Chris Heatherly’s Post

𝗦𝗵𝗼𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝟰𝟬% 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁-𝗖𝗢𝗩𝗜𝗗, and no one new is winning. Where do shooters go next? Adam Telfer convenes a panel with Devan Brennan, Chris Sides, and me to discuss the genre's next step. There's a heavy focus on the supply side: teams must make enough widgets to survive. The "we'll grow it after launch" era of Siege and Warframe keeps seducing teams, but that window has closed. Chris Sides suggests the first three months should be unsustainable from a content perspective (stockpile!). LoL was doing weekly hero releases at launch. When's the last game to be this aggressive? Another vector is examining the "productivity of content." I'll write more about this, but we should model the ability of a piece of content to generate units of retention. Not all content is created equal, and it's safe to assume heroes drive more retention than cosmetic hats. Teams obsess over gameplay innovation but miss the crucial math: how many engagement hours does each development hour generate? If a cosmetic hat takes three months to create, it better drive serious playtime. But how can we use *systems* to operate *over* content and extract as much retention as possible from a single piece of content? The extraction shooter question rears a genuine innovation in stakes and out-of-round progression for shooter players. But Tarkov's numbers are modest; we're seeing teams chase a thesis without a proven ceiling and still unable to solve the genre's core accessibility problems. Link to Adam's piece and the podcast episode is in the comments!

Bringing Back 2012 – Dev Diary 3: Progress Update Following our announcement, that we would bring back the original Angry Birds game to App Stores, we have a sneak peek of the latest developments. In case that you haven’t yet been following our dev diary on our rebuild of the original, classic premium Angry Birds game, you can catch up with our previous posts here and here. In this update we have a couple of screenshots of the latest development to share with you! Let’s dive right in! Here’s a screenshot of the original game, from Level 7 of Episode 2: Mighty Hoax. And this is a screenshot straight from our Unity rebuild of the same level. They look pretty similar, right? That’s exactly the point! We’re really working hard to replicate not only the look, but also the feel of the original premium game launched in 2009, but with all the content released up to 2012. Level 2-21 in Episode 1: Poached Eggs from the original version of the game in 2012: And this is the same level from the Unity build we are working on now. We are paying a lot of attention to detail while rebuilding this game to be as close as it was for modern mobile devices and keep it as authentic to the original game as it was in 2012 – including all the content from that year. As we previously stated, there will be all the 8 episodes that were available in early 2012 and then some. That’s 391 levels of nostalgic tower-toppling action! We’re still aiming to release the game to app stores in the first quarter of this year, but watch this space for more updates from us as the rebuilding work continues.

Waffle just crossed 500k daily players. How did they do it, and how can you get more traction on your game? Here are 6 takeaways from our interview with James Robinson 👇 1/ Word of Mouth: The simple gameplay of Waffle (and star system) encouraged players to share their experiences with friends and family, leading to organic growth in the early days. -- 2/ Viral Articles and Media Coverage: Waffle saw boosts in player numbers following features in prominent media outlets and articles. These articles introduced the game to a broader audience, significantly increasing its daily players. -- 3/ Unique branding and visual distinction: Waffle has an easy to remember name, unique design, and game mechanics that helped it take off instantly. It's playful approach set it apart from many other Wordle inspired daily games. -- 4/ Search Engine Optimization (SEO): Waffle benefitted from high search rankings, especially for searches related to word games. This made it easy for new players to discover Waffle, contributing to its daily active users. And, the game shows up as #1 in Google for 'waffle' -- 5/ Web based accessibility: The game never relied on app-store downloads making it accessible to a wider audience. -- 6/ Community Feedback: Robinson’s openness to community feedback and his commitment to continuously improving the game based on player suggestions helped retain existing players and attract new ones. Check out our full interview with James, here: https://lnkd.in/g4_vRX_v

Valve celebrates Half&Life 2’s 20th anniversary with a big update https://ift.tt/utOGqBN It’s Half-Life 2’s 20th anniversary, and in celebration, Valve has released a special update that adds the Episode One and Episode Two expansions to the base game so you can play it all straight through, along with a two-hour documentary, developer commentary, and much more. The game is also free on Steam until November 18. Valve’s announcement itself is an interactive experience — grab the gravity gun at the bottom of the page and you can pick up just about anything on the screen and toss it around (including that can, which you can then put in the trash). “Every map in Half-Life 2 has been looked over by Valve level designers to fix longstanding bugs, restore content and features lost to time, and improve the quality of a few things like lightmap resolution and fog,” the team says. The release notes are extensive, including updates to the graphics settings, gamepad controls and the Steam Deck menu. Valve's also published some old demo videos from Half-Life 2's development.  Valve The anniversary celebration also brings good news for anyone who didn’t manage to snag a copy of Raising the Bar, the 2004 behind-the-scenes book that’s since become a coveted collector’s item: an expanded second edition is coming in 2025. This new version adds concept art from Episode One and Episode Two, plus “ideas and experiments for the third episode that never came to be.”This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://ift.tt/PyxARST via The Internet Bridge & Latest Posts https://ift.tt/cFyq1rM November 16, 2024 at 12:30PM

