Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
narrative events
Events that are shown to the player through narration rather
than through the action of the player or the core mechanics. Equivalent to
embed-
ded narrative
.
native talent
The inherent ability that a player brings to a game.
natural language
Ordinary language as spoken or written by human beings.
negative feedback
A phenomenon of the game's
balance
such that successful
player action makes subsequent challenges more difficult.
networked play
Play among characters on computers connected together by a net-
work. See
multiplayer distributed gaming
.
nonlinear stories
Stories whose plot can change in response to
dramatic actions
on
the part of the player.
nonplayer character (NPC)
A simulated character in a video game who is not an
avatar for a player. The behavior of an NPC is normally governed by
artificial
intelligence.
NPC
See
nonplayer character.
object (of a game)
See
goals
.
pace
The rate at which the player is obliged to interact with the game; the speed at
which the game presents challenges.
pan
To turn the game's virtual camera about its vertical axis.
parallax scrolling
A display technique in which background objects in 2D envi-
ronments scroll by more slowly than foreground objects, creating the impression
that they are farther away. Normally used in the
side-scrolling perspective
to create an
illusion of depth.
party
A group of characters, normally under the control of one or more players,
who act cooperatively in a game, most commonly a role-playing game.
party-based interaction model
An
interaction model
in which the player influ-
ences the
game world
through a
party
of characters who generally stay together in
one area but may sometimes separate briefly. The player controls most or all of the
members of the party.
pathfinding
An artificial intelligence technique for finding the most efficient route
from one point in a landscape to another while avoiding obstacles along the way.
