MAPPING MULTILAYER GAME DESIGN

Tag: game design (Page 2 of 3)

Satchel: Our Quest

I always find it quite difficult to talk about  my own ideas. There’s usually 2 pitfalls one can fall into when discussing one’s creations. You will either be biased in favor of your idea, because it’s your idea, or you will underestimate it… because it’s your idea. Well, I’m risking doing one or the other here, because I really want to share some ideas that we’ve had while in quarantine. Here is a little background about what we have done so far with Satchel: A Journey Unknown and what we plan to do with it in the future.

Continue reading

Why player elimination has become taboo in board games?

Player elimination as a game-ending mechanic was predominant in gaming until recently. It seems like at one point games with player elimination ceased to exist. For quite some time I wanted to revive this mechanic, as it seemed to me to be the most “real” victory condition. But, recently I realized what made designers avoid player elimination and why it’s a good move in most cases.

Continue reading

Writing rules

We’ve all experienced situations where we resist playing a new game, because learning the rules can be a chore. You need to cross the threshold of learning the rules to enjoy a game. On the other hand, knowing the game too well can deter you from playing again. So how can we as designers find that sweet-spot of intuitive rules and a challenging mastery of the game?

Continue reading

What to do when you get stuck on a project?

A large part of game design is getting stuck and having to figure out how to get unstuck. Getting unstuck itself is an art form and just like everything else in game design, there are many ways to do it. You can completely get rid of a mechanism, you can add a new mechanism to mitigate the problem or perhaps trace your steps back to a point when the problem didn’t exist. But, sometimes it’s just better to focus on something else and allow your subconscious to work on it for you.

Continue reading

« Older posts Newer posts »

© 2023 Player Lair

Theme by Anders NorenUp ↑