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Unlock matrix

Following the progression map, the unlock matrix was created; this table was also printed and handed out around the office. It may look a bit confusing and hard to read, but that's because it wasn't just a reference point. It also served a much bigger purpose…

We've integrated the unlock matrix into our economy spreadsheets. Through multiple lookup and match formulas, we have ended up with a single sheet that directly amended and influenced game data for our entire economy. Making changes in the unlock matrix would result in corrected resource costs, building times, and unlock requirements being filled in automatically for all the other sheets such an approach makes it much easier to balance and refactor player progression (more tips on how to set things up can be found in the balancing chapter of the book).

The first part of the matrix lists the maximum number of buildings you can build per type

Anything going from 0 to 1 in the matrix given in the preceding screenshot signifies a new type of building being unlocked. The data looks a bit hard to read but can be processed by spreadsheet formulas with ease. You can look at the flow as well as each CC level individually. For example, I was able to add a column to the footprint of each building and use it to calculate the size of the building required to fit the base. This was of tremendous help when trying to figure out how many removable obstacles (rocks, trees and so on) should be placed on the map:

The second part of the matrix shows maximum upgrade level per CC level

When it comes to upgrade levels, most defenses and production buildings simply increase by 1 for each Command Center level. But that's not the case for everything; things like the Workshop (a research center that restricts the maximum experience level for your bots) and Attack Shuttle (controlling the total number of robots you can deploy in battle) are very carefully crafted.

On a side note, the confusing pink numbers were added when I was implementing the 3D models for buildings. We've only created six visually different versions of each building (apart from walls, as combined they leave a very large visual footprint on the base). So to make my life easier, I put the visually different levels in pink to help in data input. I made sure there's always a visual upgrade from level 1 to 2 (the first time you upgrade something), but I also made sure we don't use up all of the building upgrades too early (some upgrades for the most advanced buildings were left for the future).

I might have gone into quite a lot of potentially unnecessary detail here, but there is an important lesson to take away from the process. As a designer, you need to define the kinds of data you want to control and adjust, and this can be difficult if you're breaking new ground. Once you have defined your parameters, use spreadsheets, graphs, post-it notes—anything that will help you visualize and operate on the data from a new angle.