Boss
A boss (also boss called, other variants are final boss , Endmotz , bosses , boss monsters or MMORPG jargon also BossMob ) is in computer games as a forceful and resilient opponent, the player at the end of a period of play must defeat. The fight against a boss is a high point in the course of the game and marks the end of a level , a mission, a dungeon or the game itself. In some games, the player encounters opponents with boss properties in the middle of a level. These are known as intermediate opponents (or also as mini-bosses , intermediate mobs or intermediate end opponents ).
Occur
Bosses appear in most game genres where the single player mode is embedded in a framework. They are particularly common in action adventures , first-person shooters , role-playing games , jump 'n' runs and shoot 'em ups . In many games, the successful fight against a boss is followed by a film sequence that tells a climax or the conclusion of the story.
Characteristics
.jpg){kind=icon}
Bosses are usually graphically particularly elaborate, large monsters that are so superior to the player that special techniques are necessary to overcome them. Thematically, an end boss fits into the design of the previous section of the game. In terms of the plot, the role of the final boss often corresponds to that of the antagonist , who is hostile to the character embodied by the player. Boss opponents often follow certain movement patterns and have specific weak points. The player must see through these and develop appropriate tactics. Often end bosses, especially when it comes to the final bosses, appear in several consecutive forms ( incarnations ) that have to be defeated one after the other. During the fight against an end boss, a display of the opponent's remaining hit points or the respective incarnation is often shown, which informs about how much damage must still be inflicted on him before he is defeated. Not infrequently, the fight against a boss can last several minutes, in individual cases even more than half an hour. After a successful fight, the player often receives a reward, e.g. B. a bonus or a loot .
In 3D games, the fight against an end boss often takes place in a specially created level, which is usually laid out around a large main room and is spatially limited so as not to offer the player any retreat. It is not uncommon for the design of the level to play a special role in overcoming the final boss, for example through the presence of traps that the player must activate (example: final boss Chthon in Quake ). Most of the time, the design of the room is tailored to the attack tactics and skills of the final boss. An example of this is, among other things, higher levels that the boss can jump up to in order to prepare a stronger attack.
Web links
- Boss: The strongest always comes at the end in Welt Online , January 21, 2008.
supporting documents
- ↑ Peter Winkler: Computer Lexikon 2010: The whole digital world to look up , p. 532, Verlag Markt und Technik 2009, ISBN 978-3-8272-4519-9