No IAP, Timers done right?

Discussion in 'General Game Discussion and Questions' started by J Cousteau, Feb 24, 2014.

  1. J Cousteau

    J Cousteau Well-Known Member

    Feb 21, 2014
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    #1 J Cousteau, Feb 24, 2014
    Last edited: Feb 24, 2014
    So my company "Games On Deck" is developing a new game for ios devices, and I'd like your opinion on the features we are inputting since iap and timers seem to something we developers are all trying to figure out in order to benefit both gamers and ourselves.

    The game is a full fledged RPG.

    -We are trying something new but DnD inspired, your character is comepletely randomized. Stats, race, gender, and all traits are chosen randomly. There are countless skills you can learn, but some characters will be able to learn quicker than others.

    -No IAP. Everything can be bought with in-game currency. There are however multiple currency's, which change depending on which faction you are in, and can be exchanged for varying amounts. I.e. some currencies are worth more than others.

    -Rogue inspired gameplay. Your character gets one life, and if it dies, its game over. We are still deciding if we will use a Karma system that will transfer over to your next character.

    -PvP. While discouraged in most cases, you can literally fight, and kill, any character in the game. There will be penalties however, if you are caught. Some in game professions allow you to fight without such penalties though, such as various sports, military combat, and in-game law enforcement

    -Timers. Now here's the big one. We have a soft timer in place. Your character has to rest for about 4-8 hours a day or it will die. Now, because we know there are hardcore gamers, this is indeed a soft timer, as you can go a few days without resting, but each day you go without it, you lose health and performance benefits until you reach 0 hp.

    -Consumables. Another hot topic. There are multiple types of consumables you can use, all bought with ingame currency, but give your character different effects. Since its a rogue-like, food will be necessary. There are also stimulants you can buy secretly for your character that increase things like strength, speed, and charisma, but can lower things like intelligence, perception, and...charisma.

    -Gamecenter. Thinking of adding achievements that your friends can see. Feel free to post suggestions.

    -Always online. The final hot button topic. While you can lone wolf it after the first 15 levels or so, its highly beneficial to learn to play with others. Devise strategies, create teams, trade items. This game is always online and your characters reputation will follow you most places you go.

    Let me know what you guys think so far. Are these some ideas you guys like?
    The title is still a work in progress, but we are all leaning towards
    "The Legends in Five Elements" which are Earth, Wind, Fire, Water and heart.
     
  2. psj3809

    psj3809 Moderator

    Jan 13, 2011
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    #2 psj3809, Feb 24, 2014
    Last edited: Feb 24, 2014
    I dont understand why you've got timers, why would you want someone to stop playing your game for 4-8 hours ? Surely you want people to play your game as long as they want instead of jumping over to play something else ?

    Glad theres no IAP's but i dont understand the timer. I remember in the old days of Ultima, you select Rest and you see your party resting and a few seconds later you carry on playing. Think sometimes devs want to make games too realistic and 'force' people to rest etc.

    As for always online i'm not a fan at all, i play a lot on my ipod touch and so i dont always have the ability to be online. When i do use my iphone for gaming again i'm not always at home so i dont want this game eating into my bandwidth

    If i'm spending time on buying IAP's (which i dont but just saying) then i'll be even more annoyed if theres timers to tell me when i can play a game (which i've spent money on already !).

    Its like leasing a car and then telling me when i can/cant drive it.

    The whole idea of games are that they are fun. Its not fun when a game is telling me when i can/cant play. Its not fun when it 'may' be obvious that the dev has tons of IAP's just to milk every penny from my wallet. Thats not fun, thats not a game, thats just a tough business model. With 10000's of fun games i can play out there ANYTIME then i'll stay away from stuff like this. Problem is 'some' companies see this crazy freemium/timer business, hear about some games making millions and want a piece of it.
     
  3. Mene

    Mene <b>ACCOUNT CLOSED</b>: <em>Officially</em> Quit iO

    Mar 18, 2012
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    Timers AND consumables?

