Progressed to Lead Game Designer at EA and BioWare.
Currently the Economy Design Director for Marvel Strike Force at Scopely.
🎯 Focus: Discussing the intricacies of economy design in live-service games and how it impacts player retention.
The Role of an Economy Design Director
📊 Continuous Economy Balancing:
Ongoing need to adjust the game economy even after launch.
Live data allows for more informed, data-driven decisions.
🛠️ Balancing Different Game Stages:
Early Game: Focus on onboarding and hooking players.
Minimal economy adjustments; more about pacing and feature unlocks.
Mid Game: Often overlooked but crucial for player progression.
Aim to shorten mid-game duration to get players to the engaging endgame faster.
End Game: Most engaging content with deep social connections.
Requires ongoing economy adjustments to keep content fresh and challenging.
Building Relationships Between Rewards
🔗 Importance of Relationships:
Establishing meaningful relationships between different rewards simplifies balancing.
Helps players understand the value of various resources relative to each other.
📐 Modeling Player Personas:
Use player behavior data to create personas that inform economy design.
Adjust rewards based on typical player sessions and activities.
💡 Example: In a city builder, calculate resource generation not based on total possible time but on realistic player login patterns.
Progression Curves in Hero Collection RPGs
🚀 Designing the Curve:
Early game progression should be quick to encourage experimentation.
Introduce tiers where lower tiers become easier as players progress to higher ones.
🔄 Focus vs. Spread:
Focus: Players concentrating on leveling one hero.
Spread: Players leveling a team or multiple heroes.
Balance the economy to accommodate both playstyles.
📊 Planning for the Future:
Anticipate long-term game evolution to avoid pitfalls.
Incorporate systems that allow for scalability and introduction of new mechanics.
Economy Design in Looter Shooters
🎯 Player Motivation:
Primary goal is to eliminate enemies faster (improving DPS).
Progression is measured by time-to-kill metrics rather than abstract power levels.
📈 Power Curve:
Early game offers significant power increases.
Endgame progression focuses on incremental improvements and horizontal progression (build variety).
Economy Design in City Builders
🏗️ Progression and Motivation:
Players aim to build and upgrade their bases.
Social elements and clan participation become crucial at higher levels.
💰 Managing Player Spend:
Early purchases offer substantial value, but perceived value may decrease over time.
Introduce consumables and social spending to maintain player engagement and spending habits.
🌐 Social Integration:
Encourage clan activities and cooperative play to enhance retention.
Social features can offset the diminishing returns of individual progression.
Personalizing the Player Experience
🎯 Tailoring Content:
Adjust quests and rewards based on player progression stages.
Ensure fairness in social and multiplayer settings by standardizing certain experiences.
🔄 Flexibility in Design:
Create systems that are adaptable to different player behaviors.
Use modular "LEGO blocks" in design to allow for future adjustments and additions.
Tips for Economy Design in Live Games
📊 Data-Driven Decisions:
Continuously analyze player data to refine the economy.
Be prepared to adjust assumptions based on actual player behavior.
🧩 Planning for Scalability:
Design core loops and systems that can scale over time.
Anticipate future content and leave room for expansion.
🤝 Player Generosity:
Be generous with rewards to maintain player satisfaction.
Plan for inflation and increase rewards over time to keep pace with player expectations.
Final Advice on Retention
👥 Understand Player Personas:
Deeply understand player motivations and tailor experiences accordingly.
Map out short-term, mid-term, and long-term goals to align with retention strategies.
🎯 Goal Completion Correlation:
Retention is closely linked to players achieving their in-game goals.
Ensure that players can progress toward their objectives to keep them engaged.
Conclusion
🔑 Key Takeaway: Effective economy design is essential for player retention in live-service games. By understanding player behaviors and motivations, designers can create economies that keep players engaged over the long term.
