Sometimes, I catch myself tweaking values just for the sake of tweaking. Surely, most systems designers probably do this - and in most cases it's probably harmless. One of the pitfalls I've come across with this addiction to tweaking parameters is this:
I tune parameters because they are there, without considering if they fit the game in the first place.
It's so easy to get caught up in the simple fun of changing values and often I forget that maybe - just maybe - I might be over-designing. Let's look at one of the most common examples - guns.
When tuning a pistol for an FPS, a typical list of tuning parameters might include:
- damage
- firing speed
- reload time
- clip size
- ammo type
- accuracy
- recoil effect
- damage fall off
- bullet drop
- loudness
Reason 1: The tuning parameter isn't appropriate
Before diving into the tuning, consider whether some of these categories should even be used. For instance, if the shooter you are making is for a casual audience, then you probably don't need bullet drop, as accuracy tuning and damage fall off gets a similar effect without complicating the tuning.
Reason 2: The tuning parameter conflicts with others
Does one parameter directly conflict with another? Some games include a reticle 'kick' where the effect is that the camera angle is nudged up slightly with each shot. This feature can amplify the effect of any accuracy tuning. It might be better for your game to only use one of these variables. If not, you may want to use a graphing tool so you can quickly see how adjusting each value affects accuracy over time.
Reason 3: The tuning parameter adds 'bad' ambiguity.
Many games have weapons that randomize damage values between a min and max range - why? I can understand why a D&D game uses dice rolls: to simulate accuracy, recoil, etc. But if your game already includes accuracy, recoil, and every other possible tweak, what is the point of random damage?
Another example of 'bad' unpredictability is a damage ramp for explosive weapons. Grenades may have a max damage at the center of a radius, and a min damage at the end. But in practice, this gives a sliding scale of damage where it's difficult for both you and the player to determine at which distance a grenade will kill an enemy. I argue in these cases that it's better to have damage steps rather than ramps - even that a single damage value for the sphere is better.
I wonder if games that embrace ambiguity are using it as a sort of 'blur effect' to cover up potential oversights and poor attention to detail.
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