Reading Response: Game Design History

After reading the article, I found the popular mobile games actually follows the design concept strictly, while also in a innovative way. I would like to use the game I’ve playing recently, 王者荣耀, as an example

Axis of obstacles & Axis of abilities in the game

Since the game contains 10 real people and a bunch of Ai troops, the pattern may look very chaotic at first, but a close look shows that in the game, the axis of obstacles is designed to follow the graph in the article:

The design of the crystal tower serves strongly for the cycle and boosting the group war, since, the group war is often focus on destroying or protacting the tower.

At first, the two parties compete to kill the AI troops to earn exp. and money, which is the easiest part. Meanwhile small fights may break, but there are usually severe casualties and the operation is relatively easy. Finally a group war breaks out, which is the most difficult part in the cycle and requires a lot of attention and skills for the player.

At the end of group war, the losing party will face a more difficult start of the cycle than previous start, but for the winners they are not making things easier. Due to the special design of the game map, the next tower to destroy has higher blood, also it is closer to the base of the losing part but further to the winning part, which means the losing part has faster and stronger supporting power under the next tower.

Therefore, the new starting cycle is actually more difficult for both parties.

As for the axis of abilities, 王者荣耀 goes a long way beyond the games listed in the article. 

In one game, the player gradually gets more skills and equipments, but the highlighting part is the abilities of analyzing the warzone situation, making judgement and having fluent operation. Those abilities are not gained in one game, but in playing and practicing in a large number of games. What’s more , the increased ability is not a increased value in the avatar (like increase speed for a plane), but an ability of actual player.

Composite Game

In some ways, the game is actually a composition of action game and education simulation game （养成游戏）,  just as the above picture in the article shows.

While the ultimate goal is to put down the tower in the enemy’s base, to achieve the goal one not only need fighting skills, but also need to earn money to cultivate the hero. Player happily kill AI and get more money to buy equipment (use action game skill to solve ed/rpg problem). In the game players alsoneed to decide what equiment to buy and what route to get money according to the warzone situation and stratigies (use ed/rpg skill to solve action game problem)