Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
cause it was carried by Hermes, the ancient Greek god of trade. From the mytholo-
gical point of view, the emblem is not correct. The Caduceus has two serpents, but
they are not exactly medicine ones. Apparently, the symbol was involved in a new
semantic context by mistake, being confused with the Rod of Asclepius, or it might
bethatsomebodydecideditlookedmoresolemnwiththewings.Therecouldalsobe
some special reasons and complex logic in the choice involving various nuances (for
example, two serpents can be considered as a symbol of peace or neutrality). Some-
how, it was approved as the emblem for the U.S. Army Medical Corps; since then,
the symbol got a new life, becoming well recognized and popular. You can check this
When the stock of oxygen reaches the minimum level, the Unit switches into an
emergency mode. The protagonist slowly loses his health (figuratively speaking, it is
converted into the oxygen). The player must find a new oxygen tank really quickly.
Some games have tried to add extra difficulty to the situation when the health level
is critically low by slowing down the main character, disabling some of his abilities,
or adding other types of unpleasant things. I'm sure that for a player, the absence of
health points is already a disaster that makes him worry.
Why should he get some extra ones? Never anger the audience too much! Since the
astronaut does not lose any functionality of his suit till the very last drops of health,
he won't die, but he will switch to a coma state. In this state, the screen turns black,
the Unit controls become disabled, and an image of a horizontal line appears. The
player has to operate fast. He can save the protagonist by virtual defibrillation. At the
center of the screen, there is a button with a heart symbol. Now, it should be tapped
fast, restarting the heart of the character. If the objective of this gesture mini-game
has been accomplished successfully, the astronaut gets a little portion of addition-
al health so he may try to find a new oxygen canister again. The idea of a second
chance is pretty good because the game should not be too cruel and try to take the
protagonist's life as soon as possible. The death of the hero in many cases means
the end of the game session, but it is always better to let the player play longer.
