16-08-2004 10:54									#1
	A really weird site I found... its kinda interesting. Support Apolyton, pre-order Civilization IV

http://civ.idc.cs.chalmers.se/proje...l-1524=1587link

I have no idea what site this is, but it seems to talk about game design theory.

It has bunch of links with words and defines and analyzes them. Some of them are really obvious terms, but some are quite interesting. i figured since we got on the topic of game designs on my last thread anyway, it would be good to post this link. (im sure pg will find the link interesting)

Anyways the link above talks about player balance. I decided to post that one cause it gives Civ3 as an example of player imbalance.

	16-08-2004 12:43									#3
	Support Apolyton, buy Civilization III: Complete

if u click on the link u'll know wat i mean

	16-08-2004 12:44									#4
	Support Apolyton, buy Civilization: The Boardgame

No.

	16-08-2004 12:45									#5
	Support Apolyton, buy Alpha Centauri

I did click the link.

	16-08-2004 19:38									#6
	Support Apolyton, buy Civilization 2

timeout city

	18-08-2004 07:28									#7
	Avatar Enlargement: We've got the solution

other than almost not seeing this thread i'm supposed to find interesting i couldn't get that site to load. you could cut and paste it if you think it's good.

	18-08-2004 07:35									#8
	Lose 30 kilos (of popups)

DL!

	18-08-2004 12:10									#9
	Support Apolyton, buy Alpha Centauri

well it looks like this. Its a text site

quote: 10. Asymmetrical Abilities DESCRIPTION Not all players, or characters, in the game have the same set of possible actions, abilities, or information. This means that people had to develop different play styles if competing or take certain roles if cooperating. Examples A typical party in a fantasy RPG is a perfect example: a Magician that is good at spell-casting, a Warrior that is good at fighting, a Thief that is good at stealing, spying and bribing, etc. All these characters have to cooperate to solve a quest and usually have opportunity to show their individual skills in different situations. Another example is the board game Ursuppe where each player controls a species of amoeba and evolves it by buying different sets of genes to it. Typical for RPG:s like Final Fantasy or MMORPG:s like EverQuest. Can also be found within Sport games as Icehockey for NES. CONSEQUENCES Making use of this pattern allows for a more varied game play (3) (thus promoting replayability (1) since the game can be played in different ways with different abilities), is a means to create more complex problems or games, and can promote cooperation. By having different abilities in games with Avatars (6), the characters are easier to perceive as being different individuals which may help in creating a sense of community or strengthen the believability of the social structure in the game world. Further, it can let players feel a greater sense of purpose as characters can have different responsibilities and areas of expertise. USING THE PATTERN The difference in possible actions or abilities may develop during the game. RELATIONS Superior patterns 2109 Paper Rock Scissors 14 Asymmetrical Goals 2025 Team Play 3 Varied Game Play Subpatterns 23 Privileged Action 1006 Red Queen Dilemma 2030 Research 2031 Character Development Potentially conflicting patterns 2009 Symmetrical Goals 2010 Symmetry

all those numbers are links to other definitions so i cant copy and paste all those vocabularies....

	18-08-2004 12:17									#10
	Help yourself to an AD-FREE life

another one.... If you REALLY wanna see the site ( i cant access it anymore either.... strange) you can google the number and the vocabulary and take a look at the cached text. Thats how i managed to get these two quotes.

quote: 1006. Red Queen Dilemma 1006. DESCRIPTION Based on the concept with the same name used in evolutionary theory, this pattern used the description from Alice in Wonderland by C.S. Lewis (?) to illustrate the need of players to become competitively better in absolute terms in order to maintain their relative competitiveness with other players. Examples Real-time Strategy games – especially those that allow research (Civilization, Stracraft, Warcraft, Dune). Also found in other genres like racing in Supercars 2 (Amiga 500) CONSEQUENCES Requiring development can raise Tension () in a game as players feel forced to improve in case other players do so. However, the red queen dilemma can be the basis for Team Play () if players can agree to not compete with each other in order to be able to focus resources on other activities. USING THE PATTERN What do players compete about? Is their positions public? If the answer to the latter question is yes, the game probably encourages Blockades () against leading players. How do they compete? Are the resources finite or limited? If the resources are finite the competition between players are probably increased as players losing may not have chances to regain that lost later. If resources are limited the Tension () decreases and the choice of development may become focused on what is tactically most advantageous. If there are several different options of how players can become more competitive it is possible that the Complexity () of the game increases as well as the Tension (). RELATIONS Superior patterns 10 Asymmetrical Abilities 1002 Constant Player Activity 2011 Tension 2030 Research 2031 Character Development Subpatterns Potentially conflicting patterns MISCELLANEOUS References: Contributors: Version: Revision date: 2003-7-28 13:16:53 Revised by: Tobias Rydenhag

	18-08-2004 12:22									#11
	Enter the AD-FREE zone

This is text of the original link i provided.

quote: 26. Player Balance 26. Game Mastery & Balance DESCRIPTION Players should have equal chances of winning the game at the begining of the game. Player Balance contains the aspects of "equal opportunity" and "equality" mentioned by Kramer, W in "What Makes a Game Good?" and "What is a Game?" respectively. Examples Most games... CONSEQUENCES Games that have balanced rules so that no player has a significant advantage allow players to prove their skills or luck. USING THE PATTERN The most common way of achieving balance in a game between players is to make it symmetrical in all relevant aspects. Games that randomize the resources in the beginning of the game can give unequal starting conditions. For examples, Sid Meier’s Civilization gives benefits to players or agents with lucky starting points. Although this problem can in games often easily be corrected by players in single-players by restarting it may create strategies of restarting until one has a better than average starting points. Restarting is a possibility in multiplayer games as well but takes more time due to synchronization issues between players. Randomization effects on player balance are partly mitigated by having Team Play () which evens the statistical distribution. RELATIONS Superior patterns 2011 Tension 27 Perceived Chance to Succeed Subpatterns 2039 Balancing Effects 2010 Symmetry 4 Meta Game 2015 Team Balance 2109 Paper Rock Scissors Potentially conflicting patterns 1010 Power-Ups 20 Randomness 2017 Overcoming Adversary Closure 2022 Strategic Locations 2024 Asymmetrical Player Relations 2036 Geometric Rewards for Investments 2058 Advantage of Memorization 2119 Pervasive Games 2125 Flip Flop Events 2140 Dexterity-Based Actions MISCELLANEOUS References: Contributors: Version: Revision date: 2004-2-20 13:11:26 Revised by: Tobias Rydenhag

	18-08-2004 23:40									#12
	Inflate your Upload Space

that's kinda cool actually because they aren't clueless like some of the schools teaching game theory/etc. i do wonder if they have a better understanding than some of the people at this forum though? games are art. fun can't just be simply reduced to academics! you have to learn fun for yourself.

	19-08-2004 12:15									#13
	Increase the size of your Attachments

That is pretty cool stuff. It's the sort of thing that gamers already know (concepts at least, if not terminology), but seeing it put in a more academic format makes you feel like you haven't been wasting your life playing games.

	19-08-2004 12:27									#14
	Support Apolyton, buy Civilization III: Complete

http://civ.idc.cs.chalmers.se/proje...erns/index.html

Hopefully that link is more practical. I can't find a way to what Zero had though. I'll leave that as an excercise for y'all.