There are many different types of game modes that you can choose to introduce into your game. As more devices are introduced that support gaming, more game modes are created. For example, when console games started, there was no concept of online gaming. As time grew, console developers introduced online and social gaming which added many different game mode abilities.
This purpose of our discussion here is not to cover every single game mode possible, but instead, to get you thinking about different types of game modes available. That way you can choose the right game modes that best support your core loop.
Let’s look at some example game modes in the market today.
Single Player vs Multiplayer
Our first example will be deciding whether or not support single player game modes and/or multiplayer games modes.
Think of the older Nintendo games where you played a level by yourself. If you lost, you restarted, etc. A lot of common puzzlers or casual games take a single player game mode approach. The reason being is that the game in question may not have strong competitive elements or may not have the need to be online playing against others.
What makes multiplayer games unique is their ability to have two or more characters playing on screen at the same time. Each character can be played by a different player allowing for a group play effect.
Multiplayer games can take different approaches to displaying the gameplay. Some games may have a split screen where each player has their own view into the game. For example Nintendo 64’s Goldeneye or Mario Cart. Other games may show 1 screen with all characters on the same screen at the same time, such as Mortal Combat or Smash Brothers.
If you choose to support multiplayer, think about side effects to your design that might need to be worked out.
- How to display the screen to users?
- What happens when a user drops off?
- Does the core loop or game actions make sense for multiplayer. (I.e. a multiplayer puzzler might not make sense).
Whether you choose single player or multiplayer (or both) should be based upon the core loop of your game and what you want the primary experience to be. Some games may work great with competition, others may not.
Online vs Offline
Whether to support offline vs online play has a great deal to do with the type of game you are creating. For example, if you are creating a match-3 game, that is a game that makes sense to be played by yourself. For that reason there is not much need for online support. By contrast, if you are playing a racing game, there may be great value and depth added by playing against real players in an online fashion.
Supporting online play introduces a great number of technical challenges and costs. A very large technical infrastructure needs to be built up in order to support the game play.
Online play also limits your users. For example, when users are commuting and playing your game, they may have spotty reception and are unable to compete well in an online mode.
Online play creates a lot of edge cases to deal with. Such as what to do when a user loses internet connectivity. You will want to think of how to deal with these scenarios as you work through your game design
Choosing the right mode
The game modes you choose need to complement the core loop of and experience desired for your game. If they detract or conflict with your core loop, then it will be very difficult to find success.
