The Art of a Fair Difficulty Curve

There's a difference between a game that's challenging and a game that's unfair, and strategy titles live or die on getting it right.

A fair curve introduces one new idea at a time. You learn to handle fast enemies, then flying enemies, then both together. A cheap curve just dumps everything on you and calls it difficulty.

We test this by paying attention to our losses. Did I lose because I misplayed, or because the game gave me no reasonable way to win? If it's always the former, the design is doing its job.

When you're evaluating a game yourself, watch how it handles your first failure. The good ones nudge you toward a better strategy. The bad ones just tell you to grind.