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Am I on my last man, or next to last man?
Ummon:
No, the real question is: what is the real year zero?
u_rebelscum:
I'm used to zero shown as last player for most games (as it's the most common) now, but I don't like the idea of zero.
First of all, part of the issue is the wording of the "players left". The OP used "players in reserve", and if those words were used, of course I'd expect zero to shown on last player, as "reserved" means "not in use". But if I was on my last player, I'd say, "I have one player left," which leans toward showing one. I'll call zero shown as "players reserved", and one left as "total players left".
Some games need to show total players left; the one OTTOMH is atari 2600 kaboom!, where the "players left" was actually part of what caught the bombs. And don't remember which ones, but I prefer games that offset or bracket the current player apart from the "players in reserve". Something like the following:
^ ^ [^] <--- the current used one braketed and in color
Again, don't remember which one, but a tag team fighter game shows both players, the one in use in color, the one not used greyed out, and if "dead" were grey and 'X'ed out.
The reserved type has the same issues with me. If it's a reserved type, it has to start with three in the queue and none active in the screen, and one the queue has to disaper at the same time the one on the screen appears, preferably in a synced fade in & fade out visual cue (and repeats each time you die), or something like that so I know those shown are in reserve and not total left. I think part of it is that reserved type shows only two, so it feels like I start with two players (I'm used to three players).
Basically, I can live either as long as it's explicit in which one it is. If it's not explicit, I don't like like them.
Ummon:
My point was that it's arbitrary. With a game like Phoenix, where it uses number values, one might argue it's more sensical to number them according to total left, but I would argue the other way. In school I was taught that what's over there isn't over here, and most games I was familiar with through those years used that rationale - though this could turn into a philosophical question.
JackTucky:
How do you PRONOUNCE Galaxian though?
leapinlew:
--- Quote from: JackTucky on September 25, 2008, 10:22:28 am ---How do you PRONOUNCE Galaxian though?
--- End quote ---
Just like everyone else
Gal-AYE-Zeon
Duh.