In game terms, an object is generally a collection of graphics and associated code that represents a piece of the overall game system. It has attributes that give it uniqueness and possibly behaviors within the game context. In addition, it may have relationships with various other objects, characters, and other aspects of the system. Object qualities, relationships, and functions may change as contexts change. For instance, an object might be charged or depleted, full or empty, intact or destroyed, broken or fixed, and so on. In each of these cases, certain qualities of the object have changed, and their perceived value, utility, and function in the game have also changed. Some objects have the special quality of being interactive with characters in the game. Others do not.
Objects can be representations of familiar items, such as bottles and a haunch of meat or a gun or a bowler hat. But in games, because these objects are simply art and code, they can be anything imaginable, so they don’t have to conform at all to our conventional concepts of reality. For instance, something that appears to be a machinegun might simply be used to spread flowers, or it might be some kind of speaker system—it could even “shoot” musical notes, themselves objects in the game. We can make anything we want in our virtual worlds. Sometimes, however, we have to make things conform more or less accurately to physics, history, and what we think of as reality.
A problem many games have is that they take place in the “real world.” Sometimes you simply have no choice—for example, if you are making a game based on a TV show or movie. So, for example, you might end up having to make a “fun” level from a boring office building or a car chase on a freeway (yawn). So you start thinking about these familiar locations, what you could find there, and what you can use (as a designer) to create interesting gameplay. It’s like reinventing the wheel (so to speak) each time, because anyone else who has made a driving section on freeways has had to do the same work.
The real purpose of this chapter is to help you see what objects might be relevant to gameplay without you having to spend a lot of time considering your locations. However, what I really hope is that you’ll also consider new and different ways to use these objects. Simply by looking down these lists and thinking, “How can I use that in my game?” you may come up with some novel applications. And by looking at the first section, “Some Qualities an Object Can Have,” you may find ways to make even seemingly ordinary objects far less ordinary.
This chapter contains information to help you populate your worlds with interesting objects. For more information about the interactivity of environments, see Chapter 17, “Game Worlds,” and for some ideas on how to use objects in games, see Chapter 27, “Puzzles,” Chapter 25, “Barriers, Obstacles, and Detectors,” Chapter 26, “Traps and Counter Traps,” Chapter 33, “Historical and Cultural Weapons,” and Chapter 34, “Standard Modern Weaponry and Armor.”
In this chapter:
All objects have qualities that describe them and, as it is in the real world, these qualities affect the meaning and value we give them. For instance, diamonds in the real world are prized for their high refractive index, their transparency, their hardness, their relative rarity, and the quality that allows us to shape them in pleasing forms. So diamonds, which we tend to think of as having an intrinsic value, actually have many values—as jewelry, as an investment, as a target for theft, as a symbol of marriage in a ring, as a “girl’s best friend,” and so on.
Similarly, objects in games may have different qualities and different values, based on the game and the player’s needs and expectations. Some of the qualities and values of objects in games may coincide directly with their qualities and values in the real world, but in specific cases, a game object has special meaning. A wolf’s hide in the real world has some value, perhaps to make a coat or to use as a trophy of some sort. In a game, collecting 10 wolf hides may be necessary to satisfy the conditions of a quest or mission, or they might even be used as an alchemical ingredient. So objects in games can be evaluated based on their value to the player and their utility within the world, based on the context in which they are introduced. As another example, diamonds in games can be all of the things they are in the real world. They could also have magical qualities, or they might be the object of a quest, a key component to a fantasy machine, or something to use to bribe someone. In many games an ordinary healing potion or medical kit is useful but not highly valued (except when you really need one). On the other hand, a similar object that is very rare and that makes you invulnerable for a couple of minutes might be valued far more than the relatively common healing item.
Pretty much anything in a game is an object, though in this chapter we primarily refer to items that are found in various settings and locations. NPCs are also objects, as are creatures, weapons, armor, and so forth. Even a spell, which has no visible representation but is simply something learned by the player or a skill he uses, is an object in that it has utility and can affect the game environment when its qualities are exploited. It can be owned or possessed, but it is represented by some programming code and maybe an icon or entry in a “spell book” or something. It may also have a visible effect, but there is not necessarily an object called Fire Spell or Healing Level One. Still, these spells and acquired skills have some qualities, like many (if not all) objects in a game environment.
Every object has qualities associated with it. Not all objects have all qualities, but there is considerable range in describing objects, and that’s good news because it means you can be incredibly creative when designing and conceiving of objects for your games. Even though the list of qualities an object can have is practically infinite, that vastness of potential can open great vistas of opportunity. So, I hope you’ll use the following lists to inspire and spark ideas for new items. For instance, we generally think of a nuclear blast as something huge and devastating. What about the world’s smallest nuclear explosion? As always, use these lists as suggestions, and by all means come up with your own entries and examples.
These are ranges:
Sub-Atomic – Microscopic – Tiny – Small – Large – Huge – Massive – Moon-Sized – Planet – Dwarf Star – Red Giant – Solar System – Galaxy – Universe – Infinity
Narrow – Wide – A Barn – An Aircraft Hangar – The Great Wall of China
Miniscule – Short – Tall – Gigantic
Molecular Width – Thin – Average – Thick – Thicker – Thickest
Round/spherical
Elliptical
Square/cubical
Rectangular
Pyramidal/triangular
Regular
Irregular
Random
Cone-shaped
Star-shaped
Spiky
Curved
Fractal
Flexible
Stiff
Hard
Soft
Malleable
Retains shape when deformed or impacted
Brittle
Shrinkable
Expandable
Luminescent
Transparent
Translucent
Opaque
Semi-transparent
Shiny
Dull
Albedo—low to high
Gaseous
Liquid
Solid
Frozen
Absorbs/does not absorb liquids
Floats on water
Reactive
Radioactive
Explosive
Produces heat
Produces cold
Produces gasses
Caustic
Rough
Smooth
Visible
Invisible
Dangerous
Deadly
Sticky
Slippery
Magical
Ordinary
Deteriorating
Indestructible
Electrical conductor
Electrical semiconductor
Electrical insulator
Is magnetic/magnetized
Is attracted to magnets
Can/cannot be magnetized
Stone
Wood
Earth/dirt
Metal
Liquid
Ionized
Gas
Pottery/clay/ceramic
Crystalline (gemstone)
Acid
Futuristic/alien
Living cellular
Etheric
The whole spectrum
Solid
Partial/mixed
Swirling
Changing
Adaptive
Lack of (invisible)
Level of opacity
In motion
Still/motionless
Erratic
Moving inwardly, still outwardly
Circular
Revolving/spinning
Orbiting
Fast
Slow
Very fast
Very slow
Falling
Flying
Rising
Jumping
Aiming
Searching/scanning
Periodic (like a pendulum or alarm sweep)
Exploding
Imploding
Pulsating
Vibrating
Shaking
Hot
Cold
Freezing
Melting
Stable
Unstable
Radiating
Absorbing
Absolute zero
Inferno
Burning
Glowing
Molten
Steaming/boiling
Within normal range (whatever that is)
Important
Unimportant
Insignificant
Crucial/critical
Coveted
Priceless
Ignored
Undiscovered
Reviled
Feared
Misunderstood
Beautiful
Ugly
Repulsive
Entrancing
Odd
Mysterious
Sexy
Boring
Beguiling
Perfect
Imperfect
Ruined
Damaged
Irresistible
Exquisite
Horrifying
Disgusting
Lost
Found
Boring
Interesting
Necessary
Useful
Useless
Coveted/priceless
Worthless
Has some value
Mysterious
Ordinary
Extraordinary
Super
Rare
Good
Evil
Safe
Dangerous
Radioactive
Funny
Absurd
Scary
Out of place
Intentional
Magical
Activated
Inactive or deactivated
Limited uses
Combinable with other objects
Mutable (can change form)
Consumes resources on use
Requires specific ability, skill level, and/or other object to use
Imbued with special abilities/powers
Can be created/constructed
Is sentient/intelligent
Can talk
Can operate autonomously
Form and function differ (doesn’t look like what it is)
Can/cannot be given, traded, or lost
Can/cannot be used as a weapon
Can/cannot be thrown
Can/cannot be dropped
Can/cannot be broken
Can/cannot be repaired
Can/cannot be destroyed
Solid
Hollow
In machines:
Is electrical
Internal combustion power
Steam power
Manual power
Moving parts
No moving parts
Requires external energy source
Can convert its own energy
Interactive
Can be lifted, carried, dragged, pushed, or rolled
Can be used to hide or as cover against attacks
Can be worn by a player
Can hold/contain other objects
Can be eaten or drunk
If eaten or drunk, is poisonous, intoxicating, hallucinogenic, healing, or damaging; or tastes really good or really bad; or makes you bigger or smaller; or has some other specific effect (stronger, faster, smarter, etc.)