    That's me out right away.. ridiculous
     
  4. Exact-Psience

    Exact-Psience Well-Known Member

    Jan 12, 2012
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    The Work-At-Home Guy
    Philippines
    The only timers i would accept are the ones that count down and show you the game over screen if it hits zero, while giving you a bit of score based on how much time is left, and the timers that are basically cooldowns on skills.
     
  5. Topherunhinged

    Topherunhinged Well-Known Member

    Feb 7, 2014
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    There's nothing wrong with a need to sleep, it's not even a timer honestly so why call it that. Better yet, why try to make, a good mechanic, sleep into a bad mechanic? Unless it adds something to the game, why bother? And sleep as a mechanic can add a lot, a whole lot, to a game but let it advance in-game time, not take realtime out if the day and deny me the ability to play.

    Unfortunately, it looks like you want to ruin your game and go with the always on-line approach, which is what dictates the need for realtime counters concerning sleep in the first place. Fact is that, always on-line games are ALL garbage; it's a mechanic which has ruined every single game that it's ever touched.

    Also, why describe potions and then call them consumables?

    Look rogue-likes are great, DnD rogue-likes are great (ogl 3.5 is a solid system), completely randomizing your character is stupid and no IAP is brilliant. If you can make a good game, make it premium, and if you're making a DnD rogue-like you might as well play and improve on the already fantastic one of PC, Incursion. Heck, just finish that game and port it to iOS... it's abandoned, open source these days and I'd happily pay $5 for it.
     
  6. J Cousteau

    J Cousteau Well-Known Member

    Feb 21, 2014
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    Hmm, you guys make some good points, this game sounds fundamentally flawed.


    The inability to choose your character, having to stop after a certain period of time, having to always purchase consumables, constantly surrounded by other players.....

    Crazy to think 7 billion people have to play l.i.f.e everyday
     
  7. JCho133

    JCho133 Well-Known Member

    Jul 27, 2012
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    Is this game in development? Or is this just a design idea?

    I can't really understand why you would want to put a timer in and have it always online if you have no intent of making extra revenue off these schemes.
     
  8. Bronxsta

    Bronxsta Well-Known Member

    Lol, what?
     
  9. psj3809

    psj3809 Moderator

    Jan 13, 2011
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    What are you on about ? Games to me are escapism, have a quick 5/10/30 minute game here and there and i forget about bills, job etc. Just immerse myself into the game.

    I dont want it to be like life, i want escapism. Its like when someone watches a film of something like 24 and say 'i cant believe Jack never goes to the toilet....', i mean you want it realistic do you ? Well dont moan when its boring as hell.

    Lifes free, it doesnt dictate to me when i can/cant play, its up to me and i doubt the consumables in life are worse than ones in some IAP ridden game.

    Sorry your ideas seem totally OTT, you ask, we've spoken, if you want to joke/mock/dont listen then let me know and i'll lock this thread. If you want feedback dont moan if you dont like it
     
  10. nodoctors

    nodoctors Well-Known Member

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    #10 nodoctors, Feb 25, 2014
    Last edited: Feb 25, 2014
    As most already know, things like timers and dual currencies are concepts made to exploit basic human compulsion and behavior. The timer side of things was done to make the user revisit the game repeatedly throughout their day, and then often being rewarded once a day with some form of bonus to make a video game of all things habitual like food and water. "Oh! Is the timer done? I have to check my game...Oh it's first bonus of the day time! I need to check my game..." And then the game has settled itself into your brain. Things like this should in all honesty be illegal, but of course this will seem like an extreme action to casuals and those wanting to exploit people with it. But if you understand why these things are done, you see how grimy f2p really is.
     
  11. psj3809

    psj3809 Moderator

    Jan 13, 2011
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    Yeah i understand how it works, just totally disagree with it. This thread and ideas about this potential game to me is everything which is wrong with iOS gaming at the moment.
     
