Things I learned listening to Half Life 2: Episode One commentary
1) If you wanna listen to how things get done, expect to lose whatever comfortable illusions you may have had about the world. 2) Whenever Valve introduces a new mechanic, they train you in a safe environment, then slightly different to ensure you've got the idea, and finally give you a major threat so you truly have to incorporate this new thing. I should keep an eye out for similar procedures in other games. 3) If you let players feel clever by cheating through a puzzle, expect them to think you designed it poorly by missing the cheaty solution. 3a) Good playtesting is essential to the brand and company. Wannabe designers like me will impact how people think about your game. While we will exploit glitches to further our performance, people dislike their existence in general. 4) Too much or too little action fails in a game. Honestly, how long do you play through a game that doesn't shake it up constantly? Mario games have shown this well going back t...