Brand Game Development

JANUARY 21, 2019

” reaction and it’s a lot easier to compete with 6% of games than it is to compete with 94% of games. Force players to balance tactics and strategy. Getting into the gameplay of Pandemic itself, you notice that the game creates all kinds of interesting decision points at every turn.

Game Design 130

Game Design Game Designer Co-op Balance 130

Brand Game Development

JANUARY 13, 2020

This is a nice change of pace from normal cooperative games because it adds a necessary element of stress that makes Spirit Island feel satisfying. I think Arah’s review on Board Game Geek says it best. Balanced asymmetry leads to greater variety. “Vibe: brain burny whack-a-mole.”

Game Design 130

Game Design Game Designer Balance Games 130

PreMortem.Games

MARCH 15, 2024

In Guntouchables by Danish indie developer Game Swing , enemies randomly power up from the upgrades that a team of four players can’t lift out of the levels. This leads to some unexpected and quite frankly, explosive situations as the game progresses. Game Swing was founded in 2013 by five Danish game design students.

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Co-op Playtesting Balance Art 134

Sirlin

JULY 21, 2015

We discuss techniques I use to balance games. Hosts: David Sirlin and Matt "Aphotix" DeMasi We discuss techniques I use to balance games. Hosts: David Sirlin and Matt "Aphotix" DeMasi We discuss techniques I use to balance games.

Balance 40

Balance Game Design Game Designer Games 40

Logic Simplified

JULY 31, 2023

There is one area every game designer must focus on to ensure that their games are captivating enough to entertain and provide an impactful experience to the user: game mechanics. When creating a new game, video game mechanics are often considered the most important factor. What are game mechanics?

Mechanics 93

Mechanics Puzzle Balance Games 93

Logic Simplified

OCTOBER 18, 2023

The Demand for Multiplayer Games There is a great demand for multiplayer games and it is the tech experts, creative thinkers, and game designers who have made them what they are today. Let’s elaborate on how multiplayer game design isn’t as simple as just throwing together some mechanics and calling it a day.

Game Design 52

Game Design Game Designer Balance Concepts 52

PreMortem.Games

APRIL 19, 2024

Things were getting serious three years later when Ryding decided to quit his job as a software engineer and work full time as a game developer. One of my close friends, Ches Denison, joined me working 5-10 hours a week as a playtester, game designer, and just a general jack-of-all-trades-guy.

Playtesting 125

Playtesting Games Mobile Mobile 125

Brand Game Development

SEPTEMBER 24, 2019

This week while working on my current board game design, a lot of things have come into focus. Now it’s time to start tweaking board game rules. This is where board game design often becomes very tricky. Need help on your board game? Making Balanced & Clear Rules. Rules vs. Rulebooks.

Balance 130

Balance Games Communications Mechanics 130

PreMortem.Games

AUGUST 30, 2023

I wanted to make a game completely on my own to balance my professional life as a game developer working with big teams.” AI affects game design The project’s trajectory shifted with the integration of AI tools. So, the AI does affect the game design, but mainly by its limitations”, Kemppainen says.

AI 190

AI Game Developer Game Development Point and Click 190

Game Analytics

DECEMBER 9, 2022

They could check logical problems in the game design itself by using custom design events. Now that Splitting Point had the data they needed, they were able to fix bugs and game design issues with every new update. Rage Runner is a game where the player races along a speed course. Dive into your own games.

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Data Bug Game Design Game Designer 97

iXie gaming

MARCH 25, 2024

This data includes player preferences, interactions, and in-game actions, to mention a few. By analyzing player behavior data, you can gain valuable insights that can help improve the gaming experience and player engagement and optimize game design. Are you struggling with game analytics? The outcome? The outcome?

Data 52

Data Game Design Game Designer Games 52

Lost Garden

DECEMBER 12, 2021

INTRODUCTION The problem with picking up sticks Recently I was designing the harvesting and crafting system for our Animal Crossing-like game Cozy Grove when I ran into a problem: picking up a stick is not that fun. The core activities in a life sim are generally not full of mastery and depth. You chop trees. […].

