About variability in games - DevDiary
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I've made several designer diary posts solely about the mechanical process of making the game. Well, today, a little bit more speculation.
While designing Cosmic Chains, we'd come across several hard choices related to the following topics:
- how replayable we wanted the game to be;
- how flexible the gameplay had to be.
So, let me share our reasoning and why we made certain choices after all.
REPLAYABILITY
These days, this question has definitely turned into a marketing dilemma rather than anything else (to be honest, replayability sells pretty badly as it is not that convincing and actually makes board game companies produce less, not more). So, I'd like to focus on how we kept it in mind as developers.
Replayability is not exactly an accurate term, but I believe the following thing is meant when it’s used. A game is considered replayable in one of two cases:
- it can be played from time to time, providing a quality experience for the gamer without a significant loss of emotional value that makes them give up playing;
- it can be played repeatably until another game (and the choice is frighteningly huge) grabs the players' attention.
So, if we take it as a general truth, the game has to last long enough before the player realizes the gameplay value was worth the time, effort, and money. The gameplay shouldn't be so repetitive that players feel like they are always offered the same thing but with different numbers. Unfortunately, recently, we've seen many projects like this.
Thinking about it, I came to the conclusion that the only replayability that would satisfy any player is a sense of a rewarding experience. For me, an example of such a game is Parks by Keymaster Games. No matter how much I play, I still have enough space to try something new, but, at the same time, this planning is not exhausting. It's just a great deal for me. And you can name hundreds of games like these. They are replayable not because they really are but because they make you feel this way.
FLEXIBILITY
That brings us to the idea of flexibility.
Freedom in games is also limited, and it is limited on purpose. Limitations guide you through the game, giving you different options. The variability of such options might differ from genre to genre, but it almost always provides a sense of depth.
In Cosmic Chains, we split the game into modes. The rules are not that hard, but knowing your cards is vital. I already shared my thoughts on how we minimized the issue of deck learning in another post, but still, I can assure you that such a challenge is more than enough for the first game. This means that the second game, in the case of Cosmic Chains, is always different from the first one as players start using the abilities of their cards more consciously. But what's next?
The game has certain limitations. One of them is a limited number of actions per turn—one. Although it does not sound that limited when mentioning it without the context, the catch is that some cards have to be activated only after playing them on the table, which requires two actions. Obviously, we needed a mode where action points could be gained.
Another limitation was the symmetry of the decks. We wanted to provide both players with the same possibilities so they could feel the equality of their chances, but, of course, once they get it, they want to play more specifically, trying different styles. While I believe that "strategizing" is just a set of templates intentionally and accidentally suggested by a game designer, it still feels extremely satisfying to discover them on your own as a player. We created the mode called "Superpowers" with free actions for our two factions aimed at different play styles: early game and late game. One faction gets the power of having more cards on hand, whereas another one can get more action points. And once again, a different feeling from at least two games played for each team.
The third limitation was the winning condition. Cosmic Chains had a single one— the number of connected satellites in your longest uninterrupted chain segment had to be larger than your opponent’s. And it was fun. Still, it felt like a limitation. Outmastering the opponent by only having open information worked well for some time. Then, you wanted more hidden info than just the cards on your hand. And we added hidden objectives — additional ways to gain victory points according to the connections of cards in your chain.
By adding the modes, we created variability that progresses as you play, like levels in video games or missions in dungeon crawlers or TTRPGs. We notice a very positive reaction when playing Cosmic Chains with our friends, bloggers, and other game designers. To be honest, modes do work like guidelines. You know how to expand your experience. Together with it, you understand that each time, it's not just a different number on your card but a tool you might have needed. And once you master them all—enough rewarding experience? How is it built? I guess cozy games trending in the market at the moment are ready to respond: a satisfying game end.
Cosmic Chains provides you with such. No matter who wins, your chain is built by you. You can analyze it and try again. Luckily (hehe), the game is short enough for that.
Thank you for reading this post. And hope you will give Cosmic Chains a chance. It is live now on Kickstarter.
