The hardest to re-create in any game is the feeling one gets when venturing out into the unknown for the first time. That's the addiction to games like this for most of us old gamers. Finding a way to share that 'virgin' experience with others is the holy grail that makes or breaks games like this. That's the ultimate goal for any great team of designers. With that said, you then need to break down the types of gamers that usually play these games year after year - The Collector('oh look, shiny!'), The Explorer, The Quester, The Crafter, The Wallflower, The Camper, The Killer('oh look, squirrel!'), The Weekend Warrior, The No-Lifer, and the list goes on...
Your task, should you choose to accept, is to find a way to combine as many of the gems that all these gamer types search for while gaming into one all encompassing and very addictive time consuming aspect of the game that you can monitor, collect dynamics, and then manipulate into future aspects of the game.
After 4+ decades of gaming (Zork, Telengard), I can say one thing... Nothing will ever be the same as that first time when....
But hey, I'm still searching...
@Blyx,
very well said sir!
It is indeed very important to find the balance between all the aspects of player types. That is why we have you our community. I believe there is no better approach than working with the community that is going to play your product. There is no chance for you to know what all types of player will want, but solution is very simple - just ask. And that is what we are doing.
Kind regards,
Armegon