Context actions

Video game concept

Action performed by one button or such changes with context, or player is provided actions in certain contexts that they can not perform elsewhere. Especially if the separate actions might be desired simultaneously or without context.

5
games
3
platforms
For example, if same button is used for running (hold), dodging (tap), and taking cover (tap/hold near cover), it might become difficult to function properly when for example you want to start running somewhere and instead the character takes cover, or when you want to take cover and are just a feet outside of the context of cover and instead are sent tumbling away into danger.

As another simpler example, if same button is used for running (hold) and jumping (tap), then running jump may be unnecessarily hard to pull off unless the game compensates for this quite a lot, and even if it does compensate it will cause issues in timing it.

Most notable on platforms where you have enough buttons or such to provide at least the option of separate button per action.

Note that this is not for separate actions done by "use" button, like turning levers, pushing buttons, accessing computers, etc. with the use button, since they're all about using an object in the gameworld and thus are not really different.

Games by year

84868890929496980002040608101214 41230

The first Context actions video game was released in 1984.

2K Games published all these games.

Platforms

Windows 3
VIC-20 1
Linux 1