Crosshairs - Revision history

Staffan Björk at 06:34, 22 June 2014

2014-06-22T06:34:31Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 06:34, 22 June 2014
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	[[Category:Patterns]]		[[Category:Patterns]]
	[[Category:Interface Patterns]]		[[Category:Interface Patterns]]
			[[Category:Platform Patterns]]
	[[Category:Needs revision]]		[[Category:Needs revision]]
	[[Category:Needs references]]		[[Category:Needs references]]

Staffan Björk at 18:39, 9 October 2011

2011-10-09T18:39:49Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:39, 9 October 2011
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	== Consequences ==		== Consequences ==
	[[Crosshairs]] are visual aids for players to interact with [[Game Worlds]], and are most often used to support [[Aim & Shoot]] actions in [[Combat]]. They are a form of [[God Fingers]] for triggering specific actions directly rather than selecting game elements to interact with, but this is mainly relevant when the [[Crosshairs]] are moveable.		[[Crosshairs]] are visual aids for players to interact with [[Game Worlds]], and are most often used to support [[Dexterity-Based Actions]] - especially [[Aim & Shoot]] actions in [[Combat]]. They are a form of [[God Fingers]] for triggering specific actions directly rather than selecting game elements to interact with, but this is mainly relevant when the [[Crosshairs]] are moveable.

	As visual aids, [[Crosshairs]] may be part of [[HUD Interfaces]] or create these, and may introduce [[Non-Diegetic Features]] in games.		As visual aids, [[Crosshairs]] may be part of [[HUD Interfaces]] or create these, and may introduce [[Non-Diegetic Features]] in games.
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	[[Aim & Shoot]],		[[Aim & Shoot]],
	[[Combat]],		[[Combat]],
			[[Dexterity-Based Actions]],
	[[Friendly Fire]],		[[Friendly Fire]],
	[[Weapons]]		[[Weapons]]

Staffan Björk at 08:09, 24 September 2011

2011-09-24T08:09:08Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 08:09, 24 September 2011
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	While most with [[Crosshairs]] have them fixed in the middle of the display, exception such as [[Missile Command]] and ports of the [[Operation Wolf series]] exist.		While most with [[Crosshairs]] have them fixed in the middle of the display, exception such as [[Missile Command]] and ports of the [[Operation Wolf series]] exist.

	The site GiantBomb has a list<ref name="gb"/> of games using [[Crosshairs]]. Actually, it also has a list<ref name="gb2"/> for games that does ''not'' have crosshairs, something which is done to increase difficulty or to make people make use of the in-game scopes.		The site GiantBomb has a list<ref name="gb"/> of games using [[Crosshairs]], and has another one under the name ''Iron Sights''<ref name="iron"/> for sights that have to be activated (both these are assumed to be part of this pattern). Actually, it also has a list<ref name="gb2"/> for games that does ''not'' have crosshairs, something which is done to increase difficulty or to make people make use of the in-game scopes.

	== Using the pattern ==		== Using the pattern ==
	While the actual design of [[Crosshairs]] is more a question of graphical design than gameplay design, there are a couple of gameplay-related options for them. The first is if their location should be fixed (as in the [[Quake series\|Quake]] and [[Unreal Tournament series]]) or moveable (as in [[Missile Command]]). They can be modified by [[Auto-Aim]] functionality, either directly through making the system more them through the use of ''reticule magnetism'' or indirectly (in [[Combat]] contexts) by letting bullets aimed near [[Enemies]] hit anyway. [[Variable Accuracy]] ~~makes~~ players that aim for a longer time have higher chances of hitting where they aim, and games using this pattern often indicate the current accuracy through the [[Crosshairs]].		While the actual design of [[Crosshairs]] is more a question of graphical design than gameplay design, there are a couple of gameplay-related options for them. The first is if their location should be fixed (as in the [[Quake series\|Quake]] and [[Unreal Tournament series]]) or moveable (as in [[Missile Command]]). They can be modified by [[Auto-Aim]] functionality, either directly through making the system more them through the use of ''reticule magnetism'' or indirectly (in [[Combat]] contexts) by letting bullets aimed near [[Enemies]] hit anyway. [[Variable Accuracy]] can either require players to activate scopes (e.g. through ''Iron Sights''<ref name="iron"/>) or make players that aim for a longer time have higher chances of hitting where they aim, and games using this pattern often indicate the current accuracy through the [[Crosshairs]].

