Welcome to the Hamster Wheel!

So, the other day, I was talking with somebody who was interested in working on an RPG, and was excited with the idea of a more conversation focused game, but had a small issue with it:

The other problem with conversation-based instances/encounters is that I'm unsure how they'd have signifigance to the game aside from "that was interesting." The player could gain items, but what signifigance do they have? Are they just used for the next instance?

This statement is, well, interesting, and it is fairly common among gamers. If I don't get something cool out of it, what was the point? Why did I run across the country just to get some boots that I'm never going to use?

Mind Control: The Daily Reward

I just had a small realization that I feel silly for not seeing before. This isn't a major game design trope or long winded rant on some topic near and dear to me, but rather an observation. Many games have daily rewards. Some games, like World of Tanks or World of Warcraft have these rewards reset at a particular time (usually around 6 in the morning or something silly). Many people say that these rewards are tools designed to get players addicted to the game, and get them playing everyday.

While this is correct, they're not actually the ideal way to get players to do that. SolForge and League of Legends also have daily rewards. However, these rewards unlock not on a set timer, but rather 22 hours after you achieve them. This means, to get optimal rewards, players will schedule the game into their daily life. Every day at noon, I log onto SolForge to get my rewards. My daily schedule is affected by the game, I plan to play the game way in advance of actually playing it. WoT, I just hop on when I want to, with SolForge, I plan in advance to get the best reward cycle I can.

Game designers and their fancy mind control, making us play games we enjoy.

Games and The Larger Stage

It's been a while since I wrote anything, but the advent of the League of Legends Season 3 World Championship prompted me to return to a topic that is very important to me. Gaming, and gamers are often ostracized by society. When I played World of Warcraft, family and friends didn't understand that when I committed to play with a group of people, I put that commitment above other events. Playing games professionally is also looked down upon, and if I mention that I'm planning on spending some time watching high-level games I get really confused looks.

Forging a Title

Right now, I'm trying to come up with a title for my game. The working title that I'm using for the beta is "Apocalypses Now". The general gist of the game is that the world is ending, and players are struggling to survive in the ruins of the Earth. The title, as it stands, while a little clever, is also very derivative, and not particularly interesting or entertaining. It doesn't roll off the tongue or stick in the mind. It isn't even easy to spell or say.

The Role of RPGs

A friend asked me what aspects and themes I liked about RPGs, and I responded with a word vomit. It is not clear, concise or even likely representative of my opinions, but it includes some, if not most of them and it is from the perspective of a designers, a GM and a player, so it is worth including here.

Game Design: Playing on the Seesaw

In my previous post, I talked at some length about balance, particularly in single player environments. This time around, I'm going to dive into multi-player balance. As previously explored, the core of single player balance is making sure that the player continues to be able to make interesting and valid choices. This continues to be true in multi-player games, but requires additional care.