Designing Game Elements: Players
This game element refers to the minimum and maximum player limits as well as the teams they will be in.
When choosing the number of players it is important to consider what I can do to make the game resemble an MMORPG as much as possible, while also keeping in mind the limitations of the game being handled by a 'game master' rather than a server.
For the sake of being able to test more frequently I will set the starting requirement to only 3 players, and allow for more players to drop in as the game as it progresses. It would be preferable if I am able to recruit more play testers to begin with.
I will not set an upper limit to the number of players able to join, I will simply need to keep track of each player. This should not be difficult as long as i'm using a system to help keep track of variables attached to each player.
Naturally in order to have conflict, there must be another team: The game itself.
Since players are on the same team, they will be able to help each other and make the game easier than if they were alone. The bigger the range of players that can play simultaneously, the harder it will be to balance the game's difficulty. The following are three examples showing how players are expected to react based on the number of simultaneous players that the game is balanced around.
---
Example 1: Boss encounter is balanced to be a challenge for 1 player.
1 player will find the boss fight challenging, and may team up with more players to make it easier.
2 players might find the boss fight easy.
3 or more players will find the boss was too easy.
Result: The game can only allow up to 2 simultaneous players, but everything can be done by anyone.
---
Example 2: Boss encounter is balanced to be a challenge for 3 simultaneous players.
1 - 2 players will find the boss fight too difficult, and must team up with more players.
3 players will find the boss fight challenging, and may team up with more players to make it easier.
4-5 players might find the boss fight easy.
6 or more players will find the boss was too easy.
Result: The game can allow up to 5 simultaneous players, but will require 3 people to simultaneously help each for boss fights.
Example 3: Boss encounter is balanced to be a challenge for 10 simultaneous players.
1 - 9 players will find the boss fight too difficult, and must team up with more players.
10 players will find the boss fight challenging, and may team up with more players to make it easier.
11-15 or more players might find the boss fight easy.
more players would find the boss was too easy, but it is very unlikely to have so many simultaneous players available.
Result: The game can allow up to 15 simultaneous players, but will require 10 people to simultaneously help each for boss fights.
---
Based on these expected outcomes, I will set the maximum simultaneous player limit per session to five. This way the game can be balanced around having 3 to 5 simultaneous players helping each other when progressing through boss phases.
When choosing the number of players it is important to consider what I can do to make the game resemble an MMORPG as much as possible, while also keeping in mind the limitations of the game being handled by a 'game master' rather than a server.
Number of Players Required
I want to have the player limit to be high enough to allow as many players to play the game as possible. Many players might find the game uninteresting and not keep playing, especially if the game is long enough to last more than one session. It is important to have moments where multiple players are playing at the same time, otherwise it will not allow me to test whether players are being brought together.For the sake of being able to test more frequently I will set the starting requirement to only 3 players, and allow for more players to drop in as the game as it progresses. It would be preferable if I am able to recruit more play testers to begin with.
I will not set an upper limit to the number of players able to join, I will simply need to keep track of each player. This should not be difficult as long as i'm using a system to help keep track of variables attached to each player.
Teams
As mentioned in an earlier post, I want players to be on the same team working towards the same goal. This means all players can help each other and do not need to compete with each other in order to reach their goal. This does not mean that competition between players is completely removed, players that enjoy competition will be glad to show off how skilled they are at the game or how helpful they have been towards other players.Naturally in order to have conflict, there must be another team: The game itself.
Simultaneous Player Limit
In the event that a high number of players will want to take part during a hosted session, I will need to put a limit on how many players can be playing simultaneously. The reason for this is because the pacing of the game will be slowed for each player when all their actions are being handled by a single 'game master'. Players are likely to get bored if they have to wait for long periods of time between choices and actions.Since players are on the same team, they will be able to help each other and make the game easier than if they were alone. The bigger the range of players that can play simultaneously, the harder it will be to balance the game's difficulty. The following are three examples showing how players are expected to react based on the number of simultaneous players that the game is balanced around.
---
Example 1: Boss encounter is balanced to be a challenge for 1 player.
1 player will find the boss fight challenging, and may team up with more players to make it easier.
2 players might find the boss fight easy.
3 or more players will find the boss was too easy.
Result: The game can only allow up to 2 simultaneous players, but everything can be done by anyone.
---
Example 2: Boss encounter is balanced to be a challenge for 3 simultaneous players.
1 - 2 players will find the boss fight too difficult, and must team up with more players.
3 players will find the boss fight challenging, and may team up with more players to make it easier.
4-5 players might find the boss fight easy.
6 or more players will find the boss was too easy.
Result: The game can allow up to 5 simultaneous players, but will require 3 people to simultaneously help each for boss fights.
---
1 - 9 players will find the boss fight too difficult, and must team up with more players.
10 players will find the boss fight challenging, and may team up with more players to make it easier.
11-15 or more players might find the boss fight easy.
more players would find the boss was too easy, but it is very unlikely to have so many simultaneous players available.
Result: The game can allow up to 15 simultaneous players, but will require 10 people to simultaneously help each for boss fights.
---
Based on these expected outcomes, I will set the maximum simultaneous player limit per session to five. This way the game can be balanced around having 3 to 5 simultaneous players helping each other when progressing through boss phases.
Summary
Requires: 3+ Players
Teams: Players vs Game
Simultaneous Limit: 5 Simultaneous Players
