u/Gaverion

In my mind there's really two schools of thought for game design. 

1. How do you design to maximize player spending 
2. How do you design to maximize player enjoyment 

There's also some crossover. For example designing something that will generate a TikTok moment can both be maximizing player spending because it's getting in front of more eyes but also shareable moments with friends is a high enjoyment moment. 

I 100% agree with jams being a great outlet when you have a big main project. The fixed time span means you don't have to worry about getting side tracked too long. I also keep a log of any game idea that gets stuck in my head for more than a day. It's a great resource for when I get to a jam and need to figure out what to make. 

I have seen complaints about Huds but it is usually just the ubisoft meme. I think a minimalist hud feels cool because you get to focus on just the things that matter. Ultimately what matters is clarity. A game like dark souls, your moment to moment actions are super important. Everything else only matters when it matters. Is health/stamina not full/being spent? OK you need it. Otherwise it's a distraction. 

This is something that changes a lot from game to game. Players will almost never complain about having too much information. However, what they have access to will shape how they play. 

Your control example gives the same vibe to me as the super gravity gun you get in half life 2. Suddenly all those things you wanted to do, you can! It also feels earned.  

I also agree with your greater point. More than anything, those small but powerful moments are what give games that staying power in people's minds. A game can me mechanically amazing but if you don't somehow generate attachment it will be enjoyed then forgotten. 

There's definitely more than one way to generate a moment. Narrative is obviously a big one but there's definitely others. I think of games like Katamari that had a unique premise tied with a unique sense of humor which gave a shareable moment of the lived experience. Amusingly, this style is probably less effective now than it used to be because sharing is so much easier now. You see the rise of the friend slop genre which almost manufactures these moments, making them less memorable long term because they have become normal. They are very effective short term though!

I agree with this. To me the low chance keyword can make sense if you have something like "cards with a low chance now have a high chance instead ", "when you play a card with a low chance, gain 3 life", or similar effects. 

Is low chance always 20%? 

Basically for everything, if it's a mechanic you are reusing a lot, key words are great. Players can transfer knowledge from one card to another. If it is only used once, then using a keyword is just confusing. 

Your best bet is probably consulting a legal expert with a copy of the nda you signed. Also keep in mind if you do something that they don't like that might kill any future work opportunities with them. Given they worked with you before, probably not a good idea.

Genuinely, don't. The best thing you can do is not interact with them and above all don't touch anything to do with money. Even in the best case scenario you end up with a bunch of red flags on you making you a high risk customer who probably has a bunch of account restrictions. 

Also, when it comes to financial crimes, there really isn't a  "charge back period". Once they find out the funds were part of criminal activities they get reversed. You might want to  look up money laundering to learn more. 

You will likely be held personally liable for the lost funds. It could result in anything from dealing with debt collection to more severe penalties depending on the specific situation. Heck you could be considered part of an organized crime syndicate depending on how it looks! So in short, not recommended. Don't interact with scammers, you always lose. 

You have to be careful even with this. A lot of fraud happens with ilicit funds. They will get deposited to your account then a few days/weeks later those funds get reversed out of your account. Most commonly this is in conjunction with the fraudulent actor either getting access to your account and transferring/withdrawing the funds directly or getting you to send gift cards etc. 

Thank you for bringing back memories! I had completely forgotten about that one but I definitely spent many hours of my childhood on there!

Let me introduce you to a little website called new grounds. These types of gimmicks absolutely existed back then. They weren't the only ones either. Heck, even a game like Portal had this sort of thing. The cake is a lie, the companion cube, all very clippable things that back then spread more by word of mouth.

Are they all the same faction? They look very samey to me. 

I know this is a joke but it would likely not work as deposits typically have a name attached to them.  If you have a miss match your bank may reject the deposit. 

New trailer is better but still has a really slow start. 

Another thing to keep in mind, most industry positions are looking for specialists, not generalists. If you make a game that is ok at everything that might not be as useful as one that is technically strong in a specific aspect. 

I an curious why all the pictures are in grainy black and white. Digital cameras might not have been the standard yet but color photography certainly was!

The best thing you can do is make it easy to adjust later. 

This doesn't solve anything since the games nobody buys already don't get visibility. Going from game 1000 out of 10000 released to 1000 out of 1200 won't change your visibility. 

But how certain are you that AI wasn't used by the distributor for those silicon wafers you are using!

I really liked the description someone else gave that AI is a lot like an ambitious jr. It's good but not perfect and will sometimes do more than it should because it wants to impress you. 

I will use it to help me get things done faster. About 20% of the time it will add a function I didn't ask for. 1/2 the time it was the next thing I was going to ask for and the other 1/2 I have to remove it. 

All that to say, it isn't deterministic, but you control the result. An art comparison would be using Ai to generate a reference image, then making a new traditional art piece based on that reference image. 

Is there a conversion rate for concurrent players to sales?

I think that's the point. That specific genre has a very specific look and feel. The audience that plays them knows immediately what they are getting. Sure you won't click it. You wouldn't buy it either after clicking. The person who would buy it will click it, making it a good name. 

The talk to the ai bit is interesting I think. It's basically asking how good you are at talking to a rubber duck. It reminds me of a streamer who has a day job where he oversees a bunch of juniors and seniors. He described on aspect of introducing ai into the work flow was that people really had to break down what they needed. It forced people to get better at providing requirements. 

I don't love ai generally, but getting people better at using a rubber duck is useful. It also explains why people with coding experience tend to have an easier time using it whereas others see it as magic. 

I feel like I have the opposite issue. See something I made and realize it could be better. I can compare it to where it was and be glad it improved but I will still have the thought of what if I did it even better.