A functional and lightweight game design manual by Level 99's D. Brad Talton Jr, on how to create tense, dynamic, decision-driven games.
§ 2.6 - Outcomes are clear.
David Talton
§ 2.6 - Outcomes are clear.
A game needs to be forthright about what happens when an action is taken.
It’s best if you can provide a short menu of big actions, or a turn structure which sequences the actions so that players engage with each game system during each turn.
Players need to be aware of what outcomes each action can generate for them. If they aren’t aware, maybe it’s because there are many steps, or the actions map to too many outcomes, or just that they’re named incorrectly.
Two goods rules of thumb are:
To build actions around a single idea or strategic goal, and
To dispense the results of the action immediately.
