100 Principles of Game Design (9780133362749) by unknow

Author:unknow
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780133362749
Publisher: Prentice Hall
Published: 2013-09-15T05:00:00+00:00

Triangularity is the idea that a player is offered two ways to progress to the next level in the game. One is low risk, but also low reward. The other is higher risk, but also higher reward.

Supply and Demand

Supply and Demand is a key component of economics, but it comes into play in games constantly—and not just in massively multiplayer online (MMO) auction houses. The fluctuations of supply and demand show up in the pursuit of rare items, the desire to personalize avatars, and the interplay of dominant races or play styles.

To understand the basics of supply and demand, think about a grocery store heading into the end-of-year holiday season. Most of the time, they sell cans of pumpkin for $1.25 and there is always a full shelf. However, when the holidays start to approach, the store knows demand for this seasonal treat is going to increase, so they know they need to increase their available supply to keep up with demand and to sell as much as they can.

So instead of arranging perhaps six cans on a low shelf, they make a huge display of 200 cans and put them in a prominent place and on sale to catch shoppers’ attention. It’s exactly the same product as it is every other time of year, but the increased demand—because of the time of year—means cans move off the display at a good clip; they may even need to be replenished from stock in the back room. If they had left it at just six cans, they would have run out very quickly.

Imagine how much two warring chefs would be willing to pay for the last can of pumpkin? Way more than $1.25. The price can increase dramatically when there is a short supply and a high demand.

And yet, this balance is always fluctuating. The holidays will end, and for a while, the store may not be able to sell a can of pumpkin to anybody for any price, since everyone is tired of it and thinks of it as tied closely to the already passed holiday. A huge supply with little demand can cause prices to plummet.

When making a game instead of pumpkin pie, this still applies. Look at the popular card game Magic: the Gathering. In this game, players collect cards that have different values and abilities. Certain cards are worth more than others, and certain cards are easy to find whereas others are very rare. These rare cards are in high demand and yet are hard to find. The combination of a very useful card in limited supply means owners can ask a high price if they are willing to sell.

When designing a game, it is important to carefully plan how the supply and demand of items in the game will work, and it should cover a wide range. Some objects/weapons/spells/pets should be very easy to obtain but have little value while still being necessary to the game. Then some items should be a little tougher to obtain and have an increased value and usefulness.

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