Critical path

From DmWiki

A critical path is the path of a game that the player can use to finish the game in the shortest amount of time and effort.

Critical paths are very important for people who just want to finish the game, but there are some issues with critical path creation.

First off, the critical path has to give the player enough "experience" - be it weapons, actual XP or NPC helpers, to be able to finish the game to their satisfaction. For example, Baldur's Gate II allows players to take it easy throughout the game, but when they meet the boss they are a few levels below where they are supposed to be, and are therefore unable to win.

On the other hand, however, one must be sure to make the critical path easy enough for the player to feel as though they are advancing - without making the critical path the easy way to get XP and loot.

There is no definitive method to make an enjoyable and rewarding critical path, but here are a few tips:

• Give good story interaction. If the player feels that they are progressing quickly in the story, it doesn't really matter how long it takes. As long as the critical path has regular updates to the story, many twists and quirks are possible.
• Provide many scripted sequences and variation to gameplay. For example, if your game is a squad-based FPS, give the player a vehicle so that the gameplay can change, or lose the squad for a level. If you have an RPG, set the protaganist in charge of setting up the defenses for an incoming attack, giving an RTS style of gamplay.
• Place all the best items off the critical path. However, enough items must be placed on the cirtical path that the game can be finished without too much trouble.
• Don't make the critical path too long. A good balance is about 30 hours of gamplay for the critical path, more for subplots or side routes.