Hello dear co-conspirators,
After the last couple of tests, I’m pretty happy with the core structure of the game; I feel there’s still a bit missing to make the end game more interesting, but the base is there. Testers have been showing signs that they need more of a sense of progression.. i.e. what happens after I win a match? This is pretty fair, as so far I’ve been really focused on the core. However, now that that is done… it’s time to focus on the meta!
In games, the meta is a bit ambiguous; it can either refer to the community-created best practices and strategies used in competitive play OR the systems and mechanics that surround and enhance the core game in order for players to keep playing even after understanding the core mechanics.* In Puppetmaster, I’m talking about the latter. I really want to avoid players abandoning the game after one round, so its important to have something pulling them back in.
Well, after conquering one region, why not use it to go to the next one? As the Illuminati, once I capture a country I want to use it like units, assign them missions and send them to wage war/ craft trade deals / enforce sanctions on others to help your next level.
I started a prototype on this, where players can enter any region and get a match. You still can’t send countries on missions, but that’s extra gravy at this point. I have a few more tests lined up next week, but then I’ll play a bit more with this idea.
Happy conspiring!
* The current power ranking of Smash Bros. is an example of the former; acquiring, crafting and spending Catalysts in Marvel Contest of Champions is an example of the latter.