Node (computer gaming)

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A node-based game is one which allows the player to move about in a simulated environment, but only between certain predefined points, called nodes. Well-known examples of such games include Myst and Riven. Node-based games are typically first-person games, and stand in contrast to games in which the player may move to any point within the environment, such as Uru: Ages Beyond Myst.

The main advantage of the node model is that the game can use pre-rendered scenes, which can be far more detailed and intricate than is possible when the computer has to render the environment in real time. Node-based games also typically require fewer computing resources, and can therefore run on older computers.

The main drawback of node-based games is that the player is not free to explore the game environment at will, but can only visit predefined nodes. For instance, a player may find himself on a path running along a beach, but if the only nodes lie along the path, he will be unable to go down to the sea. Players may find this limitation frustrating, especially if there is no in-game reason for them to be unable to go someplace (e.g., a fence that prevents access to the beach, in the example above).

There are different implementations of node-based systems. Some games also constrain the player's orientation. That is, when a player is at a given node, he may be able to look north, south, east, or west but not northwest or up. Other games offer a panoramic view, which allows the player to look in any horizontal direction, but not up or down. Still others allow the player total freedom of orientation at each node: the player can only move from one predefined node to another, but at each node can look in any direction.

Transitions between nodes also vary, and are often customizable. Common transition effects include cuts (the image instantly changes from the view from one node, to the view from the next node), dissolves (the display gradually changes from one view to the next), and animations (the game displays a prerendered first-person animation of the player's movement from one node to the next).

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