Game Design Principles Update (#1650)

I went ahead and rephrased much of the Game Design Principles to make
them clearer.

---------

Co-authored-by: IntegratedQuantum <43880493+IntegratedQuantum@users.noreply.github.com>
Co-authored-by: Krzysztof Wiśniewski <argmaster.world@gmail.com>
Co-authored-by: IntegratedQuantum <jahe788@gmail.com>

GAME_DESIGN_PRINCIPLES.md

@@ -1,57 +1,55 @@
 # Game Design Principles
 This document is intended for contributors and may contain spoilers.
 
-## Cubyz is a Sandbox Game, not a Survival Game
-The goal of this project is to create a game about exploration, adventure, and building. There is no looming threat of hunger or monsters; the player should be able to build in peace and choose how they would like to play. 
+## What is Cubyz?
+Cubyz is a voxel sandbox game with infinite world and focus on great adventures, immersive exploration with numerous challenges along the way. We cherish freedom and we are determined to give it to the players in abundance, so they can chose their own path through the world.
 
-### Avoid Unavoidable Threats
-A player should have to create or approach a threat on their own terms, rather than the threat approach them. This should allow the player to interact with whatever they want without feeling forced to.
-
-**Examples:**
-- A player will not be attacked by monsters at night. They have to actively approach a monster-infested place such as a structure or cave. This is so they have free reign to do activites during the night without being interrupted or frustrated.
-- A player has lost much health, and must risk what little life they have left to gather food. Note that the player cannot heal unless they have an accessory that consumes their energy. This is a situation the player has to face because of their own skill level.
-- A player summons an event that spawns waves of enemies to their base.
-- A player can claim a naturally generated structure by killing all monsters monsters in the area. Note that monsters do not respawn naturally.
-
-### Progression = Risk
-In order to progress in the game, the player must take risks. The player is otherwise free to stay where they are in terms of progression.
-
-**Examples:**
-- The deeper the player goes into the world's caves, the more valuables they can find, but consequentially, the more monsters they'll come across.
-- The player must defeat an enemy, boss, or event to obtain an item that helps them progress.
-- In a multiplayer world, a player could attack an enemy player to rise up in power.
+### Progression
+We want to encourage interacting with different mechanics, such as exploring, building, crafting, and etc. Progression therefore encourages the player to interact with all of these systems.
+Examples:
+- Explore to Build: The player needs to interact with exploration to get the resources they want for building.
+- Survive to Explore: Caves and structures may have enemies and traps that the player has to face if they want to explore in peace.
+- Strategize to Survive: Prepare for a trip with tools, weapons, and gear in order to make survival easier.
+- Build to Strategize: The player has to build defenses for events, invasions, and bosses. They also need to upgrade their workstations to allow for better gear.
 
 ## Break the Cycle
 ### No Dimensions
-Instead of creating seperate dimensions, we can fit these places physically into Cubyz' massive world to allow the player to come across them on their own.
+Instead of creating seperate dimensions, we can fit these places physically into Cubyz' massive world for the player to come across.
 
 ### No Teleportation
-To immerse the player and let them feel the sense of scale the world of Cubyz has, teleportation is not allowed, as the player will see less of the world that way.
+Teleportation makes the game less immersive, as it diminishes the exploring aspect and doesn't let the player get a good sense of the scale of the world.
 
 ### No Automation
-Instead of staying in one place and farming everything, the player should have to take advantage of the infinite nature of the world to gain resources, meaning that a majority of resources are non-renewable.
+Having quick, infinite resources at the palm of players' hands discourages exploration, as the player will never need to forage or search for blocks they desire.
 
-### Mobs Don't Respawn
-To prevent farming, mobs will not respawn naturally once killed. This will also make the player more aware that killing has long-term consequences in the area it occurs in.
+### Mobs Don't Respawn Naturally
+Clearing a dangerous area of its monsters will make it safe to build and explore.
+This rule is also here to prevent mob farming.
 
 ### No Passive Animals
-Instead of animals standing by to let you kill them, they will run from the player, attack back, and use defense mechanisms. This should make hunting and taming much more engaging.
+Animals do not want to die, so they will either run from an attacking player or attempt to defend themselves. The player will have to strategize to be able to hunt.
 
 ### No Unbreakable Tools
-In Minecraft, a tool is an investment you can make. You can enchant the tool, rename it, make it your own; there's an incentive to make it last forever with the use of mending. In Cubyz though, you are not creating an investment, but rather a tool to use until it breaks. If a player gets too attached to their tool, then they won't want to make other types of tools, and lower-tier materials will see less use as they will never be used in tool-making.
+If a player gets too attached to their amazing tool, they won't want to make other types of tools, and low-tier materials will see less use as they will never be used in tool-making.
 
 ### Avoid Clutter
-Inventories will often fill up with random items that the player does not want, making their inventory hard to manage. To mitigate this, try finding uses for existing items before adding new ones, and find ways to prevent items from finding their way into a player's inventory when they don't want it.
+Inventories will often fill up with random items that the player does not want, making their inventory hard to manage. To mitigate this, find uses for existing items before adding new ones and prevent items from finding their way into a player's inventory when they don't want it.
+
+### Use Realism Tastefully
+Cubyz is not a realistic game. The world is very whimsical and has rules of its own, sometimes inspired by the real world, but never copied without a good reason.
+
+### Avoid Excessive Additions
+Unless there is a genuine functional reason for a variant or addition to be added, they should be avoided. Try to use or modify existing content first before creating new stuff.
 
