Determining How Long Powerup Effects Should Last
What makes sense for Powerups as far as time wise.
There are a number of constraints to consider when creating a Powerup.
1. How strong is the Powerup to the player?
2. How long should the Powerup last?
3. How much control does the player have triggering the Powerup?
4. How hard is the Powerup to get?
5. How often can the Powerup be triggered?
Constraints on systems mean that choices matter for the player. In our case, do I risk getting a shield if it means I have to dive into a wave of enemies? Maybe. If I think I can do it, and if the Shield gives me a benefit that is worth it.
If a Powerup grants rapid fire, or extra shots, then a player would consider the Powerup a good choice to go after. If the Powerup grants you a rear facing gun, then its probably not as valuable in this type of game. Also, if a Powerup can be stacked on itself, such as adding a gun for each acquisition, then while the first time you get the Powerup may be bland, the second or third time would be quite attractive. In any case, there should be an incentive to get a Powerup.
Either the powerup is long lasting, or short burst. Either can be enticing to a player. The shield lasts forever, or until you are hit. This means that a second shield Powerup is not enticing if the player already has an active shield.
Control of a Powerup is quite limited in this game. The Powerup is consumed and triggered upon running into the Powerup. There is no storing a Powerup for later use. But maybe there will be a time when a player needs a power boost at a certain critical moment.
If a Powerup is too hard to get, then players won’t bother with it. If it is too trivial to get then your players might grow complacent or bored. Try to balance ease of acquisition with strength and utility of the Powerup. In the space shooter game, our Powerups all have an equal chance of spawning, for now. So the Powerups all have an equal difficulty to get.
If I can trigger rapid fire every 10 seconds, and the Powerup lasts 10 seconds, is it really an exciting mechanic? Or is it just a button I must push every 10 seconds to get the most out of the game. Creating zones of uptime and downtime can create good amount of stress for a player. A Powerup should be exciting, not maintenance.
If you put a scale on all five of these properties, say from 1–5. then you can find a balance while creating interesting mechanics for players to navigate while enjoying your game.