Game Design
Ongoing coverage on Game Design.
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Diablo 5 Wants You To Feel Your Power, Not Just See A Bigger Number
Blizzard Entertainment is aiming to enhance the power fantasy in Diablo 5 by ensuring players feel their character's strength more directly, a departure from Diablo 4's aggressive level-scaling. Game director Joe Shely explained that the team wants players to feel a significant impact when they level up, addressing criticisms of Diablo 4 where scaling often diminished the sense of progression. Updates on Diablo 5 are expected next year, with a focus on improved combat and the return of set items.
Wardogs' rise proves hardcore shooters are back. Escape from Tarkov's Nikita Buyanov knows why.
Hardcore first-person shooter games are experiencing a resurgence, with titles like Wardogs and the 1.0 release of Escape from Tarkov topping sales charts. Nikita Buyanov, Game Director at Battlestate Games, attributes this trend to an aging gamer population seeking more intelligent and complex experiences that mirror real-life problem-solving. This shift indicates a potential move away from repetitive sequels and simple live-service models towards games that demand greater player investment and tactical depth.
Microsoft want to record your face and feed it to a generative AI, telling it to go off and design a game from your frown
Microsoft has patented a system that uses generative AI to design game content, potentially incorporating player facial expressions and actions. The patent describes how AI could create narratives, quests, NPCs, and even game assets based on player feedback and developer prompts. While the technology is not yet implemented, it raises concerns about privacy and the future of game development.
Resident Evil director Zach Cregger proves his gamer status once again as he lists his top four games of all time
Resident Evil director Zach Cregger, a self-proclaimed gamer, revealed his top four favorite games of all time in a recent interview. His list includes The Binding of Isaac, Dark Souls 3, Resident Evil 4, and The Last of Us Part II. Cregger noted that his new Resident Evil movie draws inspiration from Resident Evil 4 and incorporates visual language from the games.
Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance Team Wants to Bring Forward Lessons it Learned About PC Performance
Capcom is applying lessons learned from Monster Hunter Wilds' PC launch to the upcoming Ascendance expansion, aiming for improved performance across various hardware. The team is also incorporating player feedback for UI/UX enhancements and new mechanics like the Boost Bracer to create a more dynamic experience. Ascendance will feature returning monsters like Lao-Shan Lung and new creatures such as Gundoraja and Arakeeta, launching on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch 2.
Massively OP Podcast Episode 580: A Loftia set of goals
The Massively OP Podcast episode 580 covers a range of MMO news and discussions, including WoW Forever's beta, Guild Wars 2's final content drop, Loftia's early access launch, and RuneScape's Dragonwilds release. The hosts also touch on Soulframe, rage quit moments, minigames, and a potential Pokémon MMO.
World of Warcraft: Forever players find rule-breaking new items that defy 22 years of experience with the classic MMO
Players of World of Warcraft: Forever are discovering new items that break established rules of the classic MMO, offering abilities like mining without the skill or enabling new combat styles for mages. These rule-bending items, some inspired by Blizzard's Season of Discovery, suggest that the upcoming full release on November 4 will introduce significant changes beyond a simple remake.
WoW: Forever Aspires To Have A “Mandela Effect” On Players
World of Warcraft: Forever aims to evoke a 'Mandela Effect' in players by introducing new zones and visual improvements that feel familiar yet new. Blizzard Entertainment's senior art director Jeff Parrott and senior game designer Josh Greenfield discussed how they captured the essence of the original game's design and visuals to make players feel like they are returning home to a place they remember.
World of Warcraft: Forever isn't a remake of Classic or a bridge to modern WoW
World of Warcraft: Forever is positioned as a distinct third pillar separate from Classic and modern WoW, focusing on day-to-day adventures rather than world-saving heroics. Lead Game Designer Tim Jones and Lead Software Engineer Nora Mills clarified that it is not a remake of Classic or a bridge to the current version of the game.
Following a strong start, Rebel Wolves line up The Blood of Dawnwalker's first big patch for next month, adding in a new, easier difficulty mode and more
Developer Rebel Wolves is preparing the first major patch for The Blood of Dawnwalker, which will introduce an easier Story mode and address combat and performance issues. Game director Konrad Tomaszkiewicz confirmed the new difficulty option is in response to player feedback, and the team is also working on improving combat fluidity and addressing PC performance concerns.
