How much content is Acceptable?

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How much content is Acceptable?

(11 posts) (5 voices)

Started 1 year ago by OpenEmotion
Latest reply from JeremyR
poll: How Important is content in PSP Minis?
Vitally Important (Gameplay is key) : (3 votes)

27 %

Not Really (Pretty Visuals are more important) : (1 votes)

9 %

Middleground (A balance of Gameplay content and Graphics) : (7 votes)

64 %

11 votes

Tags:

OpenEmotion
Member

Hey guys,

Just trying to get some feedback. One of our upcoming games is a traditional puzzler style game.
In terms of content we were thinking -

*17 Main Stages - 5 Main hubs with levels branching off of them
*10 Bonus Stages - These are unlocked by meeting criteria in the main stages.
*Endless Mode - This version of the game allows you to play with no goals and just try to better your top score(s).
*Tower Mode - This is a entirely different game type that uses the same visual aspects but is an entirely different experience.
*Options - Usual options, Sound, Help, Credits etc.
*Extras - Awards/Trophies for meeting criteria within the game.
*Local Leaderboard - Try to top developers, beta testers or your own scores.

I was wondering after playing games like Monsters (Probably) stole my princess if the depth of content is that important?

Any feedback regarding this would be appreciated,
All the best,

Paddy Murphy,
CEO, Open Emotion Studios,
http://www.openemotionstudios.com

Posted 1 year ago #
thumbbandit
Member

I think the amount of content should be reflected in the price, although it does depend on the quality and the game... about the amount of content you plan to put into the puzzle game, I have to say it's a first day buy for me. ;)

Posted 1 year ago #
Chris
Key Master

I found I couldn't really choose an option on your poll.

The question you are asking in the poll above is would you prefer better graphics and less content. Or more content and less graphics. My answer is that I don't really care about either. I want the best gameplay. And if you have to sacrifice graphics and amount of content to bring me the best gameplay, then do it. I will pay for good gameplay no matter how good it looks or how long it plays for.

To me I much prefer to play a short awesome game then a long boring one. But graphics is not what determines its awesomeness. Yes it can help determine it. But gameplay is king. And when I say gameplay I'm talking about how fun it is to play. You seem to refer to gameplay in your poll as how much content it has (quantity). So I found your poll not very helpful in letting me communicate to you what I find important as a gamer.

Posted 1 year ago #
JeremyR
Member

MPSMP is a great example. It manages to be amazingly popular, even though it's got what, 5 minutes of content? I guess the key to that though even though it has a few number of levels, they are replayable? (I don't know, I didn't like it).

But on the flip side, my favorite Mini is the history channel strategy game from Slitherine. Pretty meh when it comes to graphics, but it's a fairly deep game. Maybe not Civ or Moo 2, but like Empire with tactical combat added and deeper city development.

Posted 1 year ago #
OpenEmotion
Member

Yeah Chris, You are dead right. The poll was hastily done and not quite worded as well as I would have wanted. To me content isn't necessarily to do with longevity, it's more to do with what that game offers to the player as a whole. When I refer to content that does mean more gameplay, but also it means balanced enough that the player should want to return to that game-world again and again and not feel like they've done everything already.

It's just, my favorite Mini thus far is either Alien Zombie Death or Vempire because they offered enjoyable experiences that didn't get old fast... I personally felt a little cheated by the depth of "Monsters (probably) stole my Princess" and felt that the game depended more on the pretty visuals than the gameplay itself, as I had the entire thing played to death in under an hour or two with no real reason to return to the game. I mean, If there had been maybe one or 2 extra game types or something, some kind of Endless mode, I dont know... Maybe I would've felt more like I got the bang for my 4.99. But that game is the defining Mini in terms of 2D visuals, it looks great and takes up the entire 100MB File size limit. The gameplay, however, is key in my eyes and in all our games it is our most driving factor... If it doesn't play well, then theres no point having bucket loads of content.

It just seems that with the 100MB file restriction of the Minis there are 2 routes to take. Either A:) make the game look
super pretty but have very little in terms of variety in the levels etc. which in my opinion can affect the gameplay
experience no matter how awesome that is. Or B:) you can focus on having a reasonable amount of levels, extra modes etc. coupled with gameplay that makes the player want to get the most from that extra content but this of course will diminish the visuals slightly.

The Minis are a new market for us, so you guys feedback is fantastic and is really helping us streamline our dev procedure.

Thanks very much you guys,

Paddy Murphy,
CEO, Open Emotion Studios[u],
http://www.openemotionstudios.com

Posted 1 year ago #
OpenEmotion
Member

Now.... How do I remove that poll and replace it with a better one :P Heh Heh,

Paddy Murphy,
CEO, Open Emotion Studios
http://www.openemotionstudios.com

Posted 1 year ago #
midaskid
Member

Tough question really. I guess it depends on how you view minis. For me they are a chance for devs to give a neat idea a chance, there are a million ideas out there. Lets get away from the shovel ware we keep seeing. This is devs going direct on consoles NO publisher or retailers involved ;)

As long as everything fits together and it achieves what it sets out to do, giving the player an enjoyable experience then you don't begrudge the fact you have spent €3-€4. With new titles appearing on a weekly basis do you need to have huge longevity? I am all for CUPS.

If it works and makes it money I guess there could be a version 2 with extra levels, characters etc...

Posted 1 year ago #
OpenEmotion
Member

Hey Midaskid,

I understand your point of view and I appreciate what you're saying but my confusion with that, lies in the fact that if you don't to some small extent take advantage of the platform you are developing for, you are essentially making a flash game for the PSP or PS3. I mean, shouldn't the same care and control be put into the development of Minis as goes into larger scale projects. Games like Young Thor are a great example as it is a fun game that also manages to have a reasonable amount of depth to the game and you wont feel like there is nothing to come back for. I dont know though, maybe your view on the market is something to look at in our development process, as this is new ground for us, development wise and any feedback is epic.

All the best,

Paddy Murphy,
CEO, Open Emotion Studios,
http://www.openemotionstudios.com

Posted 1 year ago #
midaskid
Member

I think I am only being be realistic. I know that everyone wants something for nothing but I wouldn't expect a new game (not one that is 12 months old and now in the bargain bin) that costs a few Euros to have hours and hours of new and exciting game play. Let the big dev teams toil over that side of stuff. I am seeing minis as a fun lighter side of life :)

As for flash titles, yes seeing Yeti Sports for sale does make my heart sink. But someone somewhere thought it a good idea.

Posted 1 year ago #
OpenEmotion
Member

Ha ha, Thanks man, we will take this feedback on board and process it in development :)

We see Minis as a great means to create games we wanted to make when we became flash game devs but were restricted by the tiny 3 MB file size limits (If you want a buyer basically) - So our first game is going to be a greatly expanded version of one of our franchises. In the development of the flash game there was a million times where we had to chop an idea because there just wasn't space, so what I like about the Mini development is that we can now create the games we initially envisioned as opposed to the watered down flash versions of those franchises.

Cheers for the input, Mate,

Paddy Murphy,
CEO, Open Emotion Studios,
http://www.openemotionstudios.com

Posted 1 year ago #
JeremyR
Member

The thing with MPSMP is that I think most of the 100 megs it took up must have been the cutscenes being pre-rendered as video (as opposed to being done in engine)

Posted 1 year ago #

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