Alex Designs Games

I accidentally let all of February go by without a post. I’ve had my hands full with my new job (woot woot) and learning web design fundamentals.

I recently learned that my 2017 Macbook Pro can run Unity so, I’ve been slowly making my way through some tutorials found on their website. So far I’ve been learning how to create a new project and how to navigate the program. Unity has a range of tutorials and even pre built micro games people can use to start learning. I decided to start learning using their 2D Platformer Microgame. I’ll probably write a post specific to that experience at some point in the future. I read that the Microgames can be imbedded in website pages. I’m looking forward to sharing the outcome of the tutorial so you can play.

The Lens of Curiosity

The purpose of Lens 6 is to think about what motivates players to play your game. The lens focuses on curiosity and what makes players want to keep playing your game. Answering the questions in this lens helped me think of different ways players can enjoy the game I’m designing, Dungeon Run. I think it’s time I make some updates to the Game Design Document with the ideas I’m generating while working on the different lenses.

What questions does my game put into the player’s mind?

Players will wonder “What happens when I land on this square?” So far I have only considered rewarding players with a power up or presenting them with a luck based challenge for landing on special space. I think I can take things to the next level by adding puzzles into random spaces. If a player can complete the puzzle in a certain amount of time they will be rewarded with a power up. Originally I thought about using a dice throw to determine if a player will win against a random enemy, but incorporating a puzzle might make things more interesting.

Including diverse puzzles with varying degrees of difficulty could cause players to ask themselves “What kind of puzzle will I encounter this time?” or “How fast will I be able to finish this puzzle?” Different puzzles can keep gameplay interesting and surprising. There may be a way to include dice rolls into the gameplay when players land on a special space, causing them to wonder if it is a luck space or a puzzle space.

Players will ask themselves “What kind of power up am I getting next?” Having multiple types of power ups available in game will keep players guessing and hoping they get one that will help them most in their next challenge. On the other hand, the opposing player might wonder how their opponent will use their power up against them.

What am I doing to make them care about these questions?

Players will need to feel like their questions matter. I think making sure they are rewarded in unique ways will keep them curious, asking questions, and want to keep playing Dungeon Run. Dungeon Run will need to be visually and audibly pleasing. It will need to trigger the reward center of the brain when the player wins a challenge.

In multiplayer, solving puzzles will have to give players an edge over one another. Some power ups that players are rewarded with will have to be useful for impeding the progress of the opposing player. This should invoke a sense of competitiveness in opposing players.

What can I do to make them invent event more questions?

To make players invent more questions, I can create more ways for players to enjoy Dungeon Run. Special spaces should do more than just challenge a players and give them a super power if they win a challenge. Some special squares should simply be a trap for the player.

I can give NPC characters and enemies interesting abilities to keep players asking questions. A mix of NPCs with different abilities can invoke a sense of wonder in players. Originally I was going to keep NPC characters pretty simple. They were going to be basic enemies you’d find in a dungeon such as goblins and rats, but that’s a little boring. The NPCs should actually do something to affect gameplay in complex ways.

I want to think of ways that players can compete in the game. One thing that comes to mind is having players compete to see who can finish a puzzle faster, with the winner receiving some type of award. There could also be a penalty for the losing player. It might make sense for some in game challenges between players to not reward the winner, but instead impeded the loser. A nice mix of outcomes will keep players guessing what will happen next.