Brainstorm Session: Approval Rating

Albatross wrote: Just a quick comment about game design... It's quite easy to sketch some complicated game mechanics and interactions, and quite difficult to find some that work and would make interesting and deep gameplay. Even more difficult however, is finding mechanics that are as simple as possible, that make gameplay comprehensible, interesting, well-balanced, with a graded learning/participation curve, and reasonably grounded to the reality or fantasy of the game. To the OP, I might recommend games like Stronghold 2 or Dwarf Fortress, each for different reasons.

Just a quick comment about game design... It's quite easy to sketch some complicated game mechanics and interactions, and quite difficult to find some that work and would make interesting and deep gameplay. Even more difficult however, is finding mechanics that are as simple as possible, that make gameplay comprehensible, interesting, well-balanced, with a graded learning/participation curve, and reasonably grounded to the reality or fantasy of the game.

Yes, it would be more challenging for the bigger players. High taxes are unfavorable. Fortunately, it wouldn't just be about tax rate. Increasing taxes gradually rather than in large amounts reduces the hurt on approval. Also, over the

Gilthoniel wrote: All I can say is that it is all just wall text

Cerridwyn wrote: I kinda like the choose your path to different rewards. With well developed AI code, the size in the example of the bandit community could vary making the best choice different and the rewards variable instead of consistent. This would lead to more chance of people playing around with it. Approval reeks, though, of happiness found in another famous or infamous browser game that I will not name. It's a royal pita for new players and a walk in the park for experienced ones. So unless it is ramped in a way to not give greater advantage those who have been around awhile, I do not see a lot of use for it. You have to be careful to keep escalating things for long term players, intentionally or unintentionally. It can make a game less welcoming to someone new.

I kinda like the choose your path to different rewards. With well developed AI code, the size in the example of the bandit community could vary making the best choice different and the rewards variable instead of consistent. This would lead to more chance of people playing around with it.

Approval reeks, though, of happiness found in another famous or infamous browser game that I will not name. It's a royal pita for new players and a walk in the park for experienced ones. So unless it is ramped in a way to not give greater advantage those who have been around awhile, I do not see a lot of use for it.

You have to be careful to keep escalating things for long term players, intentionally or unintentionally. It can make a game less welcoming to someone new.