Installations
Tools in game worlds that due to their size or construction are immovable by players.
Some tools that players need to use are for diegetic or gameplay purposes not possible for them to carry around in game worlds. These large, heavy, or bolted down tools are Installations. They typically provide actions not possible elsewhere or more efficient version of those on can perform anyway.
Examples
Both the Low-Tech[1] and High-Tech[2] sourcebooks for the Tabletop Roleplaying Game GURPS have heavy weapons, e.g. ballistas and howitzers, that for most practical purposes are Installations for the players' characters.
Memoir '44 have sandbags that protect units in a hex until they leave it or are destroyed.
While Half-Life 2 has the "Mounted Pulse Gun", the Battlefield series have many real world heavy weapons as Installations, including the M1919 Browning, the 40mm Bofors, and the Phalanx CIWS[3].
Morrowind has "guild guides" in each of the five mage guilds, and these can provide instant teleportation to any of the other guilds for a fee.
Although not fitting the everyday meaning on Installations, cities in the Civilization series and entire provinces in the Victoria series are functionally Installations since they provide players with abilities to perform actions. Buildings in the Command and Conquer, Starcraft, and Warcraft series are also Installations in this way.
Using the pattern
Installations are Tools, often Weapons, or Armor that due their size have locations in Levels of Game Worlds. This makes the design of them mainly relate to the choices associated with Tools (or Weapons) and there spatial placement (Hullett & WhiteheadCite error: Closing </ref> missing for <ref> tag
[2]
[3]
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Acknowledgements
-- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedlt - ↑ 2.0 2.1 Official page for the High-Tech sourcebook for GURPS.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 entry for emplaced weapons on the Battlefield Wiki at wikia.com.
- ↑ Hullett, K. & Whitehead, J. (2010). Design patterns in FPS levels. Foundations of Digital Games, June 19–21, 2010, Monterey, California, USA.
