History Main / NoticeThis

# Making the [[PowerGlows item]] [[AttackItsWeakPoint glow]].

* ''SlyCooper'' puts blue sparkles on any items Sly can interact with. When playing as other characters, the sparkles change to their personal color - usually the same as the main color of their skin or costume.

* The fundamental reason for the cartoony art style of ''TeamFortress2'' is to make the classes, teams and weapons as distinctive from each other (and from the background) as possible. Is a realistic game, like say, Counter-Strike, you can't easily distinguish one soldier from the other, because soldiers wear uniforms and uniforms are well... uniforms. The cartoony style gives TF2 the freedom to do whatever they want to let you know about important events and objects at a glance. It also lets them get away with outrageous humour and politically incorrect characters.

[[caption-width-right:350:Now where could they possibly be hiding that mission-critical PlotCoupon?]]

--> '''SonicColors'''

* ''{{Knights of the Old Republic}}'', ''{{Jade Empire}}'' and ''{{Mass Effect}}'' all put floating icons over items, NPCs and enemies.

* WorldOfWarcraft uses sparkles to indicate slain enemies that still have items on them. The same sparkles were added to many quest item pickups to make them easier to see, aswell as herbs and veins if you are able to gather these. In addition, all characters are able to track most vital NPCs, seeing them indicated on the minimap. In some cases with larger view distances, large red arrows are also used.

-->'''Carmen:''' Well, there it is. \\
'''Juni:''' How do you know? \\
'''Carmen:''' 'Cause it's big, and weird, and in the middle of the room.\\
'''Juni:''' Good point.\\
--''SpyKids 2''

* In DeadSpace ammo and pickup items pop up an impossible to miss hologram when you get near them. Important item also glow at a distance.
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<<|VideoGameTropes|>>

* Every {{Sierra}} adventure game ever. The most memorable example being: at the beginning of ''KingsQuest VI,'' you can see Alexander's tiny signet ring in the sand only because it's '''really''' sparkly and animated.
** The ''PoliceQuest'' series is less forgiving, requiring you to (for example) figure out that that mess of pixels is actually a ''footprint'' and act accordingly.
** ''King's Quest I'' requires using the "LOOK" command a lot to figure out what is usable and what is not.
** ''King's Quest V'' uses the "sparkly" method several times (a coin on the street, a locket in a giant bird's nest etc.). It's one of the incredibly few times the game is somewhat forgiving (of course, missing them anyway will ultimately result in you being stuck forever and the game being Unwinnable).

** LotRO does things similarly, with quest objects having their own (overly obvious) sparkle as well.

* In ''TheGodfather'' game, stuff like dropped guns, {{Health Potion}}s and accessible doors glow.

** ''Portal'' includes many instances of this trope. Another example is the level where the player first acquires the Aperture Science Hand-Held Portal Device. Chell is forced to wait in front of a closed door next to a window through which the portal gun can be seen, to ensure that it's noticed. The excuse is that [=GLaDOS=] needs to acquaint Chell with the possible side-effects of the Aperture Science Material Emancipation Grill.

* In ''[[MegaMan Mega Man and Bass]]'', some of the [=CDs=] are hidden underground and must be uncovered with the Rush Search. If the player is playing as Mega Man and has the CD Finder item, stars will briefly appear to indicate where they are located.
** In ''Megaman 7'', using Rush Search may lead to him barking at seemingly nothing, indicating hidden items of great value or secret passages.

* In ''SilentHill'', the heroes will turn their heads to look at anything that's collectible or interactive.
** Unfortunately they also turn their heads to look at enemies and [[DeathTrap Death Traps]]. SoYeah.

** The commentary for Episode one mentions that play testers were not noticing a scripted scene in the Citadel which took place behind in the opposite direction the players were supposed to head. In order to draw attention to this, the devs added a small platform with a single soldier who would begin firing at you. The soldier was far enough away that he's essentially harmless, but players would turn around to fire at the soldier and then see the scripted event.