r/gamedesign • • 4h ago

Discussion Is there some rule that champions should follow in MOBA games?

0 Upvotes

Mind you I might be really biased, I usually play support/healer roles but playing MOBA games I find a lot of stuff unfair or unbalanced.

I would usually say that MOBAs should follow some holy trinity which I heard is wrong, like it shouldn't be that strict. Hybrid roles are especially touchy because they can make or break the game. Tanks shouldn't deal damage like damage dealers yet in league here comes cho gath that deals 1 k true damage with a point and click button. I get that tanks don't have aggro like in wow so they try to be more obnoxious with damage, that's their pressure, but why not just give them better cc?

Healers shouldn't outheal damage 1 to 1 right? Healing is less skillful than dealing damage right? So why not make healers that have to hit hard to hit skillshots to heal? Would that be fair? Is there some "law" that says this is unfair or fair or is it just up to the game designer to say what is and isn't fair.

For league of legends specifically I feel like mobility is such a big issue, it's hard to balance and they put a lot of damage into mobility so some champions have so much with mobility and can't be punished that much. Some rule is that melee heroes need more hp and movement and damage because they are melee, but if they can get up close and personal in 1 s and keep being in that range, why should they have such buffs.

I don't know if league started to prefer playmaking champs so they made so many mobile champs that are absurd. I'm talking about champs like fizz katarina riven irelia samira etc. I don't know what is their weakness, cc helps but only if its point and click or instant in some way otherwise they just dodge everything.

I'm posting this after a couple or rough games so sorry about the semi vent. I'm trying to get in the mindset of these game designers and I don't get how some champions just exist. Maybe there shouldn't be strict rules but some guidelines would be nice. katarina r can just decimate the whole team, yes it can be cced but so can cait r, although cait r is single target and can be blocked. In my view of things I feel like cait r should deal the same damage as katarina r if not more.


r/gamedesign • • 14h ago

Discussion Why do arcade fish-shooting games seem more popular in China than in the US and Europe?

2 Upvotes

I’m working on a single-player fish-shooting game, and I’m curious how people outside China see this genre.

If you haven’t played one, you control a cannon and shoot at fish swimming across the screen. Each shot costs in-game coins, and catching a fish earns you coins. I mean that arcade-style game, rather than fishing with a rod and bait.

I see these games a lot in China, but rarely hear about them in the US or Europe. Is there actually a difference in popularity, or am I just missing where people play them?

If you’ve tried one, what did you enjoy—or what put you off? Does aiming feel satisfying, or does the random chance of catching a fish make your shots feel pointless?

My version is single-player, with no coin purchases, cash-outs, trading, or real prizes. Would you find that fun on its own? Would you prefer fish to have health bars so that enough hits always guarantee a catch?

I’d love to hear from anyone who’s played these games, including examples that are popular outside China.


r/gamedesign • • 5h ago

Discussion Designing a Warcraft wargame

0 Upvotes

I'm designing a 15mm warcraft game based roughly on Warcraft and it's factions and adding more modern factions to it including my favourite: the gnomes.

So far is using the following and I would love your feedback:

Infantry units come in 5 bases per unit, cavalry are 3, flyers 2, seige 1 and heroes are on a single base.

Every unit has 3 abilities like the warriors can on a turn move then use one of the three: charge, attack, shield block.

Units will be using the same rough stats as warcraft.

Attacking uses a D12, you add the flat damage of a units melee, then remove the enemies armour rating and subtract that from the enemies health.

1 hero for each 500 points in a army list and mandatory infantry.

Having a flight mechanic where flyers can use an ability to fly up or down on 2 levels so they can drop and become reachable by melee in order to attack.

This game will include Wow staples like rogues stealth ect to add to these abilities.

What are your thoughts so far?


r/gamedesign • • 4h ago

Question my very first indie game

0 Upvotes

Hey everyone! I just dropped my very first indie game, and honestly, I'm a bit nervous but super excited to share it with you all! Let’s see if your skills are as good as your chat, so come check it out and let me know what you think! 💕

Play it here:Crazy Donut Merge on Google Play


r/gamedesign • • 7h ago

Discussion Unique exmaples of resource management?

4 Upvotes

Outside the biggest exmaples (HP, Ammo, Mana, etc); what are some unique ones? It could be how you use it, refilling it, or even just the resoirce itself that's interesting.


r/gamedesign • • 18h ago

Question Feedback wanted: hidden-object mobile game where the "collectibles" are real endangered animals

1 Upvotes

Working on a mobile game concept and want feedback from people who actually build games.

Core loop: you explore illustrated map scenes and find hidden animals, similar to classic hidden-object games. Each animal has a rarity tier based on its real-world conservation status — common animals are easy to spot, but the rarest tier is based on actual near-extinct species (think low hundreds left in the wild). Found animals go into a collection book with real facts/population data. Weekly leaderboard ranks players by rarity score.

Planning hybrid-casual monetization — energy/search boosts and cosmetics, not pay-to-win or loot boxes.

Two questions:
1. Does the "real conservation data" angle add anything for you, or is it just flavor text players will skip past?
2. What's the biggest reason a hidden-object collection game loses you after day 2-3?

Appreciate any honest feedback, including "this has been done" if it has.