Mechanics + Loop = FUN. A break from Dev(il)’s Loop

No matter the outcome, this is a Game Design investigation, a break for oxygen, an observation to try and find ways that enhance the gaming experience for players, with the focus on intentionally instigating a Desired Feeling, just like a Movie Director does to spectators. So let’s dive a bit deeper in a few concepts to get closer to this objective and save some millions of hours on first pointless iterations, starting instead with a defined plan in a paper. 

Tutorial Stage: differentiating between two essential concepts in Game Design: Core Mechanics and the Game Loop. They serve different purposes and operate at different levels within any game but they should work seamlessly well together to create a cohesive and engaging gameplay experience that encourages players to continue playing and returning to the game. This is only possible when the players have the fun, or whichever feeling they’re after while playing the game (the Desired Feeling).

Numerous discussions have been held about Positive and Negative Feedback Loops and Handicaps/Rubber Band systems, like the one found in Mario Kart's items distribution (seemingly  random after crashing into the magic box), which grants the backmarker players an opportunity to compete for victory, transforming the race into the exhilarating party experience many players enjoy. This is what Game Loop is all about. But this is not the only aspect that makes Mario Kart a great game. It equally counts how responsive and reactive the controlled character is when you try to turn, attack and even get hit. The way they behave when you approach turns and use the drift boost, the speed the cars and AIs go, the distance a jump can reach, the damage a weapon can cause. This is all about the Core Mechanics of the game, the tools players use to interact with the game, the fundamental rules and interactions that govern the game, such as character controls, physics, and combat mechanics.

I’ve spent enough time watching YouTube to know that I’m not the only one that started building a whole prototype game after being able to make the main character move. To only then work on what to do with this behaviour and develop objectives for it (Game Loop), to then go back to adjust the initial behaviour of the character (Core Mechanics) to try to match with the newer objectives, while working on a new set of Mechanics, and so forth, iteration after iteration until get to any kind of a feeling (not exactly fun) during gameplay to then have an idea of what this should be, to go back to new objectives and behaviour, then shipped to the players for feedback to the next iteration to be released asap, and that’s the Dev(il)’s Loop that we’ve all been rolling for a while. So, even though you have started by trying to make your character jump (Mechanics), let’s take a quick break and start from the logical beginning: Game Loop.

The Game Loop is the central sequence of actions that players repeatedly engage during the game (or parts of it). If your game is a shooter this sequence is something like Move, Aim, Shoot and Repeat. That’s it! In most RPGs the basic Game Loop is Explore, Fight, Loot, Level up aaaaand Repeat. If your mess can really be called a puzzle, you are probably expecting the player to Analyse, Plan, Execute and Repeat. A well defined Game Loop is essential to build a whole game, it establishes the foundation for everything else and ultimately the result we all want: player engagement and retention. It should be fun, rewarding, and encourage players to continue playing. It is more than just a series of actions; it's a cycle of motivation that drives player behaviour. 

A Game Loop is characterised by repeatable actions that can be split in many parts or Sub Loops (what the player does every minute, every stage, every world ). Your character repeats a set of movements that when done well completes a bigger task that if repeated a few times gets to the boss that has a new sequence to beat them, before unlocking a new world. By now we all know these tips for designing an engaging Game Loop: Keep it simple enough so players should be able to pick it up quickly, make it rewarding by providing players with a sense of progress and accomplishment, make it challenging make them sweat but not frustrating, and most importantly, make it fun or they won’t stick around.

The Game Loop forms the foundation of a game and provides it with meaning and direction. Deliberately choosing or even creating one is an exercise that can not only save time (hundreds of hours in pointless iterations) but also helps developers identify the weaknesses of their concept. Most importantly, it gives us the chance to introduce players to a novel and engaging experience. Creating a compelling new Game Loop is a crucial strategy for Indie Developers who want to develop a game that stands out in the competitive market. To be very clear: Indies have a better chance of investing in original ideas rather than attempting to create large-scale games with numerous features, such as weapons, animations, effects and characters (all part of Core Mechanics). This is because indie studios have limited resources, including time and people, compared to larger studios. While big studios can excel in producing such complex games in a shorter time frame, indie developers are more likely to succeed by concentrating on unique and innovative concepts. 

Now that we have the Game Loop well defined for the type of game we want (and can) build, let’s adjust the Core Mechanics to match it perfectly. It all has to make sense with the world the character is from, their capabilities, the genre of the game, the style of the character, the platform, and the target players.

In a 2D horizontal game full of platforms Mario Jumps, and this is for exploring the areas, escaping obstacles and at the same time attacking enemies, all in the same command! The simplicity makes it so easy to learn and so elegant. In another title there’s all the same need for exploration and even finding a lost character but just no jumping at all, say Pinkmin and a whole new set of tasks are developed like the construction of bridges, and strategy to deploy the correct pinkmin in the right amount to still have enough to protect yourself during a battle all during a well timed gameplay session. The basic movements, commands and its behaviours are the fundamental rules and interactions that define how a game functions at its most basic level, defining the game’s Core Mechanics. 

These Core Mechanics serve as the building blocks for more complex systems and features, and they are essential for creating a solid gameplay. A proper responsiveness of the commands is the other half job of a great game that will be replayed at least to its end. As important as nailing the creation of the right moves and using the right commands for them, comes the sound and visual effects that should amplify the action. The sound of the bricks falling on top of the others is the most repeated sound of the game, it has to be great and has to make sense for this particular version of Tetris. Same goes for the special sound of Tetris! (when you complete the 4 lines perfectly at once).

I have just mention the simplicity of Mario, and we all will keep learning from it forever, but in the other hand are soccer games that have so many commands and combinations that if are timed precisely will execute different dribles, types of passes and shoots and that’s exactly this complexity that makes their Core Mechanics so interesting for some players. But in both ways, whether you’re chasing the simplicity of Flappy Bird, Tetris or the complexity of Street Fighter, FIFA, the challenge is to build commands that engage with the player’s intuition to make sense of it all. It all has to make sense and feel good like pressing up to go up.

After nailing the basic movements and the general behaviour of your characters, NPCs and interaction with the world, it's time to go back to core Game Loop. Think of new possibilities, like how a little twitch on the game of Tetris and you completely change its dynamic, timing and the way the game is played. In versus mode, Tetris is transformed into a markedly different game. The core mechanics remain the same, but the introduction of "dirt" being sent by your opponents as they create their own blocks completely changes the pace and strategy of the game.

Naturally even investing the time planning the Game Loop properly, a number of iterations will be necessary until it all makes sense to the Core Mechanics and vice-versa. The Game Loop provides the structure and rhythm of the game, guiding the player through a repeating cycle of actions. It's the backbone of the experience, ensuring that there's always something to do and strive for. The Core Mechanics are the tools the player uses to interact with that loop. They are the verbs that give meaning to the actions within the loop, making them fun and rewarding. A well-designed game seamlessly integrates its Core Mechanics into the Game Loop. And finally only with feedback we can assure that there’s indeed an interplay between these two fundamental elements of the Game, this will be clear if the players are finally coming back for more Fun.