Temporal Structure Analysis - jeutn/omg-research-project GitHub Wiki

In digitising Oh My Goods!, understanding the temporal structure is crucial for evaluating how players perceive and react to information, make decisions, and experience the game flow. This analysis draws on concepts from Zagal and Mateas (2007), focusing on turn-based gameplay, decision timing, and information revelation.

Turn-based gameplay

The game operates on a structured turn system, where each player alternates as the active player while others observe. This pacing allows players to:

  • Be in 'charge' of the current round
  • Observe opponents’ choices
  • Encourage sociality

It is important to note that being the 'active' player during a round normally consists of 'housekeeping' tasks, including shuffling the deck, drawing and dealing cards and narration of when to choose worker mode, start of production etc. Being the active player does not directly influence any other player's ability to produce goods, as that is entirely up to the discretion of the player and how they choose to play their cards. When choosing worker mode, for example, this decision is made simultaneously and is not dependent on any other player.

Digital implementation can automate these housekeeping tasks (e.g., card dealing, narration), preserving player focus on strategic decisions rather than administrative steps.

Decision-making and timing

Decision checkpoints are distributed throughout the round, including:

  • Choosing which buildings to produce from
  • Selecting worker types (efficient vs sloppy)
  • Deciding whether to discard and redraw cards
  • Optional actions like hiring assistants or choosing to build additional buildings

Each decision has temporal consequences: early choices shape available options later in the round, creating interdependent decision chains.

Digitisation can highlight these dependencies, which can enhance a player's gameplay and aim for profit, for example by visually signalling how current decisions might affect future production or market availability. When choosing a particular building for production, the system could show which resources are still needed, for example.

When is information revealed

Information is revealed gradually across phases:

  • Partial market display (sunrise) shows some goods and buildings while leaving uncertainty about the full market display which will be resolved later
  • Final market display (sunset) reveals all resources, resolving this uncertainty, either affirming or not about the player's prior decisions on production
  • Player hands and optional actions create private information that others must infer - for example, players can choose to build a building by placing it face down on the tableau, other players are informed that a player might receive an additional building but is unsure how valuable this building may be

This staggered information release forces players to anticipate possible outcomes, plan under uncertainty, and adjust strategies dynamically. In digitisation, choosing when and how to reveal this information is important for the gameplay experience. Keeping it so that players still feel challenged and are able to make informed decisions which have varying consequences is of particular emphasis. Implementation ideas include using visual cues such as highlights, animations, or step-by-step reveals, along with logs or history panels, to clearly communicate when information is revealed and help players understand how the game state changes over time.

When do actions resolve

Actions resolve simultaneously after careful planning and production decisions are set by the player:

  • Production occurs after building and worker assignments are set
  • Optional assistant or building actions resolve after the main production
  • Resource updates, coin collection, and final VP calculations occur at the end of the final round

This emphasises planning, observation, and risk management as players must coordinate immediate choices with future consequences.

In digitisation, automating parts of this resolution process can reduce cognitive load while maintaining strategic depth. Visual cues and feedback can be used to make dependencies more explicit, helping players understand how earlier decisions influence later outcomes, such as how a chosen worker affects production chains. Additional implementation ideas include step-by-step resolution outcomes that is featured in a history log of sorts for future reference, or visuals of cause-and-effect relationships (for example, when clicking a certain building, may show how many goods could be produced).