Determine the Appropriate Number of Options
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Know Your Target Audience
Players, particularly experienced ones, tend to prefer games that offer a wide range of options, as they are more likely to find the ideal choice that aligns with their expectations. These players typically engage with multiple games and possess a strong understanding of the mechanics associated with their preferred genres. Over time, they develop specific preferences, such as:
Main characters with particular skills in role-playing games.
Equipment and gear for player characters in action games.
Army compositions in real-time strategy games.
Vehicle selection in racing games.
Tactical approaches across various game genres.
Conversely, novice players may favor fewer options, as this allows them to make selections more quickly without becoming overwhelmed. They may simply wish to select a character, vehicle, or weapon and begin exploring how to achieve their objectives. New players resemble customers in a store who need to purchase a product but struggle to choose due to a lack of understanding of the differences among available items. In such situations, a knowledgeable salesperson might guide them toward a satisfying decision. As a game designer, you can fulfill a similar role by recommending specific options—such as a versatile weapon in a first-person shooter, a well-balanced car in a racing game, or an accessible character in an RPG.
Gradually Offer More Options
Regardless of your target audience, it is important to provide a curated selection of options. However, to avoid overwhelming players at the beginning of the game, consider gradually expanding the number of available options as they become familiar with those already introduced.
Example:
Imagine a player starting a campaign in a strategy game. To use their units effectively, the player must first understand the purpose of each unit. This knowledge is best acquired through hands-on experience—not by introducing all units simultaneously, but by introducing them incrementally. This approach encourages players to engage with each unit type long enough to form associations between gameplay elements and available options. As their understanding deepens, players will naturally begin to develop preferences regarding tactics, units, characters, weapons, and more.
Use Choice Overload Effectively
Choice overload is a phenomenon in which a player is presented with so many options that they struggle to make a decision. This condition can negatively affect the player’s flow state and may also lead to a loss of time or progress. For example, a player might later realize they made a suboptimal choice due to being overwhelmed, prompting them to backtrack in order to correct the mistake.
However, if your design calls for presenting a large number of options, consider the following strategies to mitigate choice overload:
Provide clear and detailed descriptions of each option.
Organize options into meaningful categories.
Implement search and filtering functionality to aid navigation.
These strategies improve the overall user experience and make it easier for players to locate the most suitable option, much like the navigation tools found in well-designed online stores.
Example:
In an action game, weapons can be categorized by class and also sorted by key statistics such as damage, fire rate, or accuracy.
In Stronghold Crusader 2, construction options are divided into six categories. The user interface clearly presents a subset of options for town buildings, helping players quickly identify their desired structures.
Credit: Firefly Studios. Screenshot captured by the author.
Make Options Meaningful
Avoid presenting options that appear to be superior to all others. If players perceive certain options as optimal, they may disregard the rest, rendering the variety meaningless. Likewise, refrain from including options that are too similar, as this can lead players to believe that their choice has little to no impact.
The number of options you provide should depend on the degree to which the decision affects gameplay. If the impact is considerable, it can be better to offer fewer options so that players can make decisions faster and remain immersed in the flow of the game.
Define the Number of Options
So how many options should you offer?
Consider the following example from an action game, where the player defines a scenario step by step before starting it. The number of options presented here is purely illustrative and does not represent a strict or universally accepted rule. It is ultimately your decision as a designer to determine how many options to offer.
Example: Playing an Action Game
Step #1: Selecting an Option from the Main Menu
Upon launching the game, players are presented with the following four options:
Single-player.
Multiplayer.
Options.
Quit.
Since the first three options each contain sub-options, it is more user-friendly to conceal these sub-options and display them on individual screens. This improves navigation and usability.
Following this, the player selects the “Single-player” option.
Step #2: Selecting an Option from the "Single-player" Screen
The game then offers four distinct gameplay modes:
Deathmatch.
Capture the Flag.
Domination.
Challenge.
Only four modes are provided, as the developers intentionally designed each to follow a distinct set of rules. This ensures that each mode delivers a unique experience.
The player proceeds by selecting the “Deathmatch” mode.
Step #3: Customizing the "Deathmatch" Mode
Upon choosing “Deathmatch,” the player can configure seven parameters for the match:
Character.
Difficulty.
Number of Opponents.
Match Duration.
Team.
Equipment.
Starting Location.
The developers thoughtfully selected these specific parameters as essential for meaningful customization. They avoided overwhelming players with an excessive number of variables, as doing so could detract from time better spent enjoying the gameplay itself. Nevertheless, the selected options are sufficient to significantly enhance the game’s replay value.
Step #4: Selecting a Character
When choosing a character, the player is presented with seven distinct options.
The developers aimed to offer a diverse yet manageable set of characters, each with unique skills and abilities. This ensures that every player can find a character that aligns with their preferred play style. Additionally, the developers prioritized quality over quantity, avoiding the creation of redundant or overly similar characters.
Step #5: Selecting the Difficulty
The “Difficulty” setting provides three options:
Easy.
Medium.
Hard.
As with character selection, the developers ensured that each difficulty level significantly alters the gameplay experience. In particular, they designed the non-player characters to behave differently and employ varied tactics at each level, rather than merely adjusting numerical values such as damage dealt or health. This design choice preserves the game’s fairness and depth across all difficulty levels.
Step #6: Selecting the Number of Opponents
When setting the number of opponents, players may choose a value up to eight.
This allows players to adjust the game’s difficulty and intensity, enabling a more tailored gameplay experience.
Step #7: Selecting the Match Duration
The “Match Duration” setting offers four options:
Five minutes.
Ten minutes.
Twenty minutes.
No time limit.
Based on playtesting, the developers observed that matches typically do not exceed twenty minutes. Accordingly, they provided three fixed-duration options along with a timeless mode for players who prefer unrestricted sessions.
Step #8: Selecting a Team
Players must then choose between two teams:
Team A.
Team B.
This binary team structure mirrors that of many successful games within the genre and is also a common convention in various sports. The developers adopted this approach to maintain competitive balance and clarity.
Step #9: Selecting Equipment
Players may choose from dozens of gear items, organized into the following categories:
Main Weapons.
Secondary Weapons.
Body Armor.
Explosives.
Special Items.
The developers offered a broad range of equipment to ensure that each player can discover items that suit their preferences and complement their unique play style.
Step #10: Selecting the Starting Location
Players are then given five carefully selected options for their starting location.
This number provides sufficient variety while preventing decision fatigue. It also enables players to make their selection promptly and efficiently.
Step #11: Choosing Tactics
Once all match parameters have been set, the game begins. The objective is to eliminate as many opponents as possible. To facilitate movement and cover, players are provided with ten possible activities:
Walking.
Sprinting.
Crouching.
Crawling.
Swimming.
Diving.
Jumping.
Climbing.
Driving.
Parachuting.
These movement options are available at all times during the match, allowing players to adapt their tactics based on the situation and their preferred play style.
To eliminate opponents, players may choose from the following eight methods:
Firing from main or secondary weapons.
Using explosives.
Pushing an opponent off a rooftop.
Running over an enemy with a vehicle.
Colliding with an enemy while parachuting at high speed.
Holding an opponent underwater until suffocation, while the player possesses an oxygen tank.
Propelling a compressed, highly flammable gas tank with a vehicle and dropping it from a height to cause an explosive impact.
Igniting dry grass to create a rapidly spreading fire that kills the enemy.
Conclusion
There is no universally ideal number of options that a game should offer. Instead, begin with a limited set of choices and gradually expand based on player feedback and playtesting. In situations where a game already includes many options and more are planned, consider adding multiple options at once to more efficiently determine the optimal number of offerings.