Balance 52

Balance Animation Animation Games 52

PreMortem.Games

MARCH 22, 2024

“So, a turn-based-tactics game based around sabotage and assassination operations felt like something fresh to us”, says Senior Game Designer Lee Brimmicombe-Wood. We wanted a past that was a little more colourful than that and balanced the visuals accordingly”, explains Brimmicombe-Wood.

Games 125

Games Concepts Film Balance 125

Played with Fire

NOVEMBER 27, 2023

Difficulty and balance The level of difficulty in games for the „diehards” is something that often keeps game developers up at night. It often turns out, I should say, that the games are simply too… easy. by making the gameplay even more personal for them, and thus increasing their involvement as well.

Mechanics 72

Mechanics Technology Games Entertainment 72

Logic Simplified

OCTOBER 31, 2023

When creating a game, game app developers analyze player behavior to improve their interactive scenarios, by identifying what works and what doesn't for the players in a game. This is done to refine the game design and create a more enjoyable experience for their audience.

Games 52

Games Data Balance Mechanics 52

Sirlin

APRIL 4, 2015

Flash Duel is a simple and fast card game that in high level play ended up being bogged down by lengthy calculations. We talk about the design changes that address this as well as at least one tricky balance puzzle we faced. At the time of this post, Flash Duel is on kickstarter right now. Please support it if you can.

Game Design 40

Game Design Game Designer Puzzle Balance 40

Keith Burgun

NOVEMBER 25, 2023

Again: the last two bullet points can be expressed also as: “the game is too long” Every RPG I’ve ever played felt too long, and the above two reasons are why. Too “balanced” Strategy games can’t really be too balanced, but RPGs easily can, and most that come out these days, are.

Fighting 59

Fighting Fantasy Balance Software 59

iXie gaming

SEPTEMBER 1, 2023

Designing comprehensive test cases that reflect real-world player behaviour can be a complex task, often requiring collaboration between game designers and testers. It is crucial to strike a balance between automating repetitive tasks and allowing for exploratory testing to account for unforeseen scenarios.

Balance 52

Balance Scripting Bug Games 52

Game Wisdom

MARCH 28, 2023

How to Approach Assist Modes For Your Design Josh Bycer josh@game-wisdom.com width="560" height="314" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" For this critical thought, I returned to the topic of assist modes to discuss the best ways to use assist modes for your game, but why you shouldn’t balance your game on their use and the best … The post (..)

Balance 52

Balance Games Game Design Game Designer 52

Game Designing

SEPTEMBER 27, 2023

Just like reality, games need an internal mechanism for the distribution of resources during gameplay. This system is known as the video game economy. The in-game economy creates balance within the game by enabling the player to earn and spend resources as part of the game’s progression.

Build 52

Build Balance Games Asset 52

The Bottom Feeder

AUGUST 9, 2023

Both about game design, and about the indie games biz as a whole. Brotato has a great design. However, the weapons aren't balanced well. The newer games try much harder to balance the weapons against each other, providing a better variety of builds. Time moves quick these days. I recommend it.

Co-op 75

Co-op Indy Balance Games 75

iXie gaming

MAY 26, 2023

By following the do’s and avoiding the don’ts, you can ensure that your game stands out in the competitive PC gaming market. In this guide, we will cover a range of topics, including best practices for game design, effective marketing strategies, and tips for optimizing game performance.

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PC Game Developer Game Development Development 52

Game Wisdom

JULY 19, 2023

High Speed Action With OTXO Developer Interview Josh Bycer josh@game-wisdom.com width="560" height="314" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" For this perceptive podcast, I spoke with Nathan Haddock from Lateralis Heavy Industries who developed the game OTXO.

Development 40

Development Balance Games Indy 40

Grid Sage Games

MAY 8, 2022

Recently a player asked me a question regarding my game balance philosophy, and while I can often respond to queries by pointing to some previous article, despite all my writing and no doubt occasionally touching on related topics, I had yet to explicitly do any sort of summary of the philosophy behind my gamedev work.

Game Design 52

Game Design Game Designer Balance Games 52

The Bottom Feeder

MAY 11, 2022

It's such a big, unique, popular game that not picking it apart a bit is game-writer malpractice. Even if you hate From Software games, and many do, if you care about game design as an art, it's worth a good look. And this is all without even discussion this game’s insane speedrunning situation.

