Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 3.17
An early scene in
Tombe d
shows the player how to use spiked walls strategically.
How do we develop a rule like this—one that's not a verb, but which governs the relationship
between objects like the spikes and the various kinds of blocks? By giving the player a choice.
Chased by the descending spikes, Jane has to dig through the soft blocks in the middle because
she can't dig through the metal barriers on the sides. That's not much of a choice.
The choice comes as the spikes grow closer—and destroy the metal barriers. Once the spikes
touch any part of a continuous shape, remember, the whole thing crumbles instantly (see
Figure
). Jane is likely somewhere in the middle of the soft-block column at this point. There
are many thin layers of soft blocks, so digging through them is slow work. In fact, it's so slow
that the spikes will almost certainly catch up to Jane should she continue this route. (It might be
possible to dig through all the soft blocks, if one's timing is good enough to dig at
3.18
a rapid pace.
But it's not easy.)
