Suppose the game was designed so that after achieving a goal, you get an unexpected bonus ability with awesome synergy with the character, no matter how the character had been developed up to that point? As a game designer, ignoring the difficulty of realizing such a design, how would you say the Fun-theoretic potential of this scenario stacks up?
Well, that is even worse, because essentially, you just took the choice away from player. No matter what he chooses, he’ll always get some cool abilities.
This rule of thumb is overly broad as stated. It would rule out poker, “fog of war” in RTS games, etc.
That’s a general rule of thumb, NOT an unbreakable pillar of game design. There may be, and usually are, other considerations. “Fog of war”, for example, generally means unpleasant surprises for the player, but it is still a viable game mechanic in some cases.
Well, that is even worse, because essentially, you just took the choice away from player. No matter what he chooses, he’ll always get some cool abilities.
That’s a general rule of thumb, NOT an unbreakable pillar of game design. There may be, and usually are, other considerations. “Fog of war”, for example, generally means unpleasant surprises for the player, but it is still a viable game mechanic in some cases.