Grid Sage Games

MAY 8, 2022

Recently a player asked me a question regarding my game balance philosophy, and while I can often respond to queries by pointing to some previous article, despite all my writing and no doubt occasionally touching on related topics, I had yet to explicitly do any sort of summary of the philosophy behind my gamedev work.

Game Design 52

Game Design Game Designer Balance Games 52

PreMortem.Games

JULY 8, 2024

His turning point came in 2019 at Comic Con Africa, where he discovered a Game Design degree at Wits University’s stand. “I However, it still took a nudge from a dreadful experience in an Applied Mathematics class to propel him to switch from Computer Science to Game Design. I quickly wrote a story, and she loved it.

Studios 129

Studios Education Educational Point and Click 129

Radiator Blog

MARCH 16, 2023

I assumed it was mostly for fans but after watching all 32 episodes (on 2x speed, skipping some parts) I've changed my mind and now I think it's essential viewing for all game designers / devs. This recap post / viewing guide covers only the first half of the series (episodes 01-17) and I'll try to write-up the second half later.

Art 147

Art Concepts Dev Studios 147

PreMortem.Games

OCTOBER 2, 2024

What started as a simple concept quickly turned into a game that challenges players with a mix of strategic depth and risk-reward mechanics. I used ChatGPT heavily while writing the backend Amazon service that handles the daily challenge.” I think we have a similar attitude about what ‘good game design’ is, mechanically.

Dev 104

Dev Development Mechanics Writing 104

The Bottom Feeder

JUNE 12, 2024

It was a bold choice to ship this game with only one romance option. I wanted to write a third and final article about Baldur's Gate 3 (BG3 for short), a really great game that most people have moved on from, but I want to talk about the most important part of any RPG: LOOT. That said, the balance in this game is very strong.

Fighting 96

Fighting Writing Puzzle Terrain 96

The Bottom Feeder

APRIL 9, 2024

Then I can sell my games to them eventually, much as a catfish eats the scum at the bottom of a lake. It's also a great opportunity to pick apart a good game's design. If a game sells well, that means every choice it made was correct, and you should pick over the carcass for ideas to steal with all speed.

Writing 100

Writing Fantasy Editing Indy 100

The Bottom Feeder

AUGUST 9, 2023

If it looks good, you should write a copy of it. It was a fun cheap game that is still fun and cheap. It's also a charming, scruffy take on the classic Twin-Stick Shooter genre, great for mindless gaming, with a price that is effectively zero. Both about game design, and about the indie games biz as a whole.

Co-op 81

Co-op Indy Games Balance 81

Brand Game Development

OCTOBER 23, 2017

I’ll also be writing responses for Will. Sarah: It was summer of 2012 that Will had the idea to make a board game for my birthday, but didn’t know how to go about it. We started designing games together. Early in 2013, our local game store owner mentioned that there were other designers in the area.

Prototyping 130

Prototyping Games Playtesting Game Design 130

Brand Game Development

JULY 14, 2017

When I talk about game design itself, I often talk about the relentless play-testing , balancing , and different levels of communication that you must master so that your game is understood and enjoyed. Need help on your board game? Join my community of over 2,000 game developers, artists, and passionate creators.

Art 130

Art Dev Mechanics Game Development 130

The Bottom Feeder

FEBRUARY 9, 2023

First, it's all managed between games. Third, the new characters and levels are fun and prolong how long you play the game. There's no balancing. The only thing you can learn from this is: If you write a hugely popular and addictive viral indie megahit, you can get away with whatever you want. No downsides.

Indy 88

Indy Balance Game Design Game Designer 88

PreMortem.Games

SEPTEMBER 26, 2024

Six months into development, Coma accepted a job at Appeal Studios as a game designer, eventually becoming a game director. During his time there, he reconnected with a colleague from a previous game jam, Baptiste Remy, who shared an interest in making smaller indie games outside of work hours.

Development 104

Development Indy Mechanics Games 104

The Bottom Feeder

MAY 15, 2024

The main problem, alas, is that, while it IS a fascinating landmark for game design, it is not a good adventure. The Tomb of Horrors was an early attempt to solve a very difficult problem: How to balance a turn-based RPG once characters get very powerful. Making money writing helps the self-esteem. This sounds kinda fun.

