Just ran a 5-hour session on how to design monetization systems. So many studios miss the beautiful reality of games: designers are alchemists. If you know what youβre doing, your designs can increase the value of your gameβs goals and rewards. If something feels like itβs worth $5, then you have a lot of trouble […]
Counter-intuitively, a common reason that players are afraid to waste consumable items is that the items are too weak – not too strong. Devs often reduce the impact of consumables so players will be less afraid to waste them, or out of game balance concerns so they can ensure players can overcome all of a […]
A few days ago I posted here about the Machine Guarding technique. I talked about how this idea from industrial manufacturing helped our team solve one of the game’s peristent annoyances, and how it was a huge win that had no meaningful downside. It’s as close to “strictly better” an improvement as you can get. […]
Many people tend to assume system design is about algorithms, spreadsheets, data, and math – and so it should be perfect for AI-based solutions. In reality, systems design is much more about figuring out how to present incentives to a player in an intuitive and sustainable way, identify the emergent consequences of how mechanics and […]
When working on Rise of Shadows at Blizzard Entertainment we had an extra slot for a mage Epic, and not much time left to experiment. I knew a lot of mage players loved playing a bunch of spells in one turn, using mage’s cost-discounting effects to turn 1-cost and 2-cost cards into free flurries of […]
Let’s talk about “Net Fun” in PvP games. If your game is only fun when you win, you have a big problem. Matchmaking can’t fix this. Given a 50% win rate, Humans still feel the impact of losses more intensely than we feel the benefit of gains (thanks “loss aversion”). I think about it like […]
I’ve thrown out “Easy to learn, but hard to master.” Goals like this are all over the industry, and they just aren’t useful. This is the kind of goal I use instead. Here’s why this is so much better: Let’s say you’ve thought of an interesting new mechanic for your Roguelike; such as letting players […]
Here’s how we solved a huge problem that led to players feeling dumb, frustrated, and mad at themselves… When they should have been mad at us. Faeria is a unique strategy cardgame where players build the board they play on each match. Most of your focus is on the cards you’re playing, but you also […]
Do you know the “Draw-Forward” Formula? It’s one of the most useful tools for helping players ππππ₯ π¬π¦ππ«π. You can use it in almost any genre where players make build, gear, or loadout choices. It works extra-well in Roguelikes. When we make strategic choices in games, we’re looking for the best value. However, we’re bad […]
Dan Felder 