Nullifies or enhances magic
Improves or harms health
Recharges abilities
Contains information in the form of text or other sorts of clues
Functions as a key
Acts as a vendor (sells or supplies other objects to players)
Acts as a catalyst or necessary tool for some player-enabled creative process (such as an alchemist’s table, which is necessary to make potions using alchemy skills, or a forge for making weapons and armor)
Allows players to save/load a game
Relevant to the game
The last item in the previous list referred to relevance, which is a contextual quality. The relevance of an object may change as the game progresses, but it is a quality that matters to the player and to the designer. An object in the environment may seem innocuous until story elements reveal its importance or function. From a gameplay perspective, an object can be useless for much of the game but suddenly become very useful. Think of the burnable bushes in the original Legend of Zelda. They weren’t meaningful until you gained the power to burn them and reveal hidden secrets by doing so.
Some objects are useful throughout the game—a vending machine that dispenses sodas that replenish your energy, for instance. In contrast, a vending machine that does not dispense anything or that dispenses items without any use whatsoever is merely a prop and, in the context of this discussion, is irrelevant.
In some games, books reveal clues and important information, and in that context they are relevant. In other games, books are merely cosmetic, and they have no impact on the plot or gameplay. They may contain nice stories, and if the player enjoys reading those stories, then they achieve some relevance for entertainment value; however, in the more serious context of the game design, they are essentially irrelevant.
Here’s a very short list of items that could be relevant to the player for different reasons.
Terrain Objects. Generally, objects in game terrains have little purpose, but the more interactive the environment, the better. Think about ways that ordinary objects can achieve meaning/relevance to the player. For instance, telephone poles are destructible, they can be used as obstacles, you can knock them down to block a passage or to land on enemies, or you can climb them or read notices posted on them.
Telephones. Call a contact, receive a call, destroy or disconnect the phone to cut off communications, or use the phone to make calls to gather information or to determine whether someone you’re after is home. Throw a phone, plant a bug in one, hide a clue inside, examine a cell phone address book for clues, and so on.
Traffic Signs. Remove one to cause a traffic accident or to misdirect someone, deface one by shooting it and leaving bullet holes, collect one for your house, find a message taped on the back of one, use one as a shield, and so on.
Storm Drains. Clog one up to cause a flood, unclog one to clear up a flood, hide items inside, have monsters appear from them, and so on.
Murals and Other Wall Art. Use gang signs as clues, allow players to spray paint graffiti, notice the artist’s style and seek them out as part of a storyline, use them to display clues about the world the player is in, and so on.
A Shopping Cart. Use it to carry items, as a weapon, to help move a wounded comrade to safety, to cause a traffic accident, as a diversion, as an obstacle to impede pursuit, and so on.
Drainpipes on Buildings. Use them to climb or to destroy. Repair them to solve a problem, rip one from the wall and use it as a weapon, or rip one from the wall and use it as the barrel of a makeshift cannon or giant blowgun (for a giant, presumably). Use it as a design element when creating your own house, hide objects inside, use it as a portal for enemy creatures, and so on.
Spatula. Make eggs, put one on heat and then use it as a burning weapon, removing something stuck to a surface, use it as an emergency paddle on a small boat, sharpen it into a weapon, use it as the key to a special lock, and so on.
Fork. Use it for eating (of course), but also for poking, stabbing, completing a circuit, grabbing something just out of reach, as a makeshift lock pick (by bending the tines), as a source of metal, and so on.
Paperweight. Use it as a gift for someone special or hide a clue in it. Perhaps real people have been imprisoned in it.... Throw it at an enemy or to break a window. Perhaps gazing into it hypnotizes the gazer, and so on.
Broom. Use to clean up (of course), use the handle as a makeshift staff, use the bristles to light a fire, use it to move something just out of reach, sharpen the handle into a spear, make a set of nunchucks, and so on.
Zip Ties and Duct Tape. If you can’t think of dozens of things to do with zip ties and duct tape, you’re not thinking.
Deck of Cards. Hide clues, tell fortunes, gamble or make important wagers with enemies, throw them to distract someone, do magic tricks, pass the time playing Solitaire, use them to give people paper cuts, and so on.
Design Challenge
Look at how different games use the objects in their environments.
Make notes of all the interesting ways objects are used.
Make notes of all the objects that could have been used and how you would have used them.
Look at your own game designs. Are there ways to make them more interesting by making the objects in your game more relevant? How does that change your design philosophy, your story, or your action sequences?
The following lists can give you a good start when you’re planning an art list and designing game environments. This is by no means the whole enchilada. But as a handy-dandy starting point, the objects listed in the following locations can give you a quick start and save you time trying to visualize what to put in your game spaces. More than that, think about how to use these objects interactively. Most of them can be used to do something—as weapons or lock picks, for instance. With creativity, you can make almost any of the objects in these locations useful or at least interactive.
The following lists include items you might find on streets and freeways and on vehicles.
So what objects make and are on a freeway? It’s not a short list when you really scratch your head and think about it, but if you are making a driving game that takes place in or around a city, here are some of the things you will want to consider.
Straight road (wide or narrow)
Curve left (wide or narrow)
Curve right (wide or narrow)
Hill down (gentle or quite steep)
Hill up (gentle or quite steep)
Wide bridge (for cars/trains/etc.)
Narrow bridge (for bikes/pedestrians/etc.)
Bridges over water
Toll bridges
Telephone and electrical poles
Light poles
Lit area (various kinds of lamps)
Construction areas (holes/cones/repairs/special vehicles)
Detour or redirection
Accident areas (flares on road/trashed vehicles/damaged property)
Jackknifed big rigs
Breakdown areas (vehicle on jack/tow truck, etc.)
Emergency phones
Traffic (slow or moving)
Speeders and reckless drivers
Big trucks and semis
Lane separators, opposite directions (road lines [see below]/mud/concrete/railing/fence/vision-blocked fence/earth or grass median)
Lane separators, same direction (road lines [see below])
Road lines (solid white, double solid white, solid yellow, double solid yellow, dashed, dashed with reflectors and bumps, worn out and barely visible)
Police crossings (plastic poles or dirt paths)
Trash (shredded tires, hubcaps, papers, small rock debris, bottles, ashtray dumps, road kill)
Birds (crows, ravens, vultures, seagulls, chickens, wild turkeys, hawks, etc.) eating trash and road kill or just crossing the roadway
Animals (cats and dogs, cows and horses, deer, squirrels, rabbits, skunks, raccoons, opossum, coyotes, bears, alligators, mice, snakes, lizards, frogs and toads, etc.)
