Trigger Happy
that looks like a door, I should be able to open unless it’s locked, or break it down if it’s made of rotting wood; if its hinges are visible I should be able to blow them off with a shotgun. Anything that looks like a window, I should be able to smash, with my bare fists if necessary. Conversely, give me a spade, and I should be able to dig ditches or plant flowers if I’m feeling particularly
Let’s see no more spatial incoherence either. If I can climb this wall, I should be able to climb up that tree. If I can see a small hole, I should be able to curl up and squeeze through it instead of banging my head on the rocky outcrop. And forget about causal incoherence, too. If you’re going to give me massive weaponry to fight mutant dinosaurs in Turok 2, then it should be open to me to shoot the angelic children I am supposed to save. Even if that leads to drastic punishment, it should logically be an option.
Because if I can’t do any of these things, it doesn’t feel real. It becomes sinkingly clear that this is an environment with artificial, illogical restrictions on my actions. This is the problem that game designers will have to solve in future: the more behavioral options that are given to the player, and the more gadgetry on offer, the harder it will be to make sure that the
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