The components that make up FS and FE are simple, yet the way they all combine together results in a complex interplay that often gets ignored in reviews and discussion due to the "blind" nature of the games. How do you decide what stays in the system and what gets dropped?
That's really a design question for Ian, but it's always just a combination of a core design and iteration. Ian has a very clear idea of where he wants the game to go from the start, in terms of the dynamics of it and also the feeling he wants to get from the gameplay. He'll then implement a basic system and play the game against Robin, our tester and Level Designer. They'll discuss it and he'll make changes. After that, he'll broaden it out to playing in a wider group and take more feedback then usually add things / pare back until he's happy that his original idea has been fulfilled. It's a process that's very specific to him and it seems to work!