Dead animals
Flat terrain
Hilly terrain
Mountainous terrain
River valleys
Deserts
Forests
Jungles
Things that fell from cars and trucks (old bicycles, furniture, pet carriers, crates of chickens, a coffin, a huge pile of garlic, somebody’s grandma strapped to a chair, a bag full of stolen money—the stranger the better)
High raised freeway—straight
High raised freeway—banked left
High raised freeway—banked right
Overpasses
Off-ramps (including crossing roads to return on-ramp)
On-ramps
Metered on-ramps
Pedestrian overpasses
Lane merging (such as from four lanes to three lanes)
Lane addition (such as from three lanes to four lanes)
Hard shoulder (British term for the lane that you are not allowed to drive on but you can use if your car breaks down)
Dead men’s fingers (British term for the area with the white chevrons painted on the exits that you are not supposed to drive on)
Snowy or icy passes
The yellow barrels (for impacts before concrete dividers)
Police blockages (using cars/fences/etc.)
“Rumble” painted lines on the sides of the road
Reflectors or “cat’s eyes” on the lane markings
Traffic lamps (used on on-ramps during rush hour)
Freeway signs/sign bridges (often surrounded by barbed wire)
Billboards
Graffiti
Major construction (all the complex wooden lattice supports, tarps, containers, portable toilets, piles of sand, etc.)
Stalled cars
Hitchhikers and other pedestrians (guy walking with a gas can, derelict, hiker)
Police cruisers and motorcycles (stalking or just driving)
Airplanes and helicopters in the air
Electrical and phone wires and poles
Lakes and large rivers
Farms (in the country)
Railroad or municipal commuter trains paralleling the highway for a time
UFOs (especially in desolate stretches)
Indications of previous accidents (skid marks/broken glass and other debris/spilled paint/burnt-out cars/marks/oil marks, etc.)
Toxic spills
Expansion seams (usually on bridges or raised freeways)
Heavy, rusty metal cover plates (covering construction holes in the road)
Drains and gratings (storm and rain drainage)
Rocks/boulders
Crack-repair tar (making those squiggly lines over the road surface)
Traffic cameras (mounted on poles and bridges)
Lamp poles (various kinds, single head, multi-head, leaning)
Construction lamps/flashing lights/flashing arrows
Carpool lane
Islands/sound barriers/high cement walls/trees
Murals on support walls
Tunnels
Middle of lanes darker due to dripping oil from cars
Gas stations
Restaurants
Rest areas
Truck stops
Weigh stations
Toll booths
Turnouts
Water on road (risk of hydroplaning)
Ice on road (risk of skidding)
“Brakes-out” exit (run-off) in mountainous area
Multilevel road (meaning one lane is higher than the other, with a small slope down to the lower one)
Many of the same objects and features found on freeways can also be found on city streets. However, city streets will also have many additional features. In fact, given the immense variety of possible objects found in, on, and around city streets, no list could possibly be complete. Here are some ideas, however:
Straight (wide or narrow)
Curve left (wide or narrow)
Curve right (wide or narrow)
Hill down (gentle or quite steep)
Hill up (gentle or quite steep)
Corner intersection
Blind-corner intersection
Major intersection
T intersection
Railroad or mass transit crossing
Bus lane
Bus stop
Subway entrance/exit
One-way streets
Freeway on-ramps and off-ramps
Street signs
Advertising signs
Shops of all kinds
Office buildings
Malls
Mini-malls
Street vendors
Street performers
Bicyclists
People going to and from work
Homeless people
Loiterers
Animals (varies with size of city—can be dogs, cats, pigeons, etc.)
Wide bridge (for cars, trains, etc.)
Drawbridges
Multi-deck roadways
Raised rail lines
Narrow bridge (for bikes, pedestrians, etc.)
Lit area (various kinds of lamps)
Construction areas (holes/cones/repairs/special vehicles)
Accident areas (flares on road/trashed vehicles/damaged property)
Traffic cameras (mounted on poles and bridges)
Stop signs
Yield signs
One-way signs
Other street signs (no parking, no entry, bus routes, etc.)
Other cars and trucks—driving or parked
Lamp poles (various kinds, single head, multi-head, leaning)
Drains and grates (storm and rain drainage)
Busses and rail systems, such as cable cars and raised rail
Bus stops, with or without benches, covered or not
Subway stations
Narrow alleys
Mirrors (in European cities to see around corners in areas with especially narrow streets)
Cobblestone streets
Brick streets
Trolley tracks in streets
Sidewalks
Pedestrian crosswalks
Potholes and ruts
Manhole covers
Drainage grates
Detours and construction
Blocked streets
Traffic jams and gridlock
Pedestrians (all kinds)
Trash (including bottles, twisted metal)
Trashcans (large and small)
Gutters
Multi-lane streets (major arteries)
Lane narrowing or merging
Bus-only lanes
Parked cars, trucks, and busses
Delivery vans and trucks
Parades, picketing, and protest marches
Colorful characters
Newspaper kiosks and vending machines
Storefronts (including liquor stores, gun shops, pharmacies, groceries, restaurants/delis/cafés, etc.)
Churches and meeting halls
Parking lots (simple or elaborate multi-story, above ground or underground, etc.)
Landmarks (such as city halls, opera buildings, museums, convention centers, large hotels, etc.)
Billboards and other signs
Graffiti
Construction sites (steel beams; wooden planks; tools such as riveters, nail guns, saws, hammers, screwdrivers, etc.)
Vacant lots
Vacant houses/apartments
Prostitutes
Transients, homeless people, beggars, crazy people
Hotels/motels
Crack/meth houses
Gang members
Neighborhoods (predominantly ethnic)
Neighborhoods (wealthy or poor)
Garage sales and street sales
Flea markets/swap meets
Docks
Warehouses and factories
Electrical and phone wires
Power stations
Bicycles and scooters
Valet parking
Gas stations
Fast-food drive-throughs
Bank drive-throughs
This includes things that can block, things that can hurt, things that can distract, things that can damage, and things that can be used as weapons.
Orange/reflective white traffic cone (light, no damage to car)
Orange/white painted wooden sign (A-shaped/striped)
Orange plastic pole cones (used as medians to separate traffic)
Portable wooden barricade (for instant roadblocks)
Portable construction barricade (“Road Construction Ahead”)
Crashed or abandoned vehicles
A shopping cart
Kids playing in the street
Sidewalk sales
Barricades (various kinds, including wooden barriers, cars, armed soldiers or police, etc.)
Toll booths (the hut style with window)
Wooden barricades (for toll booths, the arm that lowers down)
Flashing stoplights (for train tracks and streets)
Metal pole barricades (for train tracks, with big stop signs)
Train tracks (makes cars jiggle)
Curbs (different colors—concrete/white/red/yellow/green/blue)
Drainpipes on buildings (can clip off a wing mirror)
Sidewalk end ramp (where pedestrians cross)
Speed bump—long (long, shallow one)
Speed bump—short (D-shaped bump)
Cat’s eyes (small reflectors on road)
Orange bump (bump the size of half a grapefruit for traffic-lane definition)
Pothole (dip in road)
Cement road separator (curved—used to separate traffic)
Metal barrier (used to stop you driving off the edge of an embankment)
Plastic barrels (used where lanes split on the freeway)
Pillars (separating traffic in tunnels)
Statue (can be destroyed)
Fountain (large and flat, can be crossed)
Flagpole (on sides of buildings)
Signposts
Stop
Bus stop
Yield
Speed limit
One-way
No parking
No entry
No exit
Freeway exit
Train crossing
Hotel
Loading zone
Freeway markers
Mailboxes (sidewalk style)
Trashcans (old “Oscar the Grouch” style)
Trashcans (the permanent city type, with a logo)
Trashcans (the wire mesh type)
Dumpsters (alleyway)
Bus shelter (made of glass—explodes when you hit it)
Black plastic bags of trash (alleyway)
Cardboard boxes of trash (alleyway)
Crates of empty bottles (alleyway)
Phone booths
Patio furniture (for the front of a café, chairs/table/umbrella)
Trash (paper/leaves that get thrown up into the air as you pass)
Trash (broken glass or metal that can damage tires)
Large puddles that might kill an engine or at least slow you down and splash a lot
Trees (small)
Trees (large)
Burning police flares (around old accidents)
Bushes (3 feet)
Bushes (6 feet)
Manhole cover
Park bench (for grassy areas)
Parked bicycles (leaning on their kickstands)
Parked motorcycles
Badly parked cars sticking out into the roadway
Construction materials that have fallen off a truck, such as 2×4s or piles of sheetrock, tools, nails, etc.
