Area Control

Being in control over who can move within an area in the game world, or having access to actions linked to locations in the game world.

Games with game worlds of some kind often make use of these worlds by making different parts of them have different value for gameplay. This makes it natural for players to try and have access and control to these. This Area Control may hinder other players from using the resources or other possibilities available there, or can simply be that one can oneself access them regardless if other players can do so also.

Examples

Having implicit Area Control over the center of the game board in Chess is one of the main strategies in the game. The goal of Go is to have efficient Area Control over as much of the board using as few stones as possible. Gameplay typically begins with claiming areas in the corners, which are most easy to defend, and then moving out along the sides to finally revolve around the center of the board.

Area Control can also be regulated through rules. For example, one of the goals in the Battlefield series is to have control over flag points. This is done by teams by having sole presences in the areas around the flags for a certain period of time. Other games, e.g. Risk and Greed Corp give players Area Control simply by entering locations (and Greed Corp lets this persist when units are moved out). The Civilization, Hearts of Iron, and the Europa Universalis series differentiate between who has Area Control over a territory and how owns it.

Using the pattern

The design of Area Control consists of how control is achieved and what effects the control gives. Control can either be due to direct or indirect actions. Direct actions consist of reach the area itself with a Focus Loci, making it a Race to Traverse to the area. Often Contact with the area determines the winner, but the Contact may have to be an Extended Action to give Perceivable Margins and let other players try to Overcome the first claimer. Gaining Area Control due to indirect actions does not require players to have Focus Loci in the area but instead requires the use of Resources in Trading or Bidding, alternatively being given the area as an effect of Luck.

If the ownership of the area is not an Irreversible Action, the possibility of future Transfer of Controls creates Guard goals of keeping the area which are both Continuous Goals and Interferable Goals. Preventing Goals of Overcome or Eliminate can created around the Guard goal, as can Stealth when an extended sole presence is required to control the area. If the game area is larger than can be overviewed at once, the subgoal of Reconnaissance may be necessary. The Guard goal can be encouraged by giving explicit Penalties beyond any possible losses of abilities and Resources that naturally occur when the area is lost. This makes the goal of keeping the area a Committed Goal.

The common effects of Area Control is access to Producers and Resources in the area, Privileged Abilities from Controllers, providing good Game State Overview through the view from the area, or making opponents have Movement Limitations. When being in the area making completion of other goals easier, for example having positive modifiers for Combat, the action of having Area Control is a Supporting Goal.

Getting Area Control over parts of Game Worlds can be the fulfillment of Gain Ownership goals defined by Territories or Goal Points - cities in the Civilization series are example of such Goal Points and gaining control of them provides Area Control over nearby locations.

Can Instantiate

Movement Limitations

Zone of Control

Can Be Instantiated By

Controllers

Choke Points

Sniper Locations

Can Be Modulated By

Controllers, Extended Actions, Strategic Knowledge, Territories

Interface Aspects

Area Control is typically not shown in game interfaces unless it is formalized with Territories.

Consequences

Having Area Control is a form of Ownership that affects Game Worlds. When this Ownership can be contested, Area Control easily leads to Conflicts and Emotional Engrossment. It specifically affects places with Location-Fixed Abilities since they can provide players with Privileged Abilities (if they are scarce) and these Abilities can be Temporary Abilities if Ownership can change.

When many areas exist that can be controlled, knowing the values of each of these is a form of Strategic Knowledge. Choosing which of these to try and control is an example of having a Selectable Set of Goals which require players to do Risk/Reward choices or Tradeoffs. Maintaining Area Control is a Continuous Goal to Guard a location; maintaining control over several areas changes this to Reconnaissance goals or requires Attention Swapping - in games with Teams this can be reduced back to Guard goals if Cooperation works.

Relations

Can Instantiate

Attention Swapping, Conflicts, Continuous Goals, Emotional Engrossment, Gain Ownership, Guard, Movement Limitations, Ownership, Reconnaissance, Risk/Reward, Selectable Set of Goals, Strategic Knowledge, Tradeoffs

with Teams

Cooperation

with Location-Fixed Abilities

Privileged Abilities, Temporary Abilities

with Goal Points or Territories

Gain Ownership

Can Modulate

Game Worlds, Location-Fixed Abilities

Can Be Instantiated By

Controllers, Sniper Locations

Can Be Modulated By

Controllers, Extended Actions, Goal Points, Strategic Knowledge, Territories, Zone of Control

Possible Closure Effects

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Potentially Conflicting With

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History

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

Acknowledgements

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