MDDN 243 - MDA

Blue: Designer. Green: Player

• Mechanics are the base components of the game - its rules, every basic action the player can take in the game, the algorithms and data structures in the game engine etc.
• Dynamics are the run-time behavior of the mechanics acting on player input and "cooperating" with other mechanics.
• Aesthetics are the emotional responses evoked in the player - joy, frustration, fantasy, fellowship.

XCOM: Enemy Unknown

Mechanics: The core mechanic for XCOM is command. Command is used to allow the player to control all of their characters, commanding the XCOM facility to research technology, create new engineering facilities and command how their units act. Command is a core mechanic that controls all the other secondary mechanics such as:

Building facilities

Controlling units

Researching technology

Training units to level them

These secondary mechanics are there to control the game, but are in turn controlled by Command.

Dynamic: The dynamics of XCOM: Enemy Unknown focus heavily on the turn-based feature of the combat. Most of the player input is achieved by a single button press, as the player can scroll through a toolbar of options whether it is putting their character into Overwatch, Firing or Throwing a grenade. The dynamic this creates is a simple effect that is easy for the player to control and understand the controls. This works in unison with the easy way to control the main XCOM facility screen. Buttons along the top are available to scroll between Engineering, Science and situation rooms, where the majority of the action is taking place.

Aesthetics: The aesthetic that XCOM is trying to get across is that of a broken world, invaded by aliens and completely destroyed, while political heads gather together to support and develp the XCOM initiative (Extraterrestrial Combat Unit). The graphics certainly get across that the world is in ruin by using a lot of darker colours, but more importantly, the way that the player is referred to as Commander by the characters in the game make it feel as if the player is in control, enforcing the Command mechanic. This is a great aesthetic and helps the character to feel powerful and in command, which is exactly how they should!