What Two Groups Can Features Be Divided Into?

Chapter 8 Study Sheet

What two groups can features be divided into?

Those that can change the abilities that are available for the player to use and those that change the level obstacles that the player has to overcome

Give two examples of each kind of feature.

        1. Abilities and Equipment

        2. Obstacles and Opponents

What are “equivalent features”?

They are features that look different, but actually serve a similar purpose to another feature

Give an example: Like putting bombs that go off after you immediately come in contact with them in when you already have land mines

How does the game programmer avoid an “arms race”?

By putting in less powerful features with a trade off in their design

How does the game programmer deal with “One-Trick Ponies”?

They could be added in as bonus content or like a final boss level

How does the book define Emergence?

When the rules of a game interact with each other so that the player can do something at the designer hadn’t predicted

Think of games you have played and games you have heard about others playing.  Can you think of an example of “Emergence?”

In the Original Pokemon Red and Blue games, people use to use glitches in order to get Mew instead of actually going to an event and getting one for themselves like they should’ve done in the first place

Who is “The Game Maker’s Apprentice”?

The player themselves

Briefly describe the 3 different stages of the learning curve.

1. Frustration and needing more practice as they enter a new challenge

2. Skill is increasing and become happily engrossed in the game

3. Mastery of the challenge and become bored at the lack of one

What is the difference between the “Learning Curve” and the “Difficulty Curve”?

Learning curves show how the player’s skills increase while Difficulty curves show how the game’s difficulty is increased

Describe what the difficulty “slope” is and why you have to design it carefully.

It supports the player when they are first started out and strings them along. When they think they’re done, they actually are given new, harder challenges and keep the player in stage 2 of the learning curve. It like a mountain. You have to design it carefully because you could make it too steep at first or too shallow at points.

What can be a “trap” for the game designer when setting/designing the game’s difficulty?

Making your levels hard because you know how they work

What is the best way to design game saves?

Design them as automatic save points or check points so they don’t have to start all over again