Behind the scenes: How the little details in game development can make the biggest impact

• Rockbite Video games not solely desires to carry the PC video games expertise to cell however to additionally make the finer particulars rely
• “You don’t know if the undertaking will take off but, however these little touches can improve its possibilities.”

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Avetis Zakharyan and Gevorg Kopalyan are founders of Rockbite Video games.

It wasn’t that way back that generic stick males have been the go-to character mannequin in idle video games. Whereas that may nonetheless work, few are prepared to take the danger lately.

The market has modified a lot that, despite the fact that cell video games could seem easy, builders now must dive deeper into the main points of a undertaking to seize gamers’ consideration. It’s nearly unattainable for solo builders to interrupt by way of now – that sort of success is nearer to a fortunate accident.

For us, creating wealthy, immersive content material for cell video games wasn’t a shock. Our purpose has at all times been to carry the PC gaming expertise to cell.

The sort of expertise the place you discover small particulars and a sure environment builds round you. This was ingrained in us from the beginning, even when it wasn’t seen as worthwhile. Now, it’s important.

After all, we made our share of errors in our early initiatives – focusing an excessive amount of on the fallacious particulars, trusting our instincts over actuality, and nearly shutting down within the course of.

We prevented working with publishers for so long as we might, however when issues received vital, we teamed up with AppQuantum, overhauled our processes, and realized lots. We’ve already shared that story, however right now we’re zooming in on a narrower matter: our subjective strategy to content material growth and Easter eggs – particulars which have change into a part of the Rockbite Video games signature type.

How deep will we go on the prototype stage?

Take Idle Outpost, for instance. The event course of for this sport was radically completely different from our earlier initiatives. Every step was tied to a speculation that we examined earlier than shifting ahead. When growing the prototype, there have been two key focuses:

1. Avoiding overkill with the quantity of content material and animations by having no clear requirements about it.

2. On the identical time, we have to preserve a singular visible type that might give us a beneficial CPI in accordance with our assessments and hypotheses.

For these causes, we intentionally rejected using any pre-made belongings, even paid ones. The visible type was chosen by way of assessments, however we knew that if gamers noticed one thing acquainted, it will backfire. The market is so saturated you can’t simply present up with one other sport and say, “Hey, we made one thing you already noticed yesterday.”

Early on, when the undertaking’s future was unclear, we stored content material minimal. However what we did have was distinctive. Positive, it is likely to be only a zombie animated in a approach that’s removed from good, however it walks simply superb, and it’s our zombie in our personal type.

When it got here to gameplay time and distinctive ranges, the whole staff sat down collectively within the workplace and performed by way of the prototype, gathering suggestions. If we felt like one thing was lacking, we added it. Ultimately, we had 4 ranges and about two hours of gameplay: the primary stage took 5-10 minutes, the second 15, the third 30, and the fourth round 45 minutes.

Lately, even with hypercasual initiatives, you’ll be able to’t get away with testing prototypes on an actual viewers except you’ve received a minimum of a number of dozen minutes of distinctive gameplay. The extra complicated the sport, the nearer it’s to informal and midcore, the extra fascinating it must be.

Even at this early stage, you’ll be able to add little extras that make your sport memorable. The trick is to maintain the workload manageable.

You don’t know if the undertaking will take off but, however these little touches can improve its possibilities. Nothing loopy, just a few good bits and items that give gamers an occasional sense of newness. We thought, “Why not add rain within the third stage?” It was fast to implement, and it gave the participant a sense of being in a residing world.

This sort of selection is extra necessary than you’d assume at first look.

How have you learnt when it’s time so as to add extra selection? Play till you hit a second the place nothing fascinating has occurred for some time. When that occurs, we jot it down, share it with the staff, and work out the place so as to add one thing to liven issues up.

As a result of the entire staff is taking part in alongside, from the artists to the builders, nobody actually wants prompting more often than not. We frequently hear, “One thing feels prefer it’s lacking right here, let me tweak it for a number of extra days.”

This strategy works wonders for staff morale. We find it irresistible.

So, what did we obtain on the prototype stage?

1. A singular story. I’ve talked about this earlier than, however the thought of an apocalypse survivor simply making an attempt to commerce, who finally ends up dropping his beloved to zombies, hooked me instantly. And it solely will get extra complicated from there, which is uncommon for cell video games. Gamers have observed.

2. Distinctive visuals and setting. We included nods to outdated PC flash video games and made every part from scratch. No reused belongings – in any other case, gamers would immediately really feel like they’ve seen all of it earlier than. If we’re all about depth and uniqueness, we’ve received to have one thing to point out for it in addition to simply concepts.

3. 1.5-2 hours of distinctive gameplay with out overdoing it on animations. It was simply the correct amount to keep away from getting repetitive.

4. Atmospheric and visible hooks embedded within the development, hinting at a deeper sport world that evolves over time.
   

Okay, what’s subsequent?

After the preliminary success, the true work begins – including content material and refining particulars. Whenever you’ve solely received 4 ranges, issues like Easter eggs and further animations aren’t high priorities, however we nonetheless began including these touches. To be sincere, we didn’t get it proper immediately.

In earlier video games, we received too carried away. We added riddles, puzzles, and even hyperlinks to YouTube explaining sci-fi ideas just like the Neumann machine. Principally, we over-engineered issues.

It was enjoyable, and gamers cherished discovering these hidden gems, however it didn’t translate into progress. In reality, the core group was unbelievable and tremendous engaged, however it wasn’t sufficient to maintain the studio financially. A troublesome lesson we realized: regardless of how a lot ardour we put into these particulars, you need to bear in mind who you’re constructing the sport for.

