Chapter Seven Book Work

Question 1.
The 3 games I played were Grand Theft Auto 4, Resident Evil 4, and The Elder Scrolls 4. Each of these games is a different game type so they handle things very differently.
Saves: In term of saving RE4 like most survival horror games has specific save points set throughout the game world. I noticed they a set in places that are just far enough away from each other that you get nervous when its been a while since you saved but not do far away the you get really frustrated and cant proceed or find one to stop playing if you have to take a break. GTA4 handled it differently. Since it was a sand box game and not very linear the save points were place in a place you could always get back too easily. It also saved automatically after every mission making it less likely for the player to loose their progress if they get killed before they get too the save point. TES4 is completely open ended and thus has no reason to restrict saves. Not only does it allow for the player to save anytime they want, it also has auto saves after every quest and when ever the player sleeps or leaves a town. It even allows for quick saves making fast last minute emergency saves or saves that allow for quick updates when dungeon crawling.
Statistics: In terms of statistics RE4 since its a survival horror game they don't want to remind you that your playing a game so instead of a life bar it uses the color of the picture in the corner and the way the character moves as an indicator of about how much life the character has left. It also is vague about how well your doing to avoid loosing the tention in the game and waits till you have beaten it to tell you how you did. GTA4 uses a circular life on the lower left and uses a score system to keep track of the things the player has done. Since the game is designed to be about doing whatever the player likes it keeps track of every thing the player does. TES4 as an RPG and as such is very statistic heavy. It has a bar for health, stamina, and magic and it also uses a level system with skill and abilities that all intertwine in a very complicated way. It has multiple screens or statistics all of which are important for proper enjoyment of the game.
Ramping: In RE4 the difficulty is always ramped to keep the player from getting too comfortable. In GTA4 there is no ramping at all except in the context of the mission difficalty. This is because the game wants you to feel like your the best of the best. TES4 has a dynamic ramping system that raises the level of the enemies to always be a challenge. This keeps the game from becoming boring however it can also make it feel like you are making no progress.
Blockade: RE4 used a "locks and keys" blockade system to keep the player from advancing in the game before they are supposed to. This makes it easier for the game to predict were I'll be and when. Unfortunately on any subsequent play through it becomes a chore. GTA4 barely uses and blockade system expect to make it very hard to survive in places you are not supposed to be by giving the player 6 stars causing the police to attack the player with overwhelming force. TES4 uses absolutely no blockade system and allows the player to go anywhere they want whenever they want. This method of complete freedom is what the game is based on and works very well. The only problem with this is that it can be confusing to player who don't know what to do next.
Navigation: All three games handle navigation basically the same way. With a small mini-map in the lower left corner and the of the screen and a full map visible when the game is paused.