	[[Crosshairs]] can also be modified to provide more information about what is aimed at. Showing [[Handles]] and [[Health]] are typical examples of this but this can also be used to show [[Tooltips]]. [[Crosshairs]] also make natural starting points for creating context-dependent [[Pie Menus]] since they already allow players to indicate their point of interest.		[[Crosshairs]] can also be modified to provide more information about what is aimed at. Showing [[Handles]] and [[Health]] are typical examples of this but this can also be used to show [[Tooltips]]. [[Crosshairs]] also make natural starting points for creating context-dependent [[Pie Menus]] since they already allow players to indicate their point of interest.
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	<ref name="gb">[http://www.giantbomb.com/crosshair/92-638/ Page] on the GiantBomb site describing [[Crosshairs]].</ref>		<ref name="gb">[http://www.giantbomb.com/crosshair/92-638/ Page] on the GiantBomb site describing [[Crosshairs]].</ref>
	<ref name="gb2">[http://www.giantbomb.com/no-reticle-aiming/92-4658/ Page] on the GiantBomb site describing ''No-Reticle Aiming''.</ref>		<ref name="gb2">[http://www.giantbomb.com/no-reticle-aiming/92-4658/ Page] on the GiantBomb site describing ''No-Reticle Aiming''.</ref>
			<ref name="iron">[http://www.giantbomb.com/iron-sights/92-567/ Page] on the GiantBomb site describing ''Iron Sights''.</ref>
	</references>		</references>

	== Acknowledgements ==		== Acknowledgements ==
	-		-

Staffan Björk at 07:56, 24 September 2011

2011-09-24T07:56:50Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 07:56, 24 September 2011
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	While most with [[Crosshairs]] have them fixed in the middle of the display, exception such as [[Missile Command]] and ports of the [[Operation Wolf series]] exist.		While most with [[Crosshairs]] have them fixed in the middle of the display, exception such as [[Missile Command]] and ports of the [[Operation Wolf series]] exist.

	The site GiantBomb has a list<ref name="gb"/> of games using [[Crosshairs]].		The site GiantBomb has a list<ref name="gb"/> of games using [[Crosshairs]]. Actually, it also has a list<ref name="gb2"/> for games that does ''not'' have crosshairs, something which is done to increase difficulty or to make people make use of the in-game scopes.

	== Using the pattern ==		== Using the pattern ==
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	<references>		<references>
	<ref name="gb">[http://www.giantbomb.com/crosshair/92-638/ Page] on the GiantBomb site describing [[Crosshairs]].</ref>		<ref name="gb">[http://www.giantbomb.com/crosshair/92-638/ Page] on the GiantBomb site describing [[Crosshairs]].</ref>
			<ref name="gb2">[http://www.giantbomb.com/no-reticle-aiming/92-4658/ Page] on the GiantBomb site describing ''No-Reticle Aiming''.</ref>
	</references>		</references>

	== Acknowledgements ==		== Acknowledgements ==
	-		-

Staffan Björk at 11:25, 21 September 2011

2011-09-21T11:25:26Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:25, 21 September 2011
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	~~[[Category:Staffan's current workpage]]~~
	[[Category:Patterns]]		[[Category:Patterns]]
	[[Category:Interface Patterns]]		[[Category:Interface Patterns]]
	~~[[Category:Needs work]]~~
	[[Category:Needs revision]]		[[Category:Needs revision]]
	[[Category:Needs references]]		[[Category:Needs references]]
	[[Category:Patterns created on the Wiki]]		[[Category:Patterns created on the Wiki]]
	~~[[Category:Stub]]~~
	''Visual aims to help players aim.''		''Visual aims to help players aim.''

Staffan Björk at 11:24, 21 September 2011

2011-09-21T11:24:54Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:24, 21 September 2011
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	[[Category:Patterns created on the Wiki]]		[[Category:Patterns created on the Wiki]]
	[[Category:Stub]]		[[Category:Stub]]
	''Visual aims to help players ~~shoot~~.''		''Visual aims to help players aim.''

	Many games require players to aim at what they want to interact with in the game worlds. While some games lock the point players can aim at to the middle of the screen, it can be difficult to judge exactly where this is. [[Crosshairs]] can be overlaid on the game world presentation to make this more easy, and in other games where players can move their aim point freely it is more or less required that players are provided with [[Crosshairs]] to be able to know what they are pointing at.		Many games require players to aim at what they want to interact with in the game worlds. While some games lock the point players can aim at to the middle of the screen, it can be difficult to judge exactly where this is. [[Crosshairs]] can be overlaid on the game world presentation to make this more easy, and in other games where players can move their aim point freely it is more or less required that players are provided with [[Crosshairs]] to be able to know what they are pointing at.

