View source for Traverse

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[[Category:Goal Patterns]]
[[Category:Diegetic Patterns]]
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This pattern is a still a stub.

The goal to try and move a game element from one position in the game to another.
Board games such as Backgammon and Ludo and all sports Race s from the 100 Meter Dash to marathons to horse Races are examples of Traverse used together with Race.

=== Examples ===
Example: Moving one's pawn to the opposite end of the board is a Traverse goal in Chess.

Example: Platform games such as those in the Mario or Super Monkey Ball seriescan be defined as having Traverse goals of going from the beginning of a level to the end.

[[Snakes and Ladders]]

[[Left 4 Dead series]]
[[Assassin's Creed series]]

[[RoboRally]]

[[Fallout series]]

[[Elder Scrolls series]]

[[:Category:Pool Games|Pool Games]] such as [[Eight-ball]] and [[Snooker]]

== Using the pattern ==
[[Traverse]] goals are often introduce in games to create [[Races]], or to make it sure (or at least make it likely) that players visit certain parts of [[Game Worlds]] or [[Levels]]. [[Quests]] and [[Game World Navigation]] tasks can specifically require [[Traverse]] goals to be completed and [[Levels]] can in themselves be seen as creating [[Traverse]] goals since they most often have an entry and exit point which players need to move between to finish them. The mere existence of [[Game Worlds]] can also indirectly cause [[Traverse]] goals to emerge whenever players have a reason to want game elements to be in another locations. For example, [[Strategic Locations]] such as [[Chargers]] can make players want to move game elements close to them, especially if the can gain [[Area Control]] over them, and the presence of [[Big Dumb Objects]] may make players want to get to them simply to investigate them. The three main considerations when designing [[Traverse]] goals are where the goal area is, how one can move to get there, and the layout of the actual game space that has to be moved through to get there.

The simplest way to define goal areas is to make use of [[Check Points]], and if the overall distanced need to be traveled is long this can be broken down into several [[Supporting Goals]] each with their own [[Check Points|Check Point]] (races in [[Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas]] does this) or through making [[Goal Hierarchies]] (the overall game structure in many of the games in the [[Super Mario Bros series]] can be described like this). The intermittent goals make natural locations for [[Save Points]], although the use of these may disrupt the [[Temporal Consistency]] of a game. While simply getting to the area may be enough to complete the goal, a couple of more specific [[Traverse]] goals with other requirements exist. One common variant is [[Delivery]], where a goal object needs by somebody to the goal area (''Capture the Flag'' matches in the [[Quake series]] are examples of this). Another is [[Herding]], where [[Indirect Control]] and [[Units]] are used to make players in various ways affect another game object to make it move to a specific point ([[:Category:Pool Games|Pool Games]] such as [[Eight-ball]] and [[Snooker]] are examples of this). Not giving players the location of the goal area adds an [[Gain Information]] component to the pattern, and this forces players to engage in [[Game World Exploration]]. 

[[Movement]] is a basic requirement for [[Traverse]] goals to be possible at all, but when players have a [[Freedom of Choice]] regarding the means of [[Movement]] available this can create [[Risk/Reward]] situations or require players to do [[Trade-Offs]]. [[Privileged Movement]] and [[Vehicles]] can provide [[Asymmetric Abilities]] regarding this, making [[Traverse]] goals different to different players or different between game instances. If some form of [[Limited Resources]] is consumed by the [[Movement]] required to reach the [[Traverse]] goal, this can create more [[Complex Gameplay]] especially if the rate of consumption depend on factors such as speed, vehicle used, and environment traveled in. 

The layout of [[Game Worlds]] and [[Levels]] naturally affect how easy [[Traverse]] goals are to complete. [[Enemies]], [[Choke Points]], [[Conditional Passageways]], and [[Obstacles]] can make them more difficult while [[Safe Havens]] can be player respite along the way of getting the the goal areas ([[Enemies]] can in practice make some [[Traverse]] goals impossible and this can be used intentionally by game designers). [[Privileged Movement]] can make [[Traverse]] easier for some while having to deal with [[Enemies]] that have this can instead make it more difficult. [[Backtracking Levels]] (with a [[Check Points|Check Point]] at the point furthest away) makes more use of the gameplay areas, while [[Quick Returns]] avoids the [[Excise]] of having to move back to the beginning after succeeding with the [[Traverse]] goal. The game space can either only allow one specific path to be followed (as in [[Snakes and Ladders]]), or allow players a [[Freedom of Choice]] to choose between different paths. The latter is an example of giving players a [[Selectable Set of Goals]]. The latter allow players to make plans depending on what [[Strategic Locations]] exist as well as what [[Enemies]] and [[Obstacles]] exist, for example, letting players choose between [[Evade]], [[Overcome]], and [[Stealth]] goals. Like the case of not giving players the location of the goal area, not providing them with all the details about the area they need to move through adds an [[Gain Information]] component and makes them have to perform not only a certain amount of [[Game World Exploration]] but also [[Game World Navigation]]; [[Diegetically Outstanding Features]] and [[Traces]] can help make both tasks easier. If wanted, the need for them can be eliminated or at least significantly reduced by using [[Game State Overviews]] such as [[Mini-maps]]. The actual goal areas does not have to be perceivable if [[Conditional Passageways]] are used together with [[Inaccessible Areas]] since players can then instead work on the subgoal of opening the [[Conditional Passageways]] - this is a case where the [[Movement]] aspect of [[Traverse]] can be trivial.

