So as you might have gleaned from my bedazzling Topic Title, I have an issue with invisible walls in games. Well, more accurately, as you might have gleaned from your telepathic exploration of the dark recesses of my craven mind, my friend Henry managed to talk about them, as well as the rule of Golden Proportions in the same sentence. However, (I know, I know) I digress:

Are invisible walls a blessing in disguise, or an easy short-cut for myopic game developers? And what is more, what does the inclusion of invisible walls in games say about game designers in general?

You know the type; 'Oh' you might gleefully think/say/e-mail to yourself, 'I wonder what would happen if I snuck through this gap and...'

And what? Your grimace is matched only by your xboxlive private chat channel in its rancour. I personally put it down to one, plain old cause: Lazy programming.

Example in case: In Assassins Creed there are, at times, invisible walls representing blocks to your memory. This is a valid justifcation, and I suppose technically a moot point as the walls aren't quite invisible. The shimmering blue haze acts as a sharp reminder of the over-arching sci-fi plot and works within the context. The open world sections have no invisible walls either, but the fact they are mostly devoid of any points of interest is a whole other story..!

In past GTA games, as well as the new LOTR game Conquest, along with games too numerous to mention (but mentioning Assassins Creed again...), designers have compromised. 'We hate invisible walls as much as the next wo/man' I imagine them intoning, a sympathetic shrug of the shoulders as accompaniment, 'But we can't just let the player go anywhere they want...[shouts of 'anarchy, fie on you!' resound in the distance...] so we'll make water lethal. After all people drown..'

Yeah right, if they can't bleedin' swim! Penny-Arcade has duly noted such surreality: http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2009/1/5/

Their point is not related explicitly to mine, but it serves the same purpose. Invisible walls distract, ruin the illusion, suspend your suspension of disbelief - all harsh penalties for a diligent consumer.

Conversely, they offer a streamlining effect. Imagine a game where you truly could go anywhere. Imagine what Oblivion would be like if you trekked for ten minutes of real-time across lush countryside (with procedurally generated foliage, natch) only to come to a ocean, with no treasure chest, no epic monster, possessed of phat loot or otherwise to greet you. (No..i am not bitter...AM NOT BITTER) Imagine being able to fall off any deadly ledge having not saved in an hour. Wait...why do so many games let you fall of the edge without returning you to said ledge...bring me back my invisible walls! Imagine, if your creative psycho-visual skills are not drained by my incessant demands at this point, a game so bewilderingly large and free-form that you literally have no idea what you are supposed to do, and as a result running crying from your console.

My solution is easy. Developers, level designers, what have you, please excersise a modicum of restraint in your invisible walling in. Trained assassins and gen-u-ine bad-asses should be able to swim better than a panicked piglet. By the same token, why allow arbitrary frustration on the players part for NOT putting in invisible walls in the rare cases that they WOULD be beneficial (Here's looking at you Marvel UA...). What's wrong with extending your prized 'immersion' factor to these details? Please - be CREATIVE, if you don't want a player to go somewhere, do something, don't make them feel like they can't just because of some whim, some lazy decision to reinforce linearity.

And finally I ask you 'orrible lot: Any suggestions? Any infamous or much loved examples of either side of the coin? Feed (me) back!

Regards,

Dan