@JoshKulinski Too few attack patterns is a part of it, but I think that plays into the big issue for me, which is that there was no reason to explore the full set of combat moves. There are a ton of upgrades and special attacks that I just ignored except when they were needed for a puzzle.
@JoshKulinski Best duology. Arkham Knight made the mistake of thinking that part of the fantasy of being Batman is driving the Batmobile. A lot. I never once thought, while playing the other 2 games, "I wish I were driving."
I worked with phenomenal people and made things in a game players care deeply about. I learned and I grew. Now I get to play and be surprised and delighted as a fan. Bungie colleagues and players, it has been an honor.
My ~10 years at Bungie, which ended yesterday, were a gift. Building Gambit was the best experience of my professional life. Leading the Worlds team I discovered the deep satisfaction of fostering a collaborative environment where people are empowered to do their best work.
Have a bar that runs down as the player runs or uses heavy attacks? Stamina. Done. Players just get it. There are plenty of other places for flavor. Lean into the things players already understand.
When we were making Gambit, we had to name the object to which players bring their motes. We had all kinds of thematic names on the list, but none of them was as good as โbankโ. Bank lacks flavor, but makes up for it with instant player contextual understanding.
Sometimes teams feel the need to rename things to give them flavor for their IP. Often it causes more cognitive load and increased player handholding down the line.