=== Diegetic Aspects ===
[[Traverse]] is a [[:Category:Diegetic Patterns|Diegetic Pattern]] in that in related to trying to move from one part to another in a diegetic world.

=== Narrative Aspects ===
As [[Traverse]] depends on players moving from one area within a [[Game Worlds|Game World]] to the other, the completion of the goal guarantees that the player has changed environment. This can be used to set up  progression in [[Predetermined Story Structures]].

== Consequences ==
[[Traverse]] goals gives players clear goals related to [[Movement]] and achieving [[Contact]] with a specific game object or game area. They most often allows players to judge their local progress by their position in the game space, but while this may seem to remove the need of [[Progress Indicators]] if the end point is known - since the positions of player's game elements provide a diegetic measure of progress - it does not necessarily provide good overviews. Making players think about how they should move their [[Focus Loci]] or other game elements to succeeded with the [[Traverse]] goals is likely to support [[Spatial Engrossment]].

While [[Traverse]] goals are often placed in games to create [[Races]], the presence of other types of [[Traverse]] goals can make [[Races]] emerge if two or more [[Agents]] decide to strive for the [[Traverse]] goals (an example of this can be found in the [[Civilization (video game) series|Civilization series]] where different players may be rushing to find as many ruins as possible before other players do). [[Traverse]] goals through environments containing [[Enemies]] suggest [[Stealth]] goals to players as long as the environment and the perceptual abilities of the [[Enemies]] make this possible. 

Try to performing [[Aim & Shoot]] actions while also trying to achieve [[Traverse]] goals is more difficult than doing just one.

== Relations ==
=== Can Instantiate ===
[[Contact]], 
[[Game World Navigation]], 
[[Quests]], 
[[Predetermined Story Structures]], 
[[Races]], 
[[Spatial Engrossment]]

==== with [[Enemies]] ====
[[Stealth]] 

==== with [[Gain Information]] ====
[[Game World Exploration]]

==== with [[Limited Resources]] ==== 
[[Complex Gameplay]] 

==== with [[Selectable Set of Goals]] ====
[[Freedom of Choice]]

=== Can Modulate ===
[[Aim & Shoot]], 
[[Game Worlds]], 
[[Levels]]

=== Can Be Instantiated By ===
[[Area Control]], 
[[Big Dumb Objects]], 
[[Chargers]], 
[[Check Points]], 
[[Delivery]], 
[[Game World Navigation]], 
[[Herding]], 
[[Inaccessible Areas]], 
[[Levels]], 
[[Movement]], 
[[Quests]], 
[[Strategic Locations]]

[[Conditional Passageways]] together with [[Inaccessible Areas]]

=== Can Be Modulated By ===
[[Backtracking Levels]], 
[[Choke Points]], 
[[Conditional Passageways]], 
[[Diegetically Outstanding Features]], 
[[Enemies]], 
[[Gain Information]], 
[[Game State Overviews]], 
[[Goal Hierarchies]], 
[[Mini-maps]], 
[[Obstacles]], 
[[Privileged Movement]], 
[[Quick Returns]], 
[[Safe Havens]], 
[[Save Points]], 
[[Supporting Goals]], 
[[Traces]], 
[[Vehicles]] 

=== Possible Closure Effects ===
-

=== Potentially Conflicting With ===
[[Enemies]]

== History ==
An updated version of the pattern ''Traverse'' that was part of the original collection in the book ''Patterns in Game Design''<ref name="Bjork & Holopainen 2004"/>.

== References ==
<references>
<ref name="Bjork & Holopainen 2004">Björk, S. & Holopainen, J. (2004) ''Patterns in Game Design''. Charles River Media. ISBN1-58450-354-8.</ref>
</references>

== Acknowledgements ==