The immediate control a player has over a game curries, deservedly, a lot of focus. Nobody wants their game to have floppy, imprecise controls when jumps need to land and punches need to connect. Controls are good when they feel appropriate; trucks should feel like trucks and ninjas should feel like ninjas. What isn't often focused on is the player's ability to leverage their actions and affect the game world. More often than not, changes to the landscape of a game are relegated to scripted story events that the player may occasionally have a choice in.
And everyone was amazed when Shadow of Mordor let you have some control over the world. Suddenly you could kill your enemies. In a game about killing your enemies.
I'm not really sure what to say. We don't call player agency control, but that's what it is. Nonlinearity in a game allows a player some time to feel like they're in control of the direction of the game. Side quests, upgrade choices, RPG elements, strategy elements, and a whole bunch of other things help a player feel like they are a part of the game's world.
This is the part where I'd point out how FlyShootTrade does all the awesome stuff, but let's be real here: basics first, then Empires and Conquering Planets.
This is the part where I'd point out how FlyShootTrade does all the awesome stuff, but let's be real here: basics first, then Empires and Conquering Planets.
