Machine Made: Rebirth (Difficulty curve, variety & storytelling)

Hey everyone,

On today's Machine Made: Rebirth blog, we will talk about some essential aspects of game design —

1. difficulty
2. variety
3. storytelling

These are present in most games that have RPG elements, and are especially important in true-to-form RPGs!

1. difficulty — some RPGs are notoriously hard, that doesn't mean yours has to be… unless we're trying to make the next Dark Souls, there may not be a good reason to underpower your characters, or include extreme situations where your player will feel in danger. In the event that your game works well with this theme — (ie. if its a game about a dangerous world, or a game about survival) you may wish to have a steep difficulty curve, but otherwise, you should ensure that even a new player will be able to pass most of the game's challenges.

2. variety — there's a great article called "combat isn't everything" that I suggest reading about this. Some games fall into the pattern of collecting items, fighting, and shopping. While this is fine if you are looking to create something that relies more heavily on storytelling, it may not be what players enjoy the most. Consider how often you use certain types of gameplay and be aware that players will want to experience different types of play within the game you're creating.

3. storytelling — this one is especially important regarding the progression of your game's characters and plot. is your game full of plot devices that just move the character forward? is your game full of cliffhangers that don't get resolved? ensure that there is a logical progression.

How to get them right?

The most useful thing you can do to balance game mechanics and plot is to watch people play your game. Call a friend, post on reddit, or ask your player base — you may wish to ask questions like:

— what was the hardest/easiest part of the game?
— what would add variety?
— was there any point where the story held the gameplay back, or where something was left unexplained?

Now you're armed to adapt your game to become better and better!

I hope you've enjoyed this article,
Cheers for now,
Allsvin