Joris Dormans - Game Mechanics: Advanced Game Design

Type: Engine

Intent: Produces a steady flow of resources over time for players to consume or to collect while playing the game.

Motivation: A static engine creates a steady flow of resources that never dries up.

Use a static engine when:

You want to limit players actions without complicating the design. A static engine forces players to think how they are going to spend their resources without much need for long-term planning.

Energy that is produced by the static engine

A source that produces energy

Actions the player can spend energy on

The source produces energy at a fixed or an unpredictable rate.

The production rate of a static engine does not change, so the effects of the engine on game balance are very predictable. A static engine can be the cause of imbalance only when its production rate is not the same for all the players.

A static engine generally does not inspire long-term strategies: Collecting resources from a static engine, if possible at all, will be quite obvious.

Normally, it is simple to implement a static engine: A single source that produces the energy will suffice. It is possible to add multiple steps in the energy production, but in general this will add little to the game.

A static engine can be made unpredictable by using some form of variation in the production rate. An unpredictable static engine will force the player to prepare for periods of fewer resources and reward players who make plans that can withstand bad luck. The easiest way to create an unpredictable static engine is to use randomness to vary the output level of resources or the length of time between moments of production, but skill or multiplayer dynamics could work as well.

The outcome of random production rates can be, but does not need to be, the same for every player. By using an unpredictable static engine that generates the same resources for all players, the luck factor is evened out without affecting the unpredictability. This puts more emphasis on the planning and timing that the pattern introduces. An example would be a game in which all players secretly decide how many resources all players can get. The lowest number will be the number of resources to enter play for everyone, while the players who proposed the lowest can act first. This would automatically set up some feedback from the games current state to this mechanism. (This system discourages inflation.)

The energy produced by the spacecraft in Star Wars: X-Wing Alliance is an example of a static engine. The energy can be diverted to boost the players shields, speed, and lasers. This is a vital strategic decision in the game, and the energy allocation can be changed at any moment. The amount of energy generated every second is the same for all spacecraft of the same type ().

Figure B.1. Distribution of energy in Star Wars: X-Wing Alliance

). In our diagram, a player gets two actions every turn and can perform the special action only once per turn. This creates five possible combinations: The player can attack twice, move twice, attack and move, attack and do a special action, or move and do a special action.

Figure B.2. Distribution of action points in the board game Descent: Journeys in the Dark

A weak static engine can prevent deadlocks in a converter engine.

A static engine can be elaborated by a dynamic engine, a converter engine, or a slow cycle pattern.

Type: Engine

Intent: A source produces an adjustable flow of resources. Players can invest resources to improve the flow.

Motivation: A dynamic engine produces a steady flow of resources and opens the possibility for long-term investment by allowing the player to spend resources to improve production. The core of a dynamic engine is a positive constructive feedback loop.

Use a dynamic engine when you want to introduce a trade-off between long-term investment and short-term gains. This pattern gives the player more control over the production rate than a static engine does.

Energy produced by the dynamic engine

A source that produces energy

Upgrades that affect the production rate of energy

An invest action that creates upgrades

Actions the player can spend on, including the invest action

The dynamic engine produces energy that is consumed by a number of actions. One action (Invest) produces upgrades that improve the energy output of the dynamic engine. A dynamic engine allows two different types of upgrades a player can invest in to improve its production:

The frequency at which energy is produced

The number of energy tokens generated each time

The differences between the two are subtle. A high frequency will create a steady flow, while a high number (but low frequency) will lead to bursts of energy.