Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
The first function of these is to guide the player's exploration of the world: a red wall on one
screen might be opened by a red switch a few screens away, requiring the player to go find it,
which creates continuity between individual scenes of the game. Switches and walls can also
be one-way doors: just passing in front of a switch activates it, regardless of whether it's to the
player's benefit. Maybe this switch creates a wall in the hall Hannah just passed through, pre-
venting her immediate return. You can see how switches could even be traps: since extended
walls function as solid objects, imagine a midair platform built out of them. If Hannah touched
a switch, the floor would open. She would have to avoid switches as she travelled across the
platform (see Figure 3.30).
Figure 3.30
One-way door and gate platforms sometimes act as traps in
REDDER
.
REDDER
's Mars is divided into distinct areas to help the player focus her exploration. Each area
is distinct not only visually (that is, the blocks that make up that area look noticeably different
from those of other areas) but in shape. For example, one area is an underground city, divided
into two areas, with a gate separating the upper city from the lower city. Another area is a kind
of puzzle box, with red and green gates separating each screen. Making progress requires
manipulating switches in the right order.
One of the deepest areas is an open cavern consisting of many rooms that can be traversed
with a system of rails and catwalks. Passage from room to room, once again, is governed by
switches and gates. Whereas the puzzle box area is a maze, this area is straightforward: each
room contains a switch opening the entrance to the next room, usually placed in a tricky-
to-reach position. When Hannah touches it, she can advance to the next room in the path.
There are two paths that the player can follow to navigate the cavern: a clockwise circle and
