Hi Dark, As they say "whatever works." Although, I must say I find your way of navigation pretty alien to my own experiences.
When I play Shades of Doom I bring up a mental image, a map, of how the levels are laid out. I realize on level 1, for example, I start in at (19, 19) which is the north-east corner of the map or top left hand corner if you prefer. I move west to the north-west corner and then south and then turn east into the parallel corridor. I can't imagine not having this mental overview of the game world. Yet, clearly as you pointed out it can be done by using landmarks rather than visualizing the world as a whole. However, the bottom line is since I almost always visualize the world around me, in real life as well as a virtual one, I find it a very important skill to have. When I use Windows, Linux, an iPhone, etc the same mental mapping skill gives me a mental picture as it were of the screen. I don't think of button x being to the left of button y in the terms of landmarks but as to how button x and button y fit into the entire mental picture. I suppose having grown up sighted I still think in terms of a sighted user looking at the image as a whole rather than any specific piece of it. Cheers! On 4/22/12, dark <[email protected]> wrote: > Hi Tom. > > I disagree on visualization or spacial awareness, since that is a skill i > just do not have. This is why I find a game like battleships, > patience/solitare, mine sweeper, chess, or even draughts/checkers nearly > impossible to play unless the board is in front of me in either a visual or > tactile form for me to get that sort of overview, since I just cannot > maintain the memory of where each object is after the audio view of it has > moved on. > > That being said, i do find gma tank commander and shades of doom possible, > but my mental way of playing is probably different from other peoples, since > instead of attempting to build up a larger, mental map of the entire > location, I simply work by memorizing the relations betwene landmarks, and > the directions provided by the coordinates system. > > For example, I know in the first level of shades of doom, that you follow > the corridors until you get to the end of one with two doors, one leading to > a radio room, the other up a corridor to the fan room. > > once in the fan room, you can go left into another passage then right into > another large room, with a door leading to a passage going out of it to the > left, and in that passage is the false wall where the message is (and > usually a monster with a gun). > > I have no practical idea where that room is in comparison to the rest of the > stage at all, but by memorizing the landmarks and directions I know just > where to find it with respect to the rest of the stage. > > I actually believe it was playing massive, exploration games like Turrican > and Metroid that really improved my memory skills for landmarks, since there > I'd often have to spend a fair amount of time wandering around an area > looking for a specific configuration of ledges or a specific landmark that I > know leads to where I'm going, and this skill in fact has stood me in very > good stead. > > For example, last weekend I was in brightan at the mini aims music school > and auditions, and since I know I'll be back there perminantly I determined > to learn the 10 minute or so walk from my hotel to the music school. > > I have no idea where practically in directional terms this went, but I know > it's right, streight on, through a style, cross one road, walk until i find > the grass verge, cross again, right, then up a very long road to a white > wall, cross on the right, streight on up to a main road, follow the railings > right again, and left to the entrance. > > My parents were staying with me at the time (they wanted a holiday), and it > just took one run there and back with them for reever and I to get the > route, ---- and in fact having a dog really help with that since I could > concentrate upon my land marks instead of worrying about what rubbish people > stuck on the pavement (indeed, she remembered it as well if not better than > I did). > > So the point of all this is that mental overview of space is actually > unnecessary if you are sufficiently used to working with an alternative set > of skills. > > I'm always frankly amazed at the mental mapping skills some blind people > have, ----- I just realized it's not something my mind will do, ---- indeed > there is probably a physiological explanation for this, since when i was > born I apparently suffered mild brain damage, and though we can't determine > anything wrong with other mental areas, my spacial perception really isn't > what it should be. > > Fortunately, my memory is more than up to the task. > > Beware the grue! > > Dark. > > > --- > Gamers mailing list __ [email protected] > If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to > [email protected]. > You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at > http://mail.audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. > All messages are archived and can be searched and read at > http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]. > If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, > please send E-mail to [email protected]. > --- Gamers mailing list __ [email protected] If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to [email protected]. You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at http://mail.audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. All messages are archived and can be searched and read at http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, please send E-mail to [email protected].
