Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
consequences
Given enough skill, players can keep up with the increase in complexity for a long
time, but when players no longer keep up, complexity spins out of control and the
game ends quickly.
implementation
The task in a game that implements the escalating complexity pattern is typically
affected by player skill, especially when escalating complexity makes up most of the
game's core mechanics. When the task is governed by a random or deterministic
mechanism, players will have no control over the game's progress. Random or deter-
ministic mechanics work a little better in more complex game systems in which
players have some control over their chance of success. Using a multiplayer task is
an option, but it probably also works better in a more complex game system.
Randomness in the production of complexity creates a game with a varied pace,
where players might struggle to keep up with production at its peak but get a chance
to catch their breath when complexity production slows down a little.
There are many ways to implement the progress mechanic, from a simple time-
based increase of the production of complexity (as is the case in the previous sample
structure) to complicated constructions that rely on other actions by the player or
by other players. This way, it is possible to combine escalating complexity with
esca-
lating challenge
by introducing positive feedback to the progress mechanic as a result
of the execution of the task.
Escalating complexity lends itself well to serve as part of a
multiple feedback
structure
in which the complexity feeds into several feedback loops with different signatures.
For example, escalating complexity can be partially balanced by having the task feed
into a much slower negative feedback loop governing the production of complexity.
examples
In
Tetris
, a steady flow of falling tetrominoes produces complexity. There is a slight
randomness in this production as the different types of tetrominoes are created
over time. Players need to place the tetrominoes in such a way that they fit together
closely. When a line is completely filled, it disappears, making room for new tetro-
minoes. When players fail to keep up, the tetrominoes pile up quickly, and they will
have less time to place subsequent tetrominoes. This can quickly increase the com-
plexity of the field when players are not careful and cause them to lose the game
if the pile of tetrominoes reaches the top of the screen. In
Tetris,
levels create the
progression mechanism. Every time the player clears ten lines, the game advances to
the next level and the tetrominoes start falling faster, making it more and more dif-
ficult to place them accurately. In this case, the level mechanism is also an example
of the
escalating challenge
pattern.
Figure B.13
represents these mechanics of
Tetris.
In this diagram, tetrominoes are
converted into points. The number of points goes up when there are more tetrominoes
