Currently spreading democracy, liberty, and FREEDOM throughout the galaxy in Helldivers 2.

Hey Designer,

Welcome to issue #14 of Signposted!

We have a massive issue this time around.

• Helldivers 2 won as the game we’ll be playing and analyzing in the Signposted DIscord

• We’ll run through the flow and some tips to create great tutorials

• And lastly I was on the Indie Game Lunch Hour podcast recently talking about self determination theory and I how I got my start in the industry

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

• Corey Hobson presents strategies for reducing players’ cognitive load through UX

• Christopher Kaczmarczyk-Smith discusses K-Level thinking

• SnoMan Gaming is back with a video on movement in games

• Adam Millard returns as well, this time discussing why you can never play the same game twice

• In this issue’s bonus video Extra Credits is reviewing why some hard games feel good

• And the Game Economist Cast is talking Palworld & Cassette Beasts

Last weeks trivia saw 60% of readers get it right! In 2015 Tetris was induced into the World Video Game Hall of Fame. We’ve got another fun one this issue as well.

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 is playing Helldivers 2!

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 the design of Helldivers 2 in 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: Tutorials

In this carousel I’m discussing the flow and some tips for creating tutorials.

Quick Takeaway:

• Why are tutorials important?

  • Without effective tutorials, players won’t learn your systems and are more likely to have a bad time and quit.

  • So what do we need to keep in mind when making tutorials

  • Teach>Practice>Test

• Step 1:Teach

  • Teach or show the player how to use the system while they interact with it

• Teach +1

  • Less text is generally better. Less localization, and players generally hate reading

  • More images to explain the action are better

  • Cuphead uses minimal text, arrows, and button images to teach the player how to play

    

• Step 2: Practice

  • Let the player make use of the system on their own a few times

• Practice +1

  • Player controlled encounters (passive enemies so player can control engagement)

  • When learning crafting spawn extra resources beyond what's needed

  • Palworld starts with an area filled with passive Pals and extra early resources which allows the player to easily practice what they’ve been learning on their own

    

• Step 3: Test

  • Make the player use the system to progress to the next area

• Test +1

  • Players need to do the action to actually kick into the rest of the game

  • Helldivers has a final test at the end of their tutorial where the player must put everything they’ve learned together and clear out two bug spawners to access the rest of the game

    

• A Note on Tutorials

  • When teaching or practicing concepts, break them up into the smallest steps possible

  • Example

    • Instead of just saying “Craft a potion”

    • Start off with “Collect X resources”

    • Then “Craft a potion at the crafting station”

    • Keeping the steps small and having clear information to guide players will make it more likely they don’t get lost and are able to complete the task

• Thank you for reading

• If you enjoyed this post, share it!

Indie Game Lunch Hour Podcast Guest

Recently I was a guest on the Indie Game Lunch Hour Podcast.

We talked about some fun topics:

• Systems design

• Why players continue playing games beyond the campaign

• How I got my start, got kicked out, and got back into the industry.

• We even answered some listener questions - Rick had some particularly great ones!

👇Check out the episode below.

This Issue’s Community Trivia!

The Best of Game Design

The Best of Written

🏆 Issue #14 Scott’s Pick 🏆- Minimizing Cognitive Load: Strategies for Simplifying Complex Systems in Game UX

By Corey Hobson

Have you ever played a game and just been overwhelmed by the UI? That’s what Corey is discussing today, he has 5 design principals which will help you to better reduce the cognitive load on players.

K-Level Thinking

By Christopher Kaczmarczyk-Smith

K-Level thinking is an economic principle which I think has some application in games. Much like game economists create profiles for users which are engaging in game theory scenarios, other designers do the same when balancing progression and other mechanics.

The Best of Video

Good Game Design - Movement

By Snoman Gaming

Movement is one of the first mechanics a player encounters in games. It can make or break your game if you’re not careful. Snoman explores what makes movement feel satisfying in games.

The Architect of Games - You Can Never Play The Same Game Twice

By Adam Millard

Working in game balance and progression, I often end up in discussions regarding replayability and new game+. How the player experiences the game their first time through, vs how they experience it in subsequent playthroughs is something to keep in mind in this particular scenario. Adam explores this concept.

Bonus Video: The Jerk Principle

By Extra Credits

I try to not highlight Extra Credits and GMTK because their channels are so big, but this video on the Jerk Principle blew my mind. I’ve used this principal in some of my own designs and didn’t know it had a name until this video.

The Best of Audio

E22: Airdropping The Missing Web3 Palworld Take

By Game Economist Cast

This issue’s podcast is a little more casual, in this podcast they discuss why some menu RPGs feel slow (cassette Beasts/Pokemon) and how some other games handle speeding up the combat. How even chess had power creep over the course of 1000 years. And some more fun takes.

And that’s it for Signposted #14. Thanks for reading!

Scott

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