Competence Areas

Game entities have or can develop areas of specialty within a game.

This pattern is a still a stub.

Games where player cooperate with each other or even with the game system often require different types of skills. When players can train on one particular set of skill this allows them to become specialists with their own Competence Areas.

Examples

Class-based multiplayer first-person shooters such as Team Fortress Classic or Return to Castle Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory allows players to play one class and develop their expertise as a member of that class.

Using the pattern

A major design choice for Competence Areas is if the game entities with the competences represent different players or are a group of resources available to one player.

Competence Areas require a Multiplayer Game that supports Team Play and Cooperation. Giving players areas of expertise from the beginning of gameplay can be done by Privileged Abilities while Competence Areas can arise from New Abilities or Improved Abilities during gameplay, often implemented as improved or new Skills of Characters. Competence Areas can emerge from open-ended actions such as Construction when they provide Creative Control but is difficult to guarantee by a game design.

When players can affect what abilities they receive during gameplay this allows for Planned Character Development and Team Development, although it might have a negative effect on Team Balance. This allows players to have Varied Gameplay by developing different Competence Areas in different game instances, and can allow Team Balance as players can react to strength of other teams and develop Competence Areas to counter these strengths.

Can Be Instantiated By

Equipment Slots, Improved Abilities, Multiplayer Games, New Abilities, Orthogonal Differentiation, Sidegrades, Skills, Tools, Weapons

Characters together with Player-Planned Development

Can Be Modulated By

Cooperation

Polyathlons requires players to specialize in a small number of Competence Areas, or be above average in all Competence Areas.

Consequences

Competence Areas change the importance of Characters and Units in games since they have functionally specialized abilities; this is only indirect for Avatars since when these are used it is the players that have the actual competence. The possibility of attaining Competence Areas during gameplay give players Gain Competence goals.

In Single-Player Games, Competence Areas between different types of Units or between Characters can support Freedom of Choice between different tactics and allow the possibility a greater variety of Team Combos. In Multiplayer Games, Competence Areas can provide players with Empowerment as well as Game-Induced Player Social Status. When Cooperation exist, the Competence Areas can lead to more formalized Functional Roles between the players.

Relations

Can Instantiate

Empowerment, Gain Competence, Game-Induced Player Social Status

with Cooperation

Functional Roles

Can Modulate

Characters, players, Units

Can Be Instantiated By

Equipment Slots, Improved Abilities, Multiplayer Games, New Abilities, Orthogonal Differentiation, Sidegrades, Skills, Tools, Weapons

Characters together with Player-Planned Development

Can Be Modulated By

Cooperation

Possible Closure Effects

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Potentially Conflicting With

Ability Losses

History

An updated version of the pattern Competence Areas that was part of the original collection in the book Patterns in Game Design.

Acknowledgements

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