Abstract
Problem: What small, seemingly insignificant game features excite an experienced designer but go unnoticed by most players?
Approach: Tim Cain responds to a viewer question by reflecting on the subtle design touches that personally delight him, distinguishing them from features that are important (like colorblind support) or whose absence causes frustration (like unskippable cutscenes).
Findings: The features Tim values most share a common thread: they signal that the designer sees the player — reacting to small choices, theming utilitarian UI elements, respecting the player's time and workflow, telling silent stories through props, and broadening gameplay rather than just boosting numbers.
Key insight: The best "insignificant" features are moments where the designer speaks to the player through their work, saying "I see you, I see what you like doing, and I put stuff in to let you do it more."
What Counts as "Insignificant"
Tim first draws boundaries around what he means. Colorblind support is not insignificant — he literally cannot play certain games without it, and dismissing ~10% of the male population is a real design failure. Similarly, unskippable cutscenes aren't a delightful feature — their absence makes him angry, signaling "your time is worthless to me" and "don't ever replay my game." These are table stakes, not delights.
The question is about features that are personal pleasures — things most players shrug at but that make Tim light up.
NPCs Reacting to Little Things
Tim's biggest example. Not reactions to a flaming sword or a demonic companion — reactions to wearing a funny hat and having a passerby say "hey dude, nice hat."
In Arcanum, the team implemented reactions to the player running around without clothes (fitting for its Victorian setting). Walk past someone naked and they might say "hey, you forget your pants?" Walk into a clothing vendor and they might quip: "I suppose you're here today to buy pants."
Tim emphasizes restraint: not every NPC should comment, and the comments should be unique to the NPC type (a clothing vendor vs. a random citizen). The effect is charm — the designer going out of their way to acknowledge small player choices.
Themed Mini-Maps
Tim loves when the mini-map or local area map is themed to the game world rather than just a top-down camera view. A sci-fi game might use a projection or contour map. He specifically praises Ultima Underworld's map, which looked like a scroll with handwritten notes — you used it constantly, and they went the extra mile to make it feel like part of the world.
Conversely, if a mini-map isn't useful enough to check frequently, he questions why it exists at all.
Smart Inventory Management
Inventory in RPGs is a constant source of friction because you're always picking up items to sell. Tim loves when games let you mark items as junk or tag them for selling, then offer a "sell all marked items" button at vendors. It's the game recognizing a real player workflow and smoothing it out.
Environmental Vignettes
Tim calls these vignettes — little stories told purely through prop arrangement, with no books, notes, dialogue, or companion commentary.
His favorite example: in Fallout 3, he found a locked hotel room containing two skeletons lying on a bed, holding hands. "You just knew what happened here." No note saying "Goodbye cruel world" — and he prefers it that way. The player fills in the story themselves, which is more powerful than any explicit explanation.
For level designers: use existing props arranged in evocative ways. Even if the player's interpretation is "wrong," it doesn't matter.
Deferred Leveling
Tim dislikes being forced to level up the instant you earn enough XP. It often happens at the worst time — mid-combat, or right after combat when you want to loot, not think about skill allocation.
He prefers a simple notification ("you can level up now if you want") that lets him bank multiple levels and handle them when he's ready to think about character building. A small thing, but it respects the player's mental flow.
Perks That Broaden Rather Than Boost
Tim distinguishes between perks that make you more powerful (10% more damage → 30% more damage) and perks that make abilities more broadly applicable. His favorite examples:
- A perk letting you sell any item type to any vendor (not just armor to armorers)
- A perk letting you sell stolen items
- A persuasion perk that now works on monsters or robots — things you'd normally think are immune
These perks say "you like doing this thing? Here, do it in more places." That's the designer speaking through their work.
The Unifying Principle
Every feature Tim described shares one quality: the designer communicating through their design. Not through tutorials or text boxes, but through small touches that say: "I see you. I see what you enjoy doing. I made room for more of it." That's what makes a game feel charming and cared-for, even in ways most players never consciously notice.
Source: Tim Cain — "Insignificant Features (That I Really Like)"
References
- Tim Cain. YouTube video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIN8nYjOYEE