Last week I identified what I think went wrong with the new resource system and how that resulted in diminished Agency. I purposed two ideas: A to have a search action to reveal points of interest, and B that resources should be permanently placed in the world and extracted through tools/spells/effort. I asked for feedback and feedback I got!
The majority of feedback was positive, basically saying “Yes to A and B”. Now we have a design direction that seems good to a variety of tastes.
This is the best part of Early Access.
Right now, I’m working a side gig on a RPG match 3 game. The designer is revising features and adding new ones. A few days ago, he requested we copy a feature from a similar match 3 game and put it into ours.
I pushed back and told him it isn’t going to work. The reason is that while that feature might be great in that game. It won’t be good in ours. But why not? Isn’t that the very essence of design or creativity, to take what works well in other places, and bring it together into a new whole?
No, not really.
The thing about copying features is they have tendrils. They don’t live in isolation, they have roots and tendrils under the surface connecting them to a greater context. When we try to carve it out and transplant it in isolation, the connective tissue is lost. It doesn’t take root like it did in the source. We are left wondering what went wrong.
This is the mistake I made with Resources. Something that worked well for exploring in other games doesn’t work here. It didn’t connect well.
Oops.
“Immature poets imitate; mature poets steal”
This is what T.S. Eliot (or Picasso if you prefer “Great artists steal”) was talking about. We need to take inspiration and internalize it so deeply it changes possession. It belongs to us now.
This is easy to say and hard to do. The designer I’m working with is a smart guy and simply didn’t realize he was copying instead of stealing.
How’d he miss it? Because there are a lot of voices in our heads, a lot of motivations all pulling at us, and it’s hard to find signal from the noise.
Ever wonder why it is easier to see exactly what your friend, spouse, relative should change in their life, versus being able to see it clearly in our own?
Why is that?
I’m fascinated by the ability for outsiders to see ‘clearly’ into other people’s circumstances. It is what drives a variety of professions: consulting, psychotherapy, editors, and coaches.
While it is true the external party “doesn’t fully understand”, that is precisely the point: Because they don’t have all the voices and motivations in their head, they are more objective and able to see what is. Without being somewhat disconnected, the editor can’t clarify what the author intended to say.
I have a lot of voices and motivations in my head about Archmage Rises. That closeness sometimes is a detriment. This is why I value your feedback as editors, helping me deliver more the fantasy more clearly! Thank you!
Now, onto what we’re actually going to do!
New Resources Design
1. Resources come from Permanent Sources
A source can be a plant, in which case it gets depleted and must grow back.
Mineral resources like iron or jade has layers. You can get easy surface level stuff without too much trouble. But each layer deeper requires significantly more investment/magic power.
2. Detection of Resources
You have a small chance of detecting resources walking next to them. But casting is the most efficient way to search an area. I’m thinking these four spells:
Detect Heat – Fire, detects living body warmth.
Earthsense – Earth, detects metals, stone, minerals.
Harmonic Burst – Arcane, detects gems, jade.
Scent of Bloom – Storm, detects plants, trees, organics.
I’m thinking you can pay someone to be a guide to a resource. Kind of like buying a treasure map in Sid’s Pirates!
3. Collection of Resources
Some resources you can just collect, like Roses and Dye. I think I still like requiring a tool to get some kinds of resources – axe for wood, pickaxe for metal. Especially if these can be enchanted for greater yields.
But magic needs to be a part of the equation from the beginning.
Magehand increases yield. Haste makes berries grow back faster. Earth grasp lets you rip resources from the ground without a tool.
4. Long Term
The goal is to go from a poor novice finding a few easy scraps, to an investment with constant production where you can pickup resources, to a fully automated stream of resources back to your Tower. I like the empire building aspect of it.
I like how producers become more important than Resources.
But it also goes further. I like how people pointed out how it could connect in with the rest of the game:
1. Hire NPCs from town to work your mine. Make a friend, convince him to work your mines for a pittance!
2. Level up your producers by bringing them enchanted tools – tools you enchant, ties into the enchanting system.
3. I like the little story opportunities that could come up to support the roleplay – events like a cave in or uncovering something deep and untouched. If only we had an event system… oh wait, we do!
4. I like needing to protect your mine. Do nothing, and maybe it is attacked and wrecked by goblins. Put an alarm spell or wards on it to alert you when there is a problem, maybe you can teleport back and save it. I like how it could interface with the simulator and it creates more spots in the world the player cares about.
5. Fulfill a quest or convert a noble to a friend by turning over ownership of a mine or lumber camp. That’s a big deal compared to just turning in some resources. I like the “interesting choice” that creates. It better be worth it!
Moving Forward
Maybe my mess up is a good thing - I think we're getting to a better place.
It’s taken me most of the day to read the feedback and formulate it into something I think everyone could be happy with. It’s easy to write bullet points, now to making it.
The first goal is to fix it enough that I can get the Hex branch released to the main branch.
I’ll get started next week!