Top-down shooter
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A top-down shooter (sometimes shortened to TDS, and also known as a top-view shooter) is a genre of computer and video games in which the player is displayed from above, or a top-down perspective. This genre is not common in mainstream gaming, instead, games of this type are usually created by hobbyists or non-profit teams. Thus, many top-down shooters exist but few are of professional quality. That is not to say no commercial top-down shooters exist; the Grand Theft Auto series started as a top-down shooter before moving to a fully 3D game engine.
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[edit] Gameplay
[edit] Overview and navigation
A top-down shooter's focus is much the same as a third-person shooter (TPS) or first-person shooter (FPS): the player moves about a level, and using a given or collected arsenal of weapons, kills all of the enemies. However, a top-down shooter takes place on only two planes of movement, therefore, action is lmited to one floor, with a few exceptions.
[edit] Layout
[edit] Commercial control layout
Commercial top-down shooters often do not use the mouse, instead, a joystick or control pad is used to move the player. The player is usually unable to strafe, and projectiles are fired in the direction the player is facing. However, with the dawn of dual analogue control sticks, top-down shooters can be made in ways not possible before. The game Geometry Wars uses the left analog stick to move the player, while the right controls direction of firing.
[edit] Hobbyist control layout
Because hobbyist games are usually made on a personal computer, controls usually use the standard TPS or FPS layout: the W, A, S, D or arrow keys for movement, the mouse for aiming, and the mouse buttons for shooting. In Macromedia Flash versions of top-down shooters, only the left mouse button is used, as the right opens the options.
[edit] Control type
It is often debated over as to which is the better movement style, Should the player's movement be absolute, (ie; the player moves right when the right key is pressed, left when the left is pressed, etc...) Or should the player's movement be based on which direction he is facing (ie; the player strafes 90 degrees relative to the direction he is facing when the left or right keys are pressed, the up and down keys move the player towards and away from the mouse)?
Both systems work, however, the second presents a problem, when facing "up", the player strafes normally, but when facing "down" the players controls are inverted (since the movement is based on direction). This problem can be solved by building an engine that rotates the camera with the player (such problems do not exist in First Person Shooters, as the view is always facing in the direction of the player).
Sometimes, a programmer may appease both users by adding an option to switch between the control styles.
