Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
n
Type:
Escalation
n
Intent:
Players act against growing complexity, trying to keep the game under
control until positive feedback grows too strong and the accumulated complexity
makes them lose.
n
Motivation:
Players are tasked to perform an action that grows more complex
if the players fail and in which complexity contributes to the difficulty of the task.
As long as players can keep up with the game, they can keep on playing, but once
the positive feedback spins out of control, the game ends quickly. As the game pro-
gresses, the mechanism that creates the complexity speeds up, ensuring that at some
point players can no longer keep up and eventually must lose the game.
applicability
Use escalating complexity when:
n
You aim for a high-pressure, skill-based game.
n
You want to create emergent mechanics that (partially) replace predesigned
level progression.
structure
Participants
n
The game produces
complexity
that
must be kept under a certain limit by the
player.
n
A
task
performed by the player
reduces complexity.
n
A
progress mechanism
increases
the production of complexity over
time.
collaborations
Complexity immediately increases the production of more complexity, creating
a strong positive feedback loop that must be kept under control. The player loses
when complexity exceeds his ability to manage it.
