Sticky from the Start

1. Sticky from the Start Stieg Hedlund, Turpitude LLC Austin Game Developers’ Conference, 2008

2. Building a Sticky Game Mechanic 5 Keys to Stickiness: Set Ups and Pay Offs Consistency and Dependability Feedback and Rewards Reasons to Stay/ Return Personal Stakes

3. Sticky from the Player Perspective • A challenge to be conquered can be fun, but not necessarily sticky • Stickiness focuses on the journey, not the destination Sticky systems keep players engaged.

4. Diablo II – What Made it Sticky?

5. A Short History of RPGs 1985-1990: Bard’s Tale, D&D 2nd edition, Dungeon Master the First Action RPG, Might & Magic, Final Fantasy, Phantasy Star, and others 1991: Neverwinter Nights, 1st Graphical MUD 1996: Diablo released RPGs stagnate 1974: D&D – 1st commercial tabletop RPG 1980: Akalabeth – 1st successful CRPG 1975: Dungeon – 1st Computer RPG 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 Tabletops Early Electronics Middle Electronics From 1991 to 1996… Is the RPG dead?

6. Diablo • Stripped down CRPG residue: • No die rolling for character creation • No upfront character customization • No EDO storyline (elves/dwarves/orcs!) • No dialogue trees or moral choices Real-Time Combat + Deep, Rich Gameplay = The New Action RPG

7. Diablo’s Shortcomings • Separate single- and multiplayer • Peer-to-peer • Classes didn’t differ enough and lacked clear progression paths

8. A Quick Aside on Vision vs. Feedback…. • A loud minority wanted the cruft back! • Diablo II explored new ground instead of regressing REMEMBER WHERE WE ARE IN THE TIMELINE: RPGs stagnate 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000

9. Differentiating Diablo II Character Evolution Game “ Y ” Loot based Game “ X ” Game “ Z ”

10. Back to Stickiness Key #1 Set Ups and Pay Offs • Sticky games need aspirational hooks for players • Foreshadowing in gameplay—What am I playing for?

11. The Importance of Class Progression • RPGs are about character progression • This concern trumps all others • Classes need specific and differentiated gameplay • also customization, deepening the differentiations A new game mechanic was needed!

12. Inspiration Strikes

13. Diablo II's Big Innovation • Introducing the Skill Tree • Skill Trees are sticky: • Predictable yet personalized advancement • Tangible improvements at every level • Scarcity of points gives consequences to choices No mysteries here: The entire skill tree is visible from the start

14. What About the Other Stickiness Keys?

15. Stickiness Key #2 Consistency and Dependability • Let players play on their own terms • Predictability and anticipation of rewards keeps players playing

16. Power to the Player! • A single “Skill Point” is given at each level up • Skill points and Trees allow players to customize builds • Reaching advanced skills requires planning and commitment, but also has significant payoffs along the way

17. Stickiness Key #3 Feedback and Rewards • Digital rewards with tangible effects • Analog boosts can supplement • Overlapping reward systems

18. The Ding! Factor • Diablo II features digital rewards for leveling up: • You can use equipment you couldn’t before • Your avatar’s health and mana increase • You receive new attribute points • You receive new skill points • Allocating those skill points gives a tangible increase in power

19. Digital vs. Analog Rewards Analog Reward System Reward Digital Reward System Hybrid Reward System Time

20. The Ding! Factor • You immediately receive health and mana increases, and go to full: • You are likely to be in combat, so you get a mid-battle bonus • You don’t stop and walk back to town to train skills

21. Stickiness Key #4 Reasons to Stay/ Return • Next level • Better equipment • “Just one more turn!”, etc., etc.

22. Leveling • Leveling gives players predictable and meaningful rewards—keeps them playing • Beginning players quickly gain new skills, getting them invested • Long term goals make even grinding a meaningful experience

23. “Bad dream, honey?”

24. Stickiness Key #5 Personal Stakes • Your avatar • Your skills • Your points/ money/ items • Your ability to share with others….

