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Hey Designer,

Welcome to issue #13 of Signposted!

In this issue we’ll be discussing retention systems.

In the best of series, we’ve got some fantastic pieces:

• Alexander Brazie writes about Adapting to Gamer Types in Game Design

• João Marinheiro Marinheiro discusses loss aversion in games

• Zach Bohn presents how he changed the UI for God of War Ragnarök

• J & Ludo make their Signposted debut while analyzing Mario Kart’s Item Balance

• Alexander Seropian and Aaron Marroquin chat with Stephen Lim and Trevor Romleski about building a PVP sandbox game

In a shocking upset, Avowed just got beat out by Princess Peach’s Showtime for the most anticipated game of 2024 by Signposted readers. In this issue we’re skipping the poll in favor of some fun trivia! Good luck!

If you enjoy Signposted please be sure to share it so more people can enjoy this content! 😁

Thanks and let’s get into it!

Signposted Discord

If you haven’t joined yet, we have a Signposted Discord! In there we discuss various game design books in the game design book club and soon I’ll be kicking off the GD Game Club. A monthly game design book club for games. Join up at the button below!

Bi-Weekly Analysis and Updates

After each there is a quick breakdown of the most important points for anyone in a rush.

Game Design Concepts: Retention Systems

In this carousel I’m discussing some of the most common retention systems you’ll see in games these days.

Quick Takeaway:

• Why Retention?

  • Player retention is one of your most important KPIs for games. Without players staying, your PVP/Co-op modes collapse, F2P games have less opportunities to make money, and it’s more difficult to convince players to come back when an expansion is released.

  • Retention systems help to get players coming back day after day. When designed well they create habits and goals for the player and enhance the fun the player is having.

  • So what are a few?

• Daily Rewards

  • Daily login rewards encourage players to check back every day to get free loot just for logging in. Typically better loot the more days they check in.

  • In live service games you can +1 the system by putting it in the store to drive players into the shop and increase their chance of other purchases.

  • Many games like Hungry Shark Evolution do this:

• Clubs or Clans

  • Clubs or clans give players a community to play the game with, even bad games can be fun with friends.

  • You can +1 the system when there are clan events or rewards which require the clan to work together to obtain.

  • Players put the pressure on each other to perform and come back to increase the clan’s status/rewards.

• Battle Passes

  • Battle passes give players a clear sense of progression, a constant stream of rewards, and something to look forward to. But they are typically available for a limited time, which prays on a player’s FOMO to play more now!

  • Without the FOMO element they are less effective but more player friendly, more and more games are going this route.

• LiveOps Events

  • LiveOps Events mix up the gameplay and frequently introduce new content.

  • By having constantly rotating content, there’s always something new for players to see and experience. This helps to keep them from getting bored and churning..

• A Note on Retention

  • Remember retention systems are meant to accent or enhance the core gameplay, not replace it, when done well they can increase the game’s fun.

  • But be careful when utilizing these systems, players are smart, if they feel manipulated or treated unfairly it can have a negative effect on your players.

This Issue’s Community Trivia!

The Best of Game Design

The Best of Written

🏆 Issue #13 Scott’s Pick 🏆- Adapting to Gamer Types in Game Design: A Beginner's Guide

By Alexander Brazie

In this post Alexander takes a look at Bartle’s theory, self determination theory, and discusses how they overlap. I was working on piecing this same idea together for a blog post until I found this one. I think understanding the overlap will give you a better idea to what appeals to your players.

Loss Aversion

By João Marinheiro Marinheiro

While working with rewards and gacha boxes, I’ve had to be acutely aware of the language used in the monetization systems. João sheds some light on a big reason why the words you choose matter and can help predict player behavior.

The Best of Video

God of War Ragnarök: Building the UI for a AAA Sequel

Zach Bohn

This is a whole beast of a talk where Zach breaks down some of the UI elements, goals, and processes related to creating the UI for God of War Ragnarök. It’s not every issue we get to chat about UI/UX design and this is a particularly interesting piece.

Mario Kart's Balance Is Pure Depravity | Design Delve

By J & Ludo

The Design Delve is a new show on Second Wind. They’ve had some fantastic videos so far and I couldn’t pass up featuring their analysis of Mario Kart’s item system. They bring up some great points and how a slight mechanic change shifted the entire balance from Mario Kart 8 to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.

The Best of Audio

Stephen Lim and Trevor Romleski's Forward Operations

By Alexander Seropian and Aaron Marroquin

This podcast I found to be particularly interesting, as Slim and Trevor (two of the creators of VALORANT) discuss some of the challenges they’ve faced while designing for a PVP Sandbox game where reputation matters. I’ve heard these two talk a few times now and it’s always great to hear their takes on design.

And that’s it for Signposted #13. Thanks for reading!

Scott

If you enjoy Signposted please be sure to share it so more people can enjoy this content!