Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
Give good feedback.
When the player interacts with the game, he expects the
game to react—at least with an acknowledgment—immediately. When the player
presses any screen button, the game should produce an audible response even if the
button is inactive at the time. An active button's appearance should change either
momentarily or permanently to acknowledge the player's click.
Remember that the player is the one in control.
Players want to feel in charge
of the game—at least in regard to control of their avatars. Don't seize control of the
avatar and make him do something the player may not want. The player can accept
random, uncontrollable events that you may want to create in the game world or as
part of the behavior of nonplayer characters, but don't make the avatar do random
things the user didn't ask him to do.
Limit the number of steps required to take an action.
Set a maximum of
three controller-button presses to initiate any special move unless you need combo
moves for a fighting game (see Chapter 13, “Action Games”). The casual gamer's
twitch ability tops out at about three presses. Similarly, don't require the player to
go through menu after menu to find a commonly used command. (See “Depth ver-
sus Breadth” later in the chapter for further discussion.)
Permit easy reversal of actions.
If a player makes a mistake, allow him to undo
the action unless that would affect the game balance adversely. Puzzle games that
involve manipulating items such as cards or tiles should keep an undo/redo list and
let the player go backward and forward through it, though you can set a limit on
how many moves backward and forward the game permits.
Minimize physical stress.
Video games famously cause tired thumbs, and
unfortunately, repetitive stress injuries from overused hands can seriously debili-
tate players. Assign common and rapid actions to the most easily accessible
controller buttons. Not only do you reduce the chance of injuring your player, but
you allow him to play longer and to enjoy it more.
Don't strain the player's short-term memory.
Don't require the player to
remember too many things at once; provide a way for him to look up information
that he needs. Display information that he needs constantly in a permanent feed-
back element on the screen.
Group related screen-based controls and feedback mechanisms on the
screen.
That way, the player can take in the information he needs in a single glance
rather than having to look all over the screen to gather the information to make a
decision.
Provide shortcuts for experienced players.
Once players become experienced
with your game, they won't want to go through multiple layers of menus to find
the command they need. Provide shortcut keys to perform the most commonly
used actions from the game's menus, and include a key-reassignment feature. See
the section “Allowing for Customization” at the end of the chapter.
