Taking a look into transition areas in realistic AAA game titles

Can Transition Areas In Games Be Improved?

From captivating visuals to interactivity, what really makes a transition area enhance a players experience? Firstly we'll look into what I'm defining as a 'transition area'. For this project i am defining a transition area as the part of the environment used to travel between areas of importance that drive the game forward. Such as a bridge between two temples. I became captivated at the idea on focusing on transition areas while talking with another 3D artist we realized how underutilized these areas are. I feel like due to the nature of them being a cool-down area, allowing the player a break from the main game, means that a lot of these areas can give an impression of an unused space in comparison with the rest of the game. Which can lower a players experience of that world.

Transition areas in realistic AAA games

Read Dead Redemption

Kicking of the examples we have Red dead redemption. An environment all about realistic immersion. Honestly i feel that they achieved this incredibly well, especially in the second game. With beautiful realistic scenery that fills massive areas, it does indeed achieve the goal of a environment that feels like the real world.

Image used from: an article written by Thomas Morgan 'Black water and beyond' 

However despite meeting this goal, a lot of the scenery in the two games give a considerably feeling of emptiness, when compared with the rest of the map. With little game play and a few cactus's and patches of grass for the player to look at while travelling in the areas. Leaving a common complaint among players that although is very realistic and beautiful, can be very boring and drawn out to travel through these areas. This is a very effective way of getting across that realistic environment, especially a desert environment. Were realistically it would be drawn out and exhausting, with a sense of wonder at our worlds scenery. In so many ways this effectively makes the player feel that emotional enhancement of what its like to be immersed travelling in a desert. However is there a way that could still achieve this form of realism and emotional enhancement while not leaving the transition areas with so little to them?

Assassins Creed

Image from 'Assassins Creed Origins' from Gameplay

Another realistic game that has a similar issue of wide open spaces filled with sand and little in terms of visuals in this environment. Used a creative technique to enhance the players experience within the transition areas while still making sense to the game world. Hallucinations. Spending to long in this area, or in certain conditions, cause the player character to have a variety of random hallucinations. These not only have a unique visual to the player, locusts raining from the sky's and people made of sand and fire appearing. But this also has the perfect balance between enhancing the experience without effecting the cool-down period of the player. The hallucinations only effect the visuals unless in battle, which in a sense brings a new flare to the battles within the desert area also. Introducing these kinds of visuals to the desert really managed to keep the feel of a Egyptian desert while enhanceing that experience.


God of War

Image from 'God Of War' from USG

Similar to assassins creed God of War uses similar tactics in transition areas to add a bit more flare to the player in that same realistic fantasy style. However i feel that God Of War manages to have this effect without making visual changes to the environment. One of the best examples is the boat journey to 'Lake of Light' which is one of the most beautiful scenes i think i have ever seen in a game. The details really make this scene leave a feeling of wonder, from transparent water with a beautiful waterbed underneath to all the magical plants. The narrowing of the cave revealing a big beautiful open area, and a beam of light drawing attention to the next story location. This shows that even an environment that draws as much attention to itself as it does, doesn't necessary mean that it will draw attention away from main locations if done well. Story elements also help to enhance this experience, with Kratos and his son Atreus talking in the boat while the player travels through the cave. This back and forth pushes the story, giving the player more of a story element to where they are, and why this area would become important to the characters. Giving a side of emotional depth to the experience.

From what i have seen in realistic AAA titles such as these, the more effective transition areas have a side of fantasy realism. This however does not mean that games that just try to be purely realistic don't work, as sometimes that pure realism with a realistic transition is the very emotion that they are trying to get the player to experience. However i do feel that like God Of War and Assassins Creed Origins use techniques that can be implemented to keep a realistic style to the environment while also incorporating fantasy to enhance this for the player. drawing from multiple areas of games design to enhance the transitions.

So why not have more to transition areas? and How far can i push this while still having that cool-down period for a player? I guess its time to find out.

Yasmine