Ramblings: Multi sensory displays.

The article about Multi Sensory Displays (MSD) previously posted has a nice way of dividing MSD's into three categories.

1. Conflicting: The information that reaches the player through the different channels is confusing to the player.
Example: The player see a muzzle flash from his gun, but at the same time the the gun makes a clicking noise indicating that it has run out of ammo - What conclusion shall the player make in this case?

2. Redundant: Two separate information channels give the same information, increasing player confidence, performance and immersion.
Example: When firing his gun the player see a muzzle flash, hears a bang and feels the controller vibrate.

3. Complementary: The different information channels give complementary information - Resulting in a richer experience.
Real world example: By touching an object in the real world you will get a lot of information that complement your visual perception of the object - Such as surface texture, temperature, weight and so on.

I think we should focus on how to provide complementary MS feedback to players and not just redundant feedback (as is often the case with games).