Interlude - Roguelike Deckbuilders in 3 Bits

Interlude - Roguelike Deckbuilders in 3 Bits

In between seasons, Oliver takes the chance to reflect on some of the games we have discussed previously (Slay the Spire, Inscryption, and Balatro) to break down the genre of Roguelike Deckbuilders into three recurring bits: * Building on Familiarity - Pick up and play simplicity, minimal onboarding, and complexity layering * Meaningful Choices - Risk VS reward and the power of full information transparency * Oozing Personality - Successfully translating the slow tactile form of playing cards to the audio-visual medium of videogames Let us know what you think: 3-Bit Design: @3bitdesign Oliver - @oliverwauters Tristan - @theatrewalker Or email - 3bitdesign@gmail.com Leave us a review!

Terra Nil in 3 bits

Tristan and Oliver pledge allegiance to mother nature and reclaim the polluted earth in Free Lives’ reverse city builder Terra Nil, cultivating it into these three bits: * Tree Act Structure - Unpacking the three stages of the core loop and having clear objectives to a simulation game * Leave No Trace - Subverting player expectations by relinquishing your creation to nature and recycling your structures * Take It All In - The absence of pressure, threading the line between a game and a meditative experience Let us know what you think: Leave us a review! 3-Bit Design: @3bitdesign Oliver - @oliverwauters Tristan - @theatrewalker Or email - 3bitdesign@gmail.com Some references: Developing 'Terra Nil': A Strategy Game About Nature, Not Expansion [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s30pjYV8aBM&ab_channel=GDC2025] - Sam Alfred, GDC 2024 (talk) Terra Nil Lead Designer On Lessons from Broforce & Designing Strategy Games [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oybuxfpTcuU&ab_channel=ShacknewsInterviews] - Shacknews Interviews (video) Why a recycling mechanic saved Terra Nil's climate cleanup design [https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/why-a-recycling-mechanic-saved-terra-nil-s-climate-cleanup-mechanics] - Bryant Francis, Game Developer (article) Terra Nil: techno-fixes, nature for nature, and the importance of feeling ecological vibes [https://anticiplay.medium.com/terra-nil-techno-fixes-nature-for-nature-and-the-importance-of-feeling-ecological-vibes-dee5b8a47fe7] - Joost Vervoort, Medium (article) This Video Game Prioritizes Restoring An Ecosystem Over Profits [https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/video-game-environment/] - Science Friday (podcast) FIRESIDE CHAT | Terra Nil - Sam Alfred, Jonathan Hau-Yoon, John Faciane, & Dominique Gawaloski - Games for Change [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5rCTcOxfcU&ab_channel=GamesforChange] (video)

Control in 3 bits

Tristan and Oliver are joined by guest Marta Durand as they take on the role of the new director and unravel the surreal mysteries of the Oldest House in Remedy's mind-bending Control, locking it down into these three bits: * Oldest House - Metroidvania storytelling housed in brutalist architecture * The Force - The ultimate telekinetic power fantasy and progression in the combat system * Business as Usual - Grounding the supernatural through mundane corporate activity Let us know what you think: Leave us a review! 3-Bit Design: @3bitdesign Oliver - @oliverwauters Tristan - @theatrewalker Or email - 3bitdesign@gmail.com Some references: Control: A Masterpiece in Game Design [https://fayeseidlers.medium.com/control-a-masterpiece-in-game-design-9baefc2be2ee] - Faye Seidler, Medium (article) The Secret Sauce of Remedy's Map Design [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6Y5H4NBa-Q] - Game Design with Michael (video essay) Control freak: Inside the narrative design of Remedy's least linear game [https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/-i-control-i-freak-inside-the-narrative-design-of-remedy-s-least-linear-game] - Diego Arguello, Game Developer (article) Exploring the world-driven game design of Control [https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/exploring-the-world-driven-game-design-of-i-control-i-] - Bryant Francis, Game Developer (article)

Into the Breach in 3 bits

Tristan and Oliver abandon this timeline and rethink tactics for the next, in Subset Games' mech vs kaiju showdown Into the Breach, breaking it down into these three bits: * Strategic Simplicity - Making a turn based strategy game feel approachable * Collateral Damage - Subverting player expectations by making them disposable and not the top priority * Actions and Reactions - Designing the perfect balance of having all the information available to you but still getting caught off guard Let us know what you think: Leave us a review! 3-Bit Design: @3bitdesign Oliver - @oliverwauters Tristan - @theatrewalker Or email - 3bitdesign@gmail.com Some references: Reimagining failure in strategy game design in Into the Breach [https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/reimagining-failure-in-strategy-game-design-in-i-into-the-breach-i-] - Alex Wiltshire, Game Developer (article) Analyzing the Design of Into the Breach; or, Why Can’t I Stop Playing this Game? [https://adventurerules.blog/2019/02/15/analyzing-the-design-of-into-the-breach-or-why-cant-i-stop-playing-this-game/] - Ian, Adventure Rules (blog) Into the Breach Design Postmortem [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_I07Iq_2XM] - Matthew Davis, GDC (talk) The Secret of Into the Breach's AI: Power in Simplicity | AI and Games #72 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkEG55gFqrA] - Dr. Tommy Thompson, AI and Games (video essay) The Design of FTL & Into The Breach [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BT-qkoaeGrw] - /noclip (documentary) Does Into The Breach Really Have Perfect Information? Why RNG Matters [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNFURLFsd2E] - Adam Millar, The Architect of Games (video essay)

Cities Skylines in 3 bits

Tristan and Oliver are joined by Kieran Reid as they inherit too much responsibility for their own good, and try to manage chaos in Colossal Order's hit sim Cities Skylines, planning it out in these three zones: * Traffic as Emerging Puzzles - Breaking down the brilliant traffic systems and how they develop engaging challenges to the player throughout * City Identity Through Roleplay - Looking at the little details and customisation tools the game offers that bring life and purpose to your city * Hard to Learn, Easy to Master - Reviewing the daunting first time user experience, the delayed core loop hook, and the role of the community Let us know what you think: Leave us a review! 3-Bit Design: @3bitdesign Oliver - @oliverwauters Tristan - @theatrewalker Or email - 3bitdesign@gmail.com Some references: Game Design Deep Dive: Traffic systems in Cities: Skylines [https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/game-design-deep-dive-traffic-systems-in-i-cities-skylines-i-] - Antti Lehto and Damien Morello and Karoliina Korppoo, Game Developer (article) Cities: Skylines dev: Don't punish your players; teach them [https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/-i-cities-skylines-i-dev-don-t-punish-your-players-teach-them] - Alex Wawro, Game Developer (article)