With Idle Outpost, we dialed issues again. Now, after we add small particulars, it’s finished with function – whether or not to boost the environment or deepen the gameplay.

For instance, in stage three, there’s a crashed aircraft surrounded by particles. Gamers can faucet to clear it away. Whereas it doesn’t influence the core gameplay immediately, it hints at mechanics like future loot assortment with shovels, connecting it to level-up development.

However it’s necessary to go away this type of stuff till later in growth – when the core content material is completed. Including these extras too early can distract from the extra pressing duties at hand.

If we do determine to layer in deeper lore (and we normally wish to), it has to profit the sport’s metrics or monetisation.

Take our skins and gadgets from the in-game retailer, for instance. Each comes with a backstory. If it’s a firefighter set, it’s not only a random costume – we’ve constructed a legend across the hero who as soon as wore it, the place they fell, and the way their gear ended up within the participant’s arms.

Even names of uncommon and epic gadgets have tales. Like a “Helmet of a Freaked-Out Witch” – gamers marvel why she freaked out, which sparks curiosity and makes them extra wanting to take part in occasions and earn the set.

This ties into the participant’s immersion. One factor connects to the subsequent – whether or not it’s occasions, skins, the story development, or the gadgets themselves. We predict this stuff by way of earlier than they ever make it into the sport.

As an illustration, Idle Outpost has an occasion with an enormous cow that must be milked or a personality that appears just like a well-known US presidential candidate. At first, it looks as if a unusual developer joke, however because the marketing campaign unfolds, the participant begins to see how every part ties into the sport’s lore.

These sorts of particulars maintain gamers engaged for months, even years.

Isn’t that an excessive amount of work? What’s the purpose?

I wouldn’t say this strategy is the norm in cell video games right now. Many builders nonetheless depend on the identical strategies that labored a decade in the past -core mechanics with free belongings to achieve an viewers.

We’re not in opposition to this, however primarily based on our expertise and AppQuantum’s knowledge, it not cuts it. There’s an actual payoff to specializing in the main points – Idle Outpost didn’t change into the highest earner in its area of interest for no motive.

Right here’s why we predict it’s well worth the effort:

For us. It energises us. Developing with new options and including hidden gems – it’s the enjoyment of sport growth that retains us motivated. We wished gamers to have the identical thrill we received from discovering lore and secrets and techniques in PC video games. It’s that straightforward.

For the gamers. The group is like an extension of our staff. That’s not simply discuss – we learn almost all of the suggestions, discussions, and solutions. When gamers discover these Easter eggs or respect the main points, it appears like we’re in it collectively.

We love including Easter eggs and small particulars, however with out an engaged group, it wouldn’t have the identical influence. Even earlier than we run the primary assessments or know the place the undertaking goes, seeing participant curiosity offers us an enormous vitality enhance to maintain going and provides again to them. Their pleasure fuels us.

Throughout the growth of Deep City, lengthy earlier than the total beta launch, a small however engaged group began forming. We teased content material, made movies, and have been blown away by how excited folks have been. That impressed us so as to add much more particulars and references earlier than the official launch, despite the fact that we have been supposed to start out doing that after.

There are complete Reddit threads the place followers analyse Deep City lore – generally, they even argue! We constructed the plot regularly, by no means revealing every part without delay, which gave the sport a depth past the same old cell expertise, that “wow” impact. that second when a twist in a sport makes you rethink every part? I’m not going to spoil our storylines, however that’s the sensation we intention for.

For the staff. The fixed course of of making Easter eggs, lore, and inside jokes provides lots to the staff’s artistic vitality. 

Artists find it irresistible after we ask them to attract one thing enjoyable with a reference. It helps them keep away from burnout and retains their creativeness sharp. Including some selection to the staff’s each day duties is nice for worker retention too.

We don’t schedule brainstorming periods for this stuff as a result of they waste time. It’s extra spontaneous, a part of the artistic environment we foster. Somebody within the workplace would possibly say, “Hey, how about we add this?” If everybody’s instantly on board, it will get into the sport. And it wasn’t just a few summary thought from the backlog, it was one thing we got here up with and applied collectively.

A number of the Easter eggs are simply our inside jokes. Take the outdated woman with a walker, for instance. She’s been in each undertaking for the reason that first DeepTown prototype. Again on the prototype stage, you needed to demolish a constructing from high to backside as a substitute of digging.

We’ve put a grandma on the bottom the place the particles fell. She moved slowly, however it doesn’t matter what chaos occurred, she by no means received harm. It turned our native meme.

Now, the entire staff can’t await grandma to look after we play a brand new stage. Moments like this make growth and playtesting much more enjoyable. 

Small issues maintain the staff enthusiastic about engaged on the undertaking, no burnouts in sight. 

For long-term undertaking progress. In brief, we’re constructing the undertaking’s core gameplay and structure in a approach that lets us maintain increasing the sport. Proper now, we’re specializing in Idle Outpost and refining that core.

We already talked about the occasion with the enormous cow. It’s really even weirder as a result of it’s being milked by different cows. It makes the gamers marvel what the hell that truly means, given the very fact there’s a sound and logical plot within the sport. Wouldn’t you have an interest to learn the way all of it ties collectively? 

Bear in mind Misplaced? How each episode had clues that didn’t make sense at first however have been finally defined? We’re making use of that very same precept. And we’re already getting ready story cutscenes to regularly reveal extra of the sport’s mysteries.