Staffan Björk: /* Interface Aspects */

2011-09-21T11:24:28Z

Interface Aspects

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:24, 21 September 2011
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	=== Interface Aspects ===		=== Interface Aspects ===
	[[Crosshairs]] is an [[:Category:Interface Patterns\|Interface Pattern]] and many of the options surrounding [[Crosshairs]] are related to interface issues. For example, the actual design of [[Crosshairs]] is often changed to reflect which [[Weapons\|Weapon]] is being used ~~and~~ the status of [[Variable Accuracy]] systems. The [[Crosshairs]] can also be used to provide additional information about what is being aimed at, most commonly [[Health]] or [[Handles]], the latter to avoid [[Friendly Fire]] (another more extreme solution is to remove [[Crosshairs]] when aimed at friends). Later installments in the [[Battlefield series]] show how [[Pie Menus]] can be used to allow optional actions based upon what is in the [[Crosshairs]].		[[Crosshairs]] is an [[:Category:Interface Patterns\|Interface Pattern]] and many of the options surrounding [[Crosshairs]] are related to interface issues. For example, the actual design of [[Crosshairs]] is often changed to reflect which [[Weapons\|Weapon]] is being used as well as the status of [[Variable Accuracy]] systems. The [[Crosshairs]] can also be used to provide additional information about what is being aimed at, most commonly [[Health]] or [[Handles]], the latter to avoid [[Friendly Fire]] (another, more extreme, solution is to remove [[Crosshairs]] when aimed at friends). Later installments in the [[Battlefield series]] show how [[Pie Menus]] can be used to allow optional actions based upon what is in the [[Crosshairs]].

	== Consequences ==		== Consequences ==

Staffan Björk at 11:23, 21 September 2011

2011-09-21T11:23:18Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:23, 21 September 2011
Line 9:		Line 9:
	''Visual aims to help players shoot.''		''Visual aims to help players shoot.''

	Many games require players to aim at what they want to interact with in the game worlds. While some games lock the point players aim at to the middle of the screen, it can be difficult to judge exactly ~~were~~ this is. [[Crosshairs]] can be overlaid on the game world presentation to make this more easy, and in other games where players can move their aim point freely it is more or less required that players are provided with [[Crosshairs]] to be able to know what they are pointing at.		Many games require players to aim at what they want to interact with in the game worlds. While some games lock the point players can aim at to the middle of the screen, it can be difficult to judge exactly where this is. [[Crosshairs]] can be overlaid on the game world presentation to make this more easy, and in other games where players can move their aim point freely it is more or less required that players are provided with [[Crosshairs]] to be able to know what they are pointing at.

	=== Examples ===		=== Examples ===
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	=== Interface Aspects ===		=== Interface Aspects ===
	[[Crosshairs]] is an [[Category:Interface Patterns\|Interface Pattern]] and many of the options surrounding [[Crosshairs]] are related to interface issues. For example, the actual design of [[Crosshairs]] is often changed to reflect which [[Weapons\|Weapon]] is being used and the status of [[Variable Accuracy]] systems. The [[Crosshairs]] can also be used to provide additional information about what is being aimed at, most commonly [[Health]] or [[Handles]], the latter to avoid [[Friendly Fire]] (another more extreme solution is to remove [[Crosshairs]] when aimed at friends). Later installments in the [[Battlefield series]] show how [[Pie Menus]] can be used to allow optional actions based upon what is in the [[Crosshairs]].		[[Crosshairs]] is an [[:Category:Interface Patterns\|Interface Pattern]] and many of the options surrounding [[Crosshairs]] are related to interface issues. For example, the actual design of [[Crosshairs]] is often changed to reflect which [[Weapons\|Weapon]] is being used and the status of [[Variable Accuracy]] systems. The [[Crosshairs]] can also be used to provide additional information about what is being aimed at, most commonly [[Health]] or [[Handles]], the latter to avoid [[Friendly Fire]] (another more extreme solution is to remove [[Crosshairs]] when aimed at friends). Later installments in the [[Battlefield series]] show how [[Pie Menus]] can be used to allow optional actions based upon what is in the [[Crosshairs]].

