Level Up.pdf

112 LEVEL 5 The Three Cs, Part 1—Character
A second playable character (or SPC) lets the player swap between
controlling multiple characters. When control is relinquished on one
character, the second becomes controlled by artificial intelligence. This
concept originates from Japanese RPGs where the player can “ control ”
each of the party members to battle enemies during the combat sequence.
The idea quickly spread across the Pacific to American action and sports
games like The Goonies (Datasoft, 1985) and Speedball (Imageworks, 1988)
and over the Atlantic to the UK with Head over Heels (Ocean, 1987).
However, control would revert back to a single character for navigation
purposes during the rise of consoles like the Famicom (aka the Nintendo
Entertainment System), partially due to hardware limitations.
In Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga (Nintendo, 2003), the player can control
either Mario or Luigi for the duration of the game; though there isn ’ t too
much difference between them. However, the characters in Lego Batman
(WBI, 2008) have unique abilities used to solve puzzles. Keep the “ player
zapping 9 ” to a single button press to allow players to quickly jump to the
other character. If the player can swap with more than one SPC, determine
the method by which the player will be able to make the choice quickly:
• Player chooses the SPC positioned closest to the player.
• The player cycles through a preset list of characters.
• Use a “ compass - style ” selection window which allows the player to
select directly rather than in a cyclic order.
• A predetermined location in the level automatically switches characters.
The difference between a SPC and a companion character is that a
companion is controlled by the game ’ s AI. In some cases, a companion
is the second player character, as in the Lego Star Wars games or Army
of Two.
Originally, AI - controlled characters were a bit of a pain — standing right
where you wanted to be and being pretty useless in a fight. But thankfully
games have evolved. Companions can be useful in combat (Resident
Evil 2, F.E.A.R. 2), provide navigational support and advice (The Legend
of Zelda: The Wind Waker, Darksiders), can aid the player in puzzle solving
(GoldenEye, Mark of Kri), or even heal or help the player when they are in
physical danger (Ghostbusters, Gears of War 2). They don ’ t even have
to be human; like the canines Shadow in Dead to Rights 2 (Namco, 2005),
Dogmeat in Fallout 3 (Bethesda, 2008), or the weighted companion cube in
Portal (Valve, 2007).
9
“ Player Zapping ” was the charming term used for SPC switching in Resident Evil 0
(Capcom, 2002).