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	February 10, 2012

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	February 10, 2012

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	February 10, 2012

		Beachhead / Activision Senior Operations Engineer

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Tyler Sigman's Blog Expert Blogs

Tyler Sigman is the Design Director for Big Sandwich Games in Vancouver. He specializes in core game mechanics, systems, and prototyping, with particular interest in strategy games.

Tyler was the lead designer on Age of Empires: The Age of Kings (DS), Sonic Rivals (PSP), Sky Pirates of Neo Terra (Wii/DS, release tbd), and more. In addition to videogames, Tyler enjoys boardgame design--his latest designs Crows and Longship: Viking Raiders will be released by Valley Games and join previously published (but virtually unknown!) titles such as Night of the Ill-Tempered Squirrel and Hexenhammer.

Tyler has published numerous game design articles on Gamasutra, including "Probability for Game Designers", "Anatomy of a Game Mechanic", and "Siren Song of the Paper Cutter."

Tyler's current project is an original IP casual action game for PSN, PSP, PC, and Mac. It is scheduled for release in September 2010.

Expert Blogs

Game Balancing: Controlling the Spread
Posted by Tyler Sigman on Sat, 27 Mar 2010 07:17:00 EDT in Game Design
Another vital consideration when designing and balancing a system is what I call the Spread. The spread represents the overall difference in capability between the BASE value of a mechanic and the UPGRADED or FINAL value of the mechanic.
Read More... \| 0 Comments

Three Rules to Balance By
Posted by Tyler Sigman on Tue, 16 Mar 2010 11:43:00 EDT in Game Design
Game balancing and tuning are some of the most difficult parts of game design. Thankfully(for me anyway), they are also some of the most enjoyable and rewarding parts. I consistently rely on 3 rules to help me navigate the minefields.
Read More... \| 5 Comments

Tyler Sigman's Comments

Comment In: UK vs. Canada: Do Tax Breaks Build An Industry? [Feature - 09/07/2010 - 04:30]
Tax breaks absolutely build an ... Tax breaks absolutely build an industry. Our studio is in Vancouver, and we've had to watch incredible amounts of contracts and talent shift to Quebec and Toronto because of the enormous tax breaks. BC has just added 17.5 labor credits which will help. But it's all simple math: pick any ...

Comment In: Three Rules to Balance By [Blog - 03/16/2010 - 11:43]
Thanks for the comments Jimmy: ... Thanks for the comments Jimmy: When you have to tune/balance something that was designed entirely by someone else, it's a matter of making do with what you have and doing your best. You can still kind of use the three rules, in the sense that you look for things that ...

Comment In: Anatomy of a Game Mechanic [Feature - 07/29/2009 - 08:20]
Thanks for the comments. I'm ... Thanks for the comments. I'm always looking for new article ideas that people might enjoy, so I'll try to continue with some practical examples in the near future. I love the chase involved with trying out new mechanics, and there are plenty of examples I can draw from. For example, ...

Comment In: Opinion: How To Hire Good Game Designers [News - 10/03/2008 - 01:04]
The credibility observations are very ... The credibility observations are very real. It's something we have to deal with on a regular basis, and as soon as the team starts doubting the designers then the project is in for major hurt. The long term solution is to try to ensure more competence through good hiring, so ...

Comment In: MMO Class Design: Up With Hybrids! An Economic Argument [Feature - 04/18/2008 - 03:15]
I enjoyed this. A lot ... I enjoyed this. A lot of your points are captured more specifically by Game Theory e.g. dominant and dominated strategies--in this case roles , but breaking it down economically was interesting. The concept of pressures is very applicable...the mass playing public will follow the market pressures regardless of Designer intent, ...

Comment In: Plundering the Seas of Probability [Feature - 01/22/2008 - 03:05]
Thanks for the comments. Robert, ... Thanks for the comments. Robert, re: your question: it was a mix of the reasons you stated. First, it adds a little more personality to the game. It's a little more fun to check for axes and sea monsters than just a check things like 4 or above on d6 ...