Game feels boring: Any tips?

Help and Feedback Game Design Support
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So I am working on an open world survival game called Frosted Metal. It includes an inventory system, crafting system, and a building system. What the issue is however is that I cannot seem to make it fun to play.

I have been working on this project for about 3 years now, and I find that no matter what mechanic I add I cannot seem to make it genuinely fun to play. I wish to make it hook players for hours (like how Ark or Subnautica makes me play for hours), but I cannot seem to figure out which mechanics I need to change, keep, add, or remove entirely to achieve this.

There are multiple things I have already tried. Some include adding short term and long term goals; short term goals being crafting a weapon, building a shelter, or exploring; long term goals being defeating a boss, obtaining a gas mask to unlock gassed areas, or escaping the island. I have also created a system where robot hunters come out at night and hunt you regardless of where you are or how far you are (incentivizing the creation of a base and deterring players from exploring at night).

Any tips, small or large, will help me greatly! Thanks!

Here is the link to the game: Frosted Metal - Roblox

UPDATE:
I have implemented a lot of the suggestions made in this thread. I have recently added roads guiding players to places of interest, an objective system which lays out the goals which players should work towards, more clarification on game mechanics at the starting cutscene, and more variety to the locations of the map! I have also finalized the story and have an idea for the gameā€™s beginning, conflicts, and conclusion. I would appreciate if anyone could try out the new version and suggest more changes. Thanks!

UPDATE 2:
I decided to do an ENTIRE revamp on the map and I believe it is MUCH better than the previous one. It is much bigger and welcomes more exploration. I have also altered the story a bit and made an endgoal for the player to reach. I also added goals between the starting and endpoint (building up your base, creating a vehicle, turning off all generators around the map, etc.). I still plan to add more variety to the creatures you can find around the map. If you are seeing this, please feel free to test out the newest rendition and give me feedback! Thanks for your time :slight_smile:

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Add PVP and more simulation! You need to be frighted at the environment plus you need to feel like you own the game! Like having a sick looking battle axe for example, players feel like thatā€™s their weapon and itā€™ll make them feel good and have fun.

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There was PVP in the first rendition of the game, but I decided that I want my game to be co-op. I really like your tip on being frightened at the environment, though I am unsure on how to do that. Also, what do you mean on making the player feel like they ā€˜own the gameā€™? Thanks for the feedback!

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I think those games are fun because the initial experience and discovery is awesome, those first minutes learning the world and creatures, etc. So i would suggest making alot of enemy and creature variety, some agressive others neutral or passive. Add variety in playstyles too, just as in Ark some like taming, others building bases, some hunting, etc. You could add dangerous but very rewarding zones similar to ā€œdungeonsā€ like ark caves, to encourage players working together to get good stuff. Just ideas, if i can have alot of stuff to do with friends, thats a game i like playing :slight_smile:

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1 - I thought at first it was a little boring to wait, the other character was very slow and you had to stay close to her, so I recommend changing that

2 - you donā€™t have a purpose, you just woke up in the middle of a place and try to collect resources, itā€™s not like the games you said like subnautica: where you have the objective to get out of that planet and you are very intrigued by what happens during the process . I think you should work a little more on the story to give you a reason why youā€™re in the middle of a blizzard. besides the game doesnā€™t tell you what to do, it doesnā€™t tell you how to collect resources and what to collect during the process. In short: make the story better

3 - the game guis are a bit confusing, maybe some sound effects, animations and new uis could help

4 - if you want to know what you could put as short and long term goals you can pay attention to what the game tells you in popular games like: subnautica

tip: if you want to add multiple bosses, add a reason why the player is fighting them, it could be for just 1 item they need, or to unlock something. just be careful because it can end up getting a little repetitive killing a boss just to get an item to craft something you need again

and add variety on the map

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Wow this was a response I was looking for. I also considered that maybe it was boring to ME because I already know what to expect, with me making the game and all. Honestly I really love your idea of making a dangerous but rewarding zone, so I will most likely add that. Lastly, I agree with your play styles point, but to be honest I donā€™t know what other play style I could add to my game. Thanks a ton!

