Clarity, Consistency, and Cohesion
- Players should have an understanding of the toolset available to them.
- Players should have an understanding of what their tools can do.
- Players should have an understanding of their immediate goal.
- Players should have an understanding of how they can use their tools to accomplish their immediate goal, even if this understanding is vague.
- Player should receive feedback for all actions, both effective and ineffective.
- Interactables should be easily identifiable compared to objects or areas that are inaccessible to the player.
- Mechanics should be constantly reinforced.
- Mechanics can be expanded upon to add depth and complexity, however the core of the mechanic should not change.
- The game loop should be consistent and something the player can rely on.
- Mechanics should flow together. They should be able to be utilized together for depth, or separately for breadth.
- Mechanics should fit within the context of the game world.
- Actions should fit within the context of the actor.
- Story and mechanics should feed off each other, neither should cause the other to feel out of place.