Third-Person Views

The one-sentence "definition" that should be in italics.

This pattern is a still a stub.

Players are shown the game world with a focus on a game element under the players' control.

Many games center the view of the game environment upon a game element, which the players control. These Third-Person Views, where players observe the game environment as seen from outside the game element they control, let them see more of the immediately surrounding environment than could be achieve by observing from within the game element.

Examples

Pac-Man is shown from above in the game with the same name, giving players the possibility to see what is behind walls in the maze.

bullet mode Fallout series

Using the pattern

chase-cam mode

There are a number of different types of Third-Person Views: isometric, which shows the game elementfrom above slightly to the side; overhead, which provides excellent relations to the surrounding but which offers little information about the game elementitself; chase-cam, which follows the game element exactly behind in the element's line of movement. These can be modified by either linking the movement of the Camera to the movement of the game element or locking the Camera to a position relative to the environment. The same trick can be used for Public Information with Third-Person Views.

Third-Person Views offer the design option of letting players have control over the Camera which creates the view. Although this may affect the Right Level of Difficulty and require more Dexterity-Based Actions, it can allow players to have a complete view of the Game World.

Games with Third-Person Views that require Imperfect Information about the terrain of the Game World at a different level than the view must either use Fog of War or divide the game area into sections.

Third-Person Views are 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 with God Views and where choices exist on which Focus Loci to use.

Can Be Modulated By

God Fingers, Point of Interest Indications, Vision Modes

Interface Aspects

Designing Third-Person Views should be done in relation to the intended Focus Loci of a game since these can dependencies between each other.

Consequences

Third-Person Views focus the view of Game Worlds around specific Avatars or Units (or possibly small group of Units). Since the entire surrounding around that game element is visible to players - specifically the areas behind the game elements - this view provides a form of Game State Overviews. Even if this may lead players to have somewhat more information that the Avatars can have, Third-Person Views can support Detective Structures in Game Worlds either by careful positioning of objects or by only showing one limited space at a time (as for example the adventure games in the Police Quest, Leisure Suit Larry, and King's Quest series do).

The visual feedback from performed Movement in Third-Person Views may not be as natural as those of First-Person Views, since turning and rotation is centered on players' Focus Loci. Third-Person Views can however still support Spatial Engrossment, especially in chase-cam modes, and the better Game State Overview may make Maneuvering easier in this view than in First-Person Views. However, Aim & Shoot actions become more difficult since players have to take both the target and shooter positions and movement into account when performing the actions.

Games that allow players to change from First-Person Views to Third-Person Views and back give players a form of Freedom of Choice.

Can Instantiate

Character Defining Actions

Can Modulate

Aim & Shoot, Maneuvering,

Relations

Can Instantiate

Character Defining Actions, Game State Overviews

with First-Person Views

Freedom of Choice

with Game Worlds

Detective Structures

Can Modulate

Aim & Shoot, Avatars, Focus Loci, Game Worlds, God Views, Maneuvering, Units

Can Be Instantiated By

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Can Be Modulated By

God Fingers, Point of Interest Indications, Vision Modes

Possible Closure Effects

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Potentially Conflicting With

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History

An updated version of the pattern Third-Person Views that was part of the original collection in the book Patterns in Game Design.

Acknowledgements

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