Game Development Reference
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who lands on Mars when her spaceship's supply of fuel gems is extinguished. To escape, she must
find replacement gems scattered throughout the ruins of an abandoned civilization—abandoned
by life, that is, but its electronic defenses are still online—electric fences still sizzle, robot guardians
still patrol.
Verbs, primary: Hannah can “move” left and right, on the ground or midair. She can “jump” to
four-and-a-half times her height, which means she can “climb” anything up to four blocks—a block
being a solid object of varying appearance as tall as Hannah and slightly wider (see Figure
3.28
).
Figure 3.28
The primary verbs of
REDDER.
Verbs, secondary: Hannah can “trigger” switches that open or close off her way forward. Passage
through the old Martian crypts and laboratories is regulated by gates that are more like electronic
walls. These things come in two states: extended and receded. When they're extended, they func-
tion as solid blocks, serving as wall, floor, ceiling—physical obstacles Hannah cannot pass through.
When they've receded into the background, they're as intangible as air, solid space that Hannah
can pass right through.
Electronic walls come in two colors: red and green. One color always is extended and one receded.
Touching a green switch makes green walls recede and red walls extend: touching a red switch
does the opposite. The switches are scanners: they trigger the moment Hannah passes through
them, whether she wants them to or not (see Figure
3.29
).
Figure 3.29
“Triggering” switches and gates are the secondary verbs.
