More incentive talk

by Cody Miller , Music of the Spheres - Never Forgot, Thursday, July 11, 2013, 10:48 (3945 days ago) @ kapowaz
edited by Cody Miller, Thursday, July 11, 2013, 10:52

I think puzzle games operate a little differently. The challenges aren't really incentives, so much as new puzzles.

Plants vs Zombies: reward for completing a given level = a new plant. A new weapon in your armoury, which unlocks new gameplay strategies.

If it unlocks new 'gameplay' strategies, then the game would have been more interesting and complex with it to begin with, and thus it should have been available from the start. It's not compelling to play a worse version of the game in order to then play a better version.

However, if gaining weapons after beating a level ADDS to the game's complexity and strategy (Think Mega Man), then it's obviously ok. Which order do I do the bosses in? Do I beat Air Man first and have item 2 in Heat Man's stage, or do I beat Heat Man first and have item 1 in Air Man's stage? Can't have it both ways. I have to pick. That is doing it right.

It's not just puzzle games; the industry is replete with examples of intrinsic rewards that have gameplay benefits. They might not be to your taste, but they do exist, and they're often very successful.

I think we are on a different page, since the challenges in Portal do not have 'gameplay benefits'. They ARE the 'gameplay' - the equivalent of adding an extra level to play. By the way, as far as I remember, advanced chambers and challenges were available to play right from the start.