How to Start Mapping and Calculating Stats?

Game Development Writing and Content
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Hi friends!

I’m working on a story-driven project that I’d love to include stats, skill tracking, or achievements in—but I’m totally new to this and unsure how to map out or calculate those elements in a meaningful way.

I’m not coming from a game dev/math-heavy background, so I’d love your tips, examples, or resources on:

  • How to structure stats or XP in narrative games
  • What kinds of achievements or progress markers actually feel good to players
  • Any simple formulas or tracking systems that helped you bring stats to life

The Guild of Unhinged Makers is a magical, slightly absurd school-meets-library-meets-creative commune that exists outside of time and productivity metrics. It’s a space that whispers rather than shouts. It has hallways that rearrange themselves based on your mood, archives that store your almosts, and rooms that reflect who you are before you try to make yourself better.

I sorta want to track the player’s skill points they earn (+5 bravery or +5 emotional resilience) and also the achievement points (+50 completing a hard task). I don’t necessarily want them to win the game-- but more of a map of where they’ve been, what they’ve accomplished and how they’ve grown.

Please let me know if that makes sense? I’m happy to clarify or answer questions!

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Em Short’s blog has some great posts about handling stats. I like this one: Loose, Tight, Flat, and Bumpy Stats in ChoiceScript Games – Emily Short's Interactive Storytelling

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My answer would be spreadsheets! So many spreadsheets! which may or may not be useful to anyone else, especially if they don’t like math (or spreadsheets). :face_with_tongue: (Of course, the best part about computer-engined spreadsheets instead of physical ones is that they can do your math for you, so you don’t have to calculate everything by hand.)

Things that point out to different branches or other player-choice-based things the player might not otherwise think to be on lookout for are always useful, I believe.

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Lemme see if I get it.

Player press “log” in the stats screen. And a list of each +X points in Y thing they gained along the way will appear ordered accordingly with their achievements.

And as the game goes on the list grows and updates.

Is that so?