Saved Game Progress

Hello everyone! Recently I've been reading a lot about game design. Specially interviews with iconic developers. And one thing that all of them covered in every interview was what they described as "the Core" of their game. Warren Spector, for example, defines it like the most basic experience of the game. For a long time this element has been "the Unbreakable" for me. It was what was left after I couldn't break anything else out from the game. It was a little bit like sculpting in this sense. After I took the master I began to use "Minimum Viable Product" in relation to that terminology. Mostly because it implied a major level of completion or polish. But for a few days I've been reusing this term because I felt that using it communicated the intention better with my coworkers. I mean, the idea that something is bulletproof even in a very primitive state is easy to understand through common metaphors. And when I realised this I knew I ...

Hello everyone! As the title suggests, I've been playing a lot of Mario Maker since it's release. And I have to say it's a masterful effort. It's the only example I can think of where they successfully paced a create-your-level-game. And I don't ONLY mean that 9-day thing where you end up unlocking more tools every 24 hours.  But just to get this of the way, let me start with it.  I think that way of scheduling your unlocks is fantastic for this type of game. Yeah, it's not the bread and butter of game unlock logic, but it still rewards the player for the time they invest in creating levels for the game.  It also does not overwhelm them, and most people throw that as the main reason why it's great. But I think that the best thing this causes is the need to return later . Retention in a console game where the community is always growing and the levels are an infinite catalogue of Mario level nightmares and good intentions.  But the ...