A little design checklist I keep coming back to. Before you spend a week implementing that cool new system, run it through these:
None of these are laws. Plenty of great games break all five. But knowing which one you are breaking, and why, is where design starts.
What is on your checklist? What questions do you wish you had asked before building something you later cut?
- What decision does it create? If the player never has to make an interesting choice because of it, it is decoration, not a mechanic.
- What does it replace? Every system competes for the player's attention. New mechanic, same brain budget.
- Can it fail? If there is no way to use it badly, there is no way to use it well either.
- Does it touch the core loop? Systems that only matter in one dungeon are usually not worth their maintenance cost.
- Would the game be worse without it? Be honest. "Neutral" means no.
None of these are laws. Plenty of great games break all five. But knowing which one you are breaking, and why, is where design starts.
What is on your checklist? What questions do you wish you had asked before building something you later cut?