Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
challenge; just learning the way around
made up a significant part of the gameplay
in old text adventure games. Modern
graphical games that implement three-
dimensional spaces usually present
architecturally appropriate and logical
networks (going downstairs from the
ground floor of a building leads to the
basement, for instance) but still offer
plenty of opportunities to create enjoy-
able exploration challenges. See the
section “Exploration Challenges” in
Chapter 9 for further discussion.
A network layout gives the player consid-
erable freedom about what path to take,
so you will find it difficult to tell a story
that requires a particular sequence of
events in a network layout. This doesn't mean that you can't tell stories, only that
your stories have to tolerate the player experiencing events in any sequence. To
enforce
some
sequence, use a combination layout, described in the later section
“Combinations of Layouts.”
FIGURE 12.4
A level with a simple network layout
In a network with a small number of major spaces, every space may be connected
to every other space for maximum freedom of movement. This arrangement poses
little exploration challenge to the player but makes an ideal fighting ground for
deathmatch contests in games such as
Quake
because there are no choke points.
Enemies may enter and exit in several directions, which prevents a player from
guarding one particular location indefinitely.
Hub-and-Spoke Layouts
In the hub-and-spoke layout, the player begins in a central hub that ordinarily
doesn't present significant challenges or dangers. As such, it serves as a place of
comfort or safety, a base to which to return. To explore the rest of the world, the
player follows a linear path out from the hub and then returns back to the hub on
the same path (see
Figure 12.5
). The return journey either should be quick—because
the player covers old ground during the return—or should offer new opportunities
for gameplay and new rewards as the player comes back. Normally you would also
put a major challenge and a major reward at the outer end of the spoke.
This layout gives the player some choice about where he goes, which many players
appreciate. You need not offer the player access to all the spokes at the beginning of
the level; to make sure that the player doesn't try the harder challenges too soon,
you can lock off some areas until the player tries the easier challenges available in
other spokes. Note that if you unlock the spokes only one at a time, you effectively
change the hub-and-spoke layout into a linear layout.