  12. nodoctors

    nodoctors Well-Known Member

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    Yeah, I was just specifically pointing out why keeping your player from playing for 4-8+ hours is in all actuality keeping the player invested in the game and playing for much longer. The combo of the weight of time invested as well as it becoming habitually revisited keeps the player sucked in, but not because the game is amazing and fun, but through other psychological means. That's what fun has become on iOS. Manipulation.
     
  13. Bronxsta

    Bronxsta Well-Known Member

    Timers and dual currencies make me delete a game instantly. Maybe it works for some people, but it's an absolute deterrent for other gamers
     
  14. psj3809

    psj3809 Moderator

    Jan 13, 2011
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    But for some players that may be work, they may already be 'sucked' in etc. I hate timers as i'll simply move onto another game, i have 400+ games on my device, more on my ipad. If a stupid game is basically telling me when i can/cant play i'll delete it and move onto another.

    I dont care if i've spent hours playing it, if suddenly the game is controlling me and when i can/cant play its gone.

    As for Candy Crush games thats depressing, not just the game but the people who play those games, 'oh i just need so buy an IAP for the 10000th time...., its only 99c....' and they add up and add up.

    Thankfully iOS gaming is a huge world, theres still plenty of great games i like to play, a lot of freemium junk or timer junk but i now just avoid those and now i'm starting to personally boycott companies. I used to buy games from 'company x', if they release a game with timers or over the top IAP's i wont buy any future games from them. I now vote with my wallet
     
  15. Mene

    Mene <b>ACCOUNT CLOSED</b>: <em>Officially</em> Quit iO

    Mar 18, 2012
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    Totally agree, I'm the same.
     
  16. Dreathor

    Dreathor Well-Known Member

    Mar 7, 2013
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    Yeah me too, hello GOF alliances, for example.

    Fish labs traded their good gameplay, good dev team and good morals up the creek for always online and quick money.

    As such, they can forget me downloading anything from them ever again.

    I don't get fooled more than once by a company or individual, if greed drives a game then I am out entirely. It really is that simple.
     
  17. spader623

    spader623 Well-Known Member

    Jan 18, 2014
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    That sounds like sarcasm sir. Do you really wanna say that?
     
  18. Jorlen

    Jorlen Well-Known Member

    Jan 7, 2009
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    "Timers done right" is an oxymoron for most of the crowd here, which you undoubtedly already know by now. That and consumables, both of which your design ideas have. I do not play games that have these elements.
     
  19. chaos_envoys

    chaos_envoys Well-Known Member

    Jan 1, 2011
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    Totally agree.. Fishlabs just destroy the GOF with alliance.. I hope this thread brings enlightenment to iOS dev.. The current market flooded with trash F2P with consumables and timers are ruining the gaming I know.. The days when playing online or more than one player are optional, and the game is focused on the GAMEPLAY, not the IAP or TIMER BALANCE.. That is just wrong...
     
  20. Rip73

    Rip73 Well-Known Member

    Nov 18, 2011
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    #20 Rip73, Feb 26, 2014
    Last edited: Feb 26, 2014
    I think you've picked the wrong forum or medium to ask those questions. You won't get a balanced reply, just the usual "junk" analogies.

    The private developer sub forum will get you more relevant information.
    There's also plenty of dev only portals out there that will guide you better and offer reasonable advice on monetisation (ie surviving) versus mechanics. I'm not sure you're heading down the right route in some areas based on what details you've given.

    Unity and Unreal have some useful info sharing tools and developer only forums so if you join their developer portals and make contacts there, it'll be far more useful in the long term.

    I think the nature of the replies you've gotten here already have demonstrated the general consensus on here. Developer ones, Unity one in particular, will offer more in the area of balance and objectivity.

    Also, pocketgamer.biz (specifically the .biz section) does a lot of analysis that you'll find more useful and if you can contact someone there, they can be helpful for useful research methods or organisations.
     

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