- Signposted
- Posts
- Signposted #15
Currently piloting Mechs in Helldivers 2.
Hey Designer,
Welcome to issue #15 of Signposted!
We have a great issue this time around.
I’ve started a Signposted Patreon and I’m reinvesting the funds into the community.
We’ll be talking game economy terms you’ll encounter as a systems or economy designer.
In the Signposted Discord we just discussed the design of Helldivers 2 and we’re choosing the next game for us to play and analyze as a community.
In the best of series, we’ve got some amazing pieces:
Sebastián Castro is looking at Encumbrance in Video Games.
The Signposted Community chose Denis Kozin’s article on Designing maps that complement game mechanics as their favorite for this issue.
Jonas Tyroller is discussing better ways to search and know when you’ve found the best version of your design.
O. and Co. Games is bringing 5 tips to make your game feel good.
And Jamie Madigan is back this time discussing nostalgia in games.
Last week’s trivia saw 100% of readers get it right! In Contra, the Konami code gives you 30 extra lives. Clearly that was too easy, maybe this week’s will be a bit tougher.
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 Patreon Announcement!
This week I launched the Signposted Patreon. Thanks to the members who have already joined, I was able to subscribe to Miro which we used for the Helldivers design discussion.
By joining the Signposted Patreon, you get to be in control. See behind the scenes content, gain additional community voting power, help decide what games I research, topics I write about, and what content makes it into Signposted.
As a thank you for being an early adopter, I'll be mailing all paid members who join at ANY TIER, within the next 2 weeks (by the 27th of March), a physical Signposted postcard and a handwritten thank you from me. Here’s a couple infographics with how the funds are getting allocated and the membership tiers.
Learn more about and join the patreon via the link below.
Bi-Weekly Analysis and Updates
This week we’re talking about some economic design terms. As always, after the link there is a quick breakdown of the most important points for anyone in a rush.
Game Design Concepts: Economy Design Terms
In this carousel I’m discussing some common terms and concepts which you’ll encounter as a systems or economy designer.
Quick Takeaway:
As a systems or economy designer there are a few terms you will run into.
Let’s quickly go through some with examples:
Faucets (aka Taps)
This is anywhere resources, currencies, or items come from.
Example:
Killing enemies they drop guns.
Beating a level and gaining currency as a reward.
Opening a chest and getting a health potion.
Sinks
This is anywhere resources, currencies, or items are removed from the player.
Example:
The player uses a health potion and it is removed from their inventory.
The player buys armor with gold, the gold is being removed.
Hard Currency
A rare currency which the primary way to get it is through spending real world cash, typically not grindable.
Example:
Gems in Archero
V-Bucks in Fortnight
Soft Currency
A common currency which is primarily obtained via gameplay and often times grindable.
Example:
Gold in Clash of Clans
Magic in Disney Magic Kingdoms
Pinch point - difficulty up
This is the point in the game's progression where the difficulty ramps up. It’s different in every game.
In F2P it encourages you to spend or use your paid items
In non-F2P it encourages you to use a new items or a different system.
Funnel
A set of actions the player is expected to take within a specific time frame.
For Example:
In games you’ll often hear about the early game funnel. What they’re talking about is the planned set of actions the player will be taking in the early game.
A player may be expected to play 3 levels, then upgrade their gear, then play 2 more levels, unlock a character, then play 3 more levels, unlock a new game mode, etc< this is a funnel.
Loot Drop/Drop Rate
A loot drop is the actual item which is being spawned.
A Drop rate is the % chance that specific item spawns over others.
Example:
In Diablo 4 enemies may drop leather, the leather is the loot drop, the chance of it dropping is the drop rate.
Closing
Thank you
Was this helpful?
If so, Share it!
Discord - Design Chat Event
Last week members of the Signposted Community met up and dissected Helldivers 2. What was meant to only be a one hour chat turned into a two hour deep analysis. We discussed everything from the core loop, to how balance changes affect the game, and more!
Voting is underway for the next game we’ll be analyzing, in the discord. We’ll play the game over the course of the next month then get together and analyze the good, the bad, and what we think we could improve.
This time we’re choosing between:
Unicorn Overlords
Dragons Dogma 2
Star Wars Battlefront Classic
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League
Cast your vote in the discord link below:
This Issue’s Community Trivia!
The Best of Game Design
Disclaimer: All of the following articles, podcasts, and videos are not written, made, or owned by me. I am only curating, commenting on, and highlighting the best game design work I can find from mostly recent posts.
The Best of Written
Encumbrance in Video Games
By Sebastián Castro
In this article Sebastian discusses the encumbrance mechanic in Starfield. He brings up some excellent points about why it’s still around from an economic perspective as well as a thematic one. Then he dives into how we can make better versions of encumbrance systems. As a systems designer I enjoyed every word of this post.
The Signposted Community Choice Award - 🏆
Designing maps that complement game mechanics
By Denis Kozin
Going forward, in every issue the Signposted Patreon will be given a few media options to vote on for the Signposted Community Choice Award. Denis’ discussion about building maps which compliment game mechanics won the first Signposted Community Choice Award. To vote for the Signposted Community Choice in each issue, join the Signposted Patreon at any tier!
Fun Fact: The dragon Paarthurnax in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is voiced by the same man who voices Nintendo’s Mario.
The Best of Video
🏆 Issue #15 Scott’s Pick 🏆- This Problem Changes Your Perspective On Game Dev
By Jonas Tyroller
When working through designs, I sometimes find myself at a crossroads where I want to explore different routes but feel a bit guilty since I’ve already invested so heavily in one direction. (damn sunken cost fallacy) In this video Jonas explains how he explores finding the depth in mechanics via a very clever fishing metaphor.
5 Tips for Making Your Game Feel Good
By O. and Co. Games
Game feel is something which is hard for players to describe, but they can tell when it seems off. In this video O. and Co. Games discusses some of the pieces of game feel, and some actions you can take to make your games feel good.
Note: If you have a blog, podcast, or video channel you would like to be considered for the Bi-Weekly Best of Series, please send me a link and I’ll add it to the feed.
The Best of Audio
The Psychology of Video Games - Episode 92 - Nostalgia
By Jamie Madigan
With the release of Palworld a couple months back, it got me thinking about the power of nostalgia. Luckily Jamie Madigan and his guest are here to talk about the psychology behind nostalgia ad how it applies to video games.
And that’s it for Signposted #15. Thanks for reading!
Scott
Signposted wouldn’t be possible without the support Patrons. Thank you so much for everyone who reads, shares, or financially supports Signposted.
Signposted Producers
Andreas Lopez
To become a Producer or Sponsor of Signposted, join the Signposted Patreon.
If you enjoy Signposted please be sure to share it so more people can enjoy this content!