back when i was like 20 i was some kind of gameplay purist, like, "oh, graphics are pointless, only gameplay matters". probably a reactionary rejection of AAA focus on fidelity, y'know, and i was still extremely inexperienced and young and foolish. we all make mistakes in our 20s
i unlearned that over the years but it still crept in, in places. when i was designing attack patterns for bosses in Bossgame, i tried to give each boss at least two "basic" attacks, that is, the kind of filler attack that isn't showy or super complex, but comes out fast, keeps you on your toes, and threatens your resources
for a while i was determined to make the rhythm of every basic attack unique, because i was sure it was crucial to the identity of the boss. like, certain bosses need fast chain attacks, some bosses need tricky delays, some bosses need big slow swings - obviously, it should suit their visual design and personality and so on
so i designed a bunch of quick little "patterns" for these filler attacks:
hit - hit
hit - pause - hit
hit - swap sides - hit
hit - hit - pause - hit
hit - hit - swap sides - hit hit
you get the idea
but making 40+ basic attacks is HARD. there's only so many ways to mix up hits and pauses before you're either getting into super long chains that are frustrating to learn, or it's so complex that it's no longer a "basic" attack. add in the fact that i wanted alternate "trickier" basic attacks for bosses with multiple phases, etc...
it got kind of messy and ridiculous. so eventually i was like... you know, i can probably re-use some of these, and simply hide the fact that the pattern is the same with unique visuals and audio
and would you know it, this just works lmao
of course it does!! even if it feels the same to you, the omniscient designer, even if you know the player has to block both attacks with the same timing, the player is not thinking about the game in those terms!! at least not consciously. they're seeing a totally unique attack! one is a swordswoman slicing her sword three times while the other is a fashionista pummeling you with three parasol projectiles! though the "gameplay" part of it is the same, though you press the buttons the same way, the feeling is unique because the aesthetic is unique, the mood is different. like, yea, you would get caught if you made 17 attacks use the same pattern, but no one is going to notice if you reuse something as intangible as "attack timings" with new aesthetic and in a new situation. the art, the sound, the different context, it all makes the attack new, even if it's the same.
anyway. weird little mental block i learned how to beat during Bossgame's dev. felt real smart figuring that one out!
this is a great point about game design and game dev about cognitive load in games.
i was playing Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon which is a fun and bouncy game -- it's free on phones if you have a Netflix subscription, but I eventually caved and got it on the Switch because it almost demands that kind of speed and precision
learning to play this game is exhausting. every level has at least 3 enemies and these all have really interesting and unique mechanics. you're also blazing through levels in like, under two minutes.
as a result in the span of a few levels your brain is being tossed through the washing machine because there's "retaliates melee attacks every 3 turns" "requires bumping another world object to become vulnerable", "blocks in direction it first received damage"
it levels off later but there's really something to be said for the way "filler" creates contrast against the more interesting bespoke conent.
