MDDN 243: Initial Mechanics

Tile Matching/Match 3:

Tile Matching game mechanics have been around since the the late 1980’s, with games like Tetris significantly increasing their popularity. In the example of Tetris, players must maneuver blocks of different shapes and sizes to match up lines of blocks, which then causes them to be eliminated from the game. This system of matching block or tiles to eliminate lines is common with this style of gameplay, and has led to a more specific tile matching mechanic, the match 3 mechanic, which involves matching groups of three or more tiles of the same colour or shape in order to progress to the next stage or level, or increase a players score.

An example of a game that uses this mechanic is Zuma. In Zuma the player controls a rotating frog that sits in the middle of the screen, that must fire coloured balls at a line of coloured balls that is continuously progressing to the end of the level. The player must eliminate the entire line of balls before it reaches the end, by matching the coloured ball it shoots from its mouth with the balls in the line, with balls only being eliminated if three or more of the same coloured ball are touching.

Other examples would be the games Bejeweled and Candy Crush. Both games work in very similar ways; the player must manipulate tiles (which are in his case either gems or candy) and match identical tiles to progress to the next stage, with the goal of Bejeweled being to get the highest score possible in the set time limit, and the goal of Candy Crush being to get different baking ingredients that show up in the game to the bottom of the screen in a set number of moves.

This mechanic is often combined with many other game mechanics and features in order to create challenging 

and dynamic gameplay, such as time limits and power-ups.

Crafting:

The crafting game mechanic involves players collecting items in order to mix them together using recipes or blueprints to create entirely new objects, or upgraded versions of objects the player previously owned.

Crafted items are often used to acquire materials that are previously unavailable, and to collect these materials to craft even better equipment. For example in Minecraft the player can use a stone pickaxe to mine for iron, and then craft an iron pickaxe in order to mine diamond to create a diamond pickaxe.

An example of crafting to upgrade equipment or weapons is the Dead Space games. In Dead Space 2 the player collects Nodes which can then be crafted in a work bench  to upgrade weapons, for example increasing their power or reload speed. This was expanded upon in Dead Space 3, in which the player finds parts and then combines them in the workbench, with each part adding a specific and unique feature to the gun.

Crafting mechanics can be essential to a players progress through a game. If they don’t upgrade or craft new items, they will find progress difficult in many cases, due to them having weaker armour or equipment than is required to continue with the game.

Collection:

Collection mechanics encourage players to collect in game items or creatures. Collectibles are usually recorded in a catalogue of some kind in-game so they player can easily access the list and check what they have acquired so far, and what they still have to collect. They can also be used for customization, and upgrades, among other things. Collectibles are found in many different styles and genres of games, and can be present in many shapes and forms.

Collectibles can have many different purposes. In the Sonic the Hedgehog games, there are collectible rings which act as protection from damage, in RTS games such as Rise of Nations or starcraft, the collectibles are resources used to produce and improve units, and in Team Fortress 2,  collectibles come in the form of hats and weapons that the player can use to completely customise their loadout and appearance.

The collection mechanic in games is also commonly used with achievement or reward mechanics. In games such as Saint Row 3 and Batman Arkham City, the player can collect certain items from around the city, and once all of them have been acquired the player then gets an achievement. This encourages the player to take the time to fully explore the map, and rewards players at the same time.