What happens when players lose.
WHAT FAILURE SHOULD COST
Enough to matter, little enough to retry willingly.
WHAT TOO HARSH PRODUCES
Abandonment, and refusal to experiment.
WHAT TOO LENIENT PRODUCES
Failure without weight, and tension lost.
WHAT CHECKPOINT PLACEMENT DETERMINES
How much is repeated on failure.
WHAT TO AVOID REPEATING
Cutscenes Travel Sections already mastered
WHY
Repeating solved content is the primary source of frustration.
WHAT TO PLACE CHECKPOINTS BEFORE
Each distinct challenge.
WHAT AUTOSAVE MUST NOT DO
Save in an unwinnable state.
WHY THAT MATTERS ENORMOUSLY
It can end a playthrough permanently.
WHAT TO GUARD AGAINST
Saving with insufficient resources to proceed Saving in an inescapable position
WHAT RESPAWN MUST HANDLE
Restoring the world to a consistent state Enemies, resources and objectives Anything consumed since the checkpoint
WHAT TO DECIDE
Whether progress since the checkpoint is kept or lost.
WHAT TO COMMUNICATE
When a checkpoint occurs.
WHY
Players manage risk based on when they last saved.
WHAT TO TEST
Failure at every point, and the resulting state.
