The Gameplay Loop - Zero Company

Been thinking a lot about gameplay loops while playing Zero Company, because it produces the kind of fatigue that I've been feeling in almost every game I've played that follows the loop perfected by Hades. The Loop"What's the gameplay loop" is a fairly old question 1 used to describe how a game plays in that middle-ground between moment-to-moment action and long-term progression. What's the structure gluing together action scenes, and what are the common activities making up the glue. In GTA3 the gameplay loop might be Mission -> Restock Ammo/Armour -> Save -> Mission, with diversions for the chaos that game allows. In Mass Effect you'd have Mission -> Talk to Crew -> Scoot around Galaxy Map -> Mission, with diversions to explore mission-less planets or return to previously visited locations. XCom Enemy Unknown has Mission -> Base Management -> Globe Management -> Progress time on the Globe -> Mission, with diversions for random events, tech, the like. For older roguelites like…