Hot-dog stand (the cart style on a street corner—spews hot dogs when hit)
Magazine vendor stand (throws papers if you hit it)
Boxes on the street that sell newspapers (throw papers if you hit them)
Electrical wiring box (throws sparks in air if you hit it)
Downed electrical or telephone wire
Fire hydrant (gushes water into the air when struck)
Parked cars (by the side of the street)
Traffic lights (need light bulbs)
Walk/Don’t Walk lights (for crossings)
Gates (metal bars)
Sand piles
Picket fences (around the homes)
Chain-link fences (wire mesh—noisy when hit)
Lamp posts (the L-shaped overhanging version)
Lamp posts (the decorative version—breaks off—sparks come from base)
Telephone poles (very difficult to break!)
Parking meters (throw coins if struck hard...they do a nice lopsided spin)
One-way spikes on exits
Nails and screws on the roadway—can flatten tires
Caltrops
Wheels
Tires
Hubcaps
Hood
Trunk (British: boot)
Engine (multiple components)
Battery
Front fender
Rear fender
Doors
Door handle
Hatchback
Side van doors
Truck bed (various sizes)
Pickup-truck canopy cover
Front-door windows
Rear-door windows
Rearview window
Front windshield
Side mirrors
Rearview mirror
Rearview mirror ornaments
Headlights
Tail/brake lights
Backup lights
Interior lights
License-plate lights
Side panels
Exhaust pipe/system
License plate
License-plate holders
Steering wheel
Roof
Gas pedal
Brake pedal
Clutch (if applicable)
Gearshift(s)
Glove box
Center storage compartment
Front and rear seats
Emergency-brake lever or pedal
Radio/stereo/CD player/hand’s-free cell phone system/DVD player
Cup holders
Aerial/antenna
Pedals
Seatbelts
Airbags
Front grille
Suspension
Manual gearshift
Automatic gear stick
Key
Dashboard
Cab lights
Radio/CD player
Dashboard knobs
Dashboard ornaments
High beam
Spare tire
Axles
Hazard lights
Bumpers (front and rear)
Trailer hitch (front or rear)
Jack
Lug wrench
Spare fuses
City streets (tarmac/asphalt/cobbled/brick/concrete)
Underground/tunnels/etc.
Tarmac (airport taxiways or open-surface parking lots)
Weather-related (ice, snow, standing water, etc.)
Metal (as on metal bridges)
Grassy areas (parks, etc.)
Paved pedestrian areas
Freeways
Off-road/countryside terrain
Country roads
Aqueducts
Parking structures
Racetrack
This includes bedrooms, kitchens, bathrooms, attics, basements, garages—if you can’t find something interesting to do with this lot, keep thinking....
Ice pick
Knife (various kinds)
Cleaver
Spatula
Fork
Pantry
Meat locker
Wine cellar
Trapdoor
Plates and glassware
Pans hanging from ceiling
Blender
Toaster
Toaster oven
Microwave
Glass bowl
Ceramic bowl
Steel bowl
Cooking pots—tiny to huge
Grater
Hot plate or hot griddle
Sink full of water
Coffeemaker
Espresso maker (with milk steamer)
Foreman Grill
Seal-a-Meal
Garlic press
Plastic and Ziploc bags
Stool (wood, metal, or plastic)
Burner cover (from stove)
Refrigerator
Stove/oven
Dishwasher
Sink sprayer
Sponges
Steel wool
Cleansers (soaps and abrasives)
Dishware (plates, cups, glasses, bowls, etc.)
Silverware (spoons, forks, knives, etc.)
Huge spoons, forks, and knives
Anything cast iron
Egg timer
Ashtray (various shapes and sizes)
Fireplace tools (pokers, shovels, bellows, etc.)
Lamps (floor and table)
Ceiling fans
Heaters (portable/electric)
Wall sockets
Breaker boxes
Exposed electrical wiring
Vacuum cleaner
Mop
Broom
Duster
Washer
Dryer
Detergents
Bleach
Glass cleaner
Floor cleaners and waxes
Furniture polishes and waxes
Other household chemicals
Guns (on walls or in cases)
Trophies (on walls)
Collectible objects (could be stamps, coins, dolls, plates, Hummels, weapons, musical instruments, baseball cards, Magic: The Gathering cards, etc.)
Swords and other weapons used ornamentally
Paintings and photographs
Decorative vases and bowls of flowers or fruit
Picture-hanging wire
Electrical cords
Bar
Liquor bottles
Marks on walls (could be bloodstains, dark or light sections marking where something used to be, bullet holes, etc.)
Rugs (various shapes and sizes)
Chairs (various kinds)
Tables (various kinds)
Beds
Blankets and sheets
Pillows
Dressers
Cabinets (various kinds)
Bed tables
Clothes hanging in closets (or laying on the floor)
TVs
VCRs/CD players/DVD players
Camcorders
Stereos
Radios
Telephones
Game consoles
Computers
Domestic robots
Musical instruments (piano, guitar, banjo, flute, drum, etc.)
Pool table (plus balls, triangle, and cue sticks)
Ping-pong table
Floor safe
Wall safe (probably hidden)
Mirrors of all kinds
Hairdryer
Bathtub or sink full of water
Toilet
Toilet paper and dispenser
Shower
Showerhead
Shower door (glass)
Pharmaceuticals in medicine cabinet
Towels
Plumber’s helper/plunger
Toilet brush
Jewelry
Watches
Iron
Ironing board
Washer
Dryer
Tissue
Pens and pencils
Clocks (all kinds)
Books and bookshelves
Chandelier
Stairs
Banister
Balcony
Paperweight
Letter opener
Jewelry box
Hunting knife
Machete
Hand tools (hammer, screwdriver, wrench, crowbar, saw, etc.)
Power tools (saw, router, nail gun, chainsaw, weed whacker, drill [and bits], etc.)
Garden hand tools (picks, shovels, forks, etc.)
Ladders
Lawnmower
Pesticide
Pesticide sprayer
Fertilizers
Other garden chemicals
Posthole digger
Paints
Pool cleaner
Swimming pool (various kinds and sizes)
Diving board
Children’s toys (such as old rocking horse, skates, skateboards, etc.)
Sports equipment (including bats, clubs, balls, etc.)
Filing cabinet
Candlesticks
Fire extinguishers
Home security system
Doghouse
Other pet paraphernalia (food dishes, leashes, cat litter boxes, etc.)
Toilet
Sinks
Towels (various sizes)
Trash receptacle
Stalls (public)
Urinals (public)
Bidets (Europe)
Showers
Bathtubs
Steam showers
Jacuzzis
Body towels
Face towels
Shampoo
Soap (bar or dispenser)
Shower cap
Toothbrush (manual or electric)
Brush/comb
Toilet brush
Razors (electric, safety, straight)
Mouthwash
Medicine cabinet
Cabinets and drawers
Cleansers
Toilet paper and dispenser
Lights and light switches
Decorative pictures, wallpaper, etc.
