EXCAVATE
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About the Game
Excavate is a turn-based strategy game released in August 2015 by Scriptwelder. The player controls a team of four archaeologists at a dig site. They must explore the grounds to identify four distinct structures, cut through dense vegetation, dig through the soil, and identify artifacts, all within a 14 day time limit. Two main obstacles impede the player's progress: thieves breaking into the dig site, and the need to maintain credibility with the university and public media. As of January 2017, the game has a rating of 81% and over 500,000 plays on Armor Games.
Busted: 7 Day Speedrun
With some optimization, it is possible to complete the game in 7 in-game days, half of the allotted 14-day time limit. The key idea is to perform as many actions as possible per turn that make progress towards the victory condition: digging to the bottom level of every tile in every ruin. To do this, each of the four characters should have a maxed Strength stat, which governs their available action points. Cash should be spent only on upgrades that improve the efficiency with which characters can Inspect, Cut, Dig, and Catalog. The theft mechanic can be ignored entirely -- with good play, the negative effects of break-ins can be largely mitigated without ever having to commit action points to Guard Duty.
The video below goes into more depth on the methods used to achieve the 7 day victory.
Design Analysis: Strategic Offensive Principle
In any turn-based game that features action points, any method of increasing the availability or efficiency of those action points will likely be a component of the dominant strategy. As a designer, if you are offering the player choices which provide some benefit besides increased efficiency, you must offer significant compensation in order for those choices to be viable.
Although the game does not feature combat, it does highlight the truth of the adage "The best defense is a good offense." In this context, offense refers to actions which move the player closer to a victory condition (such as Digging), and defense refers to actions which move the player farther from a failure condition (such as Guard Duty). By playing offensively, the player can complete the game before the risks become relevant. In such a system, choices which improve defensive capabilities are strictly worse than those that improve offensive capabilities.
One potential solution would be to divorce the Guard Duty system away from the action point system. At the end of the turn, the player is given the option to assign a character to Guard Duty, regardless of how many action points were spent that turn. To give the player a stronger sense of agency, allow the player to design patrol paths to protect crucial assets. Incorporate a police response mechanic, the efficiency of which is tied to the Credibility metric. To counterbalance these buffs, increase the frequency and intensity of break-ins. With these changes, the player is now forced to consider the available defensive options.
In any turn-based game that features action points, any method of increasing the availability or efficiency of those action points will likely be a component of the dominant strategy. As a designer, if you are offering the player choices which provide some benefit besides increased efficiency, you must offer significant compensation in order for those choices to be viable.
Although the game does not feature combat, it does highlight the truth of the adage "The best defense is a good offense." In this context, offense refers to actions which move the player closer to a victory condition (such as Digging), and defense refers to actions which move the player farther from a failure condition (such as Guard Duty). By playing offensively, the player can complete the game before the risks become relevant. In such a system, choices which improve defensive capabilities are strictly worse than those that improve offensive capabilities.
One potential solution would be to divorce the Guard Duty system away from the action point system. At the end of the turn, the player is given the option to assign a character to Guard Duty, regardless of how many action points were spent that turn. To give the player a stronger sense of agency, allow the player to design patrol paths to protect crucial assets. Incorporate a police response mechanic, the efficiency of which is tied to the Credibility metric. To counterbalance these buffs, increase the frequency and intensity of break-ins. With these changes, the player is now forced to consider the available defensive options.