During the 1980s and part of the 1990s, there were games that looked very interesting but could sometimes feel unfair.
You had very few credits, and the difficulty could be so high that you barely had an opportunity to actually learn how to master the game.
After more than four decades of playing video games, that is one of the differences I see between a game that is difficult and one that simply becomes frustrating.
For ALEXX SkyRider™, my idea was to suggest something different:
fair difficulty.
I did not want everything to be easy.
I wanted the game to be challenging at first, but once the gamer understood the movements and learned to control the ship, the experience should become much more enjoyable.
I compare it to learning how to swim.
At first, even learning how to float can be difficult. But once you learn to control your body, everything changes and you can really begin to enjoy the activity.
Something similar can happen with an arcade game.
When Difficult Was Too Difficult
ALEXX SkyRider™ did not always have the level of difficulty it has today.
Originally, some enemies were very territorial.
Yes, you could play.
Yes, you could get past them.
But it was very difficult.
During testing, I realized there was a difference between presenting a challenge and creating so much pressure that the gamer had very little opportunity to learn.
So I asked for adjustments.
The goal was not to eliminate the difficulty. I wanted to find a point where the game still demanded attention and skill without simply becoming frustrating.
Today, I consider the difficulty much more moderate.
For me, it is now much closer to what I consider fair difficulty.
Mastering the Ship Changes the Game
Once you learn how to control the ship, you begin making decisions that you probably were not even considering during your first attempts.
Fuel is a good example.
Imagine that your Fuel indicator is already yellow.
You know it could turn red at any moment, and then you are going to have a problem.
Now you have to make a decision.
Do you let the next Fuel opportunity go and continue moving?
Or do you reduce your speed and try to collect it?
Slowing down can help you get the Fuel you need, but there is also a risk: while you are concentrating on Fuel, an enemy can move toward you and completely change the situation.
For me, that is where an interesting part of the game begins.
You are no longer simply shooting.
You are making decisions.
Speed Can Be a Strategy
Speed is not useful only for moving forward faster.
Accelerating, slowing down, and knowing when to do each one are part of learning how to control the situation.
Once you know the ship better, you begin managing your own time.
Sometimes you want to move quickly through an area.
Other times, you need a few extra seconds to observe what the enemies are doing.
You also have to think about Fuel.
Everything is happening at the same time.
That is exactly what I want the gamer to learn to master.
I do not want the solution to every problem to be simply firing more shots.
I want controlling the ship to matter too.
“How Did I Lose to That?”
There is something that sometimes makes me laugh during a game.
In ALEXX SkyRider™, many times you lose a ship because you were careless.
Maybe you became too confident.
You can get through a complicated situation with several enemies perfectly...
and then lose to a mine that did not even move.
When something like that happens, sometimes you have to laugh.
How did I manage to lose to that?
Something even simpler can happen.
You have two paths.
One looks dangerous because there are enemies.
The other looks completely clear.
You choose the path without enemies...
and simply crash.
You do not always lose because the game created an impossible situation.
Sometimes you lose because you made the wrong decision, became overconfident, or stopped paying attention for a moment.
That is also part of learning.
I Want the Gamer to Understand Why They Lost
For me, this is an important difference between difficulty and frustration.
If you lose and feel there was absolutely nothing you could have done, after several attempts you may simply stop trying.
But if you lose and think:
“Now I understand what I did wrong.”
something completely different happens.
You want to return.
You want to try again.
Now you know that mine is there.
You understand that accelerating at that moment was not the best decision.
Or maybe you discovered that the route that looked easier was actually not the best choice.
On the next attempt, you can try another strategy.
Little by little, something that originally seemed difficult begins to become something you can control.
The Satisfaction of Mastering an Arcade
I know that when a gamer finally masters ALEXX SkyRider™, there will be a feeling of satisfaction.
It is something those of us who enjoy video games know very well:
we like mastering a game.
But mastering it does not mean there is no reason to return.
Quite the opposite.
You can come back and try to improve your record.
You can find another way through an area.
You can even begin creating your own strategies.
A situation that once forced you to react desperately can eventually become something you know how to handle.
That is where I believe one of the best rewards an arcade can provide begins to appear.
Not simply completing a difficult section.
But remembering that it once seemed extremely difficult and realizing that now you can control it.
Because, for me, fair difficulty does not mean that a game has to be easy.
It means something different:
the gamer has the opportunity to learn, improve, and eventually master it.