Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
FINDING HIDDEN OBJECTS
Many games require the player to find an object hidden somewhere in their simu-
lated space, often in areas that are difficult to get to. Sometimes the objects are
hidden in reasonable places that the player can deduce from clues; sometimes they
are in obscure ones. The player not only has to learn his way around, he has to
keep a sharp lookout for whatever he needs. A number of puzzle games use a vari-
ant of the “find the hidden object” challenge in which the player doesn't move
through a simulated space, but simply looks at a picture of a room with dozens of
objects in it, trying to find the ones required, sometimes against a time limit. This
works well in games for casual players who want an uncomplicated point-and-click
puzzle, rather like the printed “spot the differences” challenges often found in chil-
dren's puzzle topics.
Easter eggs
are a specialized variant of hidden objects. They're items, or sometimes
hidden regions or game features, that are fun to discover but not actually needed to
win the game—a bonus such as special clothing for the avatar or an extra-powerful
weapon. Players love finding Easter eggs. You should hide them in particularly
obscure locations.
Conflict
A
conflict challenge
is one requiring the direct opposition of forces, some of which
are under player control. If one player must beat the others by opposing or imped-
ing them directly, the challenge qualifies as conflict, even without combat or
violence. Checkers has no bloodshed but still presents conflict challenges. Classic
activities to overcome conflict challenges include taking away another player's
resources and impeding another player's ability to act.
CONFLICT CHALLENGES VERSUS CONFLICT OF INTEREST
Formal
game theory
is a field of mathematics that studies situations that contain a
con-
flict of interest
. By that definition, any game in which players are rivals for victory
contains conflict. However, in pole-vaulting, darts, and many other games, that opposi-
tion applies only at the top of the challenge hierarchy. At lower levels, the players do not
(and sometimes are forbidden to) impede each other directly. Even in
Monopoly
, the rules
provide no means by which players may choose to target each other for hostile action.
Such games may contain a conflict of interest but no conflict challenges. The players
must achieve their top-level goal not through the direct opposition of forces but through
vaulting over the higher bar, throwing darts more accurately, or whatever other atomic
challenges the game specifies.
The asymmetric board game Fox and Geese that Chapter 1 introduces gives the two
players different conflict challenges. The fox tries to eat the geese by jumping over
them on the board (taking away the other player's resources). The geese try to trap
