The rhythm of the gameplay - why do we need a base

The most interesting thing in the game, as a rule, is connected with tension. On the other hand, it is impossible to be constantly in tension, therefore it is required to “let go” of the player and let him relax.

The mechanics of the base works pretty darn simple:

1. The game creates a place where the player is pleasant and safe to spend time.
2. After a period of stress, the player goes to this place.
3. Finish at this point is difficult. Who will refuse a pleasant "rest"? No, the game does not go in front of a nice part.
4. Next, we try to transfer the player to the next cycle, which requires tension, without a transition, so that the player does not have time to understand how he got there.

The result is a mechanic when a player simply cannot stop before the next difficult stage, because instead of choosing and reflecting, he is already there.
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XCOM example

Let's see how the bases work in a number of games. Let's start with XCOM, since it is on top. So, after a pleasant and safe micromanagement at your base, sooner or later you will have to either press the acceleration of time, or save and exit. If you knew that your next action is a mission flight, most likely, the gaming session would be shorter (because, like it or not, it’s stress, and making this choice is not very pleasant).

But when you click on the acceleration of time, you do not know what will happen next. Either the module or craft will be completed. Either the study will be ready. Or summed up the month. Either your scientists are compiling laser rifles and medpacks, and they can be sent to second base. Many pleasant incentives, as if growing out of micromanagement, can suddenly be interrupted by anxiety.

You are almost automatically responding to an alarm by sending a fighter, knocking down a plate - and hop! - start the mission. At this moment it is difficult to survive and exit. Because there is already a sectoid hiding behind a bush.

When the mission ends, you will not be able to survive and exit again (more precisely, this is unlikely). Because you will again find yourself in the micromanagement: you will have to inspect the trophies, give the command to assemble new consumables, in the new XCOM - distribute titles and so on. The next thing that will distract you from this smooth process is the new alarm.

The base works as a place from where it is very easy to start there, where otherwise there are most of the cliffs of the game session.

This war of mine

In this game, the base even more vividly shows this mechanics of a non-stop game. At the base, you make various small cozy things, cook food, fix windows, collect all sorts of things for the next exit to the city, sometimes trade and so on.

The joke is that the game is saved at the moment when you come to the base from the night raid. At this point, most often you need to put a tired character to sleep, give all his food to eat, pick up a rat from the traps that worked at night, put a new filter in the water collector ... I want to do all this at once. Very soon, a large amount of action accumulates, - work that is a pity.

In the evening, you just go to a new dangerous raid. And the nearest saving is in the morning. And the exit to the nightly outing is done in the same way with minimal interruption - you just find yourself there. To quickly return to a cozy refuge.

Shadowrun

Not always the base is needed to “push” you to the mission. In role-playing games very often there is a place where you can trade, take new quests and just have a comfortable time.



Good difference in the new Shadowrun and Dragonfall. There is no clear base in the first one, there is just a certain bar where you return several times per game. In the second there is a base - and you know for sure that you will get there after each mission. The bases in this game are not improved by the player, but serve as storage of things and (in Dragonfall) storage of characters that did not go on a mission with you.

Relaxing the base just gives you a good reason to collect the entire micromanagement in one place, plus prepare you for the next tense part.

Sword and glory

This is a fighting game. The game would be very similar in rhythm of tension to the arkanoid, Tetris or Pakman, where the level goes beyond the level, if not for this base.



At the base of your character rests and restores strength. Here the next quest is selected, and improvements are being made here - you can build a bigger house, a barn, etc.

Unlike the same base XCOM, this is not fully controllable, and is simply a kind of intermediate position, where you spend about 10-20 seconds. This whole base is designed so that you take the next fight as quickly as possible.

The beauty is that you get a respite, see your progress and understand that you are missing 20 coins to a new smithy or a couple of thousand experience to the level. Checked the status, went into battle.

Galaxy on Fire

In this subspecies of “Elite”, the base is plot dialogs, missions and, most importantly, a shop. The store should be checked every time, because the ship requires consumables, plus you always need some goods. The frequent alternation of the action of space combat and the serenity of the base with different plot nishtyak makes this game so cool that for the sake of the plot you can start playing in the evening "for an hour", and recover in the morning when it starts to light.