Anti-mildew sprays
Disinfectants
Foods
Canned goods
Boxed goods
Fresh fruits and vegetables
Dry goods
Frozen foods
Brand names
Sinks
Sink sprayer
Dishwashers
Soap
Cleansers
Bleach
Sponges
Scrubbers (plastic or metal)
Steel wool
Brushes (various kinds)
Pots and pans
Potholders
Dishrags
Paper towels
Broom
Whisk broom
Mop
Knives (food preparation)
Cutlery/silverware
Measuring cups
Measuring spoons
Napkins
Placemats
Tablecloths
Spatulas
Whisks
Tongs
Chopsticks
Ice pick
Cleaver
Corkscrew/can opener
Oven
Burners
Hood (fan)
Microwave
Cuisinart/blender
Stove
Oven
Refrigerator
Freezer
Toaster
Toaster oven
Mixer (hand or electric)
Coffeemaker
Coffee grinder (hand or electric)
Disposal in sink
Trash compactor
This list contains objects that are commonly (but not always) found in typical locations.
Telephones (land line, switchboard, pay phone, cell phone, etc.)
Clocks
Computers and monitors
Printers
Fax machines
Portable devices, such as iPods or handheld game systems
Broom
Mop
Vacuum cleaner
Desks
Chairs
Sofas/couches
Televisions
VCRs and DVD players
Ladder
Pens, pencils, and markers
Art on walls
Lamps (floor, desk, and ceiling)
Books and bookshelves
Fire extinguishers (especially in public places)
Water heater
Ceiling fan
Space heater
Floor or desk fan
Books
Bookshelves
Pad of paper
Loose paper
Piles of paper
Clothing (various kinds, including shoes and boots)
Doors (interior and exterior)
Windows (interior and exterior)
Mirrors
Wine and liquor bottles
Potted plants (real or fake)
Cut flowers
Vending machines
Cigarette packages
Beer cans
Guns
Ashtrays
These are common signs other than street and freeway signs.
Just about any business sign
Restroom
Men’s
Women’s
Exit
Emergency Exit
Gas (advertising)
Gas (pricing)
Please Remove Shoes
Menu specials (in restaurants)
Menu (on wall of deli)
Billboards and advertising (various places—on streets and highways, in and on busses, etc.)
Do Not Litter
Open/Closed
Vacancy/No Vacancy
Subway signs
No Smoking
Out of Business
Sale!
Slippery When Wet
These include reception, conference rooms, working areas, cubicle areas, storage areas, eating areas, elevators, and so on.
Doors and windows (various kinds)
Video surveillance equipment
Telephones
Receptionist station
Computer equipment (various)
Documents
Vending machines
Coffee machines
Water dispenser
Arcade games and pinball machines
Elevators
Stairs
Emergency exits
Bathrooms and bathroom objects
Mirrors
Art on the walls
Rugs
Various chairs, couches, etc.
Floor protectors
Conference-room objects
Tables
AV equipment
Safes
File cabinets
Closets
Books and bookshelves
Cubicles
Kitchens (from minimal to complete)
Dining area
Utility rooms (including furnace, electronics and networks, mail room, maintenance equipment and tools, etc.)
Executive offices
Desks
Keys
Letter openers
Pencils and pens
Paper
Tissue
Chairs that roll (or not)
Signs
Bulletin boards
White boards
Fire extinguishers
Gym (see the following section for objects)
Vending machines
Scanners
Copiers
Fax machines
Security systems and alarm
Barbells and weights
Treadmills
Punching bags
Gloves
Showers
Lockers
Locks
Medicine balls
Various exercise machines
Stationary bikes
Treadmills
Rowing machines
Weight machines (various)
Benches
Boxing ring
Martial-arts mats
Towels
Clipboards
Pens and pencils
Food and drink
Vending machines
Telephones
Bathrooms and bathroom objects
Shop (for anything from snacks and water to clothing and equipment)
Receptionist station
Doors (normal and automatic)
Gurneys
Telephones
Switchboard
Nurse stations
Clipboards
Pens and pencils
Chairs and couches
Wheelchairs
Crutches
Canes
Beds (powered and not)
Blankets and sheets
Pillows
Hampers
Cabinets (locked and not)
Chairs and stools
Skeletons
Cadavers
Organs in bottles
Blood
Charts showing systems of the body
Gift and flower shop
Restrooms (public and private)
TVs
Medical equipment
Scalpels
Stethoscopes
Syringes
Ear scopes
Thermometers (various kinds)
Rubber tie-offs
Surgical thread and needles
Surgical staples
IV drip equipment (needles, tubes, bags of solutions, stands)
Cotton swabs
Bandages (all kinds)
Plaster (for casts)
Splints, slings, patches, etc.
Blood-pressure cuff/reader
Tongue depressors
Biological waste containers
Biological material transportation containers
Bone saws
Anesthesia tanks and equipment
Ophthalmoscopes
Reflex hammers
Tuning forks
Small flashlights
Ultrasound units
MRI facilities
X-ray equipment
X-ray films hanging on light walls
Defibrillators
EKG equipment
Examination tables (powered and not)
Fetal Dopplers and monitors
Microscopes
Narcotic cabinets
Medicines (all kinds)
Speculum
Scales
Surgical gowns and masks
Doctor and nurse uniforms
Patient gowns
Prosthetics of various kinds
Dialysis equipment
Iron lung
Chairs (dentist’s)
Chairs (patient’s—usually a single adjustable unit with drill, lights, x-ray, etc.)
X-ray unit
X-ray films hanging on light walls or on light tables
Drill assembly
Drill attachments
Cabinets and storage
Picks and other hand tools
Disinfectant/contamination control systems
Mobile equipment and storage cart
Control panels
Cuspidor
Syringes
Tanks of nitrous oxide (laughing gas)
Facemask for anesthetic
Novocain and other drugs
Various kinds of filling materials, from metal to ceramic or acrylic
Uniforms/facemasks/head protection/eye protection
Lead bib
Defibrillators (apparently)
Toothbrushes
Dental floss
Stereo equipment and speakers
Headphones
Magazines
Low tables
Receptionist station
Artwork of questionable taste on walls
This includes the front desk, cells, examination rooms, and so on.
Cells
Holding cells/examination rooms/line-up
One-way mirrors
Front desk
Telephones
Evidence room (with evidence)
Evidence (drugs, weapons, documents, computers, etc.)
Desks
Computers
Cots
Eating area
Locker room
Lockers
Bathrooms
Gun safes
Guns—handguns, rifles, riot guns, etc.
Ammunition (various kinds)
Tear-gas canisters and ammo
Gas masks
Pepper spray
Knives (various)
Road spikes, etc.
Police utility belts/holsters
Batons/clubs
Shoulder holsters
Handcuffs
Stun guns
Face shields
Body shields
Body armor
Crowbars and pry bars
Jaws of life
Battering rams
Zip ties
Shackles
Handheld radios
Badges
Uniforms
Police radios
Police vehicles
Police cruisers
Unmarked cars
Helicopters
Paddy wagons
Police trucks
Horses (for mounted patrols)
4×4s and snowmobiles where needed
Bulletproof vests/personal armor
Benches and chairs
Loudspeakers/megaphones
Signs
Keys
Buzzers
Fire extinguishers
Polygraph
Riot gear
Nonlethal weapons (stun guns, rubber bullets, etc.)
Rope
Barricade tape
Sun and safety glasses
Climbing and rappelling gear
Skis (where needed)
Fire bell
Fire pole
Desks
Chairs
Beds
Fire trucks
Ladders
Axes
Deck of cards
Hoses
Uniforms
Fire-protection suits
Gas masks
Lockers
TV
Telephones
Radio equipment
Bells
Fire extinguishers
This includes administrative offices, student lounges and commissaries, classrooms, maintenance storage, and so on.
