"We need a unified input language."
Inside the development department, Lin Lixin presented the first requirement regarding the game mechanics to everyone.
There is a truly ingenious design in Sid Meier's Pirates!!
It may not seem like much now, or even unremarkable, but in that era, Sid Meier's design was a stroke of genius.
Nine-square grid.
The 9-key layout on the numeric keypad allows you to fully control all operations in the game.
Whether it's naval battles, dances, knife fights, or various interactions, everything is condensed into the nine keys on the numeric keypad.
There were no unnecessary or redundant buttons throughout the entire process.
Players only need to develop a fixed muscle memory pattern to fully enjoy the game.
However, this presents a rather awkward problem in their version.
Hermes Laptop – No numeric keypad!
This is a very bold design in this day and age.
However, this was a necessary measure taken to reduce space.
Fortunately, after so many years of influence, Gamenova has already made players accustomed to the WASD streaming input method.
By simply incorporating the QEZXC keys into this design, a nearly identical effect can be achieved.
"The 3x3 grid is essentially a natural eight-directional simulator."
Lin Lixin explained, swiping a couple of times on the keyboard in front of him, "Players don't need to think about the keys; they simply move according to spatial directions."
As he spoke, Lin Lixin mentally simulated a simple naval battle scenario and began to operate the controls.
Pressing the A key will cause the ship to hoist its sails and turn to the left, and vice versa.
Press W and X, and the sails will rise and fall accordingly.
Sid and the others had no objections to this design concept.
This has long been a consensus in GAMENOVA's internal design philosophy.
Essentially, it's just a type of tutorial.
Making the controls intuitive can greatly simplify the learning curve for players.
This is also a principle that Lin Lixin has been strongly promoting.
In the 1980s and 90s, when the game industry was still in its infancy, developers were most enthusiastic about creating all sorts of unique key layouts.
Because of this, quite a few products that have aroused public outrage have been created.
Even later on, there were numerous keyboard mishaps caused by porting from consoles to PCs.
Establishing a set of operating guidelines for multiple platforms in advance is invaluable for both developers and players, and it's a work that will benefit generations to come.
"I hope this game will be one that players can play with just one hand—well, that sounds a bit strange, but that's pretty much the idea."
"Hmm----"
Sid Meier pondered this carefully, then nodded, but a new question immediately arose in his mind, "But many aspects can't be covered by the nine-square grid, right? For example—a knife fight?"
According to the game's design, when two warships get extremely close, they will enter a boarding action phase.
At this point, players will board the enemy's warship and engage in a duel.
That's the gameplay of the mini-game that starts with " Pirates!!" in the C64 version.
"Is it essentially a fighting game similar to ' The King of Fighters of Fighters'?"
After the remake, with the dramatic improvement in hardware, they could theoretically create something far superior to the C64 version.
It can even incorporate a complete combat gameplay.
For example, you could incorporate elements of fighting games into the game, making them part of the overall gameplay.
This fast-paced and exhilarating combat perfectly matches Sid's definition of the game " Pirates!!"
"No, to be honest, I think the sword fighting system is more like Street Fighter than the King of Fighters."
Lin Lixin stroked his chin, pondered for a while, then shook his head. "No, if I had to say, it should be ' Rocksmith '."
It is indeed not an easy task to control the many systems in a game with a unified mechanism.
Fortunately, he brought the answer key with him.
How so?
"You see, whether it's sword fighting or a dance party, they can both be essentially abstracted into—rhythm games."
One is a deadly struggle on the edge of a knife, the other is a social gathering in the governor's mansion.
However, the operational logic of the two is completely the same, and even their ideas are completely mirror images of each other.
This is the scariest part of Sid Meier's Pirates!!
"Using swordsmanship to pressure your opponent's movements is the same as guiding your dance partner at a ball."
"Attack your opponent using QTEs in time with the rhythm; it's like dancing to the beat."
"One is confrontation, the other is cooperation; essentially, both are about reacting to direction and rhythm."
A ball is like a battlefield!
"I see----"
Upon hearing this, everyone finally realized what was happening.
The excessively inflated hardware conditions distorted their thinking, almost causing them to fall into a material accumulation trap.
If you simply put a bunch of random little games together, they are still essentially a scattered mess.
