ComplexActionsOnlyOnce

Performing an identical, complex, series of actions more than once can become tedious

Bob_Bates? calls out this idea in Game_Design:_SotS?, in the context of puzzle games: "Don't make the player perform a complex action twice. Once he has completed the steps to a puzzle, if he needs to do it again give him a single input that will perform the entire sequence."

• The_Legend_of_Zelda? series uses this well; haven gotten through an area, you either acquire an item (PrivilegedMove) that makes traversing it (and other places) easier, or a shortcut back out is provided.

A completely general rule this is not; Tetris?, for instance, would surly be ruined if you never replayed the lower levels to get back in the grove before tackling the harder ones.

CategoryGoodIdea | CategoryNeedsWork?