Playing Games As Intended

tim-cain game-design player-agency mods accessibility difficulty developer-intent

Abstract

Problem: Should players feel guilty about modding a game or playing on easy mode instead of experiencing the developer's "intended" way?

Approach: Tim Cain responds to a viewer question about modding Kingdom Come: Deliverance, drawing on his decades of experience as a developer and a story about a long-time colleague who exclusively plays on easy mode.

Findings: There is no single "right" way to play a game. Developer intent and player interpretation are separate things. However, Tim recommends trying a game unmodded at least once before modding, so you understand what the developer was going for. Mods are valid, but fan patches that add content or change mechanics should be treated as mods, not patches.

Key insight: Play however you want — but consider experiencing the developer's vision at least once before you start modding, so you know what you're choosing to change.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHArBvi1OKU

The Question

A viewer named Abel Anderson asked Tim: "I just started Kingdom Come: Deliverance for the first time, and after about an hour of playing, I immediately modded out the inventory weight limit and the limited saves feature. As a developer, do you think I've robbed myself of some of the intended experience? Is there something wrong with me as a player?"

Tim's immediate answer: there is nothing wrong with you as a player. Play how you want. But the topic deserves a more nuanced response.

Intent vs. Interpretation

Tim distinguishes between two concepts that people often conflate:

  • Intent belongs to the developer. Only the developer can tell you what they intended.
  • Interpretation belongs to the player. You can interpret a game any way you want.

These are different things. Players often act as though their interpretation is the intent, but that's not how it works.

The Colleague Who Plays on Easy

Tim tells a story about a friend and colleague he's known for nearly 30 years. This person plays every game on the easiest difficulty available — story mode if it exists. He doesn't play games to be challenged or stressed. He plays to experience level design, art, and the vistas that games provide. He wants to see what world the developers built.

Tim has heard people tell this colleague he "wasn't playing the game right." Tim's position: there is no playing a game right. If someone is enjoying the game and feels they got their money's worth, that's the right way for them.

Difficulty Settings and Accessibility

Tim connects this to difficulty settings and accessibility features:

  • If a game provides difficulty settings, using them is playing as intended — the developer put them there.
  • Some people insist you should pick a difficulty and stick with it; others want to adjust freely. Neither side is objectively right.
  • Color blindness settings are an accessibility feature. If the developer doesn't provide them but includes color-dependent puzzles or UI, the developer has broken their own intent of making the game playable for everyone.
  • Save-anywhere systems (which all of Tim's games include) naturally allow save-scumming. That's a player choice the system enables.

The Role of Mods

The original question was really about mods. Tim's key points:

The Player Base Is Not Monolithic

Players have conflicting desires. Some won't play a game with a feature (like encumbrance); others won't play without it. There's no one-size-fits-all game. This is where mods become valuable — they let players customize the experience.

Moddability Implies Intent to Be Modded

If a developer makes their game moddable, they are implicitly intending for players to mod it. They can't then claim surprise when people do.

Mods Change the Intended Experience

While modding is valid, Tim is honest: if you mod the game, you are missing out on what the developer intended. Whether that bothers you is a personal question. You may find your experience is fundamentally different from other players'. Conversations about the game may not align with your modded experience.

Tim's Recommendation

Tim's advice is straightforward:

  1. Try playing the game unmodded at least once. Experience what the developer wanted you to experience.
  2. How long? For some, that means a full playthrough (20–40 hours). For others, an hour or two is enough to understand the developer's vision.
  3. Then mod freely. Remove things you find frustrating, stressful, or confusing. Add challenges if you want more.
  4. Changing a game substantially into a different game via mods is also fine — it's yours to do what you want.

A Note on Patches vs. Mods

Tim draws an important distinction:

  • Developer patches are part of playing the game as intended — they come from the developer, regardless of whether they add content or change mechanics.
  • Fan patches that only fix bugs (crashes, broken abilities) can reasonably be considered patches.
  • Fan patches that add content, restore cut content, or change mechanics are mods wearing a patch's name. Tim recommends treating them as mods — try the game without them first.

Conclusion

Play however you want. These are Tim's recommendations, not rules. Don't worry about what other people think about how you play your games. The only person whose enjoyment matters is you.

References