[Official 2008 Game Design] Game Elements and Subtasks

[Kevin Sevcik]

Originally Posted by Karthik

Please, please do not have an overwhelming way to score points at the end of the match. Both in 2003 and 2007, the amount of points available to be scored at the end of the match was so large that it was able to overwhelm the efforts made by the other teams in the first 1:45. Coupled with this, these end of match points were much easier to achieve than the scoring methods for the rest of the match (Stacking & Ringing). As a result, many teams chose to focus on the end of match as their only way of scoring points.

These same teams, only being able to score points at the very end of the match, have only one choice for their actions for the initial 1:45 of the game. Defense. As a result, the 2003 and 2007 games as times degenerated into ugly bash fests. By no means do I want to see the elimination of defense, but I think that all games should be designed to promote offensive strategies, and showcase the engineering abilities of the teams. If teams analyze the game and realize it's easier to win a match by playing defense than offense, many teams will make the choice for defense, especially since it's inherently easier to play defense.

If you look at the 1999, 2000, 2005 & 2006 games as an example, we see games which had end of match bonuses which were much more in line with the main methods of scoring. The bonuses were valuable enough that they made a difference in close matches while providing an exciting finish, yet never overwhelmed normal match scoring. The 1999, 2000 & 2006 games were a great balance between offense and defense, and provided some of the most exciting matches in FIRST history.

Possible compromise? What if there was more than one super scoring end of game option, with one separate from the main goal of the rest of the round, and one tied in with the main goal. For example, this year, teams would have 3 polka dot rings they could enter onto the field in the last 20 seconds, which score 10 20 or 30 extra points based on the level they're placed on. This would give extra big scoring options to the mostly offensive teams. Though it might just encourage even more defense from ringing teams against teams that can't ramp or something. I think I'm forced to agree that large bonuses at the end of the game highly encourage defense for most of the game till those bonuses come up. However, I think this could go for ANY scoring method that can give teams a large lead at some point in the game. If you could score a 30 point ball early in the game, defending the rest of the time still makes sense. So, mostly, I think it comes down to a game balance issue, where anything that creates a large score swing needs to be carefully thought out.