Small NFT collections (<500) vs Open Edition NFT mints (unlimited supply) Which would you pick? We played a game of VERSUS with the panel in Episode #59 of Gamified LIVE at WolvesDEN. The key takeaway from the panel was that it highly depends on what the team that is launching the collection is trying to design. Fableborn builder and Product Director at PixionGames, Maria, chimed in with a contrarian approach saying “I think the only way to go is the short supply collection because we’ve seen proven that just because you own an NFT you’re not going to become a player. It’s all about creating that deep relationship with your audience. You’re choosing who you want to partner with and who’s going to be building with you.” Kohji the founder of Parallel, echoed this sentiment by saying “let people experiment. Maybe low editions are better…maybe high editions are better. It depends on what your aim is.” Paul Bettner, creator of Words with Friends and developer of PlayWildcard, added a very interesting perspective by saying that “you can choose one or the other, but the BEST and most SUCCESSFUL games are going to be the ones that figure out how to do both and all. It’s not going to be ‘but’, it’s going to be ‘also/and’...this way of thinking that there is only one type of customer in your game is very outdated. These days the most successful free-to-play games have multiple overlapping types of users with completely different spending behaviors and desires. Our job is to weave together those different users and to have them all share the same game experience and have their behaviors benefit each other.” Check out Gamified Episode #59 on Spotify if you’d like to hear more!

Outcast A New Beginning Review - Gamecritics.com https://lnkd.in/e6nwHRwz #beginning #gamecriticscom #gamesblogs #outcast #popularblog #review

With the rise of digital entertainment, our brains are adapting to conserve energy by reducing focused attention on screens. This poses a dilemma for game developers - how do we keep players engaged when our medium inherently discourages it? ⚡ The answer lies in understanding the psychology of your players. Research reveals that natural elements like water induce a sense of calm and safety, priming our brains for focus. Aligning gameplay and personalized player journeys with audience values, motivations, and personality traits reduces cognitive load. Mentally, it’s easier for players to engage with an experience that reflects what they care about. Listen to the full conversation between Michail Katkoff, Joe Schaeppi, and Bastian Bergmann on Deconstructor of Fun. 🎧 https://lnkd.in/g6F2rAiU

One video game which has blown my mind lately is one released by an Indie Developer known as 2OO2 called "Bad Parenting - Mr Read Face". It shows a perspective of unpleasantness. But demonstrates a good reflection on the situation - seemingly to the communities reaction, it has fostered a lot of empathy towards the situation of the characters, and demonstrates a lot of detail with different scenarios! While the theme is based on a sensitive topic, I like how they have implemented a "awareness like" theme to it. The game mechanics, storyline has been written and created phenomenally.

𝗜’𝘃𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗹𝘆 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲. It’s the story of how 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘿𝙖𝙧𝙠 𝙋𝙞𝙘𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚𝙨 𝘼𝙣𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙤𝙜𝙮 avoided the silent killer of so many great game series - 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 - with one subtle, yet powerful, shift in strategy. When I was consulted as product and business analyst, we were facing a significant challenge. 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀 - the minds behind 𝘜𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘋𝘢𝘸𝘯 and 𝘓𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘕𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘴 3 - worked on an ambitious concept: an episodic game series called 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘋𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘗𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘈𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺. The team was excited about the concept. But I saw a glaring problem: the 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲. The attach rate refers to the drop-off in players who purchase later episodes after buying the first - a nightmare 𝗧𝗲𝗹𝗹𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗲 𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀 knew all too well with their episodic game series like 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘥. Despite all their creativity, passion, and effort of Telltale Games, their player numbers dwindled with each new episode. The episodic format was like a slow bleed. The team was fearing the inevitable. Their vision was on the line, and years of hard work were at risk of failing to reach their true potential. But we saw a path forward - one that wouldn’t sacrifice their creative vision but instead unlock the series' potential with a 𝘀𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗮𝗸. The solution? 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗹𝗲 rather than numbered episodes. Under the umbrella of 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘋𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘗𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘈𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺, they launched 𝘔𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘔𝘦𝘥𝘢𝘯, 𝘓𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘏𝘰𝘱𝘦, and all following titles as independent, self-contained experiences. The result? The psychological barrier was gone - players didn’t feel trapped in the episodic cycle, and engagement suffered less from the usual attach rate effects. This subtle shift in strategy made all the difference. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁? I still see so many talented developers struggle with similar problems. Their game - born out of passion, sweat, and years of dedication - fizzles out simply because they didn’t spot the strategy and design mistakes early on. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁? It doesn’t have to be this way. With the right strategies, so many games could avoid this fate and achieve the success they deserve. That’s why I’m committed to sharing these strategies and insights with developers through workshops and group consultancy sessions in our community. The Game Success Guild is a space where game creaters can learn, adapt, and find the answers that make a difference. Our first workshop: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝟰 𝗣𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗦𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀. It’s happening on 𝗦𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟭𝟬𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝘁 𝟭𝟬 𝗔𝗠 𝗖𝗘𝗦𝗧 and is free to join.

"If you don't like it, don't buy it." "If you don't like it, don't watch it." These are the words I generally expect from someone who likes the movies or games that I don't, but never from the company making the said games or movies. I have been painfully attuned to this form of media, which has turned our favorite modes of escapism into agenda-driven drivel with bad story writing and, when it comes to games, the worst gameplay mechanics. We have always lived by the code: "The customer is always right." And if the customer doesn't know what they want, we help them see why our offer is better. Instead, mainstream media has decided to derail the conversation entirely, painting every legitimate critique as a reaction born of some phobia. While there was a time when these words hardly affected people, times have changed. The economy is in the gutter, and companies saying, "if you don't like it, don't buy it," is a signal for people to not buy it. It happened with Concord, Star Wars: Acolyte, Dustborn, and it has already happened with Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. The only issue is that the last one doesn't know it's dead yet. I miss the time when good entertainment was simply that, good entertainment. #media #entertainment #games #movies