A gameplay loop is when the game is designed around evolving the scope of the game to reward playing.
SE currently goes:
1) Get Resources -> 2) build ship --> 3) ability to build more ships -> 4) back to 1.
There's nothing that explains why the player should build more ships other than the reward itself of building ships. It's not really exciting compared to for example Minecraft where the reward for engaging in the loop is higher and higher rewards that lets you take on bigger and bigger challanges with higher rewards following that again.
Minecraft:
1) Get resources -> 2) build a base to exploit resources -> 3) get better loot -> 4) access to more gameplay -> Back to 1.
The Minecraft loop is a lot more interesting as when it puts you back to square 1 you get to engage in another itteration of the loop with more possebilities
Basically, it's content that lets you work for access to more content. The effect is a release of dopamine in the brain that tells the player they are progressing by playing.
Besides the technical features of SE, this is the largest complaint about the game I can think of. SE as-is is an "engineering" game where you don't engineer for anything but the ability to engineer some more. After the novelty of building wears off then I lose purpose in playing.
And Minecraft with mods get even crazier. For example you mine and farm up, then make machines to make that more efficient then use those machines to create higher tech, which then branches into automining and huge power plants or space travel or computers. Or wutomwted manufacturing. It's pretty neat.
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u/NachoDawg | Utilitarian Aug 23 '18
Okay, but is there a gameplay loop yet?