2 quarts of Leaning
This ingredient isn’t entirely necessary and typically only applies to first-person stealth games, but third-person games have their own problems in this area. First-person stealth titles can be truly thrilling and add a sense of density and scale to the world that third-person doesn’t, but its limited vision can often make stealthing around more frustrating.
That frustration is mostly exemplified when you’re trying to peak out of corners and get a sense of your surroundings, but doing so inherently makes you vulnerable to detection. The best way this has been handled is in the Dishonored series, which has a handy leaning mechanic that lets you peek with a decreased chance of being seen by what’s around the corner.
In third-person games, the same problem can sometimes happen if the cover system doesn’t work well and exposes you to the enemy (*cough*, Hitman). Suffice to say: don’t let bad or incomplete mechanics hamper such an important part of your stealth game.
Marinated Light & Sound indicators
This is one of the few ingredients that can be so crucial to a delicious stealth game, yet so oft-forgotten before it goes in the oven. Similar to environmental awareness, light and sound indicators make sure the player has complete awareness of themselves.
The longtime arbiter of these mechanics are the first few Splinter Cell games, and most notably Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory, which featured a handy meter that told you how much light you were exposed to and how much noise you were making. And most importantly, the game had a clear indicator of how much light and sound was too much, so there was always a clear awareness of what should and shouldn’t be done.
The other best example of this is Mark of the Ninja, which makes light and darkness literally black and white (you’re either completely hidden or exposed). The game also tells you ahead of time using sound rings exactly who is going to hear your next move. More games need these mechanics, as sight and sound-related accidents are the leading cause of premature rage quitting in stealth games.