Books (plenty of them)
Chalk and blackboards
White boards
Pens, pencils, markers, paints
Chairs (various)
Lecture halls
Podiums
Open areas with grass and/or trees and shrubs
Telephones
Computers
Bells
Public-address system
Kitchens and eating areas
Restaurants (various kinds and sizes)
Books
Shelves
Campus bookstore
Student social centers
Gardens (possibly)
Restrooms
Playing fields/stadiums
Dark alleyways
Dorms
Lots of windows
Fire extinguishers
Lockers
File cabinets
Vending machines
Bicycles
Skateboards
Audio/visual equipment
Laser pointers
Sports equipment
Auditoriums and theaters
Parking lots
Calculators
Clocks
Maps and globes
Biology props
Preserved animals for dissection
Dissection tools
Animals in cages
Chemistry props
Chemicals (all kinds)
Bunsen burners
Various flasks, retorts, condensers, Petri dishes, etc.
Specialized tools
Emergency eye wash
Posters of the periodic table
Physics props
Stopwatches
Marking paper
Graph paper
Plumb bob/pendulum
Sewers are essentially mazes of tubes that contain water and sewage. In games and sometimes in movies, sewers are depicted as tunnels that people can enter and pass through. In these sorts of sewers, one might find just about anything. Conditions can be quite funky, too. When designing gameplay within a sewer, you can work with the variety of objects that could appear there, as well as a topology that is full of possibilities. Imagine the sewer is very modern or very old. Or that it is in terrible disrepair. Imagine where it goes and what kinds of buildings it passes under. Banks? Office buildings? Homes and warehouses?
Ladders
Walkways
Stairways
Manholes and covers
Dark tunnels
Rats
Alligators
Fish (various kinds)
Spiders
Mutant creatures
Weird vegetation
Luminescent vegetation
Secret areas
Mysterious stains on walls
Cave-ins
Crevasses, nooks, and crannies
Walkways and bridges
Bats and sticks
Old crates
Bones/skeletons (animal and/or human)
Objects (such as tools, maps, food wrappers, cameras, etc.) left behind by other explorers or adventurers (or workers)
Mysterious messages carved or painted (in blood?) on the walls
Buried treasure
Jewelry
Algae
Sewage
Discarded furniture set up as living arrangements (abandoned or inhabited)
Rails
Lights
Pipes
Apparitions
Control panels
Cables
Gates and locked gates
Graves
Shopping cart
Cans
Boxes
Bottles
Cash registers
Scanners
Freezers
Food
Kitchen utensils
Cookware
Mop bucket
Mop
Broom
Heat lamps
Shelving units
Cleaning solutions
Security mirrors
Security cameras
Meat lockers
Meat hooks
Saws
Knives
Display cases
Overhead lighting
Signs
Large windows
PA system
Fruit bins
Bathrooms
Fire extinguishers
Telephones
Bunsen burners
Glass tubing
Computers
Testing equipment
Strange and mysterious devices
Chemicals (liquid, powdered, blocks, etc.)
Remote sensors
Video equipment and surveillance equipment
Security systems
Alarm systems
Dials and levers
Button arrays
Glass enclosures
Robotic hands and other robotic equipment
Crackling electricity
Warning signs
Radiation counters
Fire (and chemical) extinguishers
Secret documents and formulae
Telephones and intercoms
Cleaning facilities, from sinks to eye-washing stations
Tesla coils
Cages
Monkeys
Mutants
Rats
Pools
Cranes
Walkie-talkies
Radio equipment
Hand weapons (all kinds)
Jeeps
ATVs
Tanks
Planes
Beds and bunks
Missiles
Bombs
Ammunition
Grenades
Uniforms
Batons/clubs
Body armor, shields, helmets
Planes
Shops and restaurants
Chairs and tables
Phones
Gates
Security scanners (luggage/walkthrough/handheld)
Alarms
Security guards
Uniforms and badges
Stun guns
Guns
Handcuffs
Bomb disposal equipment
Bomb/chemical detection equipment
Sniffer dogs
Ticket counters
Lines of people
Luggage
Baggage claim areas
Baggage carousels
Busses and cars (outside)
Signs and ads
Arrival/departure displays
Pedestrian slideways
Escalators and elevators
Loudspeakers and PA system
Shuttle busses
Electric carts
Hand carts
Ear protectors
Hangars
Airplane parts
Tools
Luggage trains
Plane haulers
Fuel trucks
Fuel tanks and storage
Huge windows
Air traffic control tower (and equipment)
Communications systems
Radar and radar towers
Runways
Conveyor belts
Big machines (drill presses, stampers and flatteners, large welders, molding machines, mixing machines, etc.)
Vats
Control panels, valves, and switches
Catwalks
Tools (hammers, drills, etc., plus arc welders, riveters, hydraulic lifts, etc.)
Stockyards and inventory storage
Cleanup equipment
Fire extinguishers (various kinds)
Emergency medical supplies
Pipes carrying steam, liquids, etc.
Chemical storage
Smokestacks
Parking lots
Fences
Locked doors
Clipboards and paper/pens, etc.
Computers
Telephones
PA system
Alarm systems
Clocks
Time clock
Locker rooms
Elevators
Stairs
Hand trucks
Trucks
Forklifts
Trash
Broken or incomplete assemblies
Gloves, goggles, aprons, and other protective clothing
Loading doors and docks
Security system and alarms
Offices
Restrooms
Storage bins and shelves
Hand trucks
Forklifts
Offices
Loading doors and docks
Security system and alarms
PA system
Trucks
Merchandise (various kinds)
Locks and locked doors/cabinets/sections
Gated areas
Dirt, dust, and trash
A lot of games are set in fantasy worlds that are similar to medieval worlds. Along with the requisite castles, there are inevitably smaller villages, and sometimes larger cities, that feature various types of buildings typical of olden times. These locations may be historically based, but often they are simply set in fantasy worlds, even on other planets. Yet the medieval styles (or those of other periods and ethnicities) form a useful and well-understood framework upon which to construct the game.
Along with medieval villages, castles often make an appearance in games, both historical and fantasy. Castle architecture has varied a great deal over time and from one culture to another. This list is only a suggestion of some of the bits and pieces you might use to create a castle in your game.
Wooden washtubs
Fireplaces
Ladders
Stairs—spiral stairs in a castle were oriented to climb clockwise, which caused enemies to expose more of their body as they ascended in order to use their swords (which were carried in the right hand)
Canopies and tents
Screens
Stone basins (built in)
Water pipes and holding tanks (sometimes)
Taps and spouts (sometimes)
Horses and harnesses
Hauberks
Suits of mail
Bows and crossbows
Cables
Cords
Coal
Arrows
Bolts
Iron
Lead
Swords
Daggers
Axes and poleaxes
Maces
Shields
Helmets
Tapestries
Pottery
Straw
Sleeping cloaks
Blankets (heavy, fur, feathered)
Beds
Chamber pots
Candles
Chairs
Couches
Wimple (woman’s headpiece)
Woolen stockings
Leather purses
Prayer beads
Hair pins
Leather shoes
Food preparation utensils (spoons [bone, pewter, horn, silver, bronze], [no forks], flesh hook, knife, bowls, etc.)
Iron pots (for foods and other uses)
Typical tools
Auger (drilling holes in wood)
Axe (felling small trees or cutting firewood)
Adaze (cutting slivers from the surface of the wood)
Basket (holding stone while it was hoisted at a building site)
Billhook (pruning)
Cloth shears (cutting cloth)
Crowbar (for manhandling the heavy stones at a quarry and placing stones in their final resting places)
Dividers (for measuring)
Hammer (to butt stone and drive wooden pegs)
Handsaw (to make small wood cuts and more delicate woodworking)
Mallet (used in conjunction with a chisel to carve wood or stone; the mason or carpenter would strike the chisel with the mallet)
Mason chisel (used by the masons, along with the mallet, to carve decorative designs into the stones and for cutting and dressing stone)
Nippers (cutting through wire)
Pitchfork (thrusting into sheaves, bundles of hay, so that they could be pitched into a cart)
Sharp blade (cutting through leather)
Shearing shears (cutting fleece from sheep)
Sickle (cutting crops)
Snip (cutting sheets of metal)
Trowel (laying and smoothing mixed mortar on stone or brick)
Wood chisel (shaping and cutting designs into the wood, or splitting wood)
Brooms
Dying vats
Musical instruments (various)
Ironically, nobles would eat the richest foods, while the peasants ate simpler, but in some ways healthier, fare. Although many diseases ravished whole populations in ancient times, nobles were susceptible to certain ailments that peasants did not suffer from, due to differences in diet. Of course, if you were starving, it mattered little if the food was rich or plain. The foods on the following list were primarily eaten by the noble classes.
