Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
hidden inFormation in Games
certain games depend on hiding information from the players. This seems to contradict
the idea that it is important to provide the player with information about changes to the
state of the mechanics. however, there is a subtle difference between being clear about
the
game's state as a whole
and being clear about
when the state changes
. To learn how
a game's mechanics work, the players need to know when changes occur. a game
can
hide its exact state from the player.
many card games hide the exact state of the game while making it quite clear that things
are changing: You can see how many cards other players pick up or discard. By observing
those changes, you may be able to deduce something about the game's state: the actual
distribution of the cards and whether your hand is better than your opponent's.
Martial Arts learning Principles
Our first approach to learning in games was to define skill atoms and organize them
into skill trees. Our second approach draws on the methods used in karate (and vari-
ous other Japanese martial arts) training. Students must train in four different stages
to complete every “level” (properly called
belts
or, in Japanese,
dan
). These stages,
which build upon one another, are as follows:
n
Kihon (fundamentals).
The student learns to perform an individual technique.
The focus is on getting the technique right.
n
Kihon-kata.
The student repeats the new technique endlessly to master it and
perform it without thinking. If you never received martial arts training, you might
recognize this stage from the endless chores the main character in the movie
Karate
Kid
had to go through (“wax on, wax off”).
n
Kata (form).
The student learns how to combine different techniques in a fixed,
choreographed sequence of moves called a
kata
.
n
Kumite (sparring).
To prove his mastery, the student fights his master in a free
fight. For the first few levels, the master will use only a subset of simple and predict-
able moves, but as the student advances, the master will draw from a wider range of
attacks and use them less predictably.
You might recognize these stages in many games. For example, you can apply these
learning stages to
Super Mario Bros
. and
Crash Bandicoot
as well:
n
Kihon.
The player gets to practice a new move (such as jump) in a fairly safe
environment. Once she has learned to jump, she is able to move on.
n
Kihon-kata.
The move is then repeated several times: The player needs to perform
a series of jumps, often with increasing difficulty. Before long, the player doesn't
need to think about how to perform a jump or what button to push; she simply
jumps when she needs to jump.
