Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
The strength of a feedback loop is an informal indication of its impact on the game.
Strength cannot be attributed to a single characteristic; it is created by the interac-
tions of several. For example, permanent feedback with a little return can have a
strong effect on the game.
Changes to the characteristics of a game's feedback loops can have a dramatic effect
on the game. Feedback that is indirect and slow but with a lot of return and not
durable has a strong destabilizing effect. In this way, even negative feedback can be
used to destabilize a system if it is applied erratically or when its effects are strong
but slow and indirect. It means that at a much later point in the game something
big will happen that is difficult to predict or prevent.
The profile of feedback created by direct interaction in a multiplayer game, such
as the ability to target specific players for an attack in
Risk
, can change depending
on the players' strategies. Feedback from direct interaction often is negative and
destructive: Players act against, or even conspire against, the leader. At the same
time, it can turn into positive and destructive feedback when someone starts to prey
on the weaker players.
Feedback characteristics can be read from a Machinations diagram, although this
is easier for some characteristics than it is for others. In general, use the following
guidelines:
n
To determine a feedback loop's
effect
, look at how it is connected to different
end conditions. If the feedback mechanism is directly connected to a winning con-
dition, it is probably constructive; if it is directly connected to a losing condition,
it is probably destructive.
n
A feedback loop's
investment
can be determined by looking at how many
resources are consumed to activate the mechanism. In addition, feedback mech-
anisms that require players to activate many elements usually have a high
investment, as these mechanisms generally require more time or turns to activate.
n
A feedback loop's
return
can be determined by looking at how many resources
are produced by the mechanism. Return must be compared to investment to paint
a complete picture.
n
The
speed
of a feedback loop is determined by the number of actions and ele-
ments involved to activate the feedback loop. Feedback loops that contain delays
and queues are obviously slower than those loops that do not include these ele-
ments. Feedback loops that involve only automatic nodes tend to be faster than
feedback loops that include many interactive nodes. Likewise, in most cases, feed-
back loops that consist of mostly state connections tend to be faster than feedback
loops that consist of mostly resource connections.
n
The
range
of a feedback loop is easily determined by the number of elements it
consists of. Feedback loops that consist of many elements have a high range.
