Contents 1 Problem Summary 2 Use When 3 Solution 4 Recommendations 5 Rationale 6 Examples

Problem Summary

The player wants to know how much progress has been made during the game and how long he needs to play/what all needs to be accomplished before he finishes/wins the game. This is not about real time game ticks but when the player needs feedback about the overall game progress between levels or sections.

Use When

• Mostly in story based games. Typical to action/adventure games, FPS, RTS genres
• Games which are divided into levels or there are sections/parts to be completed and it can benefit the player to know what all he has finished and what is left.

Solution

Showing the game progress would help/motivate the user perform better in the game and can make it more challenging and addictive:

• It can be implemented as a mini-map showing which all parts have been visited or completed.
• If there are levels in game then how many levels finished vs total levels can be shown in between levels.
• It can be implemented as a passive UI control, may not always be visible.
• It can be embedded as a part of story line.

Recommendations

It may not be applicable for certain games as it may spoil the gameplay. So it should be used accordingly.

Rationale

Giving feedback to the player on the overall game progress would motivate the player to play more efficiently and would maintain his interest and immersion in the game. The player would also experience more control over the game and would increase satisfaction.

Examples

• Prince of Persia
• Dungeon Keeper
• Death Space
• Burnout Revenge
• Super Mario World, Super Mario Bros 3
• Donkey Kong Country games
• Skies of Arcadia