Contents  Introduction  Using Locks  A Shining Example  Warning Signs  Printable version  Discuss this article  in the forums

Warning Signs

Proper use of Locks is no accident. It is the direct result of careful, creative planning. And misuse of Locks is no accident either. It is the direct result of poor planning and inferior game design. At the risk of sounding pompous (which I may have been guilty of since section five,) I would like to offer some suggestions to game designers who may not have used Locks as effectively as possible in the past. Of course, every project is different, and these guidelines need to be modified accordingly.

The most common misuse of Locks are lack of variety and overuse. Lack of variety is easily addressed. If all of a game’s Locks and Keys look and function identically, the problem will be immediately obvious. A little creativity will solve this problem easily. But overuse is more difficult to judge.

I would suggest, as a general guideline, that no game should require a character to search for a key to a locked door more than twice. Even in a full-length RPG this gets boring.

Switch mechanisms are O.K., but actual, physical switches get boring very quickly. If there are more than two in any game, the designer may need to look at them carefully, and determine whether a Switch may be implemented differently.

Passwords are often used as Keys. But this should be a unique situation. I would suggest that any game which is not set in a military compound, prison, or similar setting should have no more than one password Key.

When an item is used as a Key, it is best to make it a useful item. I would suggest that no more than three Keys should become useless after opening Locks.

And lastly, I believe that with careful design backtracking can usually be avoided entirely. If backtracking is used, I think it should be limited to once or twice at most.

As I mentioned, these are only meant as guidelines, and must be modified or ignored whenever necessary.

A Final Word

The Lock mechanism can be a powerful and vital tool for game design. But like any tool, it must be used intelligently and creatively to be truly effective. In the end, I may not have said anything in this article which is not readily apparent to anyone who examines Lock mechanisms. Nevertheless, they are often misused. I hope this article will open discussion of a topic which has been largely ignored - to the gamers’ detriment.