	== Consequences ==		== Consequences ==
	[[Crosshairs]] are visual aids for players to interact with [[Game Worlds]], and are most often used to support [[Aim & Shoot]] actions in [[Combat]]. They are a form of [[God Fingers]] for triggering specific actions directly rather than selecting game elements to interact with, but this is mainly relevant when the [[Crosshairs]] are moveable.		[[Crosshairs]] are visual aids for players to interact with [[Game Worlds]], and are most often used to support [[Aim & Shoot]] actions in [[Combat]]. They are a form of [[God Fingers]] for triggering specific actions directly rather than selecting game elements to interact with, but this is mainly relevant when the [[Crosshairs]] are moveable.

	As visual aids [[Crosshairs]] may be part of [[HUD Interfaces]] or create these, and may introduce [[Non-Diegetic Features]] in games.		As visual aids, [[Crosshairs]] may be part of [[HUD Interfaces]] or create these, and may introduce [[Non-Diegetic Features]] in games.

	== Relations ==		== Relations ==

Staffan Björk: /* Using the pattern */

2011-09-21T11:21:29Z

Using the pattern

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:21, 21 September 2011
Line 19:		Line 19:

	== Using the pattern ==		== Using the pattern ==
	While the actual design of [[Crosshairs]] is more a question of graphical design than gameplay design, there are a couple of gameplay-related options for them. The first is if their location should be fixed (as in the [[Quake series\|Quake]] and [[Unreal Tournament series]]) or moveable (as in [[Missile Command]]). They can be modified by [[Auto-Aim]] functionality, either directly through making the system more them through the use of ''reticule magnetism'' or indirectly (in [[Combat]] contexts) by letting bullets aimed near [[Enemies]] hit anyway.		While the actual design of [[Crosshairs]] is more a question of graphical design than gameplay design, there are a couple of gameplay-related options for them. The first is if their location should be fixed (as in the [[Quake series\|Quake]] and [[Unreal Tournament series]]) or moveable (as in [[Missile Command]]). They can be modified by [[Auto-Aim]] functionality, either directly through making the system more them through the use of ''reticule magnetism'' or indirectly (in [[Combat]] contexts) by letting bullets aimed near [[Enemies]] hit anyway. [[Variable Accuracy]] makes players that aim for a longer time have higher chances of hitting where they aim, and games using this pattern often indicate the current accuracy through the [[Crosshairs]].

	[[~~Variable Accuracy~~]]		[[Crosshairs]] can also be modified to provide more information about what is aimed at. Showing [[Handles]] and [[Health]] are typical examples of this but this can also be used to show [[Tooltips]]. [[Crosshairs]] also make natural starting points for creating context-dependent [[Pie Menus]] since they already allow players to indicate their point of interest.

	~~=== Can Be Modulated By ===~~
	,
	[[Handles]],
	[[Health]],
	[[~~Pie Menus~~]],
	[[~~Tooltips~~]],

	=== Interface Aspects ===		=== Interface Aspects ===

Staffan Björk: /* Using the pattern */

2011-09-21T11:18:15Z

Using the pattern

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:18, 21 September 2011
Line 19:		Line 19:

	== Using the pattern ==		== Using the pattern ==
			While the actual design of [[Crosshairs]] is more a question of graphical design than gameplay design, there are a couple of gameplay-related options for them. The first is if their location should be fixed (as in the [[Quake series\|Quake]] and [[Unreal Tournament series]]) or moveable (as in [[Missile Command]]). They can be modified by [[Auto-Aim]] functionality, either directly through making the system more them through the use of ''reticule magnetism'' or indirectly (in [[Combat]] contexts) by letting bullets aimed near [[Enemies]] hit anyway.

			[[Variable Accuracy]]
	~~While the actual design of~~ [[~~Crosshairs~~]] is more a question of graphical design than gameplay design, there are a couple of gameplay-related options for them. The first is if their location should be fixed (as in the [[Quake series\|Quake]] and [[Unreal Tournament series]]) or moveable (as in [[Missile Command]]).

	~~The change be modified directly by [[Auto-Aim]] through the use of ''reticule magnetism''~~


	=== Can Be Modulated By ===		=== Can Be Modulated By ===
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	[[Pie Menus]],		[[Pie Menus]],
	[[Tooltips]],		[[Tooltips]],
	~~[[Variable Accuracy]]~~

	=== Interface Aspects ===		=== Interface Aspects ===