Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
Third-person shooter
Third-person shooters
(
TPS
) are 3D games where a player may not only see the
gaming environment around, but also his own avatar. The virtual camera is placed
somewhere behind him since the gameplay is very similar to FPS games, but the
player can see the animation of the main characters. This is good for games with
complex actions such as jumping, crouching, and balancing. There is also a belief
that the audience is more attached to characters that are shown in full form when a
3D figure of the protagonist is displayed at the screen, so all its graphic details and
animated movements can be easily noticed. There are two basic ways of using a
third-person perspective in games. The first is a traditional view showing the back
of the protagonist; the camera is slightly above him. And the second one is the so-
called over-the-shoulder view when the camera is almost hidden under the charac-
ter's back, being placed in the line of his sight. The player sees the world over his
shoulder. Such a combination is a little bit clumsy, but it helps to aim in a better way.
This type of camera is very suitable for the horror genre because it is hard to turn
around fast since there is always a fear of what is behind. This feature is success-
fully used in the
Dead Space
franchise published by
Electronic Arts
.
Mixed shooters
Mixed shooters are a combination of other genres, for example, action-RPG, action-
adventure, and action-survival. The eclecticism is now in fashion. Most modern ac-
tion games are a mix of different mechanics. It helps to enrich gameplay with new
features. Among the popular titles for iOS in this domain are the successful fran-
chises
Infinity Blade
from
Chair Entertainment
(
http://infinityblade.com/
)
and
Epic
Games
. They combine the advanced 3D graphics, accurate character, environment
design, interesting combat mechanics (based on sword fighting and not guns), and
RPG elements.
