Should I keep the black object or remove it?

http_gamesalad

Hello! I've been working on a massive update that @approw has been helping me make called Sway! I'm very proud of it and it's going to be out very soon around February. I have a conflicting issue which I don't know what I should do. The concept of the game is stay on the path and avoid falling off the edges and you move left and right by tilting your phone. I played the game and I felt like there was something missing. So the idea of adding a black object to avoid came up. The whole idea of the black object is that if you collide with the black object you will bounce off of it and have to restart. I have gotten some positive and negative feedback on this idea. Some people like the how it makes the game a bit more entertaining, less boring, it gives the the game a better sense of difficulty, less repetitive, and less predictable. Others don't like some of them told me it makes the game very hard and it's a bit annoying. I really like the idea of the black object. I feel without the black object the game will be very bland and a bit boring once someone gets the hang of it.

I'm very open to new ideas and I think very highly of the people's opinions on the Gamesalad forums.

Armelline

I would find it annoying. I'd be more inclined to master the path than to test my reflexes. Perhaps an easy mode and a hard mode?

BazookaTime

I would have two modes, regular and then a bumper mode (or what ever you call the black dots). I would also slowly introduce the bumpers, maybe don't have one right near the start and have them be more common the longer the game goes on.

Chunkypixels

I agree with the two previous posters. I'd have two game modes, one without, and one with the black ball. Adds more depth and replay ability to the game, and means you get to appease both camps without throwing away the additional work you've done.

owen_dennis

It feels a little superfluous right now, but I understand the desire for some other challenging variable. The graphic also doesn't immediately make it clear that it's a bad thing to touch. Your hero character is a circle and your coins are circles. Iconographically, that means your enemy should probably not be a circle. Maybe make it a square? If you wanted to keep it a circle, then it should act differently. Right now, it acts the same as a coin, it sits there and moves with the path downward. Maybe a way to solve it would be to move from off screen toward the path so you're avoiding a moving object?

Thunder_Child

I really like your parallax scrolling back grounds. Very nice work there. Besides the black dots...as the game has it level of difficulty as far as speed increases I assume...I would ask what is the White square for at the beginning? I would make that a graphic of some sort or remove that as I don't see or know what's it's purpose it is serves.

Chunkypixels

By the way... I like how you've stuck with this game, and improved it.

The initial release looked quite basic and rough around the edges... you've really polished and improved it with newer versions.

GameAlchemist

Keep it, but reduce the times it appears. For example, don't put too many black objects in the beginning as I'd lose interest quickly if the game is too hard in the beginning, instead, increase the difficulty gradually, and if there is a bigger turn like the one at 0:51, just remove it after those places, as it might annoy the player. But that's just my opinion.

Btw, loving the new look. The graphical improvement makes me want to play it again now.

The_Gamesalad_Guru

I like the simplicity of your game and it's gameplay but what it lacks is character. I would find a theme for the game and add simple elements to support it. This adds an element to it. This also gives it a story element. You're background seems like outer space so go off of that theme. Turn your character into a character instead of a circle. The pathway could be a worm hole and now you can have defined enemies to avoid.

Approw

I have worked really close woth @http_gamesalad and we both had mixed feelings about the circles. Some people like it, some dont. I actually think they shouldnt be there since I find them more annoying then challenging, even though I programmed them myself.

@http_gamesalad Maybe we should think about another mechanic, something that blocks the track but isnt a circle. The circle might be confusing for some people..

Gnarly

To me this game design screams. Mouse, cheese, trap.

The_Gamesalad_Guru

@gattoman said:
To me this game design screams. Mouse, cheese, trap.

Yes I like that. The path could be in a wall or some such thing.

@http_gamesalad

Game designing is much like film or video great games have a story element to it. As @gattoman pointed to an idea that is a very simple relatable story. This gives you a character to define your game. This now bleeds into your menus et... Breathing life into a otherwise boring part of your game. Now the player can identify with that little helpless mouse. Now it adds an element of danger and suspense as who wants to be the player who steers their little friendly mouse to it's death!? Like film, books et... Most of game development is understanding the psychological drives of the player and exploiting that to create emotional responses.

Since you are serious about being a game developer you need to develop more than just the mechanics of game developing. I suggest reading what is considered the bible of game design

"A theory of fun for game design" by Raph Koster

It's pretty heavy reading but it will provide you with the concepts and theory of game design. It will take much time and study to become a competent game developer. All this work will give you a good start on college. Allowing you to get the most out of your college experence. Don't neglect your school work especially math. Keep up the good work. I can see you have the drive to go places just remember to get the full experence and learn why you do what you're doing, not just copy and paste.

http_gamesalad

@Armelline @BazookaTime @Chunkypixels @owen_dennis @Thunder_Child @GameAlchemist @Lost_Oasis_Games @gattoman Thank you very much for taking your time and helping me! I appreciate it! I took everything you guys had to say into consideration. What we will try to do is that @approw and I are gonna change out the black object to something else. We're not 100% sure what it will be but it will be more defined as an enemy or something you have to avoid colliding with. Now that you point it out I can see how some players might get confused and think it is something good. If the whole concept of the enemy does not work after this second attempt I will kill it off 100% and leave it as a normal path. I really want to avoid the idea of a hard and easy mode type of app. I really dislike games like that and I really don't want Sway to be a sort of "2 games in one" app. I don't want the game to be very easy once you get the hang of it I want it to have a constant sense of difficulty, a level of concentration and be very unpredictable. That's why I put in accelerometers in the game instead of "tap the screen for left and tap the screen again for right". I want to be very different from every other endless runner app. Also, I noticed that the idea of accelerometers in the game gives the players a realistic hands on feel when they really feel 100% in control. This is my 4th game and I've been really studying the market hard for what people want look for and I think have found it. I do have a bit of proof on concept. I'm working very hard to redefine it and give it a professional touch. I'm very proud of the game and the steps I've taken to make it better! I'm working very hard to make it a success!

Also in terms of the theme for the game. I wanted to go for a space kinda theme. That's why there are clouds and spaceships in the game. The game has more but it is unlock-able content and I don't want to give it all away unless it'll kill the surprise.

BazookaTime

I have lots of original art that I have never used. If you guys decide on a theme or an enemy let me know, I would be happy to donate something.

mhedges

Leave the black object for Sway 2. Finish Sway, then build a second game upon it with further enhancements and/or objectives.

Sway 2: Sway Away
Sway 2: Sway Plus
Sway 2: Sway Harder

Gnarly

"A theory of fun for game design" by Raph Koster

started reading this book and others. It's not what I expected. Psychology, and abstract kind of thinking.

It's interesting though.

frd

I don't think you should copy this game, but it does show how a variety of abstract obstacles can be fun to play against -
http://store.steampowered.com/app/425410/

http_gamesalad

@BazookaTime thank you! I'll definitely keep that in mind!

@mhedges thank you! I'm trying not to make a spin off on my games. I'm not a big fan of people who make spin offs .. I try my very best to make one game that is very great and once I've done that I'll start on a brand new project

@gattoman I'll take a crack at that book
@frd I will check it out !

Thank you all for your ideas