"Given the opportunity, players will optimise out the fun" This also universaly applies to level design, we should kick our players in the teeth. Create weighty decisions that punish bad decision making while rewarding good decision making Enjoy the video
This is why linear and simple maps do well in competitive/professional communities because the less choices you have, the greater weight said choices have on your experience. Quake is a good example as the players that rely on mechanical skill at the highest level typically choose more complex maps as their map picks. Where the big brain players typically choose less complicated maps where they can use their superior knowledge of the game to snowball more easily because the person off spawn has less options to choose from.
Exactly! It's intuitive to think that more options make it more challenging to predict your targets, and therefore preferable. But on the flip side; fewer options means individual paths have greater implications. This creates an intense and meaningful decision making meta-game that adds much needed depth to a game where you can literally shoot your way out of most situations granted your aim is on point. Forget mechanical skill, no one cares about how good you can utilize and piece of plastic. The only nugget of non-tangible value gamers can hope to gain out of so-called "time wasting" video games is personal (intellectual) growth. For example: comprehending a good narrative, or seeing the outcome of your decision making. This is the true purpose behind game design that makes it all worth while
Mechanical skill is important but once your reach a level where everyone is a mechanical god, game sense becomes the most important attribute and is why you see players like Rapha, Dahang, and Winz being able to switch between games and still be towards the upper echelon of players in those games and in team games are typically in roles that require better positioning and ability/item management. Also, I like your as above so below logic there. Also, it is nice to see a youtube channel came to the same conclusion I came to on my own just from studying competitive fps games.
Mark browns 'game makers toolkit' series is amazing I don't see how it has to do with as above so below philosophy. AASB can mean one of two things in my umderstanding it. One being, learning something about one system can teach you something about another system. The other being, life is infinite in every direction, meaning there is no ultimate axiom and everyone can be their own God
This made me realize that all my maps have been exclusively tailored to mechanics and have mostly excluded decision making. Even my midship clone has too much micro geometry in the wrong places. Eye opening. Much wow. Such forge.