I didn't read Matt Tolman's essay though,,,







like this.
it would be great if you can dig endless and freely.

★★About

Hi, I'm a game designer:)
This is my quick impression of basic part of game play so far.
And I asked my friend to translate these documents because I didn't want you to wrong interpret :)

Also there might be misunderstanding. so if you found it, tell me.

★My Gameplay

I am passive communication player. Of course I don't usually join global chat, forum, group. However this is unrelated to language problem. I'm just lazy.

My current level is 34. In order to cut down on waiting time to raise skills I donate to the shrines to stock up on Favor Points. Quests are mainly triggered when you learn new skills, so there are far less quests for me to tackle than when I first started out. Now fulfilling quests is starting to feel like routine work.

★About Quests

The frequency of quests declining as you progress in the game should be improved to balance out the game. Quests should not be just tied to skills - we should add ones that are silly or ones that don't even really mean much. Jump 120 times in a row. Gift something to a player whose name starts with "G". Sleep for 3 minutes straight. I'd like to see more humor in our quests.

★about the different limitations

Establishing limits is one aspect of game design but there are some limits that are blocking gameplay.

inventory box
The maximum items that can be stored per inventory slot is currently too low. You can store at max 20 Bean Dips, 60 meat, and 80 butterfly milk - I don't understand why the limit is different per item.Why can the player not be able to store, let's say 999 of each item?

the number of things
When you create something (ex. using a frying pan, pot, shaker, etc.) there is currently a limit to how many you can create at once, which I don't understand. The amount you can make should be tied to something relevant, such as your energy.

while making things
While you create something (ex. using a frying pan, pot, shaker, etc.) you are unable to move or do anything at all which amplifies the feeling that you are being forced to wait - this should be improved.The player should at least be able to move while creating. Otherwise giving the player an option to create something else with another tool may be another option.

dead ends
Community gardens being dead ends are understandable but all other dead ends don't make any sense. I've seen many players turn right around and exit from where they came from as soon as they find out that they have entered a dead end. Unless there is a good reason to have dead ends there should be entrance/exit points such as a hole at the end that leads to another location, even if this is not visible to the player via the map. This will improve the players' flow of movement.

Herbs
Potions are fun items but creating potions requires herbs. Herbs can only be grown in specific gardens, so one must either grow them at a community herb garden or find a home on market that includes one. It takes a long time to learn the potion skill and on top of that, it takes more time to make the poitions themselves.This is quite stressful. I would suggest the player be able to grow herbs in the same garden that they can plant vegetables in - this would cut down on such stress.

★Map

It's normally not clear as to where you are currently located unless you open up your map. On top of that, opening up your map will hide 1/2 of the game screen.There is no depth in the play field so the world currently feels like it's located on a straight plane. Since we do have a map such information should be communicated proactively via gameplay - we should not leave it up to the player as to whether they check the map or not

★Wasteful

It's great to implement new features but these new things should be tied in better with the world of Glitch. The features are not living up to their full potential so they are being wasted.

for example,
・snapping pictures: there should be an album where you can view collected photos
・triple jump: there should be locations and quests that require use of this skill
・races: there should be a game lobby to support these
・music blocks: instead of just triggering one tune at a time, players should be able to chain the music together and be able to play with the blocks in a different way.

★More growth in the core gameplay

Being able to chat with other players or joining the forums is a great way for players to get to know the fun of playing Glitch but there are players that quit the game before they are interested enough to reach that point of involvement.To target such players we should implement fun action game elements. This should not be a one off experience, but something the player can experience over and over again that is fun. For example, fishing or animal trampoline...

★Keep the info in the game

Update notices should not be limited to just Twitter and via the blog but through the game mailing system as well. This also allows the player to have a backlog of info if they wish as well.

This quick idea mention to world map again.
BUt I think this is idea for the general play will be better.



Avatar moves horizontally. Also the streets looks exist horizontally too.
So I feel sometimes "Glitch world is spread horizontally. It can feels like a line."



But it's wrong. Glitch world is not line, it has ground or continent.



So, I think we should show world map to player ALWAYS to feel Glitch world.
You can see where are you walking immediately.



Mini map can zoom in/out.



Of course also you can see normal size map.

Also I think this minimap is useful when we got loneliness quest or when we got PAST WORLD.