Option 2: Navigation Through Designed Space

There are many problems that must be solved in 3d game design. The overall problem is simulating another world and incorporating all the motion perception cues possible. The main cue being the optical flow of the virtual world. If you are playing as another character the world must be able to smoothly go around the character. The ultimate goal is for the user to feel "inside of the game" and to escape the norm as much as possible. The movement of other simulated characters must be apparent while the user is able to move through the world. For example, in this picture the simulated soldier must look like it is moving through the environment also. So the game designers problem could probably be solved by making the user able to run faster than the simulated character so that it blends with the optical flow, yet at the same time event perception can be incorporated with the character to create a narrative story. In order to keep the user's attention they must be able to relate to it. This picture is a great example to event perception - it is emotional, there is biological movement (reloading the gun, other characters moving, dying, etc) The white house keeps the user's attention because it is a battlefield - unsafe emotion. The relative movement needs to be smooth so that the part of the character you see (hands, gun) moves with the camera. How do you get illusions of direction? By putting tone in the right place such as the sun so that the far away tree is in the shadow of the building makes the illusion of direction.

Even simple 2d side-scrolling games like Limbo require dealing with a great deal of physical issues. The optical flow is easy to create because it is only a sillouette with a light background. However, with such a simple design, the physical environment really needs to captivate the user. The apparent and physical movement is crucial. For example, the spider in the game needs to move like a spider does to simulate that feeling you get when you watch a spider move. The boy needs to run like a boy. The emotion of the game relies on the biological movement of the character and the protagonists. The physics, such as when the boy jumps and lands makes gravity look very similar to ours. This creates the illusion of direction and enhances the overall optical flow of the game