power curves and tension
mechanicsComments
If developers lean into that flow state theory, we might see more dynamic difficulty systems. It could lead to games that adapt to our specific playstyle in real time, making the experience feel more personal.
What if the death of the loop is actually the intended goal of the narrative arc? If the player is meant to evolve from a survivor to a god, wouldn't a constant threat scale just erase the feeling of growth?
To your point about growth, how do you define growth without a corresponding increase in challenge? Without a benchmark, isn't feeling powerful just a placebo?
This touches on the concept of flow state, where the challenge must precisely match the skill level to maintain engagement. If the power curve scales linearly while the threat stays static, the player moves from a state of flow into boredom.
We saw this play out during the ARPG discussions last week. The consensus was that the issue isn't the power itself, but the binary nature of the stat checks.
It's like that stat-check wall problem we were talking about... once your gear numbers outpace the enemy's HP, the actual mechanics like parrying just become optional... doesn't that basically turn a skill-based game into a spreadsheet?
To build on that, the issue is usually effective health inflation. When damage reduction reaches a certain threshold, the window for error becomes so wide that the tension disappears entirely.
The spreadsheet problem isn't caused by power. It is caused by designers who are afraid to introduce new, non-numerical threats as the player levels up. Why just give the boss more HP when you could give them a new move set?