Privileged Movement

Being able to do a form of movement that others cannot.

Many games include moving game elements as part of gameplay, but many of these have different types of movement for different types of game elements. By providing game this, some, or in rare case all, game elements have a form of Privileged Movement that gives them additional value when compared to other ones.

Examples

Knights in Chess have a privileged form of movement since they do not require line-of-sight to the square that they move to. The game of Draughts (or Checkers) requires that players promote at least one singleton to a doubleton in order to get the required Privileged Movement that is necessary to win.

The ability to fly or teleport through psychic powers or spells is an form of Privileged Movement found in Category:Roleplaying Games such as Dungeons & Dragons or GURPS. The Fallout series and The Elder Scrolls series has Privileged Movement in a form that breaks thematic consistency - players can go through doors to move to other levels but enemies cannot.

Taking control of vehicles in Battlefield 1942, Battlefield Vietnam, or Halo give players other forms of movement that when on foot, with planes and helicopters allowing the most different type of movement.

Using the pattern

Privileged Movement can be used to let game elements move in ways impossible to other game elements or may make the Movement have effects which other game elements do not have. Examples of ways which Privileged Movement can affect the movement itself includes ignoring Obstacles or entering Inaccessible Areas. When the Privileged Movement allows better Game State Overview than otherwise possible, it helps Game World Navigation. Examples of forms of Privileged Movement can be that the game elements repulse or attract other game elements in their wake or that the game elements leaves Traces that can have beneficial or negative consequences to those that enter the Traces, or that the Traces simply give information.

The effects Privileged Movement allows can depend on the type of locomotion the Privileged Movement uses. Flying allows better Game State Overview and thereby promotes Game World Navigation and lets players avoid Enemies that cannot fly and do not have ranged weapons. Climbing may allow vertical movement by usually depends on the material of what is climbed. Swinging requires players to perform Aim & Shoot actions.

Can Be Instantiated By

Environmental Effects, Quick Returns, Quick Travel, Tools, Vehicles, Weapons

Narrative Aspects

When given as New Abilities, Privileged Movement can be used to allow entry into previously Inaccessible Areas and thereby unlock new parts of Predetermined Story Structures.

Consequences

Privileged Movement is a form of Privileged Abilities given to Avatars, Enemies, or Units regarding Movement and can give rise to Orthogonal Unit Differentiation. Privileged Movement can be used to make Herd or Traverse goals easier and when given as New Abilities may be used to ensure the unfolding of Predetermined Story Structures is done in a specific order due to controlling how Inaccessible Areas are made accessible. It can also modulate how Environmental Effects work, e.g. partially or completely mitigating Damage or Ability Losses caused by them. The can support both Orthogonal Unit Differentiation and Varied Gameplay (when either having Privileged Movement are Temporary abilities or when choosing to have a certain Privileged Movement is part of Initial Personalization) but like other Privileged Abilities, the use of Privileged Movement can potentially disrupt Player Balance.

The act of initiating Privileged Movement may in some cases demand other types of actions by players, e.g. the Aim & Shoot required to use the cannons in Super Mario 64 to shoot Mario to different places in the Game World.

Being able to gain entry to Inaccessible Areas can make them into Safe Havens as long as no Enemies also has this type of Privileged Movement or that the area is already inhabited by other (possibly trapped) Enemies.

Relations

Can Instantiate

Aim & Shoot, New Abilities, Orthogonal Unit Differentiation, Privileged Abilities, Varied Gameplay

with Inaccessible Areas

Safe Havens

Can Modulate

Avatars, Enemies, Environmental Effects, Herd, Inaccessible Areas, Movement, Traverse, Units

Can Be Instantiated By

Environmental Effects, Quick Returns, Quick Travel, Tools, Vehicles, Weapons

Can Be Modulated By

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Possible Closure Effects

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Potentially Conflicting With

Player Balance

History

A rewrite of the pattern Privileged Movement that was part of the original collection in the book Patterns in Game Design.