Cheese
Beans
Oats
Malt and barley for beer
Wine (lots of it)
Bread
Venison
Beef (from bulls, cows, calves, and oxen)
Lamb
Pork
Herring
Rice
Figs
Nuts
Onions
Garlic
Peas
Beans
Raisins
Jellies
Tarts
Custards
Spices (typically buckwheat, ginger, coriander, cinnamon, cloves, cumin, aniseed, licorice, pepper...but not salt, which was a status symbol and was served at the table in a boat-shaped container called a saltcellar, which was placed in front of the lord of the castle)
Wafers
Cooked apples
Cooked pears
Seville oranges
Dates
Prunes
Pigeons (especially in winter, since they could be bred)
Starlings
Vultures
Gulls
Herons
Storks
Cormorants
Swans
Peacocks
Capons
Chickens
Geese
Ducks
Dogfish
Porpoises
Seals
Whale
Haddock
Cod
Salmon
Sardines
Lamprey
Dolphins
Tunnies
Eels
Mullet
Sole
Shad
Flounder
Plaice
Ray
Mackerel
Trout
Crab
Crayfish
Oysters
Commoners’ foods (turnips and salads, dark breads, porridges, some fish, cheese curds, beer, ale, mead)
This would be for feeding a garrison of approximately 1,300.
112 1/2 quarters of corn
10 1/2 quarters wheat malt
112 1/2 quarters beans
7 bushels of mixed beans and barley
2 tons of pilcorn
9 1/2 quarters of oatmeal
78 carcasses of salted meat
81 oxhides
40 mutton carcasses
72 hams
1,856 stockfish
Wine, honey, and vinegar
Sweets
Salt
Water
Cookware
Utensils
Most of the items on this list would be found only in stage theaters. Some would only be found in movie theaters.
Seats with aisles
Balcony seats
Snack bar
Sticky floors
Rugs
Projection booth (in movie theater)
Spotlights and area lights
Colored gels
Light bar (where lights are mounted)
Curtains
Sound system
Stage area
Sound and lighting control panels
Curtain controls
Counterweights (on curtains and scene backdrops in older theaters)
Ladders
Dressing rooms
Set materials (flats, furniture, props, etc.)
Orchestra pit
Trapdoors
Lower level
Green room
Microphones
Rope, string, twine, wire
Fog machine
Gaffer’s tape
Paint, buckets, and brushes/rollers
Hand tools
Storage closets or rooms
Janitorial supplies
Janitorial closet
Reception area
Podium
Long poles (for reaching items high up)
Projectors (movie theaters)
Film canisters (movie theaters)
Lighted Exit signs
Chandelier (common in older theaters and fancy ones)
Trash receptacles
Ticket office/booth
Manager’s office
Restrooms
Telephones
Computers
Alarm system
Stairs
Cameras (handheld, on rollers and dollies, on cranes)
Director’s booth
Monitors and control panel
Outside sound system
Internal (director’s) sound system
Lights and light bars
Spotlights
TV sets
Chairs
Reception area
Green room
Dressing rooms
Audience area
Lit signs (Exit, Applause, etc.)
Editing decks
Video tapes (1”, 3/4”, etc.)
Ticket booths
Rides
Lines
Shuttles and tour trolleys
Snack bars and restaurants
Vending machines
Souvenir shops
Mascots (people in suits)
Parades
Carnies
Skill games
Luck games
Penny arcade
Trash containers
Random trash
Plainclothes security guards
Security guards
Maintenance people
Balloons
Cotton candy
Toys and prizes
Stuffed animals
Popcorn
Litter
Funhouse
Crazy mirrors
Staterooms
Restrooms
Decks (various)
Deck chairs
Other chairs
Games (shuffleboard, darts, etc.)
Pools
Dining hall
Kitchen (galley)
Restaurants
Bars
Card rooms
Meeting and conference rooms
Business center
Casino
Arcade
Wheelhouse
Engine room
Crews’ quarters
Sundries and souvenir shop
Gym/spa
Control room
Theaters/dance clubs
Infirmary
Storage areas
Tools (picks/shovels/drills/buckets/etc.)
Rocks and boulders
Support beams and struts
Mine carts
Tracks
Stalagmites and stalactites
Helmets
Broken tools
Gemstones and mineral deposits
Lamps and lanterns
Elevators/mine shafts
Maintenance supplies
Laundry
Smokestacks
Communication system
Ticket office
Ticket takers
Souvenir shops
Statues
Paintings and drawings
Carvings
Furniture
Mummies
Lighting (various)
Alcoves
Display cases
Maps
Electronic talking guides
Signs and descriptions
Doors (ordinary)
Doors (security)
Maintenance area
Storage areas
Repair facilities
Offices
Weapons
Models and tableaux
Chairs and benches
Stalls
Fruit (all kinds)
Meats (all kinds)
Whole carcasses
Fish
Flowers
Souvenirs
Art
Cafés
Bakeries
Candy sellers
Carvings
Jewelry
Tools
Utensils
Dogs and cats
Entertainers (on the fringes or on small stages)
Heat tiles
Navigation equipment
Power controls (including steering)
Airlocks and hatches
Acceleration chairs
Hibernation equipment
Computers
Complex and mysterious controls
Spacesuits
Space food
View windows or technology
Bunks
Holodeck
Eating area
Food preparation
Sick bay
Medicines and first-aid kits
Audio equipment and loudspeakers
Dilithium crystals
Engineering section
Engine rooms
Matter synthesizer
Teleporter
Holodeck
Laser guns
Energy beams
Force fields
Nanotech devices
Med kits
Antigravity
Telepathy
Super-intelligent computers
Star maps
Flying cars
Instant communicators (voice/picture/etc.)
Ubiquitous surveillance (or is that in the future?)
Energy transmitter
Solar furnace/engine
Ether engine
Time/space machine
Gestures
Wands
Staves
Spell books
Daggers, swords, and other ritual weapons
Scrolls
Jewelry (rings, amulets, talismans, etc.)
Runes, dice, coins, etc.
Crystal ball
Dancing and movement
Herbs, potions, powders, tinctures, etc.
Mortar and pestle
Blood
Animals (dead or alive)
Bones and innards
Noisemakers (rattles, drums, etc.)
Music and song
Purification practices (sleep deprivation, fasting, meditation, solitude, etc.)
Rites and rituals
Fire and smoke/incense
Sacred objects
Offerings and sacrifices
Masks and costumes
Familiars
Drugs
Magical spaces and signs, such as the pentagram
Visualization and imagination
Tarot
Minerals (iron, mercury, salt, etc.)
Candles and wax in general
Cauldrons
Alchemical devices (various)
Stage-magic items (hoops, disappearing boxes, doves, top hats, etc.)
Good places to hide objects might be, for example, in a lake, in a river, in a volcano, in space—usually places that are either dangerous to go to find the object or that will destroy the object automatically.
In a tree.
In a river or lake.
In a cave.
Under leaves in the forest.
In a volcano.
In a beehive (or very near it).
Halfway down a cliff.
On an isolated mesa.
