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Jerry Wang
Level Design
How to Make Resource Management Fun and Challenging in Survival Games
“ Storm Island ” is a survival challenge level created with Fallout 4 Creation Kit . In this level , the player is trapped on an island ravaged by radiation storm . They must gather resources to craft life-sustaining items , build safe houses , and travel within the island while seeking a way to escape . To adjust the difficulty and flow of the game , I modified the resource system in Fallout 4 by reducing the overall types of resources available , making recipes for craftable items more complicated , and manipulating the amount of life sustaining items a player can acquire .
I also studied cognitive load theory to measure the potential burden that my design could have on a player ’ s mind . In short , creating a healthy level of cognitive load evokes a player ’ s thought activity and makes them feel challenged . However , too much load will cause stress and make the player feel the game is no longer fun . To find that healthy balance , I
first worked on reducing extraneous load caused by distraction by limiting common , unessential resources so the player ’ s mind could be free to process information related to rare , essential resources . Intrinsic load created by the complexity of the subject itself should also remain low , so I ensured that most of the resources I picked would be well understood by players within their common knowledge . Germane load , the working memory used to learn new information , should be maintained so there ’ s enough new things to keep players interested . For this , I created several powerful craftable items and rare essential resources to craft them .
This study successfully concluded several best practices for resource management design in survival games , with regard to quantities and types of resources needed . This data can serve as a valuable reference for future survival game designers .
46 LEVEL DESIGN