Game World Navigation

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This pattern is a still a stub.

The action of trying to move from one place in the game to another when the correct way is not obviously apparent.

Examples

Example: The text-based adventure game Zork made navigation difficult by having non-symmetric routes between locations: Moving north from a place to another did not means that one returned by going south, rather one might have to go west instead.

Example: The maze-like levels in Doom and Quake required player to navigate within the environments to move efficiently between all parts of the levels.

Assassin's Creed series

Using the pattern

Game World Navigation is most common in games with large Game Worlds and which support Spatial Immersion. However, games relying on text-based descriptions can have Game World Navigation and make the action into a Puzzle Solving one by consciously breaking the Consistent Reality Logic that moving in one direction and then in the opposite direction brings one back to the starting position.

The layout of Game Worlds modulate theRight Level of Difficulty of navigating and can be made more difficult by Movement Limitations, Obstacles,Inaccessible Areas, and other possibilities for Leaps of Faith, especially if they block players' views to other areas of a Game World. The navigation can be made easier by the use of Outstanding Features, Traces, Clues, and Game State Overview in the forms of maps. The division of Game Worlds into Levels makes Game World Navigation easier as smaller areas have to be navigated. Privileged Movement forms such as flying also makes the navigation easier as players can have better Game State Overview through different perspectives and may remove problems with Obstacles and Inaccessible Areas.

an activity based upon Exploration goals in Game Worlds done when performing Movement where only reaching the Goal Point is the only point of interest. However, learning the layout of the Game World can be used if the route has to be navigated again and can thus be

Strategic Knowledge

Can Be Instantiated By

Game World Exploration, Game Worlds, Levels, Movement

Can Be Modulated By

Big Dumb Objects, Clues, Diegetically Outstanding Features, Inaccessible Areas, Landmarks, Mini-maps, Movement Limitations, Obstacles, Point of Interest Indications, Props, Strategic Locations, Traces, Warp Zones

Game State Overviews together with Privileged Movement

Consequences

Game World Navigation is the activity of trying to succeed with Traverse goals in Game Worlds or Levels, and implies that players have a Freedom of Choice since otherwise there would be not challenge to the act of navigating. Game World Navigation encourages Cognitive Engrossment but can actually lessen Spatial Engrossment as it encourages players to perceive Game Worlds from an abstract perspective rather than through a diegetic perspective. While Game World Exploration may be the reason for engaging in Game World Navigation, the reverse may be true since players may discover new areas while navigating.

While Mini-maps may help navigation by providing maps they may also make it to easy to find one's position and which direction one should be travelling in, thereby making the activity of navigating closer to Excise than a gameplay challenge. The same applies to God Views since they can let players move their view of the Game World regardless of game elements, making Game World Navigation a trivial problem.

Relations

Can Instantiate

Cognitive Engrossment, Freedom of Choice, Game World Exploration, Traverse

Can Modulate

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Can Be Instantiated By

Game World Exploration, Game Worlds, Levels, Movement

Can Be Modulated By

Big Dumb Objects, Clues, Diegetically Outstanding Features, Inaccessible Areas, Landmarks, Mini-maps, Movement Limitations, Obstacles, Point of Interest Indications, Props, Strategic Knowledge, Strategic Locations, Traces, Warp Zones

Game State Overviews together with Privileged Movement

Possible Closure Effects

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Potentially Conflicting With

God Views, Mini-maps, Spatial Engrossment

History

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

Acknowledgements

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