The number of vectors of player-character movement that the player has control over, which are often a criterion associated with the game’s genre. Side-scrollers typically have 2-DoF: left/right (run along X-axis), and up/down (jump/fall along Y-axis). Top-down, isometric graphics-based, and 3D graphics-based games may have 3-DoF or 4-DoF: aim left/right (rotate around Z-axis), move left/right (strafe along X-axis) & move forward/backward (run along Y-axis), and move up/down (jump/fall/crouch along Z-axis). 3D flying games may have up to 6-DoF: movement along the X,Y, or Z axes as left/right (along X-axis), forward/backward (along Y-axis), and up/down (along Z-axis), and rotation around X,Y, or Z axes as pitch (around X-axis), roll (around Y-axis), and yaw (around Z-axis) In addition, special features of games may manipulate other dimensions not associated with the X,Y,& Z axes of 3D space as DoF, such as time, player state, macro-location (fast travel), map state, NPC visibility or other game parameters.
