FUNDAMENTALS OF GAME DESIGN, SECOND EDITION
Factual Knowledge Challenges
Direct tests of the player's knowledge of factual information generally occur only in trivia and quiz games. In any other type of game, you must either present all the factual knowledge required to win the game somewhere in the game (or the manual) or make it clear in the game's marketing materials that players will need some factual knowledge. It's not fair to require the player to come up with some obscure fact from the real world in order to make progress through the game; doing so also detracts from full immersion.
Note the difference between factual knowledge challenges and conceptual reasoning challenges (discussed in the later section, "Conceptual Reasoning and Lateral Thinking Puzzles"). If an adventure game features a puzzle the player can't solve without knowing that helium balloons rise or that metal objects conduct electricity, such a puzzle is a conceptual reasoning challenge, not a factual knowledge challenge.
Memory challenges test the player's ability to recall things that she has seen or heard in the game. Adventure games and role-playing games often make use of memory
challenges. Players can defeat memory challenges by taking notes, so you may want to impose a limit on the length of time you give them to memorize material they must recall. To make a memory challenge easier, give them longer to memorize it and ask that they recall it soon after memorizing it rather than much later.
Memory challenges often form one component of exploration challenges. In Raven's Star Trek Voyager: Elite Force, for example, the player must remember the layout of complex tunnels onboard the Borg cube.
DESIGN RULE Make It Clear When _________________________ Factual Knowledge Is Required
If your game requires factual knowledge from outside the game world to win, you must make this clear to the player in advance.
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