Game Design
Ongoing coverage on Game Design.
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YouTuber Majuular takes a deep-dive look at the Ultima Online series as a whole
YouTuber Majuular has released an in-depth video retrospective on the MMORPG Ultima Online, focusing on its launch state and early development. The video explores various aspects of the game, including crafting, combat, player economy, and player killing, offering a comprehensive look at its history and unique appeal.
Embark should've implemented a PvE mode into Arc Raiders a long time ago
The author argues that Embark Studios should have implemented a Player vs. Environment (PvE) mode for Arc Raiders much earlier. While acknowledging the fun of PvP, the article highlights the positive social interactions and memorable experiences found in PvE, suggesting it would have retained players who were turned off by negative PvP encounters and cheaters.
World of Warcraft Forever Preview – Can Blizzard Bring Back The Magic? | Invision Game Community
World of Warcraft Forever aims to recapture the magic of the original game by expanding the level 1-60 Azeroth with over 1,000 new quests, new zones, dungeons, raids, a new playable race called the Skyborne, and reworked classes. Blizzard is focusing on making the journey to level 60 meaningful again, incorporating player feedback from WoW Classic and Season of Discovery. While the preview highlights significant additions and a strong sense of nostalgia, the ultimate success of the project hinges on whether it can make endgame achievement and social interaction feel as rewarding as the original.
Wisdom of Nym: What went right and wrong with Final Fantasy XIV’s Crucible of the Unbroken
This analysis examines the Beastmaster limited job and its associated content, the Crucible of the Unbroken, in Final Fantasy XIV. While the content offers variety and makes players consider creature choices, it suffers from a lack of functional mechanics and an overly repetitive grind, leading to a less engaging experience than intended.
Stranger Than Heaven Makes Music a Core Part of Its 50-Year Saga
Ryu ga Gotoku Studio's upcoming game, Stranger Than Heaven, integrates music creation and performance as a core gameplay mechanic within its 50-year narrative spanning five distinct eras and cities. The game, launching January 15 for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC with Game Pass, features protagonist Makoto Daito finding musical inspiration and promoting shows. Sega has also confirmed a live-action film adaptation for Netflix.
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 Dev Acknowledges That Chaos Is Harder to Fight Than Tyranids, Confirms Plan to Do Something About It
The game director for Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 has acknowledged player feedback that Chaos enemies are more challenging than Tyranids. The development team plans to address this difficulty imbalance in a future update.
ESO devs tell us exactly how its Rumors update revives Morrowind's detective work
The Elder Scrolls Online is introducing a new 'Rumors' system that revives Morrowind's approach to exploration by removing objective markers and providing players with actual clues to follow. This narrative scavenger hunt feature, designed by Zenimax Online developers like Jason Barnes and Michael Zenke, will initially launch with 15 mysteries of varying difficulty, encouraging players to piece together information and navigate the world organically.
World of Warcraft Forever adds a ‘pro-social’ feature to help groups get quest drops evenly
World of Warcraft Forever is introducing a 'recent allies' feature to help players group together and a system to evenly distribute quest drops among party members. Lead developer Josh Greenfield explained the 'pro-social' approach aims to make the experience less 'feast or famine.' The beta has also seen another population cap increase.
Minecraft Dungeons 2 Deliberately Moves Closer To Vanilla Minecraft
Developers of Minecraft Dungeons 2 are intentionally bringing the sequel closer to the mechanics and feel of the original Minecraft game. This shift is partly due to the Dungeons franchise establishing its own identity, allowing for more familiar systems like armor slots and enchantment books to be integrated. The team aims to make Dungeons 2 feel more connected to the main Minecraft experience through larger, more exploratory worlds.
WoW: Forever dev says quest drops aren't changing in the MMO, but Blizzard has added " a bit of under-the-hood functionality" that makes them fairer
Blizzard Entertainment has added new under-the-hood functionality to World of Warcraft: Forever's questing system to make item drops fairer for grouped players. Senior game designer Josh Greenfield stated that while the core drop mechanics are not changing, the system will now more predictably round-robin quest items to ensure everyone in a group receives them evenly, encouraging cooperative play.
