Traverse

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This pattern is a still a stub.

The goal to try and move a game element from one position in the game to another. Board games such as Backgammon and Ludo and all sports Race s from the 100 Meter Dash to marathons to horse Races are examples of Traverse used together with Race.

Examples

Example: Moving one's pawn to the opposite end of the board is a Traverse goal in Chess.

Example: Platform games such as those in the Mario or Super Monkey Ball seriescan be defined as having Traverse goals of going from the beginning of a level to the end.

Snakes and Ladders

Left 4 Dead series Assassin's Creed series

RoboRally

Fallout series

Elder Scrolls series

Pool Games such as Eight-ball and Snooker

Using the pattern

Traverse goals are often introduce in games to create Races, or to make it sure (or at least make it likely) that players visit certain parts of Game Worlds or Levels. Quests can be specifically require Traverse goals to be completed and Levels can in themselves be seen as creating Traverse goals since they most often have an entry and exit point which players need to move between to finish them. The three main considerations when designing Traverse goals are where the goal area is, how one can move to get there, and the layout of the actual game space that has to be moved through to get there.

The simplest way to define goal areas is to make use of Check Points, and if the overall distanced need to be traveled is long this can be broken down into several Supporting Goals each with their own Check Point (races in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas does this) or through making Goal Hierarchies (the overall game structure in many of the games in the Super Mario Bros series can be described like this). While simply getting to the area may be enough to complete the goal, a couple of more specific Traverse goals with other requirements exist. One common variant is Delivery, where a goal object needs by somebody to the goal area (Capture the Flag matches in the Quake series are examples of this). Another is Herding, where Indirect Control and Units are used to make players in various ways affect another game object to make it move to a specific point (Pool Games such as Eight-ball and Snooker are examples of this). Not giving players the location of the goal area adds an Gain Information component to the pattern, and this forces players to engage in Game World Exploration.

The layout of Game Worlds and Levels naturally affect how easy Traverse goals are to complete. Enemies and Choke Points can make them more difficult while Safe Havens can be player respite along the way of getting the the goal areas. Privileged Movement can make Traverse easier for some while having to deal with Enemies that have this can instead make it more difficult. Backtracking Levels (with a Check Point at the point furthest away) makes more use of the gameplay areas, while Quick Returns avoids the Excise of having to move back to the beginning after succeeding with the Traverse goal. Like the case of not giving players the location of the goal area, not providing them with all the details about the area they need to move through adds an Gain Information component and makes them have to perform not only a certain amount of Game World Exploration but also Game World Navigation; Diegetically Outstanding Features and Traces can help make both tasks easier. If wanted, the need for them can be eliminated or at least significantly reduced by using Game State Overviews such as Mini-maps.

The game space can either only allow one specific path to be followed (as in Snakes and Ladders), or allow players to choose between different paths. The latter allow players to make plans depending on what Strategic Locations exist as well as what Enemies and Obstacles exist, for example, letting players choose between Evade and Overcome goals.

The means of Movement players have can be linked to Risk/Reward Tradeoff s as well as provide different players with different routes to advance on by the use of Privileged Movement. The use of intermediate Goal Points can create a Hierarchy of Goals consisting of various Traverse Goals. The Goal Points can be used to support Safe Havens, and their introductionallows players to get relief from Tension and promotes Stimulated Planning for the next phase of Movement. By making the Goal Point initially an Inaccessible Area, the Traverse goal can be the main goal of a Hierarchy of Goals, where several other sorts of activity besides Movement need to be performed. When the reason for a Traverse goal is to achieve Area Control of the Goal Point, the Strategic Location of the Goal Point needs to be considered, as this will modulate the willingness of players to strive for the goal.

If some form of Limited Resource is consumed by Movement, the Right Level of Complexity of a Traverse goal is affected as choices of which terrain is traversed and what movement styles to employ become important. Racing games usually provide some form of Charger or Pick-Ups in specific Resource Locations and, in Races, force players to make Risk/Reward choices between saving time and risking not having enough Resources or losing time but having Resources.

When the player has Freedom of Choice regarding Movement in a Traverse Goal, the goal may require that players are given information about where the Goal Point is located.

Traverse goals can be used to modulate the likelihood for players to attempt different goals in Selectable Sets of Goals by having the Traverse goals as subgoals that have to be performed before individual goals.

The presence of Save Points creates Traverse goalsthat break the Consistent Reality Logic.

Traverse is very often used as the subgoal for Races and required part of Stealth goals. The mere existence of Game Worlds can also create

Can Be Instantiated By

Area Control, Big Dumb Objects, Chargers, Game World Navigation, Game Worlds, Inaccessible Areas, Movement, Quests, Strategic Locations

Potentially Conflicting With

Enemies

Narrative Aspects

As Traverse depends on players moving from one area within a Game World to the other, the completion of the goal guarantees that the player has changed environment. This can be used to set up progression in Predetermined Story Structures.

Consequences

Traverse goals gives players clear goals related to Movement and achieving Contact with a specific game object or game area. They most often allows players to judge their local progress by their position in the game space, but while this may seem to remove the need of Progress Indicators if the end point is known - since the positions of player's game elements provide a diegetic measure of progress - it does not necessarily provide good overviews. Making players think about how they should move their Focus Loci or other game elements to succeeded with the Traverse goals is likely to support Spatial Engrossment.

While Traverse goals are often placed in games to create Races, the presence of other types of Traverse goals can make Races emerge if two or more Agents decide to strive for the Traverse goals (an example of this can be found in the Civilization series where different players may be rushing to find as many ruins as possible before other players do).

Try to performing Aim & Shoot actions while also trying to achieve Traverse goals is more difficult than doing just one.

Relations

Can Instantiate

Contact, Game World Navigation, Quests, Predetermined Story Structures, Races, Spatial Engrossment

with Gain Information

Game World Exploration

Can Modulate

Aim & Shoot, Game Worlds, Levels

Can Be Instantiated By

Area Control, Big Dumb Objects, Chargers, Check Points, Delivery, Game World Navigation, Herding, Inaccessible Areas, Levels, Movement, Quests, Strategic Locations

Can Be Modulated By

Backtracking Levels, Choke Points, Diegetically Outstanding Features, Enemies, Gain Information, Goal Hierarchies, Privileged Movement, Quick Returns, Safe Havens, Supporting Goals, Traces

Possible Closure Effects

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Potentially Conflicting With

Enemies

History

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