Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
How can you avoid making your game solvable? Well, obviously in-
cluding random elements means that your game is no longer
hard solv-
able
(meaning it can still technically be solved with
perfect play
, or using
a mixed strategy that makes optimal moves based on probability, regard-
less of what the other player does). Extreme levels of play testing are the
best way to get the low-hanging fruit solutions out of the way, of course.
Unfortunately, there's no consistent way to prevent your game from be-
ing solved; instead, it's a matter of making sure that that solution is as far
out on the horizon as possible. This usually involves adding some layers
of complexity to your game.
Theme
If you're designing an abstract game, there may come a point where the
game gets a little bit too complex to still warrant being completely ab-
stract. At this point, you may want to add a limited theme—just enough
to make the actions, verbs, and tokens more clear to players. Putting too
much of a theme in a clearly abstract game can come across as silly to
players, and I've heard designers such as Reiner Knizia get criticized for
just slapping on a theme.
It's good to realize that a theme is there for
functional
reasons (clar-
ity), not aesthetic ones. An abstract game can be every bit as beautiful
as a heavily themed one; in fact, I'd say that Go is more beautiful by far
than any Ameritrash game I've ever seen. Add theme only as needed by
the game.
Room for Creative Play
Another possible downside to abstract games is that their low level of
complexity can sometimes mean it's more difficult for players to play
in an expressive way. As a game's level of complexity scales up, one of
the upsides is that there becomes more room for play; more room for
players to make more moves that don't necessarily seem optimal direct-
ly, but which aren't bad either. Lateral, strange moves that can confuse
other players or simply express a style of play can be difficult in some
very simple abstracts. Of course, this is only something to keep in mind
when designing such games, and not at all a problem inherent to abstract
games. After all, all games become abstract in the minds of players once
they are in the act of playing.
Other Genres
Here are a few popular game genres that don't fit into the categories
already described.