 ## Player Engagement
 ### "How would the player feel?"
-This is a very important part of game design in general. When a player encounters and re-encounters a mechanic or feature, put yourself in the player's shoes and ask "how would the player feel?" The goal is to make the player feel what you want them to feel, whether that be satisfaction, frustration, excitement, fear, or all of the above! It also helps to ask for feedback from players and asking how they feel about your addition.
+Put yourself in the shoes of a player encountering a mechanic for the first time and ask yourself this. The goal is to make the player feel how you want them to, whether that be satisfaction, fear, or intrigue.
 
 ### Depth in Simplicity
-Cubyz' special sauce is its simplicity; keeping everything simple on the surface makes the game approachable for beginners, while the hidden depth keeps it interesting for skilled players. Avoid features that would add unnecessary tedium to the player's experience. Always think about how it would effect the player's first impressions of the game.
+It's important to remember to keep the game approachable to new players, so appearing simple is key. However, what will keep a player around is the game's depth. Design mechanics around being simple on the surface, but have them able to be expanded upon, upgraded, or customized to meet the player's needs.
 
 ### Fuel the Player's Curiosity
-The world is filled with secrets, and we want the player to find these secrets on their own without any outside help or guide.
+Fill the world with secrets that will keep the player interested and engaged with exploration.
 
 ### Problems have Multiple Solutions
 Problems faced in a particular age of progression should have multiple solutions, instead of just one solution for everything.
@@ -62,14 +60,12 @@ For example, in the "Pre-Caves Age," the player will not have access to coal, as
 - Find an above-ground structure that can grant the player coal.
 - Dig straight down until you find coal.
 
-Of course, this problem is completely solved as soon as the player gets coal, as they can now explore caves to find more coal with their newfound torches, but it's important that the player has these options in the first place to prevent them from getting stuck on a seemingly insurmountable barrier. This also gives them more freedom in how they can approach the game. Not one option is better or easier than the other, and if one turns out to be, then it should be allowed to be adjusted to encourage other methods.
+This problem is completely solved as soon as the player gets coal, as they can now explore caves to find more coal with their newfound torches. It's important that the player has these options to prevent them from getting stuck on a seemingly insurmountable barrier. This gives them more freedom in how they can approach the game, as no one option is particularly the best and can change depending on situation and location.
 
 ### Explain when Needed
-If something progress-related has no obvious explanation, the player will have to rely on a wiki to find out how to progress. One example is the bellows; players won't know to place it next to a furnace and jump on it repeatedly. The issue can be fixed by adding a tooltip that tells them how it works, while leaving out details they can intuitively find out themselves.
+Progress-related mechanics need explanations or subtle hints so players don't get stuck. Keep it simple on the surface so it's easily approachable, but leave out details that the player can find themselves through intuition.
 
-Having a mechanic that isn't explained or illuded to makes it an "Invisible Mechanic." These can only be found out through looking at the game's code, wiki reading, or asking a developer, thus giving a disadvantage to casual players. It's best to avoid these at all costs.
-
-### Micro Moments
+### Embrace Micro Moments
 These are tiny things the player does in between larger events; examples include:
 - Travelling
 - Parkour
@@ -79,7 +75,7 @@ These are tiny things the player does in between larger events; examples include
 - Managing inventory
 - Fighting
 
-These moments are extremely important as they let the player mentally rest, so making sure they're as satisfying and consistent as possible is a must.
+These moments are extremely important as they largely influence the player's mood, so making sure they're as satisfying and consistent as possible is a must.
 
 ### Make the World Feel Alive
 To add immersion to the game, creatures should perform behaviors outside of player input, such as hunting, playing, migrating, eating, or sleeping.
@@ -88,7 +84,7 @@ To add immersion to the game, creatures should perform behaviors outside of play
 When balancing the game, keep in mind how players might interact with the world, the wildlife, and each other.
 
 ### 2OP4ME
-At no point should the player be extremely hard to kill. Armor, tools, accessories, and buffs should be designed around aiding the player in skill-based encounters, not letting them win regardless of skill.
+Players need to be vulnerable at all times to avoid power imbalances. Armor, tools, accessories, and buffs should aid the player, not let them win outright.
 
 ### Trade-offs
 If the player is given something to aid them, then it should have an appropriate take-away to balance it.
@@ -96,15 +92,15 @@ If the player is given something to aid them, then it should have an appropriate
 **Examples:**
 - Using rare resources to create a strong tool.
 - An accessory that heals the player, but takes away energy or some other resource.
-- Enemies have strengths and weaknesses towards particular damage types
+- Enemies have strengths and weaknesses towards particular damage types.
 
 ## Little Details
 
 ### Big Trees vs Small Trees
-There are two categories of trees, big and small. Big trees are designed to be built upon or left as decoration, whereas small trees are designed to be chopped down.
+Big trees are designed to be built upon or left as decoration, whereas small trees are designed to be chopped down.
 
 ### Vegetation
-Vegetation should always fit the biome's climate. For example, Toadstools prefer humid areas, while Boletes prefer nutritious areas. Think about how a plant would fit into a biome or structure.
+Vegetation should fit the biome's climate. For example, Toadstools prefer humid areas, while Boletes prefer nutritious areas. Give some extra thought to the plants you place.
 
 ### Caves are Creepy and Mysterious
-As the player goes deeper into Cubyz, they'll find that the music gets scarier, the monsters get harder and more disturbing, and the cave generation becomes an utter spectacle. We want the player to feel uneasy and stressed as they go down because it makes finding underground resources feel more rewarding.
+As the player descends into Cubyz, the music gets scarier, the monsters become more vicious and disturbing, and the cave generation becomes increasingly precarious. Outside of difficulty, this adds stress that the player needs to overcome to gain large rewards.