Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
Access can be used to gain more rewards or can be required to progress through
the game.
In both cases, as a designer, you should be wary of a deadlock situation. For example,
you might have a special enemy guard the exit of a level. Somewhere in the same
level there is a unique weapon that is required to kill that enemy with a single shot.
The weapon is usable throughout the level. When the player finds the weapon, it is
loaded with ten bullets, and there are no more until the next level—but the player
doesn't know this the first time playing. Now, a first-time player finds the weapon,
fires a couple of shots to experiment with it, uses it on a couple of other enemies,
and finds himself at the exit with one bullet left. The player fires and misses. You
have just created a deadlock situation. The player needs access to the next level to
gain bullets but needs bullets to gain access.
deadlock resolution in Zelda
in many Zelda games, players frequently must use consumable items—arrows or
bombs—to gain access to new areas. This creates a risk of deadlocks, if the player runs
out of the items needed. The designers of Zelda games prevent these no-win situations
by making sure there are plenty of renewable sources for the required resources.
dungeons are littered with useful pots that yield these resources if the player destroys
them (
Figure 4.10
). Broken pots are mysteriously restored as the player moves from room
to room, creating a source that is replenished from time to time. Because the pots can
contain anything, as a designer you can use a mechanism like this to provide the player
with any resource required. You can even use it as a way of providing gameplay hints:
if players are finding a lot of arrows, they are probably going to need a bow soon.
FIGURe 4.10 Pottery is a useful source in Zelda games.