Horror 76

Horror Fighting Game Design Game Designer 76

Keith Burgun

NOVEMBER 25, 2023

Sadly, also a way overly complicated combat system and overall it has “modern videogame over-smoothed-ness” IN STARS AND TIME – Very cool game that I recommend you go check out. Great art, great music, good writing. I was going to write “too long”, but there is no correct length for an RPG.

Fighting 59

Fighting Fantasy Balance Software 59

Logic Simplified

OCTOBER 7, 2024

While the learning curve is gentle, the software doesn't skimp on advanced features, striking a perfect balance between simplicity and power. Logic Simplified Logic Simplified is a leading game design and development company with 12+ years of experience in creating top-notch games.

Animation 70

Animation Animation Rigging Beta 70

Keith Burgun

SEPTEMBER 6, 2022

I’ve been working extremely hard this year on Spellstorm (among other projects) – so much so that I sort of forgot to write something about it here on my blog, I’ve realized! I did write this piece over at its BoardGameGeek page, so do check that out to begin with, if you haven’t already: [link].

Playtesting 52

Playtesting Writing Graphics Fighting 52

Brand Game Development

APRIL 23, 2018

In fact, at the moment I’m writing this article, it’s the third most popular website in the world, bested only by Google and YouTube. The only problem is that making board games is already expensive , and the idea of paying a super-rich company to show your game to people is pretty odious. You have strike a balance.

Build 130

Build Dev Advertising Games 130

Brand Game Development

DECEMBER 23, 2019

I’m a game designer and publisher, and Shawnta recommended your store.” Molly's latest game, The Million Dollar Doodle, is live on Kickstarter! I call it “just write three words,” that’s all you have to do, you just have to open up WordPress and you just write three words and you can adapt this to anything you do.

Retail 130

Retail Games Editing Writing 130

Designer Notes

SEPTEMBER 7, 2023

Well, one part of the appeal of games is that they can theoretically simulate the real world and teach us about it, that we can make choices and see those choices be modelled accurately. But, to use just this one specific example, how could a game written before McCracken’s insight on pitching have any claim to accurately model baseball?

Simulation 78

Simulation Agent Game Design Game Designer 78

The Bottom Feeder

FEBRUARY 22, 2023

I'm a nobody on the outside, looking at a giant development monolith and trying to figure out how this game could possibly have ended up where it did. I don't want to write a review. Side note: There is a new game called Brotato, one of those single-stick shooters that are hot now. These are perfectly balanced.

Fighting 94

Fighting Games Balance Writing 94

CG Spectrum

JUNE 10, 2024

3D Modelling 3D Animation FX Concept Art 2D Animation Game Design Game Programming 3D Modelling: Shaping Virtual Worlds “3D modelling is a rewarding career where you get to bring concepts and 2D imagery to life, sculpting personality and story into characters, objects, and environments. What does a game designer do?

Film 52

Film Animation Animation Concepts 52

Game Daily

NOVEMBER 28, 2023

. “Our goal in surfacing these insights is to support the ecosystem of game publishers and developers – specifically the marketing, monetization, and product teams – to help guide strategic thinking and decisions that can enhance game performance,” writes Mistplay CEO Jason Heller.

Mobile Gaming 52

Mobile Gaming Mobile Mobile Advertising 52

The Bottom Feeder

MAY 11, 2022

It's such a big, unique, popular game that not picking it apart a bit is game-writer malpractice. Even if you hate From Software games, and many do, if you care about game design as an art, it's worth a good look. And this is all without even discussion this game’s insane speedrunning situation.

Balance 52

Balance Fighting Art Software 52

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. Categorical Approach. Alien Artifacts.

Balance 52

Balance Mechanics Beta Prototyping 52

Game Analytics

DECEMBER 5, 2022

One of the reasons why hyper-casual games are so popular is due to how quick and easy they are to make. Simple controls, artwork, and game design make it easy for any developer to pick up. There are other ways to build a game on a budget. Lifeline by Three Minute Games. Another interactive fictional game.

Horror 109

Horror Games Mobile Mobile 109

The Bottom Feeder

APRIL 27, 2022

It's also hard to criticize, since From Software games tend to be mean and confusing and sadistic on purpose, so anything that makes you mad was probably put there intentionally. But since I can't resist writing about the thing, I want to start with the key question: Why do people love these games so much, despite the sadism.

