Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
leVel oF detail
You might have noticed that in the diagram in Figure 6.28, we use different levels of
detail. many of the game's details are specified by the diagram: You can build one more
army for every three territories, continents give you a bonus of two armies every turn,
and so on. at the same time, some details are omitted: how many armies are generated
by the cards and how many territories are lost to the opposition are both represented by
symbols indicating a random value (the die and the multiplayer dynamic). in addition,
the positive effect on the consumption rate of the opposition drain is not precisely speci-
fied. as long as machinations diagrams are purely static, this is not a problem. in this
case, we are just interested in the structure of the mechanics, not in the exact details. For
this structure, it is only important to know that having a continent will cause opponents
to fight more fiercely. in many cases, omitting some of the details makes the structure
easier to understand. however, to run the diagram in the machinations Tool, you would
have to specify these items.
Feedback Profiles
The first three feedback loops in
Risk
all are positive: More territories or cards lead
to more armies, which lead to more territories and cards. Yet they are not the same:
They have different
profiles.
. The feedback of capturing territories to be able to build
more armies is straightforward, is fairly slow, and involves a considerable invest-
ment of armies. Often players lose more armies in an attempt to conquer territories
than they regain with one build. This leads to the common strategy to build during
multiple, consecutive turns. The feedback of cards is much slower than the feedback
of territories. A player can get only one card each turn, and she needs at least three
to create a complete set. At the same time, the feedback of the cards is also much
stronger: A player might get between four and ten armies depending on the set she
collects. Feedback from capturing continents operates faster and more strongly still,
because it generates bonus armies every turn. This feedback is so strong and obvious
that it typically inspires fierce countermeasures from other players.
These properties are important characteristics of the feedback loops that have a
big impact on the dynamics of the game. Players are more willing to risk an attack
when it is likely that the next card they will get completes a valuable set: It does not
improve their chances of winning a battle, but it will increase the reward if they do.
Likewise, the chance of capturing a continent can inspire a player to take more risk
than the player should. In
Risk
the player's risks and rewards constantly shift, mak-
ing the ability to understand these dynamics and to read the game a critical skill.
These three positive feedback loops play an important role, but simply classifying
them as positive does not do justice to the subtlety of the mechanics. It is important
to understand how quickly and how strongly each operates.
