Alan's Quick Save
Alan's Quick Save
  • 5
  • 63 627
Why Every Game Has A Skill Tree & Ways To Make Them Fun
I love skill trees but does every game really need a skill tree? In this video essay I'll try to figure out why skill trees are so prevalent in gaming, and why many players seem to be over this mechanic now. We'll look at a bunch of games and analyze their designs to see why some of them are great, while other's are lacklustre.
I hope this video can help other designers out with their own process, or be entertaining for the hardcore gamers out there that just want to learn more about mechanics that we sometimes take for granted.
At the end, I'll be sharing my own design process too and how I came up with the skill tree system for my game Secrets of Shadows.
This is the second entry of a series I'm calling "Finding the Fun", where we take an in-depth look at mechanics or games to see what exactly makes them so fun.
During the research and making of these vids, I always end up learning a lot. I think skill trees still have a lot of room for development in terms of their creativity and application. I know a good portion of you guys are TTRPG designers and I looked at a lot of how you guys designed skill trees for this video, so shout outs to all the TTRPG gamers out there :)
WISHLIST SECRETS OF SHADOWS HERE
store.steampowered.com/app/3111150/Secrets_of_Shadows
Chapters:
0:00 Preview
0:44 Origin & Definition
2:52 Purpose of Skill Trees
6:08 Underwhelming Examples
10:45 3 Really Good Skill Trees
10:56 Efficient: GOW: Ragnarok
12:35 Ambitious: Path of Exile
14:35 Hybrid: Monster Hunter World
16:33 My Design Process
#gamedesign #skilltree #rpg #videoessay #gamedev
Featuring
Assassin's Creed Odyssey
Assassin's Creed Valhalla
God of War: Ragnarok
Baldur's Gate 3
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
Monster Hunter World
Path of Exile
Fire Emblem
The Last of Us 2
Diablo 2
Witcher 3
Final Fantasy IV
Secrets of Shadows is a 2D turn-based tactical RPG with unique classes and deep character customization. Explore a mystifying world inspired by Japanese mythology as you slay yokai and restore corrupted spirits. Shape your own stories and strengthen the bonds within your party.
📧business inquiries: bigal1.jungogym@gmail.com
Переглядів: 7 925

Відео

Analyzing 4 Types of Critical Hits (And How I Design My Tactics RPG)
Переглядів 49 тис.Місяць тому
This is my first video essay or deep dive analysis on RPGs. The first topic is all about Critical Hits, a staple in the RPG genre. By the end of this video, you’ll understand the true purpose of critical hits, and why you love them in some games, but hate them in other games. This will be the start of a series where I share my takes on designing mechanics for RPGs and games in general. I hope t...
Was Steam's Turn-based RPG Fest Worth It As An Indie Dev? | Devlog #2
Переглядів 5 тис.Місяць тому
Steam's Turn-based RPG Fest just wrapped up, so I'm gonna share the results! As a first time indie developer on steam, entering festivals seems to be one of the better ways to gain wishlists organically. I wanted to see how my game stacked up compared to other upcoming games in this festival. I entered this without a publisher, with no demo. More experienced devs seem to think this festival was...
5 Mistakes I Made as a Pixel Art Game Dev | Devlog #1
Переглядів 9672 місяці тому
The second devlog for Secrets of Shadows, a smaller update this time as I don't have enough material ready for recording... the next update will be big. To make up for this, I decided to reflect on the mistakes I've made throughout development and turned it into 5 lessons that newer developers trying to use pixel art can enjoy and apply to their own games. Many of these tips don't apply just to...
Making My First Tactics RPG | Devlog #0
Переглядів 3 тис.3 місяці тому
The first of many devlogs (hopefully) for Secrets of Shadows. Sharing some of my design philosophy around making indie games, as well as some future goals and timelines that I'm sure will sound hilarious when I revisit them in the future The best way of supporting me right now would just be the regular youtube stuff (like comment subscribe), but if you want to go a step further.. WISHLIST SECRE...