Video games use scripted moments to create dynamic animations and set pieces that adjust to the player's speed.

• Games like Uncharted use techniques that change timing based on player's progress.
• Naughty Dog and Insomniac are masters at creating these moments.
• This trick allows events to be forgiving and end perfectly, despite player speed.

Games use level design to introduce concepts and challenges in a risk-free environment before increasing difficulty.

• Games like Super Mario Bros. and Elden Ring teach players through level design.
• New mechanics are introduced in a safe space, then the challenge increases.
• It's a subtle, often overlooked aspect of game design, but essential for player learning.

Games use scaling tricks to make objects like weapons stand out in the environment.

• Halo increases the size of weapons on the ground to make them easier to spot.
• This trick, while not immediately noticeable, enhances the gaming experience.

Fighting games by Arc System Works cheat to make 3D animations look like 2D anime.

• Character proportions change dramatically to match anime poses.
• This involves manipulations that would look bizarre from angles other than the intended perspective.

Starfield simulates space travel using a generated zone that displays celestial objects based on the player's location.

• While the ship can fly indefinitely, planets are non-solid and serve as visual elements.
• The illusion is convincing despite the player's ship being the fixed center of the universe.

Some games create the illusion of movement by keeping the player stationary and moving the environment instead.

• Hades and Outer Wilds use this technique to avoid engine limitations and physics errors.
• The player is the stationary center, and the planet or environment adjusts around them.

Online multiplayer games use minimal data transmission and intelligent guessing to simulate a real-time experience.

• Each player's game is populated by 'slave puppets' to represent other players.
• Good net code refers to the game's ability to accurately guess and represent player actions.

A developer's clever approach to cheating involves hiding cheater scores from legitimate players' leaderboards.

• Instead of banning the cheater, their high scores are made invisible to others.
• This method discourages cheaters from returning with more sophisticated cheats.

Games transform characters in unseen and bizarre ways to accommodate specific actions or gameplay mechanics.

• Mario 3D World shrinks character parts to fit them into objects like the cannon box.
• These unseen modifications are common in games but rarely observed by players.

Some games that appear 2D are actually built using 3D engines for better functionality and options.

• Cuphead and Shovel Knight, despite their 2D aesthetic, are created with 3D elements.
• These games use 3D engines because they offer more capabilities than pure 2D engines.