Bounce (level design)

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Description

A bounce is a layout element beginning with an inaccessible area, forcing the player to sidetrack and remove the obstacle before proceeding. In some ways, it is similar to a loop. Moust bounces begin in a room with an obstacle (locked door, force field) and lead to an event that destroys this obstacle (disaster sequence, physics puzzle, button pushing), thus allowing the player to backtrack and proceed past the removed obstacle (unlocked door, deactivated forcefield).

Use bounces to emphasize certain plot events or gameplay elements. Always look at the "big picture" and analyze the bounce's function in context to a level's overall pacing.

Resources

In terms of resources, bounces are incredibly efficient. The same areas are being used twice. The player is literally backtracking through previous rooms, which generally translates into less work for the designer.

Guidance

Use of the same environment allows for effective guidance of the player. Since the player has already explored the area before, it is assumed that the player will partially remember the room structure and which exits. Also, it is technically impossible for the player to get lost.

Ease of Use

Bounces vary in complexity. Simple bounces involve the player fighting through rooms of monsters to activate a keypad. More intricate bounces incorporate multiple areas or objectives. Nonetheless, bounces generally require less work on the part of the designer, but more effort from the player.

Disadvantages

Within many players, there has been an emerging awareness of "backtracking." Many players possess a negative view of the mechanic, and see it as an example of laziness on the part of the designer, or simply a very confusing layout element.

(author doesn't make the "change" apparent enough)

Implementation

In general, a bounce is much simpler to implement than a loop, but can still be effective. Here are some notable examples:

Anomalous Materials / Unforeseen Consequences ^(Goldsource)

Anomalous Materials diagram

This bounce is used for dramatic effect, primarily to emphasize the contrast between the pre-disaster and the post-disaster Black Mesa. When the player initially arrives, he is greeted by friendly NPCs and playfully chastised for being late to work again. After the resonance cascade, the player's former colleagues have mutated into zombies; dead bodies and wreckage are littered around the level; the lighting is noticeably darker. The player comprehends the "unforeseen consequences" of his actions.

From a design perspective, this bounce at the beginning of Half-Life is very effective. Although the player is given very little direction after the resonance cascade, the player still manages to find his way through the ruined labs and up to the office complex. The player's familiarity with the labs helps the player navigate, and also serves to empower the player: he is not relying on an objective list displayed on the HUD to progress through the level, but rather he is relying on his own memory of the level layout as he initially explored.

Power Struggle ^(Goldsource)

Todo: more detail

In this level, the player has to drain a pool of coolant, go into it, rearrange the barrels, re-fill the pool, and cross on the rearranged barrels.

Route Kanal ^(Source)

Todo: diagram, description

The player must leave the airboat, fight through a small Combine outpost, break open the canal doors, then backtrack to the airboat and proceed through.

Metastasis 1 ^(Source)

Todo: diagram, description

The player must descend into an underground bunker area, press a button to open the Combine gates, then return to the surface and proceed to the center of the island.