Difference between revisions of "Indirect Manipulation"

Latest revision as of 20:46, 18 December 2008

Rather than providing a one-to-one relationship between user input and game actions, some games elect to provide interactive menus through which players choose the actions of the game entity or entities under their control. Others use point and click interfaces, typed commands or contextual menus. Such interfaces appear often in role playing and adventure games. In contrast to games that directly map input signals to entity actions, these games accept a series of input signals to navigate the control system, then execute the entity actions the player chooses through that control system.

Examples

Strong Examples

Weak Examples

LocoRoco

In LocoRoco you indirectly affect the movement of a gelatinous blob (the LocoRoco) by tilting the world so that it rolls around. However, you can also make the LocoRoco jump by pressing the L and R buttons together. The jumping is a direct form of control which contrasts with the movement, which is indirect. Thus, LocoRoco provides a weak example of indirect manipulation.

Parent

• Manipulation Method

Children

• Entity Programming Interface
• Menu Interface
• Point and Click Interface
• Synchronized Button Press