"I understand. What we need to do is not to sew together various games, but to express the same thing in different ways!"
Sid suddenly realized what was happening and matched all the designs with his original ideas.
"That's right, what we want is a harmonious and unified whole, not a simple Frankenstein's monster."
Lin Lixin nodded in satisfaction.
That's what makes a great work so brilliant.
A harmonious and unified experience is inseparable from a smooth user experience.
In fact, stitching together elements is nothing new in game design.
As the game grows larger, it is sometimes inevitable to add some side elements to fill in the blank parts.
Thinking of this, Lin Lixin's eyes suddenly lit up, and he quickly walked a few steps to the whiteboard.
"Ahem, this is a rare opportunity, it's time for GAMENOVA's private tutoring session again."
He stretched out his hand and drew two circles on the whiteboard.
Don't underestimate these two inconspicuous circles; they are the very things that support the modern gaming industry.
Today I'm going to talk to you about a new game design pattern, which I call the "Double Loop Pattern".
This concept isn't new; it's been an integral part of the creators' lives ever since the save system was invented.
However, it wasn't until after the 1990s that this concept was truly summarized academically.
For both current players and producers, the dual-loop system is still an unfamiliar theory.
Will opened the document, preparing to record Lin Lixin's words verbatim and compile them into his " Selections from Lin's Game Design Theory ".
"The so-called dual loop is exactly what it sounds like; we often design more than one loop in a video game."
I divide it into two types: "Short cycles" and "long cycles."
"The former is responsible for giving players an immediate and exhilarating experience, while the latter gives players a sense of purpose and motivation to move forward."
Classic content on game psychology.
They had already discussed in detail how to make players addicted in a controlled manner back when they were developing the Physics Trilogy for the 16-bit handheld Nintendo Switch.
Psychology and game design have never been separate fields.
"If we were to go into detail, the target gradient effect and delayed gratification alone would be enough to talk about for an entire afternoon, but let's leave that aside for now."
Lin Lixin paused for a moment; these were all common sense things.
Even if they didn't understand these theories, the talented producers present were already well-versed in this matter.
However, they had never organized and summarized it in such a systematic way before.
To put it simply, it boils down to one sentence.
"So close!"
One more turn and the technology will be exhausted; one more Pokémon will level up; one more construction of a large area to meet the city's needs will make the land more evenly distributed.
In short, when the sheer volume of content is no longer enough to sustain a project, we need to introduce a dual-loop system.
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Pokémon is actually a typical example of a dual-loop model.
The simplest and most direct short cycle is naturally encountering an enemy and triggering a battle.
Whether it's defeating an opponent or successfully catching a new Pokémon, it's a cheap dose of dopamine that can instantly give players a thrill.
As for the long-term cycle, it includes training Pokémon, collecting badges, and completing the Pokédex.
These will serve as long-term goals, giving players a strong sense of purpose to keep playing.
Short cycles ensure that players will never get bored while pursuing long-term goals.
Without short loops, the game feels empty and unrealistic, and players will feel aimless while playing.
Although there is a clear goal, there is no motivation to continue playing.
Without long, repetitive gameplay, games can easily become boring.
After playing through a few rounds and experiencing the most exciting parts, after closing the game one day, you might never open it again in your life.
The specter of a double loop has been constantly haunting the game design team.
Perhaps it doesn't apply to all games, such as the vast majority of arcade games.
Even without the double loop, they are still classic and excellent works.
As the saying goes, it's better to have no books than to believe everything in them.
Even in an era when the Famicom couldn't even have a save function, Nintendo still created countless classic games without relying on a double loop.
However, it must be acknowledged that this theory is what underpins half of the future of game design.
It's a system with a guaranteed minimum return.
"OK, get out of class dismissed!"
At this point, how to design the game " Pirates!!" is no longer a problem.
Naval warfare is naturally a short cycle.
If we defeat our opponent, we can plunder all their treasures, and even their ships can be brought under our control.
The instantaneous surge in Fortune and combat power, the intense thrill of winning big with small investments—
It's hard not to be annoyed!
The key to keeping players hooked and unable to stop playing lies in the increase in reputation, the continuous advancement of social circles, and the further unveiling of main storyline content.
Sid Meier is an undisputed master when it comes to making things so addictive.