Class Activity 1:

This is an activity for class. We need to select a game we’ve played and enjoyed, summarise its Core Pillars and Loops, and write them down. I’ve chosen a game I’ve been playing recently – Monster Hunter. The left-hand side of this sheet summarises the game’s Core Pillars. The right-hand side outlines two Loops.

1. 3 Core Pillars of Monster Hunter

According to my understanding, the Pillar is the ‘cornerstone’ of game design – that is, the core gameplay mechanics.

2. Core Loops and Meta Loops of Monster Hunter

Notice：

Core game loop：

Core Game Loops handle moment-to-moment, highly repeatable player actions within the game – its core mechanics, decisions, and possibility space. They deal with shorter-term goals, and the player repeats these loops multiple times to make permanent progress. In Hades II, defeating enemies and advancing through levels form its core game loop.

Meta gme loop:

Meta Game Loops handle the repeatable actions outside the core
gameplay – long-term progression, motivation systems, medium to long-term goals, feature unlocking, story progress, permanent ownership, and more. In Hades II, upgrading your abilities, unlocking new weapons, and advancing relationships are part of the meta game loop

Player action:

List the core set of actions that the player will be performing and connect them. Optionally, include a one-sentence description of the action with any vital information. This ensures that people who are not embedded in the project can understand your loop

Recouese Flow:

Under each action and description, list the flow of resources resulting from those actions. Note down any resources gained and spent. This gives a sense of progression flow towards player goals, allowing the designer to map time units to resources. Optionally,
include an icon for readability

Class Activity 2:

Tursday Presentation:

Pillars development：

Compared to the first PowerPoint, I expanded from three pillars to four and revised the content of each pillar. Firstly, I retained player character customisation and festival celebrations. Secondly, I clarified the player’s primary objective: preparing celebratory dishes. While this remains a party game incorporating various mini-games, the player’s objective is now defined: to complete the cooking of dishes. During the cooking process, players must accomplish this through various mini-games. In the initial concept, each mini-game was unrelated, and players lacked a clear goal to achieve. Following the changes, all mini-games are interconnected, with every game serving the ultimate objective.

Reflection：

The core game loop requires a keyword rather than a sentence, as a sentence cannot directly pinpoint the key elements. Therefore, I have revised the Core game loop to: Collecting – Cooking and Decorating – Celebrating – Restart (awaiting the next festival’s arrival).

Moodboard 1：

Moodboard 2：

Comment on my PowerPoint and the game with my answers：