Over a ridge, a distant ruin, dark, ominous and cold. A blue palette is surrounded by relatively warmer colors. Bold, iconic, and clearly man-made shapes are surrounded by natural forms. Black stone is surrounded by white snow. All of this framed by trees, and raised up above the surrounding world.

Years of being exposed to visual media (as well as our own survival instincts) tell us that the thing that stands out is the thing worth paying attention to. In this example we see that even if the player runs ahead of the NPC whose job it is to be a tour-guide, the importance of this particular landmark is communicated to the player entirely non-verbally. The player doesn't know it yet, but this ruin is an important quest setting that they will soon be asked to visit. Through visual design and careful placement, it is solidifying its position and importance so that players can draw on that information later on.

It’s worth noting that raising a landmark above the surrounding landscape is one of the single most powerful ways to reinforce its importance or significance. Castles and towers in the real world project a sense of power that we tend to respond to - it’s a matter of their relative enormity compared to our small human bodies. Making things big has a practical use as well, ensuring that the structure is visible from a distance. Consider the Mountain in The Witness (Thekla, Inc. 2016), visible from all corners of the island, or the Citadel from Half-Life 2 (Valve, 2004), visible (with some help from clever framing) from most of the cramped and claustrophobic streets of City 17. When one landmark is more visible than others and visible more often, it takes on the special role of being the dominant element. We know it's important not only because it sticks out, but because it's the most sticky-outy thing around. Death Mountain from the Zelda titles is clearly important, and we know this without anybody telling us, simply because it's always there, looming over us.

A small and often overlooked part of Skyrim that excites me is the placement and flow of the White River. Rivers are another type of line that we find in the environment, and are unique in that they encourage one-way travel downstream. The movement of the river also draws the eye in the direction of the flow. In the early moments of Skyrim, the player is expected to travel to the city of Whiterun, a location that's hidden from the player by a mountain. The White River river flows from the player's location, down a valley and past the city, so it’s already leading the eye and nudging the player's attention in the direction that they need to go.