12. Replayablity Design Considerations
Are challenges different between game
instances?
Can challenges be solved in different
ways?
Can players compare results between
games?
13. Varied Gameplay
The game provides variety in gameplay, either
within a single play session or between different
game sessions.
14. Why Designers Use Varied Gameplay
Encourages:
Replayablity
Freedom of Choice
Competency Areas
Balances:
Level of Difficulty
Narrative Structures
Game Mastery
Warning! May conflict with:
Sensory-Motoric Immersion
Game Mastery
Quick Games
15. Varying Actions
Budget Action Points
Converters and Producer-Consumer
Chains
Sets of Skills
Transfer of Control of Tools and Controllers
Dynamic Alliances
Ability Losses
17. Varied Gameplay Within Sessions
Can players perform different actions?
Can players choose between different
goals?
18. Varied Gameplay Between Sessions
Does the game world change between
instances?
Does the player’s goals change between
instances?
Can players choose what type of
asymmetric abilities they have?
Can players develop characters?
Can players form teams?
20. Meta Games That Are Part Of The
Game
Optional Goals
Easter Eggs
Scores and High Score Lists
Scores of Game within Games
Handicap
21. Meta Games That Are Independent Of
Game
Best of 3 in Rock-Paper-Scissors
Guessing the Outcome
Betting
Ownership of Trophies and other Real-
World Objects
Team Development
22. Why Designers Like Meta Games
Provides Extra-Game Consequences
Results in Trans-Game Information
Changes Single-Player into Multiplayer
Minimizes Luck
Modifies Risk-Reward Choices
Allows Spectators to become Players
23. Meta Games Design Configurations
Is the meta game designed to be an part of
the underlying game?
Is the meta game independent of the
underlying game?
26. Use the LMS to report on what you learned
from Game Fair playtesting.
Notes de l'éditeur
Single Player Games: The game’s difficulty is matched to the player’s skill level throughout the entire game.
Difficulty: The skill required to successfully reach a goal.
Complexity: The number of actions required to successfully reach a game goal.
Smooth Learning Curve: Games designed to provide players with the possibility of smoothly progressing from novice to master.
Multi-Player Games: Multiplayer Games: All players have an equal opportunity to win regardless of their starting position, resources, goals, or skill level.
Balancing Effects: Rules and effects that lessen the difference of value used to measure competition between players.
Syymmetry Symmetrical relations exist between players regarding the goals, resources, and actions they can perform.
Rock-Paper-Scissors: Sets of three or more actions form cycles where every action has an advantage over another action.
Handicaps: Making gameplay easier for certain players to ensure that all players have the same chance to succeed.
Team Balance: Teams have equal chances of succeeding with actions in a game or winning a game.
Game Mastery: That one can clearly distinguish between skillful and incompetent players when they are using all their skills and abilities in a game.
Smooth Learning Curves: Games designed to provide players with the possibility of smoothly progressing from novice to master.
Empowerment: Players feel that they can affect the events and final outcome of the game.
Most games are designed to play many times. For these replays to be interesting, the game must give new experiences or offer new challenges that are entertaining enough to continue playing.
EXAMPLE:
Chess has so many outcomes that players have very little chance of every playing two games that are exactly the same.
Battlefield series allows players to choose a character class to play, giving them new abilities beyond the normal variations in gameplay.
Games with COGNITIVE IMMERSION frequently offer different challenges, possibly through a RECONFIGURABLE GAME WORLD.
OPTIONAL GOALS give FREEDOM OF CHOICE about how to solve the overall game.
SCORES and HIGH SCORE LISTS, allowing for GAME MASTERY and SOCIAL STATUS
All games provide a certain amount to be interesting, as the outcome must be different between game instances. However, some games have varying types of actions required in different parts of the game so that players feel that the challenges are quantifiably different. Other games allow players to create characters or select teams with radically different ability.
EXAMPLE:
Role-laying games provide Varied Gameplay between instances through the changing abilities of their characters.
DEUS EX was designed to have different ways of completing each level.
Games with extensive, repetitive actions, so it is hard to combine with SENSORY-MOTRIC IMMERSION
GAME MASTERY, since more skills must be mastered
QUICK GAMES, since players perform only a few actions.
CONVERTERS and complex PRODUCER-CONSUMER chains allow varied RESOURCE USE
ABILITY LOSSES forces players to figure out new ways to solve problems.
RECONFIGURABLE GAME WORLD (or NARRATIVE)
* Dynamically changing RED HERRINGS
GOAL CHANGES
ASSYMETRIC ABILITIES
ASSYMETRIC GOALS
INCOMPATIBLE GOALS
ASSYMETIC ABILITIES
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT
PRVILEGED ABILITIES or SKILLS
NON-RENEWABLE RESOURCES
DIMINISHING RETURNS
EXAMPLE:
TOURNAMENTS are a common form of Meta Game were the results of individual games are used as input to the Tournament.
BETTING on the outcome of games.
INDEPENDENT: Players can create Meta Games out of any game outside of the game designer’s influence, thereby allowing PLAYER-DEFINED GAOLS
Guessing the outcome of games before the session ends: BETTING. Skill of playing the game becomes STRATEGIC KNOWLEDGE.
TEAM DEVELOPMENT, planning and trying to develop a team based on planning and trying to develop a team’s skills.
Allows SPECTATORS of one game become PLAYERS in another game.