Minecraft Dungeons 2 Review – Too deep, too greedily
Minecraft Dungeons 2 offers a larger, more ambitious ARPG experience than its predecessor, featuring expanded build crafting and numerous sidequests. However, the review criticizes its repetitive gameplay loop, unoriginal quest design, and a significant readability problem in combat, ultimately finding it to be more of a chore than an adventure, especially given its disconnect from the core Minecraft identity and the current turmoil at Microsoft.
How Minecraft Dungeons II’s Interconnected World Makes Every Journey an Adventure
Minecraft Dungeons II introduces a massive, interconnected world with distinct biomes and seamless transitions between regions, enhancing the adventure. Powered by Unreal Engine 5, the game features deeper character builds, improved gear, and repeatable events for loot acquisition. The title launches September 29 for Xbox Series X|S, PC, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch.
Minecraft Dungeons 2 Is More Ambitious, More Interesting, And More Flawed
Minecraft Dungeons 2 builds upon its predecessor with a more ambitious design, deeper gameplay mechanics, and a stronger connection to the main Minecraft universe. While it introduces more customization, a more meaningful economy, and expanded post-game content, the sequel is not without its flaws, including a restrictive emerald cap, scarce enchantment books, and persistent technical issues that impacted the reviewer's experience.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Remastered is really just polishing perfection
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt's Remastered Edition significantly enhances the decade-old RPG with visual upgrades, including reworked lighting and ray tracing, alongside substantial gameplay tweaks. CD Projekt Red has refined combat, the skill tree, UI, and enemy AI, aiming to present the game in its best possible state. While minor issues like dialogue volume inconsistency persist, the overall polish makes the game feel fresh and compelling, reigniting the desire to replay its vast world.
Former Dragon Age executive producer Mark Darrah explains what he'd change about each game: 'It's kind of…
Former Dragon Age executive producer Mark Darrah shared his thoughts on what he would change about each game in the series. He suggested reducing or cutting the dream sequence in Dragon Age: Origins, addressing the forced conflict in Dragon Age 2, and streamlining the open-world bloat in Dragon Age: Inquisition. For the upcoming Dragon Age: Veilguard, he proposed adding the Keep.
Dynasty Warriors 3: Complete Edition Remastered Interview – New Mechanics, Weapon Fusion, And More
Omega Force producer Tomohiko Sho discusses the upcoming Dynasty Warriors 3: Complete Edition Remastered, detailing new mechanics like Evasion and Weapon Fusion, and the challenges of modernizing combat. The remaster aims to preserve the original's difficulty and 'silliness' while adding new scenarios and integrating characters like Ziluan from Dynasty Warriors: Origins. Sho expressed hope that the remaster's success could lead to further preservation of older Warriors titles.
Rainbow Six Tactics game director says Ubisoft moved away from the 'smoke and mirrors' experience and Mario +…
Rainbow Six Tactics game director Martial Potron stated that the development team drew inspiration from Ubisoft's Mario + Rabbids series to understand tactical game design. Potron explained that the team shifted from the typical 'smoke and mirrors' approach of games like Ghost Recon to a more precise, chess-like philosophy for the turn-based tactics genre. Rainbow Six Tactics is slated for a 2027 release on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S.
Shadow the Hedgehog is supposed to be dead
Shadow the Hedgehog, a character known for his darker persona and weaponry, was originally intended to die at the end of Sonic Adventure 2. However, his immense popularity led Sonic Team to revive him, a decision that Takashi Iizuka, head of Sonic Team, personally favors and wishes to explore further with more spotlight for the character.
Lego Skylines is a cozy, welcoming city builder that doesn't abandon the series' depth
Lego Skylines offers a welcoming entry into the city-building genre, balancing the depth of Cities: Skylines with a more accessible approach. Developed by Iceflake Studios, the game gradually introduces mechanics through a career mode and emphasizes aesthetics and player appeal, while still retaining core management features like resource allocation.
William Pugh, co-designer of The Stanley Parable, has over 1,600 hours in Dota 2: 'It's not a game made of love. It's a game fuelled by hate and a desire to conquer'
William Pugh, co-designer of The Stanley Parable, discusses his extensive PC gaming habits, including over 1,600 hours in Dota 2, which he describes as a game fueled by hate rather than love. He also expresses strong positive sentiment towards Team Fortress 2 and the recently released Big Walk, while noting his current enjoyment of the upcoming hero shooter Deadlock.
