Addictions are bad, so how do we make one? Lol Well I would assume that something simple is addicting but not too simple to be boring. To make the person feel he has accomplished a lot when they do a little. Any other suggestions, perceptions, or hints?

Make it so that you can always get better or do better the next time.. something that you can improve on

This is why I think level based RPG's do well, you can see its only so many more fights and you'll be in the next level... or if you raise this much cash you can get that really cool weapon.. or in the next room there is a boss and I'm sure to get something good..

or in the case of a puzzle game.. whoa I was so close to the top 10 scores, 1 more try

Please visit Turt99 Productions

[edited by - Turt99 on October 21, 2003 5:35:05 PM]

Readily identifiable, incremental goals.

i actually heard this from the guy who created tetris, or was it breakout? it was breakout. you have the player experince a victory and a loss every few seconds. in brick out the victory was when the ball was on the top and you didn''t have to do anything. the loss was when you were racing to keep up w/ the ball. it''s the same idea for tetris. -PmanC

"Ford, you''re turning into a penguin. Stop it." - HichHiker''s Guide to the Galaxy

I think it might be more accurately stated that you would create brief moments of tension followed by brief moments of victory.

This is essentially what I was getting at with my previous post. You want the player to be constantly achieving small incremental goals. These goals can remain the same (hit the ball with the paddle), or increase (new breakout levels). The brief moments of tension (trying to hit the ball, trying to beat the level) help enhance the euphoria when you achieve the goal (hitting the ball, beating the level).

Cheers,

Jeff



Jeff Thompson
CTO, CodeTek Studios, Inc.
http://www.codetek.com/

aka risk vs reward

Suspense can drive you to play a game beyond the point of no fun.

For instance... I prefer multiplater Starcraft, but I felt compelled to finish all of the single player campaigns first because I really enjoyed the story.

On the other hand, Age of Empire''s story wasn''t as compelling and so I''ve never finished all of their single-player scenarios.

according to my sister, intermittent rewards are the most effective way to learn a habit or response. meaning, to get a truly truly addictive game, you should make it so the player is rewarded sometimes, but not always. for some reason the human mind will want to keep going longer and harder than if they are rewarded with every click.

i think this is what everquest does. or did, rather, once i went to EQA (everquest anonymous).

krez:

I think this comes down to creating a sense in the player that they "can" fail. Even sometimes having them fail (though there should be a way for the user to get back to the pre-failure point without "too much" frustration). By creating this tension or sense of the possibility of failure, you make the attainment of a goal/reward have even greater perceived value. Winning without feeling you have truly been at risk or done something that truly required something of the user is not nearly as satisfying.

-Jeff



Jeff Thompson
CTO, CodeTek Studios, Inc.
http://www.codetek.com/

One thing that makes any game addictive to me is the ability to gain expirience or skills etc.

James Simmons
MindEngine Development
http://medev.sourceforge.net