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TIGSource ForumsDeveloperDesignTurn-based pursuit mechanic
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unipus
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« on: May 25, 2016, 12:45:09 PM »

Hi all, I'm in need of a little help here. I've been working on this game in which you commit a crime and then have to make a getaway at the end, while being pursued. For mostly technical/scope reasons, this is a turn-based or pseudo-turn-based system. Currently it's designed so that you select one of several available escape routes, and then essentially move along that path with complications popping up along the way. With each "move" the pursuers move closer to your last known location, and the choices you make during this "waypoint encounters" can lead to them becoming aware of your actual current location.

The problem I'm having is with figuring out an actual satisfying system for the pursuit itself. This idea seemed solid to me at first but now the more I think about it the more it seems like it will either be easy to exploit (and therefore unsatisfying) or unpredictably difficult (and therefore frustrating or boring).

Anyway, looking for tweaks on this idea or other suggestions. This is a game on a deadline so there's only a couple weeks to build this – we can't go crazy but I do want it to be satisfying especially as the end of the game!
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voidSkipper
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« Reply #1 on: May 25, 2016, 03:32:53 PM »

I'm not quite clear on your actual gameplay mechanic...

What is the fidelity of movement? Do you literally move one "room" at a time with no real-time movement after making route choice, or is it "choose a route, play a minigame, move to the next route on success"?

If it's the latter, I'd assume the persuers start x nodes behind you, and every time you fail the minigame, they get one closer. This is basically just a "lives" system, represented differently to normal. There are a wealth of examples to draw from and it will be down to how fun your "complications" are.

If, on the other hand, it's the former, you have the advantage of being able to very rapidly prototype this and see if it's fun. The whole game loop would be like:

1)Does the current node have a branch option?
--Yes. Pick a branch.
--No. Continue.
2)Roll to defeat the complication
--Success. Continue to next node.
--Failure. Stay still.
3)Advance the pursuers towards you
--You have been caught. Display game over screen.
--They have not caught you yet. Return to step 1.

This in itself would be a fun little time waster, and then the "complications" can be gradually made more... complicated. Like, a critical success roll could block the route behind you, forcing your pursuers to double back.

You express concern that the game could be unpredictably difficult, but this just means that you need to do the following:
1) Advise the player of the difficulty of the route they're taking (simple green-yellow-red colour coding would be fine)
2) Make sure that success in more difficult routes has a bigger pay-off for the player.

Also, I say "roll", but the method of success obviously doesn't have to be chance, there are all sorts of ways to determine success.
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unipus
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« Reply #2 on: May 25, 2016, 07:08:47 PM »

It's more like the former, yes. I think the problem in my head is that it's just more simple than I personally would like, but it has to be. It's the final, brief stage of a game that probably no one will ever read the tutorial for (nor honestly, should they need to if they've played games before). But it also needs to feel like a climax and right now I'm in the self-doubt period about that.

But you're right, we can iterate it rapidly and see. We've got 4 whole days to get an alpha! Smiley
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quantumpotato
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« Reply #3 on: June 01, 2016, 07:32:13 AM »

Check out http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/438/scotland-yard
http://mindyourdecisions.com/blog/2013/06/25/the-man-and-the-lion-puzzle-pursuit-and-evasion-game-theory/
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unipus
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« Reply #4 on: June 02, 2016, 02:32:25 PM »

Thanks, good references! I haven't played Scotland Yard but have played Curse of Dracula.

The lion problem is interesting, I will find time to dive into that some more.

Ultimately we're going with something more stylized and node-based which I realized is fairly similar to how FTL's beacons work. I have no problem with borrowing from FTL, one of my favorite games (and of course their implementation of that mechanic is hardly earth-shattering, either). We need something simple that just works and can be built upon. The version in our alpha is laughably basic but proves that it will function.
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