Level Up.pdf

272 LEVEL 10 The Elements of Combat
Grenades. When
throwing grenades, allow
the player to predict the
arc. Gears of War and
Uncharted both have
“ throw path ” targeting
aids to assist the player.
Don ’ t neglect the effects
when those suckers
blow. Kick up dust, debris and blow props sky high to really sell the
explosion.
Throwing a grenade should always carry the risk/reward of having it
accidently go off if held for too long, or even bounce back at the player.
Soldiers “ cook ” their grenades by holding on to them after pulling the pin to
make sure it goes off where it lands. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare not only
uses a HUD element to warn players of an incoming grenade, but allows
players to pick it up and throw it back! Remember that grenades can also
be shot from rifles and launchers for greater accuracy and range.
Since many players duck back under cover after throwing a grenade, make
sure you provide enough sound, visual and controller rumble cues to inform
the player when a grenade detonates, even if they aren ’ t looking at where it
landed. If a player gets too close to an exploding grenade, don ’ t hesitate to
blow them up as well.
Sometimes you just need to blow up
everything. It doesn ’ t matter if you
are calling in carpet bombing or a
magical meteor storm; smart bombs
are great one - shot solutions to keep
the baddies off your back, if only for a
few seconds. Show the player the
controls for a smart bomb so they
don ’ t confuse it with a regular attack.
When activated, smart bombs should
destroy everything on screen save the player. If there are destructible items,
they should blow up too.
You have a few options to how the player can activate a smart bomb,
depending on how much tension you want to create. In Defender, the smart
bomb is immediate while in R - Type, the player has to charge up the smart
bomb before firing it. Let them know what they are working toward so they
can make an accurate decision as to when to use it. Be careful that you
don ’ t let it charge up too fast or be used too frequently, otherwise all the
bad guys in your carefully designed combat encounters will be wiped out in
the blink of an eye!