Game design patterns for building friendships

http://www.lostgarden.com/2017/01/game-design-patterns-for-building.html

How much information should a player have in a game?

https://www.reddit.com/r/truegaming/comments/592u3r/dragon_quest_and_mechanical_transparency/d95dc03/

Aesthetics of Play - Redefining Genres in Gaming - Extra Credits

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uepAJ-rqJKA

Saves Go In the Save Place

http://www.shamusyoung.com/twentysidedtale/?p=21611

No-Win Situation: The Troubled History of Firefall, Part 1

https://web.archive.org/web/20160422234139/http://www.gamefront.com/no-win-situation-the-troubled-history-of-firefall-and-red-5-studios-part-1/

Divinity: Original Sin

I recently played Divinity: Original Sin. It proved to be a better game than I had expected.

One of the simple mechanics introduced in the game very early on, is something I've realized is missing in most games. I can spill oil on the ground, then light it on fire. The green ooze/poison stuff is explosive if burned. If I hit an enemy that is on fire with poison, it will explode causing extra fire damage. A spell available in the first town, that can be cast (theoretically) by someone at level 1, makes it rain. The rain makes characters wet. Wet characters are harder to burn. These are all really simple concepts that make a much richer game mechanically.

Objects can be moved around. I beat a boss by abusing this. Arranging the vases in the room, messed with the Boss' AI so that instead of starting the fight by blasting me with a big spell, they ran around all the vases and swung a sword. Another time I managed to place a bunch of oil barrels around a room, before starting the fight by attacking them with fire. The fight was basically over as soon as it began.

The game certainly isn't perfect (it seems to reward save-scumming rather heavily) yet it seems very much like a big forward leap for it's genre. It isn't simply more of the old stuff, like so many other indie RPGs have been. Divinity: Original Sin has raised the bar, providing new mechanics and ideas for everyone to (hopefully) raid and pillage for their new games.

“The Door Problem”

http://www.lizengland.com/blog/2014/04/the-door-problem/

The Barrier to Big

http://gamasutra.com/blogs/RaminShokrizade/20130531/193353/The_Barrier_to_Big.php

Balancing for Skill

http://www.penny-arcade.com/patv/episode/balancing-for-skill

Spec Ops is critical of war and the players of war games: an interview with the game’s writer

http://penny-arcade.com/report/editorial-article/spec-ops-is-critical-of-war-and-players-of-war-games-an-interview-with-the

They Were Laid Off From Their Game Company. Now They Want To Change The Way We Play.

http://kotaku.com/5932692/they-were-laid-off-from-their-game-company-now-they-want-to-change-the-way-we-play

Artificial intelligence project builds A Puzzling Present

http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2012/12/artificial-intelligence-project-builds-a-puzzling-present/

Games Are Best When Things Go Wrong

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2012/10/23/games-are-best-when-things-go-wrong/

These Guys’ $5K Spending Sprees Keep Your Games Free to Play

http://www.wired.com/gamelife/2012/11/meet-the-whales/all/

Guild Wars 2 (opinion: First impressions)

My first impression of Guild Wars 2, is that it's an excellent game for explorers who want a world full of sights to see, places to discover, and events to stumble upon. It doesn't grab me as well as other games do, nor hold me in it as strongly. However, it has possibly the best immersion I've encountered in an MMO, with a very beautiful world and some of the best rewards I've encountered for exploring it.

PvP lovers will love the fact that it's possible to dive right into PvP without needing to gear up or level up first. Levels help, by unlocking utility skills and talents, but they aren't required.

The area where Guild Wars 2 seems weakest, is story. What story I see seems nice and pleasing. Unfortunately, it's rather spread out. I'll do a story mission or two, then have to run around doing random things to gain xp before I can continue the story. Exploring is great, PvP is great, but the story feels like it's in pieces, with large gaps in between where I'm forced to do something else before I'm allowed to continue. I think this is the main reason I find it so easy to put GW2 down and switch to something else.

If you want a big open world to explore and discover, Guild Wars 2 is excellent. If you want massive armies of players colliding in world vs world vs world PvP, Guild Wars 2 is excellent. If you want a story that grabs you and doesn't let go... The Secret World is excellent.

Okay, that's a total change in topic, but I think it is rather amazing how different The Secret World and Guild Wars 2 are. Pretty much everything The Secret World got wrong, Guild Wars 2 got right, and everything Guild Wars 2 got wrong, The Secret World got right. It's weird, and amazing. I hope both do well.

Things other games would do well to copy:

Guild Wars 2 has effective level adjustments to ensure people never outlevel content. It also uses this to help players be effective in PvP regardless of character level.

Having escort quests, defend area quests, and kill target monster/boss quests all be open missions is great. Makes a lot more sense, and helps keep everything immersive.

A Team Of Seven Is Making A Game That ‘Shouldn’t Be Possible’

http://kotaku.com/5938305/a-team-of-seven-is-making-a-game-that-shouldnt-be-possible

This is the power of community assisted game development. I really hope they succeed and show other companies the value of their development model.

Massivity: How Roleplaying Powers MMO Longevity

http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/world-of-warcraft-mists-of-pandaria/1225272p1.html

Let’s Take These Games And Turn Them Into Dating Sims

http://kotaku.com/5910738/lets-take-these-games-and-turn-them-into-dating-sims

Pleasure without learning leads to addiction

http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/AlexandreMandryka/20120518/170474/Pleasure_without_learning_leads_to_addiction.php

Why Diablo 3 is less addictive than Diablo 2: a “scientific” explanation

http://www.alexc.me/a-scientific-explanation-why-diablo-3-is-less-addictive-than-diablo-2/417/