Level Up.pdf

106 LEVEL 5 The Three Cs, Part 1—Character
3. Give the player a chance to jump out of a teeter so they can get to
where they want to go. If the result of missing a jump is death, let them
see the bottom/death zone as they make the jump. Blind leaps of faith
make players very nervous.
4. Does the character have a hoist? If so, the player can use the hoist to
abort a jump or as a “ last ditch effort ” save option to keep from falling
to their death. As some games use distance to ground as a variable to
determine whether the player will take damage upon falling from a great
height, a hoist can make the difference between a safe drop and death.
5. When the player is falling, do they have control over the fall? Many games
allow for course correction and some allow for flat- out in - air maneuvering.
Make sure the animation of the character falling communicates whether
they have control or not. An out- of- control fall may have the character
fl ailing about or screaming in terror while an in - control fall may re - use the
same animation at the end of a jump.
6. Can the player “ air jump ” out of a fall? How will this ability be
communicated to the player? Make sure there are plenty of gameplay
situations that capitalize on this move.
7. What happens to the player when he hits the ground? Does he land on
his feet like a cat and take no damage? Does he land hard on the
ground and have a longer recovery animation, which would make him
vulnerable to approaching enemies? Does he bounce off the ground
like a rag doll and die? Make sure the player knows early on in the
game whether or not there is any penalty for hitting the ground.
8. Whether or not your player take damage from hitting the ground, let
them recover quickly so they can get back in control of their character
and get moving again. Nothing is worse than waiting for a “ get up ”
animation to finish playing.
Me and My Shadow
As you are building your character in the game, it is important not to forget
the player ’ s shadow. Having a shadow provides several benefits to the
player:
• A shadow acts as a reference point in 3 - D space for the player —
particularly important when gauging jumps.
• A shadow grounds the player in the world; it adds to the illusion that the
character has weight and mass.
• A shadow helps players with edge detection. If their shadow doesn ’ t
“ lie ” on ground, they will get one more hint that it ’ s not meant for them to
stand on.