Why is chance an important component in games and what tools does the designer have at their disposal to deploy this element?
Why is skill an important component in games and what tools does the designer have at their disposal to deploy this element?
Chapter 5:
Introduction:
- Chess and Go are purely strategic - All information to all players, and the same actions always end in exactly the same results.
- Rock-paper-scissors has dynamics that appear random.
- Explores the random aspects of games and how a designer can use them
The Role (Roll?) of chance in Games:
- Element of chance - Games, why?
- Games that include an element of luck are approachable an winnerable by a wider audience.
Delaying or Preventing Solvability:
- A game is solvable if the entire possibility space is known ahead of time and can be ex-ploited such that a specific player, playing correctly can always win (or draw)
- 'Tick-tac-toe' = Easily solved.
"Once a player solves a game, that game loses part of what makes it a game.
- An uncertain outcome and 'struggle towards its goal'.
Random Element - keeps a game fresh.
Making play "competitive" for all players:
Chess = Stronger player will always beat weaker player
Players know if they win that it's through their own skill as appose to a random element e.g. (dice roll) - it's hard to match two equal players
Radom elements - keep the weaker player(s) chances to win. (Adantage at least)
Interest through players:
- Change of victory
- The string of defeat is lessend when a player can blame her own bad luck.
Increasing veriety:
Games with no random elements always start exactly the same, and certain patterns often emerge - player experience is similar from one game to another, find themselfs making the same stratigic choices.
Random element = wider veriety of situations.
- 'Settlers of Catan' = tile based games
- 'Risk' = random battles.
- 'Axis and Allies' =
^
Require players to change their strategise and often play in unconventional or innorvative ways when the dice do not act as one would hope.
Random elements - Adding the in the right way increase the variety of players experiance, thus the replay of the game
Creating dramatic moments:
Strategy = to see if the plan succeeds that moment of truth can be tense.
e.g. "will you spell kill the building before the monster kills you".
- Even without strategy watching a random process play out can be extremely compelling in the right circumstances.
- 'Roulette' table - the level of excitement or tension created.
- 'Crops' table - by chance increases in direct proportion to how much one has riding on the results = vital.
Enhancing Decision Making:
- Essence of video games is the decisions the players make
- Strategy, players need to know the exact out come of every move.
Random elements within a game means there's no longer any strategy (That is always right)
Since there are unknown elements, the decisions become more complicated and thus more compelling.
Mechanics of Chance:
Dice:
Cards:
Pseudo/Random Number Generators:
Hidden Information:
Other Game Bits:
- Spinners
- A dreidel
- Cardboard tiles
Games such as 'Carcassonre' and 'Tigris and Euphrotes', similar randomness to a deck of cards.
All randomness is not equal:
Poker - luck or skill, elements of both.
"Mesured randomness"- the nature of the random elements are known and can be planned for by players.
Completely Random Games:
Childrens games & Gambling games
Childrens Games:
Gambling Games:
Chapter 6 - Challenges for Games Designers:
Elements of "Strategic" Skill:
Stragety makes players come back to games.
- A theory of fun for Game Designers - Mastering a pattern
The Role of Skill in Games:
Immediate and obvious feedback.
- "Magic circle".
- Player constantly making decisions
= state "flow" - work hard to
- Optimal play state achieve (designers)
Type of Decisions:
Decisions within the game affect the outcome of the players skill.
Obvious Decisions:
Meaningless Descisions:
Blind Decisions:
Tradeoffs:
Dilemmas:
Risk Versus Reward Tradeoffs:
The frequency which the players make decisions is paramount. The quality of the game is affected by the player making decisions every 20 minutes instead of every second.
Frequency or Anticipation of Decisions:
Strategy and Tactics:
Completely Skill Based Games:
Mechanics of Skill:
Tradeoff Mechanics:
Auctions:
Purshaces: Player have the ability to purshace items, abilitys, or actions at fixed prices.
Limited - Use speical abilities:
Dynamic Limited - Use Special Abilities:
Explicit Choices:
Limited Actions:
Trading and Negotiation:
Strategic Evaluaton:
Designers access the success of strategy and tactics they hope to create by interviewing players or watching them = info.