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  1. Yes I agree with this. This is an easy fix so I have nothing to add here

  2. I feel like this is the most major reason as to why it is boring. Maybe I could add an objective system or something at the start to guide you. Also, I agree with the story part. I wanted to make your end goal to be calling emergency services to get you off the land, but I realized I focused too much on mechanics and graphics that I did not convey that goal at all. I also will work on making it clearer on how and what to collect.

  3. Iā€™m going to be honest, my UI skills are lacking, so I am not sure how to really make my GUIs better and less confusing.

  4. Yes I already made goals but my problem is that I did not tell the player what they are. So basically, there are goals in the game yet the player doesnā€™t know about them, which this post made me realize.

Thanks so much for the honest feedback! This really gave me ideas on what to do!

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another cool idea would be to add a bestiary, that way thats another goal some ppl that are like collecionists could like. To fill the entry you would have to Kill the enemy, if you kill it 20 times you unlock more info on it, kinda like monster hunter handles it. I havent tested the game yet but i will tonight, expect more ideas hehe :smiley:

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Man thatā€™s an idea I never even considered, yet I think would be a great addition! I would really appreciate if you did test it, though like I mentioned it is quite boring right now lol :grin:

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Maybe make it so the player needs to build solutions to problems. For example, instead of looking around for protective gear, they could use building mechanics to make a small mobile base and explore otherwise inaccessible areas. Try to make use of sandbox features more if you want a game that people can play for hours, it should help.

If the player is actively problem solving instead of just completing a checklist, it should be more fun to play.

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Dunno how to say this without it being long or sounding rude.

  • Thereā€™s a lack of easily findable and attainable resources. Resources donā€™t need to be everywhere, players just need to be able to quickly collect what they need to start the rest of the game.
  • Map is large and mostly featureless. Buildings stand out, but beyond them the entire area is basically explored by standing in one spot and looking in every direction. Emptiness isnā€™t bad, just that the only thing I get to do between buildings is walk.
  • Crafting, building, and exploring are all you need for a good game (think Minecraft). There just needs to be a balance between resource availability, resource collection, creation process, and product use. In Minecraft (again) players can find wood and stone easily, can collect both easily, can immediately create something from them easily, and will use them for most of the rest of the game.
  • Robot hunters are interesting, but players will need something to do during the night besides wait for day. Also what happens to players who donā€™t have a base or are caught far from shelters?
  • Itā€™s important to get test players who have no clue how the game works. Theyā€™ll help figure out whatā€™s hard to learn or do and what feels valuable when they acquire or achieve something.

If I were making a survival game with a cold-theme, my development focus would be on making players feel like the outdoors (anywhere outside a warm shelter) are dangerous but necessary. The game loop would be: need stuff for base, go outside to get stuff, return to base to make stuff, new stuff lets you go outside even more, figure out what else you need for base. Repeat until max level.

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Nice, this is a concept I never really thought of. Thanks for the input! This gave me ideas on some things I can add!

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Man this was very detailed! I just have a few questions on the points you made. How would I add more features to the map and in between places (mentioned in your second point)? Should I add hostile robots between locations so that players can walk while having to worry about fighting? Also, how would I make it easier to quickly collect resources without placing resources everywhere?

Aside from that, I really like the idea of the core gameplay loop. I have an idea on how to integrate it into my game. I also like the idea of getting test players. Is it possible to get testers here on the DevForum or are you referring to just getting friends to playing it? Thanks for the feedback!!!

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Between places Iā€™d connect them using paths, roads, and railways (and anything else that can be followed) because players usually follow paths they expect will lead to something. Along the paths you can create signs, debris, buildings, anything else. This probably fills up the map better than evenly distributing structures everywhere, because then youā€™d start to question what counts as a location and whatā€™s part of the landscape.
You can also make use of fog or atmosphere (or physical obstacles) to solve the problem of looking in every direction and considering entire areas explored.

I personally wouldnā€™t place robots between locations, unless the place between is a location itself (say a collection of irrelevant buildings on the side of the road). If I were to place robots in an area then I think the player should be able to quickly understand that the robots are found in the area and not just a random spot in the middle of nowhere (a forest full of robots as opposed to a random patch of grass in the forest). That doesnā€™t mean robots should be everywhere, just that they can be found anywhere within that area. If you want to make it a small area comparable to a random spot in size, then that small area needs to be recognizable so players can tell itā€™s different from just any random spot.

