---
key: mechanic/goals-feedback--t279
type: mechanic
id: goals-feedback--t279
lang: en
title: Diegetic interfaces and in-world instruments
summary: >-
  The player reads information through the character’s objects and instruments.
  Their place in the world supports context when displays remain legible.
updatedAt: '2026-10-21'
status: active
url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/goals-feedback--t279/'
jsonUrl: >-
  https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/goals-feedback--t279.json
markdownUrl: >-
  https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/goals-feedback--t279.md
aliases:
  - Information through instruments
tags:
  - 'Goals, difficulty, learning and feedback'
  - Mechanics and variants
sourceIds:
  - source-d4c7409816f79db5
  - source-0a031a39aeeef0d8
sources:
  - id: source-d4c7409816f79db5
    title: Game Accessibility Guidelines
    url: 'https://gameaccessibilityguidelines.com/'
    verifiedAt: null
  - id: source-0a031a39aeeef0d8
    title: Deep Rock Galactic
    url: 'https://store.steampowered.com/app/548430/'
    verifiedAt: null
relations: []
placements:
  - catalogId: goals-feedback
    id: t279
    title: 'Goals, difficulty, learning and feedback'
    url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/goals-feedback/#t279'
    categoryIds:
      - mechanics
supersededBy: []
attributes:
  preview:
    updatedAt: '2026-10-21'
    title: Information through instruments
    description: >-
      The player reads information through the character’s objects and
      instruments. Their place in the world supports context when displays
      remain legible.
    image:
      src: images/mechanics/drg-autocannon.webp
      width: 1440
      height: 810
      game: Deep Rock Galactic
      sourceUrl: 'https://store.steampowered.com/app/548430/'
      originalUrl: >-
        https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/548430/ss_e6e1d97ee0a5fc8b82c5a9a1aacba178206e3522.1920x1080.jpg?t=1792497307
      credit: Ghost Ship Games / Coffee Stain Publishing
      rights: © Ghost Ship Games / Coffee Stain Publishing. All rights reserved.
      caption: Readings on the weapon housing
      alt: >-
        Deep Rock Galactic: an electronic ammunition display is built into the
        autocannon’s housing in front of the player.
      markers:
        - x: 84
          'y': 70
          label: Readings on an in-world instrument
    tips:
      - Keep critical readings accessible during action.
      - Check the instrument on small screens and at lower brightness.
    examples:
      - title: Deep Rock Galactic
        url: 'https://store.steampowered.com/app/548430/'
endsAt: null
provenance: >-
  Original bilingual editorial overviews authored for gamemechanics.pro on
  2026-10-20 and reviewed on 2026-10-21. Scenarios are hypothetical design
  examples; prototype checks describe work to perform, not completed playtests.
  Primary sources support the stated techniques and implementation context, not
  every proposed variant.
license: CC-BY-4.0
codeLicense: MIT
attribution: gamemechanics.pro contributors
catalogKey: catalog/goals-feedback
---
# Diegetic interfaces and in-world instruments

id: goals-feedback--t279
type: mechanic
key: mechanic/goals-feedback--t279
lang: en
status: active
url: https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/goals-feedback--t279/

The player reads information through the character’s objects and instruments. Their place in the world supports context when displays remain legible.

## At a glance

![Deep Rock Galactic: an electronic ammunition display is built into the autocannon’s housing in front of the player.](https://gamemechanics.pro/images/mechanics/drg-autocannon.webp)

[Deep Rock Galactic](https://store.steampowered.com/app/548430/) · © Ghost Ship Games / Coffee Stain Publishing. All rights reserved.

1. Readings on an in-world instrument

- Keep critical readings accessible during action.
- Check the instrument on small screens and at lower brightness.

- [Deep Rock Galactic](https://store.steampowered.com/app/548430/)

## How it works

In-world instruments display state and require character actions, making interface reading part of a spatial challenge.

## Variants

### Mechanic variants

<a id="t279-variants"></a>

- Object-mounted gauges require orienting the object. <a id="t279-v1"></a>
- Panels permit control only while nearby. <a id="t279-v2"></a>
- Instrument screens constrain the field of view. <a id="t279-v3"></a>
- Redundant cues preserve essential state access. <a id="t279-v4"></a>

## Design example

Battery charge appears on a handheld instrument that must be raised instead of a weapon.

Prototype check: Test gauge readability at low resolution and alternatives when instrument placement hides essential information.

## Context and limits

Goals and feedback explain the value of an action, the causes of its result and ways to improve the next attempt. Each overview separates player actions, state changes and alternative rules. Examples are hypothetical design scenarios, not claims about a named game. A prototype check states an observable question for the next iteration. Existing detailed references remain separately linked from the direction map.

## Connected materials


## Sources and provenance

Original bilingual editorial overviews authored for gamemechanics.pro on 2026-10-20 and reviewed on 2026-10-21. Scenarios are hypothetical design examples; prototype checks describe work to perform, not completed playtests. Primary sources support the stated techniques and implementation context, not every proposed variant.

- [Game Accessibility Guidelines](https://gameaccessibilityguidelines.com/) (id: source-d4c7409816f79db5)
- [Deep Rock Galactic](https://store.steampowered.com/app/548430/) (id: source-0a031a39aeeef0d8)

CC-BY-4.0 · gamemechanics.pro contributors