Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
qualifies as a change of mode because such changes redirect the player's focus of
attention and cause him to start thinking about different challenges. Also, if the
mapping between the controls on the input device and the actions in the game
changes sharply, the player probably thinks of it as a new mode.
GAMEPLAY MODES IN AMERICAN FOOTBALL
Video games about American football have many rapid and complex mode switches,
especially when you're playing the offensive team; that is, the team that has the ball. The
mapping between the buttons on the controller and the actions they produce in the game
changes on a second-by-second basis. Here is the sequence necessary to select and exe-
cute a pass play in
Madden NFL:
1.
Choose the offensive formation you want to use on the next play from a menu.
2.
Choose the play you want to call from another menu.
3.
Take control of the quar terback. Call signals at the line of scr immage. Dur ing this
period only one man, who is not the quarterback, may move under the player's control.
Snap the ball to the quarterback.
4.
Drop back from the line of scrimmage and look for an open receiver. Choose one and
press the appropriate button to pass the ball to the chosen receiver.
5.
Take control of the chosen receiver and run to the place where the ball w ill come
down. Press the appropriate button to try to catch the ball.
6.
Run toward the goal line. At this point you may not throw the ball again.
This process requires six different gameplay modes in the space of about 45 seconds.
Many of the earliest arcade games have only one gameplay mode. In
Asteroids,
for
example, you fly a spaceship around a field of asteroids, trying to avoid being hit by
one and shooting at them to break them up and disintegrate them. The camera
model and the interaction model never change, nor does the function of the con-
trols. When you have destroyed an entire screenful of asteroids, you get a new
screenful that moves somewhat faster, but that is all. From time to time an enemy
spaceship appears and shoots at you, presenting new challenges (to avoid being
shot and to shoot the enemy), but because nothing else changes, it isn't really a
new gameplay mode. On the other hand, in
Pac-Man
you are chased by dangerous
ghosts until you eat a large dot on the playfield. For a short period after that, the
ghosts are vulnerable and they run away from you. Because this represents a signifi-
cant change to the gameplay (and is a key part of the game's strategy), it can be
considered a new gameplay mode even though the user interface does not change.
As the designer, it's up to you to decide when the gameplay or the user interface has
changed enough to be a new gameplay mode.
