Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
the door to the final room with the level boss, he must use the boomerang to activate
four switches in the correct order. At the same time, the boomerang can be used to
collect distant objects (it has the power to pick up small items and creatures) and
can be used as a weapon. This allows the designer to place elements of the second
half of the mission (after the mini-boss has been defeated) in the same space that is
used for the first half of the mission. This means players will initially run into obsta-
cles they cannot overcome until they have found the right key—the boomerang.
discrete mechanics in Zelda Games
Zelda games mix discrete mechanics with continuous mechanics for physics. space in
Zelda is continuous, as are most physical challenges. however, a great many mechanics
in Zelda are discrete. The hearts on the health bar and the damage done by Link and his
enemies are discrete: a particular enemy will always cause the same damage to you, and
you will be able to defeat that enemy with a constant number of hits with your sword.
Likewise, the mechanics controlling progression are all discrete as well. You require a
small key to unlock a door, a particular number of monkeys to help you past a gap, and
so on.
Using this particular layout and lock and key elements, the Forest Temple level in
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
is structured to generate play trajectories that
feel like heroic tales. When Link enters the temple, he receives a challenge to adven-
ture as he finds the first of eight monkeys he needs to liberate. Shortly after this, he
encounters a large spider guarding the first hub in the level. Defeating this spider
grants access to many locations in the first part of the level. What follows are many
tests and obstacles, during which the hero Link meets new friends and enemies.
Halfway through the level, Link confronts the monkey king, but there is a twist in
the plot as he discovers that the monkey king is not his major adversary after all. He
escapes with a magic item, the gale boomerang, which unlocks the second part of
the dungeon and helps him defeat his real adversary in a final climactic battle. Just
as the same structure—the hero's journey—never seems to grow stale for fairy tales
and adventure films, this structure can be found in many of Link's adventures and
in many other games as well.
NOTE
We do not
have space to discuss
the hero's journey
story-pattern in more
detail here, but there
are many resources
to guide you if you are
interested in learning
more about it. One
of the more popular
works is christopher
vogler's book,
The
Writer's Journey:
Mythic Structure for
Writers
(1998).
Each enemy, trigger, or lock serves as a simple mechanism to control access to the
next part of the story. Designing games of progression involves careful planning.
Remember that the physical layout of your level and the location of key items inside
it are your most important tools to control how players progress. You should use
these elements to create a smooth and coherent experience for the players. At the
same time, you must make sure that your players have had a chance to learn and
practice the skills required to complete a level, but most of all make sure that they
enjoy their own progress by letting them overcome obstacles that they were initially
unable to defeat.
