So I was reading fellow game designer
Mike Darga's blog and he posted a few guidelines that will improve any game.
1. If you want to change your players' behavior, you need to change your game design.
2. The game must teach the player what the game expects the player to know.
3. The game should never teach the player to do something the player is expected not to do.
4. Whatever actions the player will perform the most often must be the easiest actions to perform.
I agree with all the former guidelines and am going to add a few of my own.
5. Familiarity is not necessarily a bad thing: Example: while at EA we were designing a 3rd person shooter and were mapping the controller mechanics and behavior. During our play testing we noticed people were comparing our game to Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 and were distressed in the fact that our controller mapping didn't follow a similar layout as MOW2. So we took a step back and remapped our controller mechanics in a similar fashion with MOW 2's layout and each of the testers had a much more enjoyable experience. Drafting off a successful mechanic is not necessarily a bad thing and can make your life that much easier and your game that much more successful.
6. If your target demographic is 13-30, then target 13: We always expect our players to know too much and always assume they will "just get it". Trust me, this is not always the case. Always target the lowest portion of your demographic and your game will be that much more successful. It is always the case when you try to assume too much from your players where we create road blocks and frustration points that create negative experiences for the player.
7. A friendly reminder is always the best medicine: This is in addition to number 6. There are numerous games that I have played where they just assume you will remember a simple combat, driving, flying, etc mechanic. But the fact of the matter is most people will take a short break from your game and then have to relearn your game's behaviors the next time they return. Assistance motivators are the answer for this quandary. Lot's of games now will guide your through basic mechanics while you play the game. But we can build it smarter, we can build in timers that know the length of your vacation and then reintroduce you to the game leisurely.
8. Design for the unexpected: This has to be one of the biggest pitfalls of game design and is in continuation of 6 & 7. Game exploitation is a fact that most designers do not account for and are not cognizant of. If there is the smallest possibility that an exploit can be achieved, trust me, a player will find it. A good example is the Call of Duty series. In Modern Warfare 2 balancing and camping was a huge problem and it wasn't until Black Ops came out where they fixed all those issues. A player shouldn't have to wait for an entirely new game to fix major issues such as balancing and level camping. So a good rule of thumb is to design for the exploiter in mind from the off set and you will have a much more enjoyable experience.
9. Simplify mechanics that normally frustrate players: Almost all games rely on old game play mechanics. Since that is the case there is no reason to reinvent the wheel since most likely you game will have a handful of it's own new mechanics. But not all games just let a good thing settle. They try to tweak the old mechanics in hopes they can improve it when in the end they just make it worse. The rule of thumb here should be don't add to the mechanic only subtract. Simplify the mechanic so the player can execute it easier therefore enhancing the game play experience instead of hindering it.
10. Design it to break: If you are not pushing the boundaries of your tech, story and design then you are doing yourself a disservice as well as your consumer. Always think outside the box and push your tech to it's breaking point. It is here where you will find what you are really made of. It is also here where you will find the most reward once it all gets figured out. Trust me, it is at the breaking point where the best things come to light.
