This is the control mapping used in both gameplay modes (Mission and Bar).

Notes on Control

La Femme strives for intuitive, context sensitive controls. It will make the ‘obvious’ choices automatically for the player, so they can get on with being a secret agent, and not have to wrestle with the control system. Specifically:

• The object targeting system is contextual. It uses fuzzy logic to decide on the most logical target for the player. Having the player cycle through multiple nearby targets will be the exception, not the rule. Level designers will work closely with the User Interface designer to ensure this happens in practice.

• The controls will be highly adaptive to any given situation. For instance, the game must decide on the appropriate action when the player presses the ‘duck/hide/hug wall’ button. If the player is behind some bushes, the pressing this button will cause the avatar to duck.

• Similarly, the inventory is context sensitive. It brings up the appropriate item from the inventory when required. For example, the player is a point where she can barely make out a conversation though a wall, and wants to listen in. If they have a glass in their possession, it will become automatically selected so they can use it to eavesdrop. This avoids laborious and unnecessary cycling through the inventory.

Here is the layout of the onscreen User Interface during the two gameplay modes (Mission and Bar). See also the artists mockup of the style of the main gameplay mode.

The Decision Circle is a quick way of making choices within the game. It is a consistent interface used in conversation, inventory management, and making strategic decisions on the battlefield.

Instead of selecting choices from a list, the Decision Circle presents the options in a rotary format. To select an option, the player tilts the analogue stick in the appropriate direction to highlight it (see below). This is a quick, elegant solution, and allows for battlefield directions to be made in real time. Please see below for how it works in conversation and in the pause screen.

Pause Screen & Notebook

The most frequent option is the hand-drawn map of the area. Whenever mission objectives change, Dures will draw the updated plan and waypoints onto the map in pencil. This lends an ‘authentic’ touch to the diary, as well as reinforcing the player’s central role in adapting strategy to ensure the sense of the mission.

The notebook also features and notes about people and items, as well as a quick recap of the plot in the ‘Diary’ section. It’s the one-stop shop for knowing what resources the player has at their disposal. Key facts (such as those useful for blackmailing, see ‘Integrating Gameplay Modes’) are also recorded in the notebook. It is the player’s memory of things that have happened and important facts to remember.