GameFlow
Monkey Archive Forums/Monkey Discussion/GameFlow
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| copy&paste from my blog.. Let me set the scene for you, you’re playing a game where each level’s performance is rewarded with a possible three stars or zero if you played really badly. You complete level 1 and…….. Option 1) The game slides in the score window and shows you that you managed to gain a few stars, this window pauses a few seconds to allow you to take in your awesomeness and then slides out and loads the next level (IF you got enough stars to unlock it that is) Option 2) The game slides in the score window and shows you that you managed to gain a few stars, this window pauses a few seconds to allow you to take in your awesomeness and then takes you back to the level Select screen where you can pick to repeat the level or play the level you may have just unlocked. Option 3) The game silently checks the earned stars, unlocks the next level and loads it for play without bothering you with the results of the first level, this process continues until the player fails to complete a level with enough skill to unlock the next, or the player dies, at which point the player is taken to the Level Select screen where he can see the results of his n level’s being complete. Which are you. because I really need to know :) thanks. |
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| 2, and if you choose to repeat the level it shouldn't then take time to load it as it should already be ready! |
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| Judging by the language/wording/position (last) of the 3rd option I'd say that would appear to be your favourite. I think the 3rd one would be cool if perhaps there was some mechanism that displayed your score in real time. I guess a bit like when you level up in an rpg, there is some form of fanfare and your character is bathed in glowing light. If there is not a way to do this with your game then number 1. It always feels weird to me when games jump to a level select screen. The only time it doesn't is when there is a macro game e.g. Mario level select worlds. |
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| How about animated stars and a special menu that says 'New Level Unlocked' - Play new level - Replay this level - Level select / main menu [I'm assuming a case where if nothing special happened you'd get the latter two options.] |
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| Gerry although that was not one of my initial options it's a method that enough other people have suggested to really make me take notice. So yeah that's probably the system I will use, I did fear it might break immersion but I think so many people attracted to unlock games will be more than comfortable with it, so all good... |
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| Remember that in the old days, interstitial screens between levels (and a lot of other things too) were put there to give the player something to look at while the next level loaded. These days level loads should be blinding fast. Level loading was one reason why I implemented compression for my levels. |
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| Thanks all, took all the feedback from facebook, twitter, sms and e-mail that I got, LOADS! lol.. oh yeah and google+ and I decided that option 4 was the best approach, I know I didnt list an option 4 but tons of people actually suggested it and I thought it made sense. Anyway. here is what your feedback created  Everything in and working, and while it does pause the player for a few seconds after playing a few levels I really didn't feel all that put out which is nice. [EDIT- when I say everything working i mean the buttons lol... the stars and that score text are placeholder.] |
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| And the final result .. https://vine.co/v/Mmq9Yd6X76t :) apologize for the music, daughters sitting next to me and in control of the tunes. |
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