Level Up.pdf

“Love Thy Player” 361
Most power- ups are content to sit still and wait
patiently to be consumed by the player, while
others have a keen sense of self- preservation.
Power- ups have been known to move upon
spawning out of their hiding place, like the
super mushrooms in Super Mario Bros. Still
others will run and hide when they spot the
player, like the “ cowardly power- up ” in MDK.
Give your player a chance to catch these
mobile power- ups. Do not make them move
faster than the player or make them resistant to
the lure of a magnetic power- up.
Power- ups can be designed to work
conditionally. In Maximo: Ghosts to Glory, we
had an armor power- up that only worked when
the player had collected the full set of armor.
Another one required a special ability to
activate. As long as the conditions for gaining
these special powers are clear to the player,
there ’ s no reason why you can ’ t add this
technique to your design arsenal.
Not all power- ups are delicious and useful. Very
evil game designers in their secret lair high in
the Alps have created anti - power- ups. Like a
chocolate truffle stuffed with dog poo, these
sinister collectables look like regular, nice
power- ups but they hold a deadly surprise.
Poisonous power- ups that can sap health, slow
movement, drain experience, or even turn the player into a zombie, complete
with backward control schemes. While they are fun, they are only fun once or
twice. I suggest using anti - power- ups judiciously and with caution.
“ Love Thy Player ”
Pureiya aishi nasai
Once upon a time, a Japanese game director 1 told me this should be the
motto of all game designers. I agree with him, although I have a different
way of saying it:
1 A different Japanese game director from the “ fisherman ” from Level 4, btw.