The research
There aren't that many types of games that will attract both casual players on their way to school or work and traditional gamers, but doing due dilligence is mandatory.
Note: Although I'm going for as many players as possible, 3D is out of the question because it is more expensive, but mostly because I want the game to have pixel art anyway. Any FPS and 3rd person games are ruled out.
Previous post: pre-project priorities
Play time
By focusing too much on the action, noone on a bus will be able concentrate. This group is very important because even if they don't spend more than 15 minutes in the game, a single reward ad is all it takes to make it worth investing into them.
Therefore the gameplay must never need more than 15 minutes to get a chunk of something done that can be resumed later on. Be it a story section, a quest to unlock a collectible, or whatever it is that makes the player feel like they have progressed.
Getting people started
Whatever gameplay the game presents, it must look good and reward with ingame materials. People love collecting stuff. The fact that every major android game has a rooster of characters or items just prove this point.
I am more likely to make an amazing game if I make the type of game I really know and love. There will be more passion and knowledge in my work. But there is still one more very important thing that should be account for: digital influencers.
Expanding
Some people like playing, others like watching. If the game has some degree of popularity on youtube and stream, it will much more easily attract bigger and bigger audiences. This means the game must be interesting to watch others play it.
While nobody wants to stream Workemon no matter how fun it is, Clash Royale and Terraria are still hyped to this day. Streamers make sure people are constantly interested in them, so aiming for this will be very important.
End game
Although I've already chosen using pixel art, there are many potential players who will not like this type of look simply because it's not 3D. Although a lot of people won't care about it, I should consider using a cutesy-chibi style instead of a retro look. Unfortunately, depending on the type of game I make, this could make or break it.
Last but not least, since I'm looking to build a free-to-play game, it will need constant updates so players never run out of things to do. Long-term player objectives and temporary but replayable events should easen up the effort put into this.
Final list
- Intuitive and clean gameplay
- Very attractive unlockables / collectibles
- Playable in short sessions / chunks of time
- Constant story and/or gameplay updates
- Get better results by developing a game I would love to play myself
- Fun to watch when being streamed
- Maybe avoid retro art styles