tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9319479.post7021099141318510086..comments2024-03-07T15:32:53.014+02:00Comments on Yehuda: 10 Ways to Know If You Are a Hack Game DesignerYehuda Berlingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16038826060312027387noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9319479.post-74859186723015701602011-01-28T19:06:18.835+02:002011-01-28T19:06:18.835+02:00Excellent list. These mistakes in game design have...Excellent list. These mistakes in game design have always annoyed me, and they've always come to mind when I explain that, no, I don't want to play Monopoly. <br /><br />8-10, I think, are the hardest to avoid. You want to subject people to randomly varying challenges (either from randomized elements or from other players' strategies) but you don't want the variation of these challenges to determine the game.Michael O Churchhttp://michaelochurch.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9319479.post-69210330731792174172010-08-19T00:12:46.258+03:002010-08-19T00:12:46.258+03:00@adventurematerials I think if the "perfect s...@adventurematerials I think if the "perfect sequence" varies then it isn't the type of sequence being discussed here. The point for that bullet is that a game in that case is extremely non-interactive.Anthonyhttp://www.biomancy.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9319479.post-3386757026715440472010-02-20T04:19:46.346+02:002010-02-20T04:19:46.346+02:00Great post, Yehuda. I MOSTLY concur 100%. That sai...Great post, Yehuda. I MOSTLY concur 100%. That said, I think that strategy games CAN be about finding that 'perfect order' of playing events, as long as that order varies. Games like chess and Magic: The Gathering both use this tactic to great effect. The player who makes a tactical error will fail so long as the other player is competent enough to take advantage of that mistake.<br /><br />That said, I completely concur with your Candyland condemnation. My children will NEVER play Candyland or Chutes and Ladders. If they can't learn Carcassonne or Clue, we can try the Kids Monopoly, etc.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9319479.post-76587734323296060112009-02-16T21:29:00.000+02:002009-02-16T21:29:00.000+02:0005. Play the Winning Sequence-I know what you mean...05. Play the Winning Sequence<BR/><BR/>-I know what you meant here (this applies to the strategy of a game). However, the way you said it under-cuts a whole genre of action games. Games like, say, DDR where there is only one winning sequence of actions and the challenge of the game is to see if you can pull off the sequence. <BR/><BR/>Action games can get away with requiring a particular winning sequence because the challenge isn't about discovering the sequence; it is about enacting it. Knowledge is always an order of 1 [O(1)] ability acquisition, whereas skills are rarely ever even a constant (it seems to be somewhere between linear [O(n)] and exponential [O(c^n)]). <BR/><BR/>This is exactly the reason why sitting in one place shooting the same waded piece of paper at the same basket in the same location (repeated conditions) may be fun even after I've made a basket. Yet it isn't fun for me to guess the color of your new car once you've told me. (Assuming I don't forget.) <BR/><BR/>In general, I applaud your list. =)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9319479.post-22099200950628823712008-10-05T08:02:00.000+02:002008-10-05T08:02:00.000+02:00ED: I believe that there is no good game that does...ED: I believe that there is no good game that doesn't have decisions. It is just as simple to offer a very simple choice to a child as it is to offer no choices. Either way is "following rules".<BR/><BR/>Instead of CandyLand, Chutes and Ladders, etc, try playing the same game with two pawns each.<BR/><BR/>Or look on board game geek for various geeklists of better games for children. Froggie Boogie, UNO, Guess Who, Chicken Cha Cha come to mind. Also see the game sites kidgameratings and so on.Yehuda Berlingerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16038826060312027387noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9319479.post-4321526016663020652008-10-05T02:18:00.000+02:002008-10-05T02:18:00.000+02:00How does this list relate to chidrens games? Cand...How does this list relate to chidrens games? Candyland is a game of 100% chance, but simply learning to follow the rules still holds a fair amount of challenge with the relevant audience.Evil Danhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09498604621860314586noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9319479.post-48001277022751725162008-09-30T18:22:00.000+03:002008-09-30T18:22:00.000+03:00I think the first five can all be compressed into ...I think the first five can all be compressed into one: "players don't make enough interesting decisions". The first two remove any decision making at all from the players; the last three give the players decisions which are meaningless, because there's always one right answer so it's not really a decision. (Another common type of non-decision is that which must be made blind, so it doesn't allow for strategy -- Rock Paper Scissors being the definitive example.)<BR/><BR/>For the last point (you say "pretend to enjoy themselves" but I think of it in terms of "all theme, no gameplay"), I see this happen a lot even with entertainment games, usually where every card has some kind of joke on it and the game is supposed to be funny (Munchkin and Chez Geek being well-known examples). At some point you've read all the cards and laughed at all the jokes, and if you plan to keep playing there had better be some decent gameplay to keep you coming back.<BR/><BR/>Great list!Ian Schreiberhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03146360375570794401noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9319479.post-61353518522227909772008-09-29T20:30:00.000+03:002008-09-29T20:30:00.000+03:00Great article. Every game should be checked agains...Great article. Every game should be checked against this list before released... the world would be a better place.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com