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Balance Fighting Art Software 52

iXie gaming

MAY 24, 2023

AI-driven tools generate dynamic content, adapt game mechanics, and customize aesthetics, resulting in more engaging gameplay and new storytelling possibilities. In this blog, we’ll delve into the future of art and AI in game production, exploring the latest advancements, challenges, and potential industry-wide impacts.

AI 52

AI Art Simulation Technology 52

iXie gaming

JUNE 16, 2023

Study Composition Techniques Familiarize yourself with key principles like the rule of thirds, leading lines, and balance. Harness these techniques to craft visually appealing and harmoniously balanced game art that captivates players. Achieve visual harmony through the balanced placement of elements.

Art 52

Art Texture Concepts Balance 52

iXie gaming

FEBRUARY 11, 2024

These adjustments touch upon various facets such as gameplay, user interface, and overall game design. While most of the decisions are made from within the confines of the development studio itself, developers place considerable importance on a specific form of game testing to gather invaluable insights.

Mechanics 52

Mechanics Games Indy Platformer 52

iXie gaming

FEBRUARY 2, 2024

PlayStation game testers provide detailed feedback on the gameplay, controls, game balance, and user interface, helping improve the final product. Therefore, you must familiarize yourself with the game design documents and understand the intended gameplay mechanics.

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Quality Assurance Games Console Communications 52

Brand Game Development

JANUARY 13, 2017

Though it’s super easy to pick up, the game turns into a slightly heady mix of deduction, risk mitigation, and probabilistic thinking. All the strategy fundamentally comes down to a single principle of game design that became apparent to me after a few rounds. The eight cards in Love Letter are as follows: Guard.

Balance 130

Balance Games Game Design Game Designer 130

Brand Game Development

DECEMBER 22, 2017

After all, I’m checking to make sure there are no serious balance issues that come out of repeated plays. I’ve already play-tested this game a ton. I even blind play-tested it at a game design convention. Need help on your board game? “How many blind play-tests does your board game really need?”

Point and Click 130

Point and Click Dev Games Mechanics 130

Brand Game Development

MAY 12, 2017

Want to learn game development? Use BoardGameGeek’s database , blogs such as Stonemaier Games Kickstarter Lessons , Dice Tower videos , design books such as the Kobold Guide to Board Game Design , and even academic research papers (which you can find on Google Scholar ).

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Dev Balance Game Developer Game Development 130

Sirlin

OCTOBER 20, 2015

Codex is a new take on customizable card games. Though you might as well wait until next week because there will be a balance update within a week. Within a couple days, I plan to post a big update to the Codex print-and-play version (for $25+ patrons) that has dozens of balance changes based on the last month of playtesting.

Fantasy 52

Fantasy Fighting Balance Playtesting 52

Keith Burgun

SEPTEMBER 6, 2022

I’ve also got a lot of design help from incredible game designers Brett Lowey and Pete Siecienski getting the game to where it is now. I’ve also gotten graphic design help from the amazing pro graphic designer Jenny Bee. So overall this is going to be one amazing looking, awesome playing game.

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Playtesting Writing Graphics Fighting 52

iXie gaming

NOVEMBER 30, 2023

With many games available today, gamers won’t hesitate to switch to a different game. But how can generative AI help in-game conceptualization and design? Generative AI tools can help game designers in different ways. This streamlines the early game development stages.

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AI Content Data Ray Tracing 52

Radiator Blog

MARCH 16, 2023

I assumed it was mostly for fans but after watching all 32 episodes (on 2x speed, skipping some parts) I've changed my mind and now I think it's essential viewing for all game designers / devs. Outside of game design, there's a growing tide against "design thinking" style methods, see "Design thinking was supposed to fix the world.

Art 59

Art Concepts Dev Studios 59

Brand Game Development

FEBRUARY 11, 2019

On top of that, the experience for beginners and the experience for advanced players are different enough to keep the game engaging even as you learn more about it. For these reasons and more, we’re going to dive into Ticket to Ride and talk about what new board game designers can learn from this 15-year-old game.

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Game Design Game Designer Games Balance 130