4. The case against power creep

The case against power creep


  • I am approaching the point where I would like to implement a mechanism to harvest and deal with power resource. This has gotten me thinking about its role in the greater scheme of things.

    I am strongly advocating that power(hero) creeps NOT be developed.

    There is already a sharp difference between an empire with boosts and one without. It is likely that hero creeps will create another hard differentiating factor.

    In other words, hero creeps make the strong stronger and leave the weak weaker. They are likely to extend the effective range of veteran players and further restrict the possibilities younger players have.

    The implementation of this feature is literally a power creep:

    "Power creep is a process that sometimes occurs in games where new content (in this case cards) slowly outstrip the power of previous alternatives. This leads to players abandoning previous options in favor of the latest and more powerful alternatives, resulting in an inevitable increase in power throughout the game."

    http://hearthstone.gamepedia.com/Power_creep

    I am convinced the individuals who found the creativity to create this unique game, will find enough of it to come up with better game mechanics.

    The market system is a good example of a mechanic that has impact across all levels of development. It increases player interaction and enriches the user experience. That's the sort of thing you should be working on.

    What about working on:
    - diplomacy
    - inter AI communication
    - server performance (lower tick times)
    - better system feedback (cpu/memory over time)
    - destruction ranking (amount of killed creeps/structures)
    - military ranking (available military power)

    I realize some of these overlap with things already done by players or in development. I'm just throwing out stuff.

    Thoughts?


  • I'm writing this as a new player, still in a novice area.

    Unlike a card game, where there is only very limited progression, in a game like Screeps (vertical) progression is very important. You will get stronger over time, and this is a major factor in making this game fun. Imagine you would be limited to GCL 3 forever? However, the impact of progression slows over time; once you get a full set of minerals and a high enough GCL, you will be somewhat competitive with all other players, and the relative advantage evens out more and more over time.

    So I think what you're afraid of is whether this plateau will be set much higher, in that the very few players gathering a significant amount of power will immediately dominate anyone else around them. They probably will (if they don't aready do it). However I suppose the amount of power creeps you get per power point would diminish in a similar way to how the GCL increases, so there will be a similar plateau. Also, I expect that power creeps will not be much more powerful than boosted normal creeps, but will have some unique abilities.

    So in the end, even though power creeps will make the strong stronger, this difference will even out, as in the case with GCL and mineral boosts. How much advantage the power creeps should give remains to be discussed, and ultimately decided by the devs.


  • Thanks Saturn for the input you provide. You make a solid point.

    You are correct that I am afraid power creeps may create a new maximum potential of power for players which may cause an even fewer number of players to dominate the game.

    What I am really advocating for is to ensure that whatever mechanics are introduced are somehow accessible and relevant for a wider range of players, not just the top 10.

    Perhaps some of the next few features could be focused more on defensive capabilities rather then offensive ones.

    You are right however, it all depends on what the developers intend to do with the power creeps. It is simply important to make sure it doesn't become a power creep in itself.

  • Culture

    I'm on the fence about this post.

    I will say that if power creeps do not become a thing I think that the entire concept of power mining should stay in the game, since it's a pretty interesting concept that provides a nice challenge for the game at a higher level.

  • Culture

    Yes, let's continue to postpone a feature promised over 10 months ago...

    A) It's meant as a late game activity.

    😎 Vets will be stronger, just like in any game ever.

    C) If they had just introduced this sooner, certain people wouldn't be so ridiculously far ahead of others since the others would have had incentive even though certain people were just trying to find an output for the extra energy they have (which was taken when they implemented the cap on upgrading at RCL 8, to no real end)

     

    Boosts, markets, terminals, portals; all things that were designed and came into existence after power creeps were mentioned but before they've been implemented.

    What I'd be upset about is if they make power creeps stupidly useless for no real reason, or because of the pleas of a few (I don't think they'd do this). What I wouldn't be upset about is if they made power way more abundant than now once power creeps are released, allowing more noobs and others the chance to interact with them. That just makes things more fun.