Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
some stages are optional; the player can choose the vehicle once at the beginning
of a game session, but the track can be set automatically. In which case the game
can have, for example, a
Quick race
button. So a player gets two possible paths:
a long one with the freedom to choose some elements, and a short one with some
predefined components. Of course, the second one is not sufficient to express all
game possibilities, because some options can be out of the scope of a player's atten-
tion. But that can be resolved as well. The game should push the player to choose
something new; for example, before a specific race, by tapping the
Quick race
but-
ton, the player gets a message that he has to choose another type of vehicle.
It is always better to avoid any type of pop-up messages asking the player to push
an
Ok
button to close it; people sincerely hate them, especially when such elements
are used inside the gameplay process. The info message should be displayed paral-
lel to the action and disappear automatically (after a period of time or after the player
achieves a specific objective).
The Pause button
It is one of the most desirable buttons. The gameplay of a mobile game is often inter-
rupted; a game session usually consists of many short periods of playing. The com-
mon causes of interruption are external factors; for example, communication with
other people, arriving at a destination, and so on. Thus, it is necessary for the play-
er to be able to pause the game at any time. Generally, the pause command is as-
signed to a button that activates the game menu; when it is tapped, all the game
processes freeze. At one point it is reasonable to place such a type of control in the
top-left corner, the way many iOS applications do. That provides a habitual pattern
of behavior for the player. At some other point, it is more common to place such a
button at the right-hand side corner of the screen, because it is more comfortable for
right-handed persons; many modern games use these types of layouts. Some titles
also place the menu/pause buttons at the center of the screen; the most comfortable
setup in such a case is a centered button placed at the bottom when a device is used
in portrait mode so that thumbs can easily reach it. The most uncomfortable scenario
is a centered pause button displayed at the top, as players need to shift their hands
to press it. There can be little excuse for such layouts; it is hard to press the button
accidentally, but this reason sounds a little unconvincing.
