Method and system for providing tactical assistance to a player in a shooting video game

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising computer-readable instructions which, when read and executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to execute a method that comprises:

• maintaining a virtual environment in memory, the virtual environment comprising a player-controlled game object and a second game object, the player-controlled game object being associated with a scope window, wherein the second game object is an aim of the player-controlled game object within the scope window;
• determining a type of the second game object;
• determining a type of condition pertaining to the determined type of the second game object;
• and
• determining if the condition of the determined type associated with the second game object is met and, if so, obtaining preview information indicative of an interactive gameplay effect that would be carried out in the event of receipt of activation input via a game control interface and displaying the preview information in the scope window displayed on a screen, wherein the preview information is indicative of information associated with the type of the second game object, wherein the second game object comprises an NPC and wherein the interactive gameplay effect includes causing the NPC to be hidden by a concealment object if the NPC is within a threshold distance of the concealment object in the virtual environment, and not to be hidden otherwise.

A video game apparatus comprising:

• at least one processor;
• a memory storing instructions for execution by the at least one processor;
• and
• at least one input device configured to receive input from a player, at least one output device configured for providing output to the player,
• wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute the instructions in the memory for implementing an interactive computer program that generates the output in response to the received input and, the interactive computer program including at least one process that comprises:
• maintaining a virtual environment in memory, the virtual environment comprising a player-controlled game object and a second game object, the player-controlled game object being associated with a scope window, wherein the second game object is an aim of the player-controlled game object within the scope window;
• determining a type of the second game object;
• determining a type of condition pertaining to the determined type of the second game object;
• and
• determining if the condition of the determined type associated with the second game object is met and, if so, obtaining preview information indicative of an interactive gameplay effect that would be carried out in the event of receipt of activation input via a game control interface and displaying the preview information in the scope window displayed on a screen, wherein the preview information is indicative of information associated with the type of the second game object, wherein the second game object comprises an NPC and wherein the interactive gameplay effect includes causing the NPC to be hidden by a concealment object if the NPC is within a threshold distance of the concealment object in the virtual environment, and not to be hidden otherwise.