Herd

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This pattern is a still a stub.

Moving a game element to a location in the game without directly interacting with it. Herd is the goal of making a game element be in a certain location in the game where the movement of the game element cannot be directly control, as for example game element are when being carried.

Examples

Example: Pool is an example of herding where players only have one point of control, the cue ball.

Example: Populous allows players to place markers in the game world which make all the people under the player's control move towards the marker.

Using the pattern

Herd is a form of Deliver goal where what has to be delivered can move on its own and not necessarily is cooperating. This creates three primary design choices when creating Herd goals: what to Herd, how players can influence the Movement of that which is herded, and where they should be herded.

Practically any type of game element that can be affected by Movement are possible candidates for Herd goals. However, having Agents as the game elements to be herded is more in line with the common connotations of herding and brings in additional complexities to the goal since the Agents may intentionally or not move in the wrong directions. While any type of Agents can be used in this sense, Avatars are rarely used (examples include multiplayer maps in the Half-Life series where one specific player needs to be guided and protected by the other players in his or her team to a goal location).

The most important issue on how players can get the herded game elements moving is that it is through Indirect Control. This is most often by moving some game elements, which may be Avatars or Units but can also be cue balls as in Snooker, and having the movement of the herded game elements changed by direct collisions or by being repulsed. Games using this form of herding can be made easier by providing players with Privileged Movement. The influences for the herded game element to move based on player actions are typically motivated to maintain a Thematic Consistency. Examples of possible explanations include transferal of momentum from other game elements due to Contact, physical forces such as gravity or magnetism, or effects of emotional reactions such as anger, attraction or fright if the game elements are Agents.

The act of herding can be done in two ways, either by creating repulsion or attraction to the game element to be herded. The former case is typically by achieving Contact with the game element to give it momentum, as for example when hitting a ball in Pool with another ball or simulations of game elements with the same magnetic polarity. Example of attractions are resources that are essential for the survival for Units, such as food, or deep gravity wells such as black holes. When constructing a Herd goal, one has the option to use Privileged Movement to make an asymmetrical relationship between the game elements herding and being herded. This is typically used to let the herding game element have freer Movement that the herded game element to modulate the Right Level of Difficulty.

Herd can easily be made to promote Cooperation by making it a Symmetric Goal for several players, so that the players control different game elements that all try to make a game element move into a specific area.

Avatars

Choke Points

One-Way Travel

Arenas

Open Worlds

Consequences

As described above, Herd is basically a Deliver goal of bringing game elements to a specific Goal Point but only having Indirect Control over them. This goal automatically creates a Traverse goal and can in many cases has the characteristics of Collecting actions (especially so if the Agents can become separated). It is likely to make Maneuvering more difficult since the Movement of several game elements need to be considered in real-time. Like many other goal patterns, Herd can easily be made into explicit gameplay goals as Quests.

Since players not only need to consider their own possibilities of Movement but also that of the game elements they are herding to succeed with Herd goals, the pattern is likely to open up for Spatial Engrossment. That players have only Indirect Control of the Agents may cause these to be perceived as Enemies, especially in games based on Maneuvering since here the Agents can resist herding attempt in real-time. Agents may in this situations also be seen as having Preventing Goals of not making the Herd goals succeed. Herd may be difficult itself but combined with Stealth it is more likely to create Challenging Gameplay as players have to try and be sneaky with something they do not control directly.

Relations

Can Instantiate

Collecting, Quests, Spatial Engrossment, Traverse

with Agents

Enemies, Preventing Goals

with Stealth

Challenging Gameplay

Can Modulate

Maneuvering

Can Be Instantiated By

Deliver together with Indirect Control

Can Be Modulated By

Agents, Privileged Movement

Possible Closure Effects

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Potentially Conflicting With

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History

An updated version of the pattern Herd that was part of the original collection in the book Patterns in Game Design.

Acknowledgements

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