to the locked door, and this can be done to structure gameplay. Related to this, game designers may wish to keep certain parts of game worlds as Inaccessible Areas so that players can have surprises or other experiences planned according to some planned storyline.

Examples

Example: The ghost generator in the middle of the Pac-Man level is an example of an area the player controlling Pac-Man cannot enter.

Example: Computer roleplaying games use Inaccessible Areas to guide the players through the Game World in a manner intended by the game designers.

Example: The Legend of Zelda series contains many areas that are initially blocked by boulders, locked doors, or other obstacles. The player can remove these obstacles after having acquired certain items or abilities, for example, by using bombs to blow away blocking boulders and special keys to open the locked doors.

Dragon Age II

Another World

Super Mario Sunshine

Using the pattern

There are two typical uses of Inaccessible Areas: surrounding places to ensure that all gameplay activities take place within this area and hindering Movement or into specific parts with within the areas where gameplay activities take place. While Levels can be both surrounded and populated with Inaccessible Areas, they are also a way to create Inaccessible Areas since gameplay can easily be constructed so that one cannot reach certain Levels before meeting some specific requirements (most often completing a goal in the previous Level). Private Game Spaces are similar to Levels in regards to Inaccessible Areas but here the requirement for other players to enter is typically that have been confirmed as friends to the owning player.

A problem with both types of Inaccessible Areas is how to make players aware of the them while at the same time providing plausible explanations why they cannot be entered. Inserting Inaccessible Areas into gameplay areas can readily be achieved through Obstacles, Traps, or Diegetically Tangible Game Items since the Inaccessible Areas simply are the spaces filled, or possibly surrounded, by these diegetic elements. Obstacles can also be used to enclose the entire gameplay area but may need Cutscenes to make players aware of what is on the other side of the Obstacles - and the players may need to be reminded of this through more Cutscenes. Invisible Walls can remove the need for Cutscenes but run a far greater risk of breaking Thematic Consistency.

A design choice regarding Inaccessible Areas is if they should be inaccessible permanently throughout game instances or temporarily.

The primary design choice when creating Inaccessible Areas is to decide what is blocking the access. One of the most obvious uses is to place Obstacles in the Game World in such way that they block access to an area. Depending on the nature of the Obstacles actions other than movement can be blocked, such as vision. For example, deep chasms and great height differences can block the vision but still allow the player to shoot or throw other kinds of game elements at the obstacle. Windows and Invisible Walls do not block vision but can block all the access from other game elements. Locked or blocked doors block both vision and other types of game elements. The Inaccessible Area may also be inaccessible due to its own nature. For example, an area containing lava, water, or poisonous atmospheres can make it impossible or difficult for Avatars and Units to enter the area and can even make the whole area one big Deadly Trap. Inaccessible Areas can be used to create Leaps of Faith in which players have no perception of what part of an area is inaccessible because of a Deadly Trap and which part of an area is safe to enter.

The Inaccessible Area can in some cases be accessible for certain types of game elements, and the nature of these elements should comply with the Consistent Reality Logic of the game. For example, if water is used to block an area in a strategy game, it might follow that boat Units can enter the water area but other Units cannot. This is also an example how Inaccessible Areas together with Privileged Movements for certain game elements can have Orthogonal Unit Differentiation. This kind of unit design may also be used to create Safe Havens.

The Inaccessible Area may be the initial location of the game elements but may be inaccessible during the actual gameplay, making it a form of a Safe Haven. This is typically used in team-based first-person shooters where Spawn Points are placed so that players Spawning cannot be attacked directly at that location. By using Privileged Movement, these Safe Havens and Resource Locations may be accessible to only one team in the game, ensuring a minimal area of control to each team. Making initially Inaccessible Areas possible to enter after players have completed goals or demonstrated competences in performing necessary actions is one way to create Smooth Learning Curves. This can promote Replayability of Levels during gameplay or Replayability on whole games if the Inaccessible Areas are part of Optional Goals or Easter Eggs.

The players' perception of an Inaccessible Area depends on the exact position of the players and their knowledge about current goals and dangers. For example, an area may be perceived as an Inaccessible Area when there is an Enemy guarding the route through the area or a player Camping in the area.

Can Be Modulated By

Diegetically Tangible Game Items, Traps

Vehicles together with Privileged Movement

Diegetic Aspects

Cutscenes

Interface Aspects

Narrative Aspects

Consequences

The main use of Inaccessible Areas is to make Game Worlds and Levels that are limited in size appear larger, thereby trying to maintain a Thematic Consistency. This is however a volatile solution since if the reason for the areas inaccessibility is not also fit the Thematic Consistency it will rather work against this intention. This assumes Inaccessible Areas that surround the area where gameplay takes place; if the gameplay area instead surrounds the Inaccessible Areas they are examples of Environmental Effects. Regardless, Inaccessible Areas restrict players Freedom of Choice by imposing Movement Limitations on players and affect how players can conduct Movement to enact Game World Navigation.

As discussed above, Inaccessible Areas do not ever have to gameplay area but simply provide players with an illusion that Game Worlds or Levels are larger than they are. Those can be reached through solving subgoals give rise to Traverse goals, especially in cases players are motivated due to Obstacles blocking the access clearly indicates the possibility for later gaining access to the areas. Used in this fashion, gaining access to these areas can be used to maintain and unfold Predetermined Story Structures. Inaccessible Areas can, however, also cause player frustration, especially in cases where it seems like a player can later access an area even though that's not the case. For example, having a locked door in an adventure game where there is no possibility for getting the right key will frustrate most players.

Vehicles can be difficult to combine with Inaccessible Areas, at least if trying to maintain Thematic Consistency, since they typically offer more efficient ways of travel and potentially in other mediums. However, have some players be able to enter what is Inaccessible Areas to others due to having Privileged Abilities or Privileged Movement that allows them to ignore Environmental Effects is a way to provide Orthogonal Unit Differentiation and Varied Gameplay.

Relations

Can Instantiate

Environmental Effects, Movement Limitations, Thematic Consistency, Traverse

with Environmental Effects and Privileged Abilities or Privileged Movement

Orthogonal Unit Differentiation, Varied Gameplay

Can Modulate

Freedom of Choice, Game World Navigation, Game Worlds, Levels, Movement

Can Be Instantiated By

Diegetically Tangible Game Items, Levels, Obstacles, Private Game Spaces, Traps

Can Be Modulated By

Cutscenes, Diegetically Tangible Game Items, Traps

Vehicles together with Privileged Movement

Possible Closure Effects

-

Potentially Conflicting With

Thematic Consistency, Vehicles

History

An updated version of the pattern Inaccessible Areas 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

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