Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
possible for many shapes to emerge—safer and more dangerous juxtapositions of cherries and
apples, patterns of tunnels that players can turn to their advantage or be trapped in.
Figure 3.13
The first scene of
Mr. Do!
provides the player with numerous choices.
As we consider the shape of a scene, we can also think how the space of possibilities in that
scene changes. Remember the first image in this topic, the opening scene of
Super Mario
Bros.
, which is shown again in Figure
. The possibility space—the cloud of possible player
choices—starts open but small. In this initial open space, a jump in one place or another is
inconsequential. Then there's the first monster, whom the player can deal with in one of a few
ways—jump on top of it, jump over it, jump while moving, jump straight up and rely on
3.14
the
monster's motion to bring it under Mario—but it must be dealt with. The space narrows.
Figure 3.14
The possibility space in the opening scene of
Super Mario Bros
.
