2D
Super Mario is a 2D game, this means that the graphics are all flat and have no dimensions to them. The terrain differs from desserts too oceans but they are generally the same thing, as its just one straight flat platform that requires the player to jump onto upper levels; it is a side scrolling game as well. There are many different objects in the game which can be used to the players advantage, for example there are boxes which the player must jump at to gain points also there are special boxes that release special items once hit. Some of the items released are things such as mushrooms that make the player bigger, and a flower which can give the player the ability to shoot fireballs. The NPC’s in super Mario consist of a few things all of which try to get in your way. There are flowers which pop up and down out of green pipes, there are little turtles also other little mushrooms, it is not hard to kill these enemies as they just need to be jumped on, as well as small enemies there are also bosses at the end of every world to try and stop you getting to the next one. These bosses have special abilities and are harder to kill than normal NPC’s. Super Mario gives visual feedback to the player by displaying the number of lives, number of points, and also the remaining time on the screen. The audio feedback within this games is basically just the sound that is heard when you die.
3D
Resistance fall of man is a 3D game as the graphics are in the third dimension. The terrain in resistance varies from huge fields or boat docks to chimera breeding facility. Objects in the game include Chimera weapons, human weapons, health packs and also Intel which once collected gives the player information on the Chimera and there technology. The NPC’s within the game include your enemies which are the chimera and your ally soldiers who help you fight. The player UI includes a health bar which can regenerate over time, the players current gun and its ammo, the current players selected grenade, and a small cross in the middle of the screen which is the players target. The feedback the player gets is that there health bar goes down and also wherever the player has be shot there will be a red curve on the screen coming from whichever direction the gunfire came from.
First Person
Call of duty Modern Warfare is a first person game this means that the player is seeing as if he was the soldier. There are many different settings in Modern Warfare as it is a War based game; there are missions in Russia and Iraq. The Russian levels have more grassy areas and a bit more woodlands whereas the other settings tend to be built up areas or in buildings. Objects in the game include weapons like pistols or sniper rifles of a high caliber, different types of grenades such as flash bangs and frag grenades. NPC’s in Call of duty are usually enemy soldiers or soldiers on your own side helping you along the way to complete an objective. The players UI includes their current weapon their amount of ammo for that weapon, their grenades, their mini map and radar and also their compass which show them the direction if their objective. The feedback the player gets from call of duty includes is when they are being shot their screen goes red, but once they have covered from the fire their health regenerates, and also when a player gets hit with a flash bang grenade their screen goes white and they can hear a high pitched ringing noise, this is good as it gives the player that realistic feel.
Third person
A third person game would be assassin’s creed. The third person perspective is when the camera is behind the character on screen and the player can see the whole character. Objects in assassin’s creed are mostly different types of weapons such as swords, throwing knife and short swords. Game settings include very built up there are also more open landscapes whilst you are traveling to the bigger cities. There are a wide variety of NPC’s in Assassins creed some are your trainers which teach you new skills and how to use new weapons, other NPC’s are just civilians however these NPC’s can cause agro towards you for example, if you are running and bump into them then some will run away, some will fall over but some will attract attention of the nearby guards and then you will have to deal with the guards. Your UI consists of a small icon which shows your current weapon and then with a press of one of the buttons on the D pad you are able to change that weapon, and there is also your health bar, you also get a mini map in the corner of the screen with markers on to show you where you are supposed to be heading. The feedback in assassins creed includes, guards shouting at when you have agro, other feedback includes the little icon by your health bar which shows whether guards are watching you, or if you are going undetected or if you are being chased by the guards, for example, if you bump into someone the punch them the icon will start flashing red and you will hear a beeping noise, this indicates that you are being chased by the guards.
Scrolling
An example of a side scrolling game would be sonic, simply because its one platform where you one direction either left or right. The objects in sonic include rings you collect that gives you points and also act as a scapegoat for your life, other objects include little boxes that give you extra rings or bubble shields. The settings in sonic can quite a bit, for example the first level is a basic setting with a few trees grass and a few waterfalls, whereas another level later on in the game is a bit like a giant slot machine. NPC’s in sonic are little animal creatures that try to prevent you getting pass one way or another; there are also a boss at the end of each stage. The UI on sonic is pretty basic, all there is you score, your time limit, and the amount of coins you have.
Aerial View
An aerial view game is basically a game that’s camera view is like a bird’s eye view or really zoomed out, for example Age of empires. Age of empires is an RTS (real time strategy) which is in Ariel view perspective. The settings in AOE (age of empires) can vary depending on which campaign you play, for example there are campaigns in Scotland and France. The NPC’s in AOE are basically the enemy units or your allied units. The UI in AOE is more complex than other perspectives but is still easy to use, the top of the screen displays your resources which you can use to recruit new troops or construct new buildings, the UI also displays a map of the area you are currently playing on, however if you have discovered an area of a map then it will be black and until you discover that part of the map it will remain that way. The feedback on AOE is quite effective and helpful, for example when you are being attacked you will hear a bell chime and a square will zoom in on your mini map on the position your enemies are attacking you.
FMV
An example of an FMV feature in a game would be LOTRO (lord of the rings online). LOTRO is an MMORPG which is set in middle earth. The objects in LOTRO include weapons, amour, and other quest items. There are many different types of NPS’s in LOTRO some are, quest givers, people you must defend, however there are also enemy NPC’s such as orcs who will try to kill you when you go near them. The UI for LOTRO is complex if you have never seen an MMO’s UI before as the are many things to look at, such as your health bar, your power bar, you bags which are used to store your items, also there is your character display so you can customize your character and swap around your weapons and amour. The cut scene videos in LOTRO show you the current storyline and what is going on at that moment in time, and also the cut scene video’s show where the storyline is currently going.
