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🧾 Core Player Experience (Phase 2) [Handout]

Companion guide to help follow along during meeting
It consolidates all team submissions, merged drafts, and theme groupings discussed so far. It is for allowing contributors to follow along easily during the meeting and prepare for the post meeting consensus poll.

Overview​

In this meeting:​

  • We’ll review all Player Experience submissions and the merged theme drafts.
  • Narrow down to 2–3 final Player Experience Statements for the forum consensus poll.
  • Confirm one representative word per Verb Theme and Emotion Theme (built from contributor submissions).
  • After the meeting, a short forum poll will finalize the top statement, verbs, and emotions for inclusion in the Game Design Document (GDD).

Primary Goals​

  • Define how it feels to play Wanderers of the Rift through a unified Player Experience statement.
  • Consolidate and finalize core verbs and core emotions that represent what players do and feel.
  • Capture all contributor input in a transparent, accessible format.
  • Prepare for the transition to Phase 3: Core Loop & Progression.

Meeting Flow​

  1. Welcome & Context | Overview of goals, quick recap of last session.
  2. Review Merged Player Experience Drafts | Discuss how they represent the shared vision.
  3. Verb Theme Review | Themes, each narrowed to one key verb.
  4. Emotion Theme Review | Themes, each narrowed to one representative emotion.
  5. Finalize & Wrap Up | Confirm shortlist and prepare for consensus.

Player Experience Statement Clusters​

The following table consolidates all submissions (unaltered), grouped by common theme.
Merged “fresh” versions combine repeated or similar phrasing into unified statements. During the meeting, we’ll adapt, remix, and fine tune the unified statements to ensure it matches the intent of submissions.

Cluster #Theme / Common ThreadOriginal SubmissionsMerged “Fresh” Version Draft
1Curiosity → Challenge → Mastery
Discovery through rifts; curiosity leading to skill growth; shaping destiny
  • Journey into the boundless rifts and strange dimensions, where curiosity leads to challenge and reward, shaping your path through choice and mastery.
I journey through shifting rifts where curiosity drives discovery, challenge forges mastery, and every step reshapes who I become.
2Preparation → Growth & Return
Learning, improving builds, returning wiser
  • I prepare my build and inventory, then enter the rift. Armed with past learnings I explore, seeking out value and facing or avoiding the challenges I encounter. Discovering a new situation I approach with caution, but even if I do not make it out unscathed I will come out with lessons to apply in the future.
  • I set out to be challenged, to find more than I knew existed, and to be more than I am today.
  • When I enter a rift, I have no idea what will meet me on the other side, but I have prepared myself to the best of my ability to face what's there.
I prepare, adapt, and learn through ever-changing rifts: facing the unknown, refining my craft, and returning stronger each time.
3Transformation & Resilience
Change through struggle; perseverance and self-discovery
  • I wander through a strange world, shaping what I discover. The world changes slowly, revealing its secrets to those who listen.
Each rift changes me: through struggle, discovery, and survival I emerge wiser and more capable than before.
4Shared Exploration (Social)
Cooperation, community, sharing discoveries
  • I discover a strange rift to a new world, I discover more worlds as I fight my way through one at the time returning to my home world as I go to resupply.
  • I fight unknown creatures, and make new friends. I find hidden gems in other people's trash.
  • I learn to create new things, cast new spells, and find new paths through dimensions. I discover things no one has seen before and return with news to a shared sanctuary other Wanderers have started to call home.
Together we explore fractured realms, uncover lost knowledge, and return home with stories and strength to share.

Drafts refined into:

  • I journey through shifting rifts where curiosity drives discovery, challenge forges mastery, and every step reshapes who I become.
  • I prepare, adapt, and learn through ever-changing rifts: facing the unknown, honing my craft, and returning stronger each time.
  • Each rift changes me: through struggle, pioneering, and survival I emerge wiser and more capable than before.
  • Together we explore fractured rifts, uncover lost knowledge, and return home with stories and strength to share.

Verb Themes​

Each verb theme represents what players do most often in Wanderers of the Rift.
These were derived from contributor submissions and prior design discussions.
During the meeting, we’ll confirm one representative verb for each.

#Verb ThemeSubmitted Words / ConceptsRepresentative Verb
1.ExplorationExplore, Discover, Trailblaze, PioneerExplore
2.Growth & AdaptationAdapt, Learn, Improve, EvolveAdapt + Learn
3.Mastery & CraftCraft, Build, Refine, PerfectHone
4.Challenge & PerseverancePersevere, Overcome, SurviveStive + Endeavor
5.Progression & AchievementProgress, Advance, AccomplishProgress
6.Acquisition & ResourcefulnessAcquire, Scavenge, Collect, EarnScavange
7.Transformation & Return*Change, Grow, Become, EmergeEvolve
8.CooperationSupport, Share, UniteCooperate

Emotion Themes​

Emotion themes describe the feelings we want players to experience while playing.
Each group contains submissions from the community, paired by shared meaning.

#Emotion ThemeSubmitted Words / ConceptsRepresentative Emotion
1.Curiosity & DiscoveryCuriosity, Wonder, MysteryCuriosity
2.Challenge & Resilience*Perseverance, Tension, Confidence, GritResiliency + Challenged
3.Mastery & AccomplishmentAccomplishment, Pride, JoyAccomplishment
4.Growth & TransformationProgress, Change, ImprovementGrowth
5.Awe & AmazementAwe, Amazement, InspirationAwe
6.Anticipation & RiskFear, Excitement, UncertaintyAnticipation
7.Belonging & CooperationFriendship, Teamwork, Shared PrideBelonging
8.Freedom & ExplorationWanderlust, Adventure, LiberationWanderlust