In some games I’ve played I encountered this:
I can’t see a thing beyond some studs and the light I do have barely helps. My best option is to wander aimlessly until I stumble upon something, waiting however long for the night to end.
This I think is an example of bad game design. Players are meant to explore and collect resources, but that task becomes incredibly difficult due to how dark their environment is, and the solution they are given is inadequate.
In my opinion this is more detrimental than beneficial to gameplay.
To clarify it’s not how dark the world is itself that I think is bad. Lighting like that would definitely be beneficial for horror games or games that make better use of being unable to see.
What I think is bad is that players have no effective influence over their gameplay and their lack of visibility doesn’t contribute positively.
So if I were designing a game using similar darkness here are some solutions I’d make use of:
- An effective light source. Players being able to counteract an unavoidable dark situation allows them to continue their gameplay instead of hope for a more favorable situation. The light source can be an item or another object like a street light or the moon. Players should be able to tell what is where without having to be there as well.
- Limited directional choices. Placing players into a smaller enclosed area means players will more quickly reach a destination that changes their situation. In a room (or maze), players can only walk around for so long until they find an exit. In a hallway, players will for sure reach where they want to go or the opposite. Even with weaker light sources players can more effectively navigate.
- Recognizable and visible markers. In a large area like a field in which one location will easily look the same as any other location in the field, players can identify where they are and where they’ve been by referring to a central marker or multiple recognizable markers. Ideally the marker can be seen from most places.
- Controllable darkness. Basically very dark environments only affect the player when the player chooses, such as when entering a cave.
Additionally here are ways I think such dark environments can be used to benefit gameplay:
- Danger times. In some games nights are more dangerous than days. Combining this with low visibility darkness encourages players to stay in one place if they fear danger. This also gives an opportunity to change the pace of the game, by making the days calm productive times and making the nights intense aggressive times.
- Visibility upgrades. Dark environments are an obvious problem for players, it is always beneficial to be able to see around you. Problems incentivize players to work towards a solution. Players can be given upgrade options throughout their gameplay to increase their visibility in the dark, for example going from a lantern to a flashlight to night-vision goggles. Though even with upgrade options, the problem should ideally scale with the solution–I wouldn’t justify absolute blinding visibility with “You can fix that when you reach a higher level”.
- Environmental advantage. Inherently, by allowing players to alter their individual visibility through upgrades this creates interesting hide-and-seek gameplay.
- Incorporate wandering. Design the game so that getting lost (due to visibility) is a core part of the game, rather than just something that prevents players from playing the game. For example, The Voidness has the player blind in the caves, but wandering around allows the player to better navigate and reach their goal.
Or there was this Roblox Rake game in which walking around in the darkness meant risking your life, but also meant you had a chance of discovering locations that benefitted you.
So I’m asking: What do you consider good uses of dark environments (or in general low-visibility situations)? How does it benefit gameplay and what tradeoffs are made?