God Views
Players are given a view of the game independent of game elements.
This pattern is a still a stub.
Some games do not associate the user's focus of attention in a game with any particular game element. In these games the view the user has of the game is likewise independent of game elements, similar to the omniscience of a God Views.
Contents
Examples
Example: SimCity allows players to move around the city without having to consider the locations of any individual game element such as cars or pedestrians.
Example: Populous, as an example of a god game unsurprisingly provides players with God Views.
nearly
Asteroids, Centipede, Pac-Man
Sokoban
Using the pattern
Similar to Third-Person Views, games with God Views that require Imperfect Information about the terrain in the Game World must either use Fog of War or divide the game area into sections. The use of God Views does not have to be omnipotent; the view of a Game World can easily be restricted by restricting the movement and direction of the Camera use to provide the God View.
does not necessarily mean omniscience
Third-Person Views are not directly compatible with God Views and First-Person Views, although Third-Person Views may occur occasionally through reflections and recordings in games with First-Person Views (e.g. through mirror or surveillance devices). However, as long as gameplay balance or Surprises are not disrupted, it is quite common for games to allow players to switch between First-Person Views and Third-Person Views; examples of games that allow this include the Need for Speed series and the Elder Scroll series. Third-Person Views can also be used to help position players by locking onto selected Focus Loci in games; this is done in games with God Views where players have choices exist on which Focus Loci to use. Some games that mainly use Third-Person Views replace this with First-Person Views for certain Aim & Shoot actions. Examples of games that do this include The Legend of Zelda series and the Grand Theft Auto series. In contrast, games with First-Person Views may introduce Third-Person Views when showing Killcams or Cutscenes.
Diegetic Aspects
Interface Aspects
Narrative Aspects
Consequences
God Views provide Game State Overviews which can easily and quickly be moved, making them ideal for Attention Swapping but hinder Spatial Immersion and make Aim & Shoot actions difficult. They do not easily work with Avatars as the link between player attention and the Avatar is weak, and thereby the possibilities of Emotional Immersion are low. Sometimes Public Information uses God Views to provide the Spectators with more information than is given to the players.
Can Instantiate
Can Modulate
Freedom of Choice, Game Worlds
with Third-Person Views
Can Be Instantiated By
Can Be Modulated By
God Fingers, Third-Person Views
Possible Closure Effects
Potentially Conflicting With
Relations
Can Instantiate
Can Modulate
Freedom of Choice, Game Worlds
with Third-Person Views
Can Be Instantiated By
Cutscenes, Dedicated Game Facilitators
Can Be Modulated By
God Fingers, Third-Person Views
Possible Closure Effects
-
Potentially Conflicting With
History
An updated version of the pattern God Views that was part of the original collection in the book Patterns in Game Design[1].
References
- ↑ Björk, S. & Holopainen, J. (2004) Patterns in Game Design. Charles River Media. ISBN1-58450-354-8.
Acknowledgements
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