Our final hands-on impressions of Rayman Legends Retold before launch
Hands-on impressions of Ubisoft's upcoming platformer, Rayman Legends Retold, reveal a challenging yet satisfying experience that encourages players to learn from failure. The game includes Rayman Origins Enhanced Edition as a bonus and features impressive presentation, cohesive level design, and engaging music-themed levels.
Rayman Legends Retold reveals 6-minute trailer shows new story, Land of the Livid Dead, customization, more
A new six-minute trailer for Rayman Legends Retold showcases its story, the new Land of the Livid Dead realm, and customization options. The game features a plot where dark Teensies corrupt the Glade of Dreams, requiring players to save captured Teensies and guardians. It will launch for Nintendo Switch on December 3, 2026.
First Impressions: Aion 2 feels surprisingly familiar
Aion 2's stress test reveals a game that blends old and new MMORPG design, with strengths in its expansive world and aesthetic but weaknesses in combat and quest design. While the character customization is deep and the world design encourages exploration, the combat feels undercooked and too easy, and the story may be inaccessible to newcomers. The game launches October 5th.
Meet the Lord of the Rings RPG that smashed its crowdfunding goals by 10 times in a single hour
Free League's crowdfunding campaign for a rules revamp of The One Ring, a Lord of the Rings tabletop RPG, has exceeded its $50K goal by over 12 times, reaching nearly $800K within hours. The update includes a new bestiary, a campaign expansion for Gondor and Rohan, and refined core mechanics, with estimated hardcover shipping in October 2027.
Final Fantasy VII Revelation ska kunna höja karaktärernas nivå automatiskt
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth director Naoki Hamaguchi revealed a new feature that allows players to automatically level up characters to recommended stats. This aims to help players who wish to focus solely on the main story without engaging with extensive side content. The feature has received mixed reactions, with some seeing it as a helpful option and others viewing it as a potential workaround for perceived filler content.
Tragedy: Crusader Kings 3's pope DLC will not let you use blood boys to prolong your life, and yes I did ask the…
The upcoming Crusader Kings 3 expansion, By God Alone, will allow players to play as the Pope but will not include a feature where the Pope can use blood transfusions from young boys to prolong his life, a historical anecdote associated with Pope Innocent VIII. Paradox PR manager Jesse Henning confirmed this, citing that the historical figure is outside the game's timeline and that the feature would be inappropriate due to realism rather than atrocity.
The Choice Nobody Coded
This article discusses the nature of player choice in video games compared to tabletop role-playing games (TTRPGs), featuring insights from game designer Arturo Guerra. While video games offer vast possibilities, TTRPGs allow for more collaborative and personal narrative creation, as players can invent elements that designers haven't pre-coded. The piece explores how both mediums constrain and enable player agency, ultimately suggesting that meaningful choices can exist within authored boundaries.
Dune Awakening is slick on PS5, but it's still a Paul of all trades rather than a survival messiah
Dune Awakening has arrived on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, offering a visually impressive survival experience on Arrakis. While the game excels in atmosphere and capturing the essence of the Dune universe, its core survival mechanics, combat, and user interface remain unpolished, particularly on consoles. The PS5 version suffers from a cumbersome UI and controls, detracting from the overall experience despite its graphical fidelity and 60fps option.
Rivage Review – A beautiful mess
Rivage is a visually stunning and audibly impressive first game from the two-person Exnilo Studio, but its beautiful presentation is marred by frustratingly obtuse puzzles, a lifeless story, and clunky mechanics. The game's energy management system and reliance on hidden information often lead to aimless wandering and a lack of satisfaction. The review also notes anxiety surrounding the game's early development use of AI, which may have contributed to its shallow execution.
Why CD Projekt is Boosting Investment into Witcher Franchise
This article discusses how modern gaming habits favor short play sessions over long, uninterrupted ones. It highlights game design elements like natural play units, low re-entry costs, and constant saving as crucial for games to fit into brief windows of time, citing examples like roguelites and quick multiplayer matches.
