2d: Screens vs. Continuous Scrolling

AJ · 2009-02-24T20:50:35

I've been doing some 2d game development and was thinking about the old school use of "screens" or "boards" where your avatar appears on one edge and moves over a background that doesn't scroll until he hits some point and a new "screen" or "board" loads. I'm thinking about this either for side scrollers and for isometric games where the main objective is to collect and explore. If you want to make the player feel like they're covering a lot of ground and the world is very large, which do you think would be more effective, scrolling the background or use of screens? I get the feeling that if the view is locked to your avatar it's much harder to appreciate how much territory you've covered. But that could be my nostalgia addled brain. [smile] Any thoughts? Preferences?