How could I have forgotten the first level of Unreal? You don''t even have a gun, and the guards (it''s a prison transport ship) are getting killed around every corner, but you never see the skaarj except in brief flashes. It''s alinear level, and dorrs malfunction or walls collapse to "herd" you to the right path, but you creep through vents, and aliens skitter around corners, and steam pipes break right next to you, and the whole experience is absolutely delightful. Worth a look.

quote:Original post by Iron Chef Carnage
It''s alinear level, and dorrs malfunction or walls collapse to "herd" you to the right path

I wonder if this kind of technique could be used more in non-linear levels in order to create linear levels?

Actually I think this is why Resident Evil and Dino Crisis style games have so many locked doors and keys to collect. (In what would otherwise be a fairly non-linear experience. The locked doors allow them to herd the player and set up specific encounters. Ie. They have to go through corridor x to get to the key and when they go back the same way, an enemy attacks. Linear pathways (ie dead end corridors) also allow them to generate suspense.

Locking open doors also allows you to herd the player.

(Personally I''ve always liked AI that wanders around and so you encounter it in different places each time).