For resources just make their locations easily identifiable. In any of the battle royale games (Fortnite, Apex Legends, PUBG, Warzone, etc) players immediately understand that a building contains loot. Nobody lands in an open field or a forest expecting goodies, itā€™s always a building (I mean I donā€™t play them so if Iā€™m wrong). The resources obviously arenā€™t scattered evenly everywhereā€“theyā€™re concentrated in certain locations (granted ā€œcertain locationsā€ is everywhere on a building-dominated map).

For testers Iā€™m not sure where to get them. Thereā€™s the talent hub. Thereā€™s discord channels, and recruitment places. You can get friends. Obviously youā€™d want a variety of people with different equipment and opinions. But then thereā€™s the risk of people thinking the early testing version represents the completed version or some players preferring the early version over the finished one.

Please note Iā€™m not a game design expert. My advice is just how Iā€™d design my own game.

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Thanks man you have no idea how much of a help this was. Even if you are not a game design expert, so am I and these tips I feel could really help better my game with my limited knowledge on game design. Again, thanks for elaborating on your points, and thanks for taking your time to help me!

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Ok im back and played the game with a friend.
So the build is pretty cool, seems like theres a good bunch of places to explore. I would suggest adding a map you can open by pressing M.

Also, to maybe add an Injured NPC right next to where you spawn after the initial cutscene, he could say things like what you should try to do next, what craft in particular is good to get started, etc so players dont feel as lost once they join the world.

Another thing is that you should increase the basic resources you can find near the initial area, because as i said, players can get lost without some sort of initial direction. They will get the hang of it after 1 to 3 initial crafts, but its really hard to get those done without any guidance on the systems.

Last, i would highly suggest revamping the UIs to make them clearer and better looking, but more importantly, focus on having them easy to navigate and understand what you will craft, what resources you need, etc (maybe including more icons to most of the craft menus will help instead of mostly being text). Browsing the crafting menus in games like this can be really annoying when done wrong, so its important that it doesnt break the gameflow too hard or players will get frustrated just by trying to get things done.

Has alot of potential, didnt get to try the combat out because was lost on how to get the nails and had to go eat but yea, i will try to give it another try once you make some adjustments, take ur time to make it right :smiley:

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Before I reply I just wanna say thanks for trying it out!

So firstly, yes I intend to create a mini map after hearing the previous responses to my post. I believe I will blur the names of some locations on the map until you actually enter them to create a sense of mystery and curiosity.

Next, I donā€™t think Iā€™ll plan on adding an NPC at the start when you enter Friska. This is because ever since making this post I have added a lot more guidance for new players after completing the intro. Also, I want to immerse the player in a feeling of loneliness and isolation.

Thirdly, I will take your advice and add more basic resources at the spawn area. I feel it will help players figure out which resources will drop which loot and how to actually harvest them. Also, I have just made an objective system which shows the player what to craft and how, so that they can get the hang of the crafting system and the game in general.

Finally, I mentioned this in a previous reply but my UI skills are very lackluster, so I am unsure of how to revamp my UI :sweat_smile:. Quick question so that I can improve on it: what parts of the UI did you find confusing and why? I made the UI myself so it is very easy for me to understand, but I realize that it appears different to those who just played the game. Aside from that, I agree with your point on the amount of text in the craft menus. I will integrate the icons I made into the crafting menu as well.

The fact that you said my game has a lot of potential made my day :smile:. Iā€™m sad you didnā€™t get to try the combat out as I could use some tips on making it better as I feel it is very boring as well, but Iā€™m really happy you tried out the game at all. Additionally, you probably didnā€™t realize how much of an effect your statement ā€œtake ur timeā€ had on me, because it made me come to realize that I rushed a lot of things considering I constantly told my friends it would release last year, but it didnā€™t due to my indecisive nature causing me to constantly change core mechanics and gameplay loops. Anyways, I will continue to apply the changes everyone has suggested, and I hope you do give some time to replay it once I update it!