Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
be a good alternative to using randomness in the production mechanism. The fre-
quency of the friction is another consideration: When the feedback is applied at
short intervals, the overall system will be more stable than when the feedback is
applied at long or irregular intervals, which might cause periodic behavior in the
system. In general, the effects of a continual loss of energy on the dynamic behavior
of the system are less powerful than a periodic loss of the same amount of energy.
examples
In the Roman city-building game
Caesar III
, the player must pay tribute to the
emperor at particular moments during each mission. The schedule of the tribute
payments is fixed for each mission and not affected by the player's performance.
In effect, they cause a very infrequent and high form of static friction that causes a
huge tremor in the game's internal economy. See Chapter 9, “Building Economies,”
for a more detailed discussion of this game.
The
dynamic engine
in
Monopoly
is countered by different types of friction, includ-
ing static friction (
Figure B.6
). The main mechanism that implements static friction
is the Chance cards through which the player infrequently loses money. Although
some of these cards take into account the player's property, most of them do not.
You might think that paying rent to other players is also a form of static friction because
the frequency and severity of the payments are far beyond the direct control of the
player who has to pay. However, paying rent is an example of the
attrition
pattern, not
static friction. The rate of the friction does change over time, and players have some
indirect effect on it: When a player is doing well, chances are that his opponents
are not, which negatively affects this friction. The diagram in Figure B.8 does not
include this aspect because it is made from the viewpoint of an individual player.
FIGURe b.6
static friction in
Monopoly
related Patterns
n
Static friction exaggerates long-term investments, and therefore it is best suited to
be used in combination with a
static engine
,
converter engine
, or an
engine building
pattern.
n
Static friction is elaborated by the
dynamic friction
or the
slow cycle
pattern.
