TF2: Mechanic Feedback and Learning Curves

A recent video (seriously a great video; a must watch) raised the idea that TF2's single fire weapon design makes the action of shooting fun, but this mechanic also teaches the player about the game itself.

In this context, a single fire weapon is a single user action causing one instance of a large amount of damage. TF2's scatter/shotgun, sniper rifle, and rocket launcher are all examples. In Dota2 this mechanic is called a "nuke", as demonstrated by laguna blade, a critical hit, or the active on the a dagon. All are one non repeatable action causing significant damage.

As mentioned by LazyPurple (watch the video), using single fire weapons or nukes are extremely satisfying because of the significance of the action. A hit confirms your ability as a player to have successful hand eye coordination, a tangible skill, that then causes real measurable damage to the enemy. For that brief moment the player is notified and rewarded for skillful action.

But there are also implications as a new player.

Entering a new game fresh can be overwhelming. There are a lot of new sounds, images, and actions to recognize and understand. Single fire reduces the amount of noise and graphical clutter which in turn will help a player pick out and identify the sources of different sounds/graphics, a key learning barrier in many games. The reduction also limits the amount of overall information the player has to process, solving the overwhelming feeling of playing a new game.

Another obstacle a new player faces is determining if what they are doing is productive, or worthwhile. When damage committed is noticeable it sends feedback to the player that they accomplished something, since their action was worthy of been registered.

As a result of the preceding attributes, single fire weapons or nukes are a great tool for new and existing players. They create noticeable feedback that tells the player they have successfully executed the mechanic. It provides an exhilarating action with a high skill cap for veteran players, while also creating an experience friendly for new players.

TF2 executes these ideas perfectly and they are examined in detail in (WATCH IT!) this amazing video.