In plain sight, but disguised as something else. For instance, take a powerful scepter, stand it on its end, and put a lampshade on it.
Encased in some outer covering that disguises its nature.
Amid a pile of garbage or trash.
At the top of a mountain.
Behind a false wall or secret door.
In a fireplace (with a fire burning).
In the trap of a sink.
Behind the toilet or in the tank.
Inside someone’s body.
In a vat of acid.
In the gas tank of a vehicle.
In a dog kennel.
In the lion’s den (literally or figuratively).
In a snake pit.
In an insane asylum.
On a bomb triggered to go off.
In a pool full of crocodiles.
“A rose by any other name would smell as sweet,” they say. To Sigmund Freud, “a cigar is just a cigar.” However, objects do obtain special meaning based on our emotional responses to them or special meanings we give to them. In essence, they become symbols. For instance, a wedding ring, if not worn on the proper finger, might be just a nice gold ring. However, when worn specifically on the third finger of the right or left hand (depending on the culture), it signifies the marriage bond. The following list is just a starting point—a suggestion of objects that achieve certain emotional and/or cultural meaning beyond even their physical attributes or their direct uses. As always, we encourage you to come up with more examples of your own and to consider how using these common symbols in your games can be useful.
Flowers (in general)
Roses
Rings of various kinds
Horse’s head
“Dear John” letter
Pink slip
Lady’s garter
Chador
Tattoos
Colors (as in gang uniform)
Uniforms of all types
Tie-dye
Formal suit
Pipe (such as corncob, calabash, etc.)
Badge
Cowboy hat
Top hat
Hearts
Daisies
Forget-me-nots
Pomegranates
Lilies
Oak trees
Ribbons (of support for causes)
Flowers in hair (can mean different things in different cultures)
Cameo
Friendship bracelet
Costumes
Hair pin
Heirlooms
Regales
Family crests
Flags
Musical instruments
Animals
There are so many machines in this world—and we can even invent more of them. This list is necessarily truncated, but perhaps will serve to get you thinking about machines you can use in your games. Can you make them interactive? Part of a mission? Can you take the purpose of a machine and invent something else to serve the same purpose? Can you invent a machine that combines the qualities of several others? Machines can be fun, so have at it!
Teleporter
Typewriter
Car
Plane
Bus
Glider
Computer
PDA
Recording device
Videotape recorder
DVD player/recorder
Game console
Holographic display
Diagnostic/healing device
Hot-air balloon
Bicycle
Sled
Popcorn machine
Candy vendor
Pop vendor
Force-field generator
Time machine
Toaster
Microwave oven
Telephones (all kinds)
Chair lift
Trolley
Tractor
Rototiller
Lawnmower
Post-hole digger
Backhoe
Dump truck
Forklift
Computers (all kinds)
X-ray machine
Dental drill
Cash register
Universal healing machine
This section is designed to give you some ideas about how you can place ordinary objects in your game environments and have them be used by players in a variety of possible ways. I’ve included just a few examples to whet your appetite. How many more uses can you think of for the ordinary objects we encounter all the time?
Ladder. Used as a ladder, scaffold, bridge, firewood, weapon, or shield.
Bottle. A weapon (thrown as a club or broken and jagged), container, flute, for juggling, or a glass.
Rope. A weapon, restraint, noose, whip, something to raise or lower with, leash.
Keys. To unlock things, weapon, open package, to make electrical contact, to make a jingling noise.
Water Glass. A container for liquid or dry material, a weapon (thrown or broken and jagged), to amplify sound through a wall, to stand on to be a little taller.
Cardboard Box. Use to mail something, to hide something, as part of a temporary shelter, as garden mulch, in a fire or furnace, as impromptu clothing, to make a sign, to sit on (instead of the ground), to clean up a mess.
Sheet of Paper. For writing on, to stuff into a hole (someone’s mouth, a gaping wound, a hole in a wall, etc.), to inflict paper cuts, to make papier-mâché, to make a temporary hat, to burn it, to use as stuffing in a box, to wrap something in it.
Some things were not designed to be weapons, but in the right circumstances, they can become deadly. How many things in your daily life could be lethal? Here are a few suggestions to get you started.
Chopsticks
Keys
Rope, wire, string, towels
Chairs and stools
Ladders
Water glass
Bottle
Poker
Golf club
Baseball bat
Cricket bat
Fishing net
Drumstick
Clarinet, trumpet, flute
Shakuhachi (bamboo flute)
Ceramic tiles (for throwing)
Saw blades
Hand saw
Electric saw or chainsaw
Hammer
Nail gun
Stapler
Measuring tape
Fork
BBQ fork
Fan (hand or electric)
Iron
Cane
Walking stick
Scarf
Heavy flashlight
Lamp
Electrical cord
Water in sink, bathtub, or toilet
Any hard surface
Candlesticks
Fireplace poker
Ice pick
Sledgehammer
Pick
Shovel
Broom
Statue
What do the characters in your game carry around with them? Many NPCs have nothing but cosmetic clothing and, in some cases, objects they carry or wear. For instance, a policeman NPC might wear a hat or helmet and carry a gun and a billy club. A businessman might carry a briefcase. But then, going beyond the obvious cosmetic elements, think about what your NPCs might actually have on them. For instance, suppose your character kills one. What would you find if you looted the body? Would it be useful in your game? Or, perhaps you need something to complete a quest. Who might have the item you need? Clearly, each NPC type would be likely to carry or have access to different items. In some cases, this level of depth is unnecessary, but when you delve deeper, you often come up with ideas you would not have considered before. So, as you think about NPCs and what they might be carrying, consider also how you might expand your game based on what you have come up with.
Axe
Flameproof suit
Boots
Radio/communicator
Hose
Extinguisher
Smoke hood
Gasmask
First-aid kit
Fireman’s hat
Gloves (flameproof/heatproof)
Deck of cards
Pad of paper
Pens and pencils
Money/wallet
Important documents
Briefcase
Cell phone
Where you can create empathy for characters and deepen a player’s experience, you can also put objects in the game to which the player can form some kind of attachment. Perhaps love is too strong a word. The psychological term is cathect, but that’s not too important.
A special weapon, such as a customized sword.
An object given to you by someone important.
An object that took a great deal of effort to obtain, particularly if it’s also very useful in some way.
A cute and cuddly object.
Anything that helps save or preserve your life. This could be armor or something basic like that, or it could be a magic ring or amulet, or even a robot sidekick (like R2-D2).
A very familiar object, such as a very comfortable old sweater—the equivalent of that in a game. This is something that has been with you a long time, that you have relied on or gotten considerable use out of. Even if it is no longer the best item you could have, your attachment to it remains.
Design Challenge
The goal of this chapter was to look at objects from different points of view and to offer some resources to help you manage objects in the games you create. But lists of objects are only useful up to a point. It’s how you use them that will be most interesting.
Look at how objects are used in different games. Look specifically at which objects in specific environments are interactive and which are simply static images.
Why did the designers make the choices they did?
If the objects in each scene were more interactive, what gameplay opportunities would be presented?
What objects common to other types of locations could you use in nontraditional places and ways?
Think about the qualities of objects. What qualities can you use to add to gameplay? What happens if you exaggerate or minimize some normal quality of an object?
How can you give meaning to objects in a game?
How can you find ways to provide multiple uses for objects—especially unusual uses?
Create some scenes for a game and use this chapter to put objects into them. Now refer to some of the other chapters, such as Chapter 11, “Scenarios,” Chapter 17, “Game Worlds,” Chapter 21, “Experiential Design,” Chapter 25, “Barriers, Obstacles, and Detectors,” Chapter 26, “Traps and Counter Traps,” Chapter 27, “Puzzles,” and Chapter 32, “Ways to Die.” Look for ways to use those objects in puzzles, traps, scenarios, and so on.