The point, again, is that it is not clear when to persist. There is no clear point "I finished all the work for this gaming session, you can go out." The base creates continuity with the storyline and missions, as well as the fact that the needs generated within this mode (for example, assembly of objects) require a flight somewhere. Just a little bit, and everything will be fine. Just a little bit and give a new toy to shoot. And so on until the end of the game.

Radiation Island

This is a craft game where you need to survive in the wild. Felling trees, brushing off animals and zombies, look for iron and so on. There is a huge amount of items, and the base in the game is a single storage of all your capital. Plus a place of preservation and respawn. And a quick transition point from anywhere on the island.

You make your own little house (for example, with a stove and a pair of chests for things), plus you always use it as a shelter for the night (it becomes quite uncomfortable in the world at night). Since the game goes in "real time" without the ability to finish the day, the general pattern is as follows:

1. In the morning you are fully prepared - so you go to some distant route, for example, through the half of the island to another point, where you can then quickly move.
2. Do something on the spot.
3. Returning to the base before dark and not yet dark, allocate your resources, collect something, fry meat, chop a couple of trees nearby, etc. In general, doing something cozy, safe and useful. In the morning again go "for business".

There is a special pleasure in the "obzhivanie" base. And game designer gives it to us three times, because there are also three islands, and the second and third you start not from scratch, but close to it. You already know what to do and how, and therefore the process is quick and pleasant. What more pleases the player.

Characteristically, in the last update, game designers realized this and included non-functional items such as a table, chairs, house layouts, and so on - the players obviously like to do something with their “home”.

Platformer

This is a modern, but made for the old Goblin Sword console games. He's damn good at mechanics, but one of the main things is the choice of levels. Please note that we have a house (here are quests and trophies), a trader (inventory, analysis of the items found and the purchase of new things) and three (plus another snykanny) "combat" object.



Actually, nothing special, except for combining the level selection menu with the “base”. Play the same level again or the next very simply without leaving the combat mode. But if you already came out - it means that you need to take a little breath.



Dig up quests, look at the goods - and to check how they work, you will have to go into combat mode again. And immediately.

More examples

In board games base for a long time was not at all. In the sense that we have to afford any “extra” complication of the game - this is more expensive, because every quantum of attention is worth its weight in gold. Any new feature is another couple of pages of rules, which is highly undesirable. The benefits of the base should significantly outweigh these disadvantages. Yes, and game sessions are short enough to allow them to relax.

However, the mechanics are still used. For example, to save the game between sessions, the status of the base changes (in fact, it acts as a drive). Or the base may be a place where the player places his game resources during long strategic games. In long word games (for example, AD & D parties) it is often convenient for the master to give players the opportunity to occupy the castle, assemble at the same tavern (this is generally a D & D classic), or build a base in some other way.

Oddly enough, the mechanics of the base also works great in books of the format of short stories- "cases" - for example, you all know for sure who lived on Baker Street 221b.

So let's give a brief summary. In abstraction, the base may be needed in order to give the player a rest inside the game (and not outside, for example, for tea and social network, because from there it is more difficult to return). The base can be used to easily introduce the player to where it is not very pleasant for him to go (into a state of tension). The base can be a benchmark for progress (on improvements and accumulation of resources). The base can be the point of tuning the game (team inventory, buying new things in the RPG, checking all the stats). And the base may be necessary story-breaking the monotonous gameplay. Plus, the base can be a familiar "home", a simple plot starter and in general all that the player loves and appreciates as extremely familiar. And this increases engagement in the end.

Each next step should cause a minimum of tension. For example, if at the conference you ask those who write in C ++ to go out and climb onto the stage, two people will leave the hall of 200 people. But the same problem can be solved step by step:
- Raise, please, the hands of those who write in C ++.
...
- Thank. I can hardly see you, stand up, please, if not difficult.
...
“Yeah, now come on stage, friends.”

When you raised your hand, it's easy to get up. When you got up, not to go on stage is very difficult. So with the base. When you picked at least something on it, it will tighten, and very soon the movement will begin.