Designer Notes

AUGUST 31, 2021

In later versions, the designers encouraged the player to use the city governors to set “priorities” that determined how the AI would place the citizens for you – a telltale sign of poor game design is the inevitable addition of an AI to play the game for you.

Tile 40

Tile Terrain Game Designer Game Design 40

Grid Sage Games

MARCH 10, 2022

Some roguelikes don’t strive for balance, but maintaining balance has always been important to me for Cogmind, since it fits better with my vision for this type of game, heavy on tough, complex, and consequential decision-making at multiple strategic and tactical levels. Alien Artifacts. Exiles Prototypes.

Balance 52

Balance Mechanics Beta Prototyping 52

Game Dev Unchained

SEPTEMBER 18, 2023

With AI technologies making rapid strides, and the information age turning students into consumers wanting immediate answers, there’s an urgent need to adapt. As we navigate this evolving terrain, perhaps the future of education is not about replacing traditional methods but integrating games as a complementary tool.

Indy 105

Indy Platformer AAA Educational 105

Radiator Blog

MAY 5, 2021

But without any meaningful code access to upgrade terrain engines or lighting systems, that mostly means spamming set dressing and clutter everywhere. Skyrim was already notorious for this "break the AI pathing and snipe at them" exploit metagame, but Enderal sort of just gives up here. It makes money too important.

Open World 52

Open World NPC Cutscenes Terrain 52

Deconstructor of Fun

JUNE 3, 2019

After carefully composing a balanced team of fighters, the player takes their party of stalwart heroes into battle. The Matchers Gonna Match E&P’s core gameplay is carefully designed and balanced. I do see why it’s difficult to scale and balance the matching gameplay with all kinds of level modifiers being present.

Puzzle 52

Puzzle Feature Build Balance 52

Game Design Advice

JUNE 5, 2016

I want to know if there is some specific structural quality that is shared by Chess and Go and Poker and Bridge and Magic: the Gathering, some recognizable topological feature of their state space terrain. And if there is then I want to see it, and be able to talk about it and reason about its ramifications. What depth isn’t.

Feature 40

Feature Terrain Games Baking 40

Radiator Blog

DECEMBER 12, 2022

Here my walking mechanic borrows some sensibility from Death Stranding, where terrain can seriously slow down the player's speed, so a skilled player should micro-optimize their route a little and avoid water / hills / obstacles. Balancing the weight of each system was difficult. It already feels so fraught to me.

Pixel 52

Pixel Film Art Prototyping 52