Fighting 52

Fighting Software Writing Game Design 52

Interesting Choices

AUGUST 14, 2011

The Astrologist - Secretly write down a number before the draft. Stone Librande had this one, and chose to write down 70. Might need a benefit to balance it out. Maybe zero should count as neither so that it's a more balanced choice. He was undefeated and seemed to have a great time. No one had this either.

Balance 52

Balance Art Writing Data 52

Game Design Advice

AUGUST 24, 2017

Here’s what I said… It is my great honor today to give the very first Games for Change Lifetime of Play award to Bernie DeKoven. One of the things Bernie is best known for is his contributions to the New Games movement, one of whose goals was to improve the way games were used in schools to teach physical education.

Balance 40

Balance Educational Education Technology 40

Keith Burgun

JANUARY 27, 2023

I thought the writing was good (great, for a videogame) but the actual combat I found to be very annoying; real time button mashy combat where the enemies have gigantic health bars resulted in my hand literally aching after beating one boss. The Good The writing starts off incredible. The opening cutscene literally made me cry.

Writing 52

Writing Fantasy Fighting Cutscenes 52

Logic Simplified

MAY 22, 2024

Data-driven design is the norm for applications and websites now, led by fusing data analytics with UX design. You may also read: Game Design and Development Process: Pre to Postproduction Why UX Design Evolution Matters “ The growth in UX is still to come. Data collection and privacy concerns are a balancing act.

UX 45

UX Data Technology Content 45

Grid Sage Games

DECEMBER 3, 2022

I’ve also been writing more general roguelike-related articles, too, looking at game design , item randomization , and backtracking. You can now find me on Mastodon , too, where I’ll be sharing info about roguelike development, other roguelikes, and of course the occasional Cogmind update.

Beta 52

Beta Mechanics Content Art 52

iXie gaming

SEPTEMBER 8, 2023

Here are some fundamental activities involved in NFT game development: Creating the game concept. Design a clear game concept integrating NFTs and define gameplay mechanics. Write and deploy smart contracts defining the policies for creating, trading, and owning NFTs in your game. Develop smart contracts.

Game Developer 52

Game Developer Game Development Development Asset 52

Grid Sage Games

SEPTEMBER 15, 2022

But items being static is of fundamental importance to the design, for many reasons: Familiarity -- Building familiarity with all the specific items and their capabilities across multiple runs helps immensely with planning or even just quickly putting together a balanced build from piles of scrap. Randomized Items in My Cogmind?!

Data 52

Data Terrain Balance Mechanics 52

Deconstructor of Fun

MARCH 14, 2023

Kudos to Neil Long of Mobilegamer.biz for joining the event and writing the notes. State of the mobile game industry Eric Kress, Gossamer Consulting Deconstructor of Fun’s “chief outrage officer” Eric Kress was up first to offer what he called a “pragmatic view of what’s going on in the market.”

Games 59

Games Cross platform Mobile Mobile 59

Deconstructor of Fun

OCTOBER 10, 2021

I should have predicted a $10 billion-a-year game if I wanted to sound like a true visionary. In my heart, I am a game designer. I spend most of my waking hours thinking about game mechanics and how they will make players feel. I know a thing or two about power creep in game economy.

Asset 52

Asset Games Fighting Mobile 52

Grid Sage Games

JULY 17, 2022

RIF Installers were already a prefab to begin with, one which (without precedent anywhere else in the game) were actually inserted via a separate hard-coded method, so let’s add it as an encounter instead. I wrote about this factor in my recent article on game design philosophy.

Beta 52

Beta Content Balance Mechanics 52

Designer Notes

AUGUST 10, 2021

Tempting players to make an impulsive decision for a short-term gain but at the risk of a bigger loss later is solid game design. Unlike the rest of my writing on Old World ’s design, I’m not sure I can quite articulate why 1UPT worked better than the stacking system I had implemented. I was very pleased with myself!

Tile 40

Tile Point and Click AI Mechanics 40

Deconstructor of Fun

NOVEMBER 3, 2023

Addressing the initial learning curve, introducing enticing mid-game offers, and refining unlocking progression are essential for the game’s long-term success. With Blizzard's expertise in creating compelling end-game content, Warcraft Rumble has the potential to become a major success and influence future game design trends. ?

Mobile 113

Mobile Mobile Mobile Gaming Games 113