1) Fairness
This being the first balance type brought up makes me think it must be one of the most important once since that’s exactly where we started building our game. We thought a lot about preparing tasks, riddles and mazes that would be fair and allow the player to have a competitive edge against he supernatural forces of disrupted Egyptian afterlife.
Each maze has a degree of challenge to it but it doesn’t make the player feel inadequate. When facing a player of greater perceived power the player is given options to outwit them and have a shot at moving on to the next stage. It was important to include elements of asymmetry to create interesting situations provoking the player to come up with a strategy (Repetitive deaths at first encounter, learn how to wait and go on your next turn)
2) Challenge vs Success
Creating a game that can be equally challenging to a novice as well as a seasoned gamer in my opinion is the hardest balance to strike but is the one that makes or breaks the game. When structuring our game we lead the player in through a maze that responds to the players actions and gets progressively more difficult. A novice player can enjoy and feel challenged by the initial puzzles but not feel too overwhelmed by the play. While a gaming veteran can blaze through the first 2 initial steps and get to the next 2 that are more challenging than the first (being able to hold on to your lives while advancing is also a seasoned player’s attribute)
3) Meaningful Choices
In our game the player listens to their instinct by analyzing the surroundings. The clues are places in the properties of the object (ex: scepter hovering above the tomb) signaling to the player to get claimed. We give the player options in terms of figuring out the mazes/puzzles but they don’t have access to enough tool to switch between to accomplish the next task in a better manner. We decided to spend more time one the challenges rather than the options between weapons or having a risk between a low/high rewards. The objective is to outwit the opponents/complete challenges to escape alive, every lost live and bit of health is a risk in itself as the stakes get higher when passing the final (more difficult) stages.
4) Skill vs Chance
Making the character exceptionally skilled at something would have complicated the game where we would’ve had to negotiate the amount spend on other tasks. Giving the player the chance to take risks and examine what is the best way to get out of the game (most likely loose the first few times while figuring out the best approach and re-enter the game with better strategies and tactics). Keeping the randomness at minimum and observation to the max our game relies on the player to sequentially get better at completing challenges to save their health for bigger battles.
5) Head vs Hands
Paying attention to a balance of physical and mental challenges Pyramid Scheme caters to the audiences that would prefer puzzles over action. However, we made sure to include physical aspects into the designed of the mind puzzles (ex: timing how to get past the guard to the next safe zone). Paying attention how the physical movements affect the outcome of the puzzle will is an important component of our game. That mix of the head and hands is what gives it a wholesome feel, with some action and mental challenge.
6) Competition vs Cooperation
Since our game is a 1 player first person game there are no additional players that can join the effort or rests the current gamer. Cooperation with others is absence and competition to escape the tomb with a coveted prize is the objective.
7) Short vs Long
This is something we’ve been thinking about and came up with some options to make the game more urgent. Instead of giving the player an ample amount of time to solve the puzzle we wanted to create a sense of urgency using auditory cues of a menacing character fast approaching. That way the player feels a bit more pressured but still capable of passing the stage in time.
8) Rewards
Completion of the game is of ultimate satisfaction (being able to safely escape the pyramid with a coveted prize) so being able to pass through all the challenges and escape is the objective of the game and there is no point in playing the game further.
9) Punishment
Our game definitely relies on punishment as a motivation to continue playing (to get better at avoiding it) and to signal to a player to try a different approach. We use a loss of health points, alluding to shorter play since there’s a risk that the player won't make it all the way to the end if he doesn’t last till the very end. Another method of punishment that pertains to our game are setbacks (in case the puzzle isn't solved on time the player dies and restarts the challenge).
10) Freedom vs Controlled Experience
Having a controlled experience in my opinion generally always enhances the play because it provides guidance. Without having a map to tell you where to go or an opportunity to take any action (though can be a point of interest if interjected into a game from time to time)is too ambiguous and leave the player bored. Rest is a good context to let the player indulge by taking a scenic route to the next challenge/finish line after an exhaustive feat or to start a conversation with any of the AI’s in a crowded scene. Freedom breaks up the pace of the game but Control is a great guide that streamlines the experience. For our game there are specific things being asked of the player and it’s up to them how they arrive there; however, there are a set number of ways that satisfy the task.
11) Simple vs Complex
A game’s simplicity vs complexity balance often makes and breaks the game. Decided on the level of simplicity to keep things to the point and giving it enough action in detail by increasing the challenge levels is crucial to the gamer’s experience. We decided to make the plays and interactions more complex/challenging and kept the surrounds as consistent and minimal as possible, allowing the player to interact with the opponents/mazes more intimately rather than wandering around into corners that are not meant to be challenging or exploratory. Paying attention to detail that inspires imagination is a lot more valuable than trying to render things in great detail that won't live up to the players’ dreams and expectations.
