G
Greenfire
Guest
In designing games, one of the most important things for a lasting game is replayability- ie if a user, having finished the game, wants to play the game again. While the most important thing to have in terms of replay value is good gameplay, I'm going to discuss one of my favorite techniques in upping the interest of the player, Variety.
What is Variety?
Google's definition of variety is "the quality or state of being different or diverse; the absence of uniformity, sameness, or monotony."
Indeed, variety alleviates the monotony of playing a game, making it fresh and each playthrough unique. Without variety, the game is the same each time, causing the game to usually be much less interesting each subsequent time it is played.
How is Variety Implemented?
Variety is established in many ways, from as small as varying your word choice, changing enemy colors slightly, to even procedurally generating levels, weapons, and foes. While the later may be hard to implement, it makes the game have almost infinite replay potential if the foundation is solid. For examples of extreme variety, look to Dwarf Fortress and Starbound. Notably, each varies different things. Dwarf Fortress varies it's lore and history, while starbound varies its weapons and enemies. Both have randomly generated terrain.
Even without going so deep into changing your game, you can reap the rewards of variety by adding small things that may be different each playthrough. My favorite techniques are changing enemy color slightly, and having multiple messages appear upon actions. While these things may not be very noticeable, not having variety here may hurt your game if the player is exposed to these lines multiple times. A good example of this is Skyrim, where the passing dialogue seems like a great idea on paper, but some lines and characters are now infamous, such as "I used to be an adventurer like you, but then I took an arrow to the knee." apparently being the backstory of every guard, which they will regale to you multiple times if your playthough is long enough.
What is Variety?
Google's definition of variety is "the quality or state of being different or diverse; the absence of uniformity, sameness, or monotony."
Indeed, variety alleviates the monotony of playing a game, making it fresh and each playthrough unique. Without variety, the game is the same each time, causing the game to usually be much less interesting each subsequent time it is played.
How is Variety Implemented?
Variety is established in many ways, from as small as varying your word choice, changing enemy colors slightly, to even procedurally generating levels, weapons, and foes. While the later may be hard to implement, it makes the game have almost infinite replay potential if the foundation is solid. For examples of extreme variety, look to Dwarf Fortress and Starbound. Notably, each varies different things. Dwarf Fortress varies it's lore and history, while starbound varies its weapons and enemies. Both have randomly generated terrain.
Even without going so deep into changing your game, you can reap the rewards of variety by adding small things that may be different each playthrough. My favorite techniques are changing enemy color slightly, and having multiple messages appear upon actions. While these things may not be very noticeable, not having variety here may hurt your game if the player is exposed to these lines multiple times. A good example of this is Skyrim, where the passing dialogue seems like a great idea on paper, but some lines and characters are now infamous, such as "I used to be an adventurer like you, but then I took an arrow to the knee." apparently being the backstory of every guard, which they will regale to you multiple times if your playthough is long enough.