See you,
Dmitrii, a Cosmic Chains game designer.
While designing Cosmic Chains, we'd come across several hard choices related to the following topics:
- how replayable we wanted the game to be;
- how flexible the gameplay had to be.
So, let me share our reasoning and why we made certain choices after all.
REPLAYABILITY
These days, this question has definitely turned into a marketing dilemma rather than anything else (to be honest, replayability sells pretty badly as it is not that convincing and actually makes board game companies produce less, not more). So, I'd like to focus on how we kept it in mind as developers.
Replayability is not exactly an accurate term, but I believe the following thing is meant when it’s used. A game is considered replayable in one of two cases:
- it can be played from time to time, providing a quality experience for the gamer without a significant loss of emotional value that makes them give up playing;
- it can be played repeatably until another game (and the choice is frighteningly huge) grabs the players' attention.
So, if we take it as a general truth, the game has to last long enough before the player realizes the gameplay value was worth the time, effort, and money. The gameplay shouldn't be so repetitive that players feel like they are always offered the same thing but with different numbers. Unfortunately, recently, we've seen many projects like this.
Thinking about it, I came to the conclusion that the only replayability that would satisfy any player is a sense of a rewarding experience. For me, an example of such a game is Parks by Keymaster Games. No matter how much I play, I still have enough space to try something new, but, at the same time, this planning is not exhausting. It's just a great deal for me. And you can name hundreds of games like these. They are replayable not because they really are but because they make you feel this way.
FLEXIBILITY
That brings us to the idea of flexibility.
Freedom in games is also limited, and it is limited on purpose. Limitations guide you through the game, giving you different options. The variability of such options might differ from genre to genre, but it almost always provides a sense of depth.
In Cosmic Chains, we split the game into modes. The rules are not that hard, but knowing your cards is vital. I already shared my thoughts on how we minimized the issue of deck learning in another post, but still, I can assure you that such a challenge is more than enough for the first game. This means that the second game, in the case of Cosmic Chains, is always different from the first one as players start using the abilities of their cards more consciously. But what's next?
The game has certain limitations. One of them is a limited number of actions per turn—one. Although it does not sound that limited when mentioning it without the context, the catch is that some cards have to be activated only after playing them on the table, which requires two actions. Obviously, we needed a mode where action points could be gained.
Another limitation was the symmetry of the decks. We wanted to provide both players with the same possibilities so they could feel the equality of their chances, but, of course, once they get it, they want to play more specifically, trying different styles. While I believe that "strategizing" is just a set of templates intentionally and accidentally suggested by a game designer, it still feels extremely satisfying to discover them on your own as a player. We created the mode called "Superpowers" with free actions for our two factions aimed at different play styles: early game and late game. One faction gets the power of having more cards on hand, whereas another one can get more action points. And once again, a different feeling from at least two games played for each team.
The third limitation was the winning condition. Cosmic Chains had a single one— the number of connected satellites in your longest uninterrupted chain segment had to be larger than your opponent’s. And it was fun. Still, it felt like a limitation. Outmastering the opponent by only having open information worked well for some time. Then, you wanted more hidden info than just the cards on your hand. And we added hidden objectives — additional ways to gain victory points according to the connections of cards in your chain.
By adding the modes, we created variability that progresses as you play, like levels in video games or missions in dungeon crawlers or TTRPGs. We notice a very positive reaction when playing Cosmic Chains with our friends, bloggers, and other game designers. To be honest, modes do work like guidelines. You know how to expand your experience. Together with it, you understand that each time, it's not just a different number on your card but a tool you might have needed. And once you master them all—enough rewarding experience? How is it built? I guess cozy games trending in the market at the moment are ready to respond: a satisfying game end.
Cosmic Chains provides you with such. No matter who wins, your chain is built by you. You can analyze it and try again. Luckily (hehe), the game is short enough for that.
Thank you for reading this post. And hope you will give Cosmic Chains a chance. It is live now on Kickstarter.
See you,
Dmitrii, a Cosmic Chains game designer.
