Nika Entertainment company said in its blog on App2Top.ru how to escape from the main mistakes when working on social and mobile games.
At Nika Entertainment, we identify six basic problems that developers may face. This:
- update for the sake of update;
- lack of planning;
- oversight of statistics;
- gonzo game design (GGD);
- unsuccessful gifts;
- leveldesign.
Each of them has a solution. All except one, the most important one, which stands above all of them and therefore did not get into our list.
The main and, in fact, the only problem is the aimless and inefficient waste of the team’s time on unnecessary nonsense. When solving it, all other problems may disappear by themselves over time.
1. Update for the sake of updateCreative people often get carried away.
They can come up with a couple of hundred game features, offer to introduce cows.
At the same time, it is important to remember: any update must have a specific goal, lead to a certain result. For example, to increase useful clicks in the window, or to reduce the complexity of the location (which, accordingly, affects the patency and dumps), or to simplify the purchase procedure, or simply to correct the interface due to user complaints about non-obviousness.
How to avoid?Pay attention to the highest priority tasks in the product.
Solve the problems of the product consistently, calculate in advance the possible results of the release of the update.
2. Lack of planningThis problem sooner or later leads the game designer to the fact that he becomes unable to control the workflow.
The lack of careful planning leads to poor quality documentation. Because of this, the team’s employment control may be lost. This affects the quality of the project, because in the event that the team does not meet the deadline (and this happens if there is no control over the employment of the team), it begins to finalize outside of working hours “in a hurry”.
How to avoid?Plan every day.
Each. With priorities and deadlines, commenting on all tasks on a daily basis (including reasons for postponing deadlines, reports on task completion). You report more to yourself – you report less to the management.
3. Oversight of statisticsOne of the main problems that all the others easily entail in the project.
Statistics are the pulse of the product, only it will show whether the new feature was successful or caused the loss of players.
The most important and, in our opinion, the key task of a game designer is to probe statistics several times a day.
Statistics are the main way to identify any problems in the product, the main source for making decisions on the next updates and priorities of subsequent tasks.
How not to get caught?After each update, regularly view statistics.
Ideally: watch her daily. This ensures maximum efficiency in solving the most critical problems.
4. Gonzo game design (GGD)Most of the problems are the result of poor game design.
How to distinguish it from a productive game design?
Firstly, productive game design leads to the growth and growth of metrics.
Secondly, the main platform for the GGD is an unsuccessful analysis of the goals of the fresh mechanics or the content of a competing product, or an insufficient understanding of the goals and all the features of a competitive innovation.
Thirdly, the GGD is, in fact, the “update for the sake of update” problem scaled for the entire project. In other words, insufficient consideration of reliability and possible weaknesses of the introduced content /mechanics /features.
How to avoid?Learn the correct and competent reverse of competitors’ features and an adequate assessment of their goals.
As mentioned in the first paragraph, the main point that must always be remembered: when designing a game, it is important to adhere to clear goals in improving the product.
It is never worth giving out kilotons of currency to users under the pretext of increasing viral activity or calculating the lottery mechanism on conditions that are obviously unfavorable for the player. The player does not like difficulties and does not forgive mistakes.
In fact, every beer store is a competitor to the game designer, since the decisions that led to the GGD force the user to quit the game and invest their money in something else… for example, in a bottle of light.
5. Unsuccessful gifts One of the main reasons for the decline of economies is the competition of the main monetization aspects of the game with gifts that attract the player.
A classic example is the issuance of premium and expensive items with a high probability through a lottery.
How to avoid?Calculating the monetization balance of the introduced mechanics and/or limiting the premium items/currency issued to players (within <0.5*LTV) is a sure way to avoid a facap and the collapse of the game’s economy.
6. LeveldesignThe financial success of three-in-a-row games directly depends on the level design.
If the designer does not have an understanding of the key aspects of level design, the majority of players will drop out before they pay off the costs of their involvement in the game.
Popular fakap – verbatim copying of game levels from hits (Candy Crush Saga, Farm Heroes Saga). Usually tracing paper is removed from the first levels. Then they do it themselves. It is clear that in this case, at further levels, such developers lose users.
The reason is the lack of information about the interests and preferences of the audience of their game, the lack of level design tests, the inability of a game designer to look at their levels with the eyes of the target audience and produce high-quality content from the point of view of the players.
How to bring the level design back to normal?A series of A/B level tests, their constant balancing, the use of proven, obvious and successful geometries from the players’ point of view is a sure step towards obtaining cool levels.
ConclusionsSummarizing the above and supporting a healthy lifestyle of players, we recommend creating a game wisely, competently managing your time and your team, and who knows, maybe it is you who will guide the audience of your game on the right path, providing it with an alternative to beer pubs – your application?