Tick-Based Games

The one-sentence "definition" that should be in italics.

This pattern is a still a stub.

Examples

Anti-Examples

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Using the pattern

Designing games so that the game state is updated at regular intervals is typically done so The Show Must Go On, both for games with Asynchronous and Synchronous Gameplay. Dedicated Game Facilitators are typically needed to enforce, or at least inform players, when ticks should occur. Ticks can also be created locally for players or for actions. Spawning does this for players after their Avatars or Player Characters have died while Cooldown do this for actions.

Tick-Based Games need to limit the number of actions players can do each tick to be meaningful, but Action Caps can be used to not limit this to one action per tick. Seen in another perspective, Tick-Based Games can be seen as putting Time Limits on Budgeted Action Points. While Tick-Based Games in general create Time Limits in games, they can also be modified by Time Limits in the sense that the game may only last a specific number of ticks.

Drop-In/Drop-Out

Can Be Modulated By

Always Vulnerable, Game Pauses, Persistent Game Worlds, Real-Time Games,

Can Modulate

Massively Single-Player Online Games can be made into Tick-Based Games to enforce Action Caps or Downtime on players.

Like in Real-Time Games, Tick-Based Games can make Events Timed to the Real World.

Consequences

Tick-Based Games allow players to do a limited number of action each tick, including No-Ops. Since this makes players have to perform actions within certain amount of time to not lose those actions, Tick-Based Games introduce Time Limits. When the time allotted to each tick is more than significant for planning and performing these actions, Tick-Based Games support a bounded Freedom of Choice of when to play, or phrased differently, Negotiable Play Sessions. This also supports a limited form of Interruptibility since players can interrupt their gameplay without negative effects if they have time to plan and perform necessary gameplay action before the tick occurs. However, if players want to play more than the can during a tick, Tick-Based Games leads to Downtime. Exaggerated Perception of Influence can be another consequence of Tick-Based Games in these cases where they have ample time to plan what to do.

Tick-Based Games that take place in Private Game Spaces support Asynchronous Gameplay. They limit the amount of Downtime a player can have to the length of a tick.

Relations

Can Instantiate

Downtime, Drop-In/Drop-Out, Events Timed to the Real World, Exaggerated Perception of Influence, Freedom of Choice, Interruptibility, Negotiable Play Sessions, No-Ops, The Show Must Go On

with Private Game Spaces

Asynchronous Gameplay, Freedom of Choice

Can Modulate

Asynchronous Gameplay, Budgeted Action Points, Downtime, Massively Single-Player Online Games, Synchronous Gameplay

Can Be Instantiated By

Cooldown, Dedicated Game Facilitators, Spawning, Time Limits

Can Be Modulated By

Action Caps, Always Vulnerable, Game Pauses, Persistent Game Worlds, Private Game Spaces, Real-Time Games, Time Limits

Possible Closure Effects

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Potentially Conflicting With

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History

An updated version of the pattern Tick-Based Games that was part of the original collection in the book Patterns in Game Design.

Acknowledgements

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