25. Choices with Consequences • The scarcity of skill points results in choices with consequences: • Scarce points force the player to choose a focus • Subclasses and Sub-Subclasses and Hybrids are emergent: • Players were exploring and inventing • Proving them out • Fine-tuning and • Sharing with the community

26. Other Consequences

27. Sub-Subclasses • The skill tree system was surprisingly successful especially in the number of viable builds: • The Amazon Class* for example provides (at least): • Bowazons: • Mageazon • Vamp • Dexazon • Speedazon • Sniper • Mutli-Strafer • Multizon • Burizon • Rebel • Javazons: • Lightning Fury • Staticzon • Poison Viper • Spearazons: • Spearazon • Jabazon • Impalazon • Fendazon • Tankazon • Hybrids: • Lightning Fury • Mother of Elements • Elemental Maiden • Themes: • Demon Hunter • Undead Hunter • Goldfinder • Angelzon • Stormcaster * diabloii.net Diablo II Strategy Compendium, Amazon Subclasses, author: “Kristy”

28. Building Skill Trees

29. Skill Tree Checklist • Create and Subclasses (and Sub-Subclasses) • Distinct builds: Do skills warrant their own branch? • Expectation: Do skills make sense to the class? • Viable builds: Will the skills be useful to players? • Aspirational: Could I see myself looking forward to this skill? • Non-Redundant: Will this skill become obsolete later? • Synergistic: Will this branch work with other branches in interesting ways? • Orthogonal skill factors

30. Skill Tree Pitfalls • Cookie-cutter builds • Emergence leads to unforeseen imbalances • Generally uniformity of character identities cross games • Elder game systems like Raiding dictate specific builds

31. Avoiding the Pitfalls • Play the hell out of your game • Hire designers/ exploiters • Scaling problems • Simulations allow quick deployment of character builds and testing outside of the game • Look beyond games for inspiration • Games become self referential • Use the keys, throw away unnecessary forms

32. Skill Trees in Other Games

33. World of Warcraft • Separation of skills/ talents that define the class from specializations • Web-based avatar build minigame

34. Hellgate: London • All on a single screen is difficult for a player to understand • The classes are understood more by analogy to other games; Blademaster = Paladin?

35. The Stickiness Keys Again Set Ups and Pay Offs Consistency and Dependability Feedback and Rewards Reasons to Stay/ Return Personal Stakes

36. Key 1: Positive Application • World of Warcraft’s Draenei starting experience gives players a taste of mounts and powerful enchantments within the first 10 levels • Expectations quickly setfor high level play • Appetites whetted for progression to higher levels

37. Key 1: Negative Application • Star Wars Galaxies made becoming a Jedi so difficult that many players lost interest before getting a taste of what brought them to the game to begin with • The game went against player expectations onbecoming “Jedi”

38. Key 2: Positive Application • In Grand Theft Auto IV, players can drop any objectives and go on a criminal joyride at will, knowing that they can always come back to the mission later. • The GTA series quickly establishe that players are free to pretty much do whatever

39. Key 2: Negative Application • In Final Fantasy XI, abruptly becomes group-mandatory, alienating players who might have enjoyed early levels solo. • The formula changes suddenly, which can drive players away

40. Key 3: Positive Application • Super Smash Brothers Brawl has numerous systems of rewards and collectables. Great for the audience. • Don’t like stickers? How about trophies. • Don’t like trophies? How about music.

41. Key 3: Negative Application • Achievements on the new Mega Man 9 are… HARDCOREZ! Great for hardcore audience, but if they wanted to appeal to a more mainstream group… • Beat the game in less than 60 minutes • Clear the gamewithout dying • Clear the game 5 timesin one day

42. Key 4: Positive Application • Rare Pokémon that only come out during certain conditions, such as specific days or hours. • Players on the quest to “catch ‘em all” will continually look forthe rare must haves

43. Key 4: Negative Application • Total destruction of your village and loss of all your resources in Travian which forces the player to start over. • A simple design flaw, plus the chance that you start near an advanced player = the potential for maximum frustration • Why return after that?

44. Key 5: Positive Application • Wii Fit Charts your actual weight gain/ loss—you can’t get much more "personally invested” • Tracking your actual performanceties you to the game very well, aslong as you don’t get frustrated

45. Key 5: Negative Application • You begin playing MGS2: Sons of Liberty as Snake but play the majority of the game as a new character that didn’t have any player investment. • Players were committed to Snake after MGS1 • The change-up was not what players expected or wanted !

46. Thank You Any Questions? Visit us online at:TurpitudeDesign.com