The Gameplay Loop of Jungle Jim

What is a Loop?

     At it's core, a game is an engagement loop designed to repeatedly provide the player with dopamine, and to compel the player to continue playing with extrinsic and intrinsic motivations. The loop can be broken up into primary, secondary, and tertiary loops. The primary loop is what the player will be doing in the moment-to-moment. This is the core of what the player will be doing the entire game. The secondary loop is what the player will be doing in the minute-to-minute. This is where players are introduced to the extrinsic and intrinsic motivations of the game. These will feed back into the primary loop and repeat the cycle. The tertiary loop is what the player will be doing in the hour-to-hour. These are the overarching objectives the player will be completing and coming back for. 

     Below, you can see pictured the gameplay loop of Jungle Jim.

Jungle Jim's Gameplay Loop

     In Jungle Jim, the player is able to create their own movement styles. No matter what movement style the player creates, the primary loop is the same. The player will start by observing their environment and planning out their next route and actions. The player will then execute these series of events, and will be rewarded with surviving the challenge and receiving dopamine. When the challenge has moving elements, the player also have to continually observe and make new plans mid-execution, which will add a sense of tension and keep the player engaged. 

     The secondary loop consists of the player spending their collectables on things that will either feed back into the primary loop by allowing the player to try new things or by providing them more challenges to tackle.  The player spends their coin to rebuild establishments of the town. With these establishments, players can use coins to purchase cosmetics as well as use Totems to purchase new Idols. (Idols are equip able badges that alter the players movement kit.)  With Jungle Gems, the players can unlock new levels and eventually the boss for the current hub world. 

     The tertiary loop is the grand objectives that the player is aims to complete.  As the player unlocks Gems, more hub worlds open that feed back into the secondary and primary loop. Once the final hub is cleared, the final boss will be unlocked and the game can be completed. This is an extrinsic motivation. The player may also feel an intrinsic motivation to create the fastest ghost time they can, or to overcome a challenging ghost they download from the leaderboards. This feeds back into the secondary and primary loops. Achievements are also a factor to the game that will compel the player to try new things in order to unlock them all. Hidden within each mission is one secret collectable. By seeking these out, the player will unlock behind-the-scenes art and hidden developer levels. This is an extrinsic motivation for the player to go back to

Is this all there is to it?

No! Of course not!

...but it is important.

     In order for the game loop to really shine, there are certain filters it must pass through. 

According to former Game Designer at Activision Blizzard, Alexander Brazie, the building blocks of a strong core loop are as follows:

"

1. Clarity – without clarity, players won’t know how to interact
2. Motivation – without motivation, they won’t know where to go
3. Response – without response to a challenge, they will feel disengaged or disempowered
4. Satisfaction – without satisfaction, they won’t feel rewarded for their effort
   • Viscerality – without this, their emotions won’t be stimulated and rewarded
   • Strategy – without this, their mind won’t be stimulated and rewarded

    5. Fantasy – without the right fit between fantasy and gameplay, they won’t have the experience they came to enjoy

"

     Firstly is Clarity. If a gameplay loop is not apparent to the player, they will not actually engage in the loop. For instance, if I were to never show the player about unlocking levels or purchasing Idols, they will be less likely to be directed back into the primary loop. This will cause a lack of engagement with the game.  I have not gotten to the point in development where I can work on implementing the secondary loop in the actual project, but I will need to keep this in mind for when I do.

     Second is Motivation. If the player has no motivation to continue, they will not be compelled to go anywhere or do anything. I have paid attention to this by implementing both extrinsic and intrinsic motivations to the game. In addition to that, I feel like I have struck a good primary loop that naturally compels our target audience to seek it out again. I need to make sure I pay close attention to the players interests and boredom as I continue the game, as these kinds of players will need to actually feel a sense of challenge to feel motivated.  With the ghost system, I will also plan for players to continually create challenges themselves by uploading new goals on the leaderboard. 

    Third is Response. The wording on this one I don't think I completely understand, but what I believe this is talking about is similar to what was mentioned just above. The challenge is continually responding to the player's growth, and should give experienced players more of a challenge while letting less experienced players go at a slower paced difficulty curve. I have a few plans for implementing this. Firstly, I want to implement Game Maker's Toolkits "Three Pipes" design theory. By this, I mean that each mission will have optional routes that are more difficult than routes that are easier. This can be done by placing collectables further off the easy path or something of this nature. Player's will be allowed to adjust their difficulty as they go with this theory implemented. Another idea I plan to implement is to have multiple missions unlock upon beating one sometimes. The difficulty of the mission can be seen on the mission selection screen, allowing players to choose a tougher challenge or an easier one.

     Fourth is Satisfaction. This is the reward the player will receive for completing their challenges. This comes in two forms, Viscerality and Strategy. Viscerality means something tangible for the player. This comes in the form of new Idols, Levels, Missions, and cosmetics. This also applies to the players fastest time and percentage of collectables collected. In the primary loop, actually collecting the collectables is the visceral satisfaction players will seek. Strategy is the reward of completing a challenge that was mentally stimulating. In Jungle Jim, the strategy is in the movement and Idol setup. Players' create their own movement styles, which is equivalent to creating their own strategies. Whether or not these strategies allow them to complete their execution in the primary loop is what will feel satisfying.

     Lastly, we are at Fantasy. The fantasy of the primary loop is being able to maneuver around like we have all dreamed of. Imagine back to a time as a child in the car, moving your fingers along the scenery as you stare outside the window. This is the fantasy being achieved, and it is grounded in reality because the player is in direct control all the time with their inputs. I feel like I have struck a good balance of fantasy and reality here. 

Conclusion

     While I still have a lot to do in development, I have a solid plan for the gameplay loop. I also know what makes a good gameplay loop, and have begun to implement ways to achieve this into the game. Since this is a student project, I need to be extra careful about what gets cut from the final version. If something gets cut, I will need to reconsider the loop again, and make any changes necessary to keep the gameplay loops engaging for players.