Video Game Design and Programming Concepts 122 Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. May not be reproduced or posted to a publicly accessible website. If an object is transported and animated, it is considered an active animation. An example of an active animation is a character walking where the limbs are articulated synchronized to the transportation to look realistic. Synchronizing is linking the timing of two events. In this case, the footstep animation distance must link with the transportation distance the object is moved. If the walking animation does not move the character the same distance as the footstep animation, the result will look odd and unnatural. Spawning The final object movement option is spawning. Spawning is the creation of an object within the game. When spawned, an object may be created in a random or set location or teleported to a new location. An obstacle, like a flying meteor, might be randomly spawned for the player to avoid. With a teleported object, the object is moved from one point within the game to another point. This might occur between levels or could just be an added feature to jump from one spot in the game to another. Teleporting is like using a magic doorway that takes the player to another place within the game. In the classic game of Pac-Man, when the player character leaves the right side of the room, it is teleported to the left side. This specific teleporting feature where an object moves from one side of the screen to the other side is called wrap. An object can teleport in many other ways in addition to wrap. The most common application of teleporting is when the player character is destroyed and is respawned or recreated at a checkpoint. A checkpoint is an advancement point within a game that allows the player to teleport back to that point if damaged or destroyed. Without a checkpoint, the player would have to restart from the beginning of the game each time the player character is damaged. The checkpoint allows the player to stay interested in the game and avoid frustration of having to redo sections of the game already mastered. stalk/Shutterstock.com Figure 10-3. Articulation of this artist figure at joints changes the shape of the character to different poses.