FUNDAMENTALS OF GAME DESIGN, SECOND EDITION
Positive Feedback in Action
The set of graphs in Figure 11.7 illustrates the effects of positive feedback, or its absence, in a variety of circumstances. Each graph shows the state of a hypothetical game between two players, A and B, over time. When the curve passes above the center line and into A's area, A leads; when it goes below the center, B leads. When the curve reaches the dotted line on one side or the other, the game ends and the player indicated wins.
|
A |
A |
A |
|||
|
B |
B |
B |
|||
|
1. Sprint foot race (no feedback) |
2. Unbalanced rules in B's favor |
3. Stalemate (insufficient feedback to produce victory) |
|||
|
A |
A |
A |
|||
|
B |
B |
B |
|||
|
4. Balanced rules, but feedback operates too fast |
5. Wild swings in the lead (powerful negative feedback) |
6. Ideal game progression (lead changes hands, better player wins eventually) |
|
FIGURE 11.7 Graphs showing the effects of different adjustments to positive feedback Consider the following observations about these graphs: |
■ Graph 1 represents a game, such as a sprint foot race, in which no feedback loop exists to augment player power. A, the faster runner, wins.
■ Graph 2's game lasts only a short time. B takes the lead and wins almost immediately. A's few efforts to catch up allow A to gain ground temporarily but ultimately fail. This graph describes an unfair game, badly balanced in favor of B.
■ Graph 3 depicts a stalemate, with neither side ever getting far enough ahead for positive feedback to take hold and lead to victory. The game probably involves little positive feedback (or possibly none) and closely matched competitors.
■ Graph 4 shows a game with fairly balanced rules but one in which positive feedback operates too quickly. B goes ahead, then A, then B again, and then A goes ahead just enough for a dramatic positive feedback cycle to make A unstoppable.
■ Graph 5 indicates a game with a feedback cycle such that being in the lead becomes a profound disadvantage, the effect of powerful negative feedback. A and B gain substantial leads and then alternately fall substantially behind so that the graph shows wild swings. Mario Kart and other multiplayer local games not intended to be taken too seriously sometimes use this mechanism.
■ Graph 6 shows an ideal game progression: The lead changes hands and both players have a good chance of winning the game for a while, but eventually A's superior play places her in a leading position that she never yields. The action of positive feedback ensures that B, the less-skilled player, cannot catch up, although B has a pretty good chance for about two-thirds of the game and perhaps could have won if A's attention had wavered; that is, the outcome wasn't a foregone conclusion.
