Level Up.pdf

250 LEVEL 10 The Elements of Combat
resort to those old standbys of fire trails and blood splatters like in Madworld
(Sega, 2009). Be big, be dynamic, and be dramatic! Give big action moves
like ground pounds and smashing uppercuts big screen effects that fill the
screen with debris, dust, lightning bolts and other eye - catchers. The more
spectacular the better!
So what happens when you actually
hit something? A strike without a
reaction animation from the enemy
doesn ’ t feel like the player has hit
anything. It ’ s like the attack is merely
skipping off the surface of the enemy.
If you can ’ t afford to have the enemy
have reaction animations (due to memory limitations, for example) at least
have effects and sound effects that indicate that a successful hit has
landed. Powerful sound effects make attacks feel more rewarding. Vocal
reactions such as a big “ Oof! ” from enemies are always satisfying!
Exaggerate the impact of a powerful
hit to heighten the feeling of strength
of the attack and increase drama. The
enemy should react to wherever
they ’ ve been hit. Got cracked in the
coconut? The enemy ’ s head (and
some teeth) should fly. Kick out their
leg and a bone should splinter or they should at least topple to the ground.
This kind of animation is getting easier to do within the game code using
rag doll physics systems like Havok and PhysX, but sometimes nothing
beats good old fashion key frame animation.
If conflict is drama, then combat
should be a freakin ’ opera complete
with flying spear- carrying valkyries
and a glass - shattering fat lady! Hype
up that drama! A particularly powerful
strike should be accompanied with a
camera shake, a rumble from the
controller ’ s actuator or combat
slowing down to show off the power of the hit. Batman: Arkham Asylum uses
slow motion to indicate that the player has defeated the last of the enemies
in a combat encounter.
Before I forget, here ’ s a pearl of wisdom: close battles are more exciting.
Don ’ t get me wrong, kicking hordes of enemies ’ asses can be quite
satisfying, but just make sure that your player is evenly matched to his skill
level for the majority of the game.