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Reward System
A point is a single unit of reward. Points are earned by the player for performing beneficial actions within the game mechanics system of a game. For example, in a typical pure platform game such as Donkey Kong, the player earns points by jumping over barrels. In a shooter, the player earns points by shooting things. In a quiz game, points are earned by correctly answering questions.
All earned points earned by a player are added to his score in accumulative fashion. The score itself is a measure of a player's skill in a game, and thus the cliche obsession with getting the highest score.
Use
The use of a point system as a reward system is primarily used in arcade games. It is still used in games such as Tony Hawk's Pro Skater where a measure of skill is needed.
Bonus Points
Skill Bonus
A skill bonus is earned when the player performs an action of high skill vs an ordinary skill action. For example, shooting a single enemy in a series is an 'ordinary' skill action. A skill bonus is earned when the player is able to shoot every enemy in the series.
Point Icon
A point icon is an icon which adds a number of points to a player's score when collected.
Bonus Levels
Some games have bonus stages that appear between 'regular' levels. The difference between a bonus stage and an ordinary stage is that the primary purpose of a bonus stage is to allow the player the chance to collect bonus icons and / or perform bonus skill actions.
Galaga features bonus stages which give the player the chance to perform bonus skill actions, specifically, shooting series of enemies.
Gauntlet (NES version) features bonus stages which allow the player to collect extra treasure chests, a form of point icon.
Position
A point is a specific position.
Points which are close to a point of reference are described as proximal.
Points which are farther from a point of reference are described as distal.
To illustrate this, imagine a turning a bolt with a wrench. The part of the wrench that is closest to the bolt is the proximal part of the wrench, while the handle is the distal part.
Graphics
In terms of graphics, a point is actually a pixel.
Related Pages
Backlinks
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| Categories: Game Design : Game Mechanics : Graphics |