I’m currently in the design phase of my game Path to Pacifica, and I’ve been having some issues trying to develop a system of progression that feels meaningful and rewarding. What do I mean by this? I mean that I want stats to mean something, and not just be a flat buff to your abilities.
I want the game to have a more D&D feel to it as opposed to WoW, where players can feel immersed in their characters and become attached to them as they develop and grow. Currently, when players are making characters, they have the option to randomly roll values for their stats, and then assign them based on how they want to build their character. To expand upon this there is also a system of traits and origins. The former is used to give your character defining characteristics that change the way you play the game, and the latter determines the way that you start the game and gives you an extra trait exclusive to that origin.
The issue comes when trying to tie these traits into gameplay in a way that is fun for players but also allows for meaningful growth in characters that sets them apart from others. Ideally, each different combination of origins and traits should lead to a unique build. I’ve been stuck on this issue for quite some time and I was wondering if anyone can help out. Thanks in advance!
Based on what you’ve said, I think it is important to recognise how you want to create these unique experiences. Personally, I think synergy is a very good way to promote unique play styles and still have strong character growth.
An example could be a trait that makes projectiles explode. This means that if one player wants to use that trait to create a massive explosions from one big powerful projectile, they can, and another player can use this trait to create a build that shoots a bunch of smaller weaker projectiles that explode to cause a lot of chaos.
When creating synergy it is important to realise what would cause a fun unique build, and what would cause a game breaking strategy. If you have ever played the Binding of Isaac or any rouge-like you would know how a couple of good items can trivialise the game.
I think the most important thing when making builds unique is to treat skills, traits, origins or whatever else you want to customise as a toolbox for the player rather than a set path they should travel down. The larger the toolbox they have access to, the more unique the build can be at the cost of possibly making it harder to balance.
Traits are certainly an amazing idea. Assuming your game is an MMORPG, these traits could be tied to gameplay in multiple ways:
Shy – Stronger when not around a group of players Arrogant – Higher critical chance when facing multiple enemies at once Strong – Higher combative base stats (damage, vitality, etc.) Observer – Can detect nearby enemies when standing still for x seconds Nimble – Higher chance to dodge attacks
These are just some of many examples that you, the game designer, can come up with to make gameplay more exciting. Though the general consensus is that these traits should make sense in regards to the gameplay and its theme.