So I own a simple ffa pvp game where players fight each other using m1s and grabs. There are different grab variations in the game with different “Styles” in the game that can be unlocked via player kills that change user gameplay.
Issue I’m having with the game right now is that there is a small playerbase around 8 ccu throughout the day but I’m also noticing a small ratio change each day. A couple of days ago the game had 73% now it’s on 64%. I check my feedback page in the creator tab and all I have is this one that goes: “your game sucks never upload again” which is just very stimulating I’m sure.
If anyone was able to point out any ideas or reasons on why the game might being getting review bombed each day, that would be great.
Game link:
Should I just shutdown the game and just release it again later on?
Shutting down and re-releasing is a waste of time. That feedback is useless, but the ratio drop usually means something in the combat loop feels off or unbalanced after an update. Did you change any stun durations or grab properties recently?
Hello, combat hasn’t changed. Stun durations might have increased by 0.2 seconds but players are still able to block mid-stun so that doesn’t really change much I don’t think. Update: Game is now on 62% from 1 dislike. Not sure what I’m doing wrong. Am I just getting the wrong audience playing the game?
A 0.2 second increase in stun duration is actually a massive change in a combat loop. That’s enough to make certain moves feel unresponsive or broken if the timing window for parrying changed. The audience isn’t the problem; your tuning is.
Sorry to ask but did you play the game or is this coming from just the post description? The only reason the stun was increased was due to players sometimes dashing out of a combo due to bad stun amounts, now that has been patched. Nothing else has been affected by this (grabs, m1s, blocking). Also parrying isnt a thing anymore, not sure where you got that from. Parrying was removed ages ago and was replaced by normal blocking to make combat easier for players.
If you changed stun durations to prevent dashing out of combos, you fundamentally altered the combo rhythm and timing windows. Even if you didn’t touch the other mechanics, the player experience is different now because the window for reacting has shifted. That is exactly what causes a drop in engagement or sudden dislikes.
Probably from recommendations. Word of advice from me is don’t turn ads back on. I used to do just fine but recently I’ve gotten a wave of almost bot-like or extremely young players.
I say player experience is pretty much the same. Blocking in the game is your way of avoiding damage from combos. Blocking can be used during stun. I don’t see how stun amounts really affect this as blocking prevents extra stun and damage
The logic that blocking prevents extra stun and damage is fine, but you are ignoring how much the timing of a fundamental mechanic changes the player’s feel. If players can still block during stun, it does not mean the mechanics are not different. The rhythm of the combat loop is what people react to with dislikes, and changing stun durations directly impacts that rhythm.
just make it replayable/have progression and recommendations will continue and your players will continue to return regardless. in my experience they last from 2 weeks to a month without like stimulating week 1 retention statistics and allat. most of my players were not returning unless they had joined the group.
Styles are already a thing in the game. Each styles provides different perks. One increases m1 speed, another decreases m1 speed with extra m1 damage, the default one increases m1 damage.
well i don’t see where you lack progression unless they are gamepass locked? the thumbnails show a baseplate so i’d assume maybe different maps would be appreciated. it’s surprising how much appearance matters for new players
Maybe I should add little game events? Like one player may be selected as a juggernaut? Maybe that would bring players to fight? At the moment players don’t fight each other for some reason. They would rather just attack the dummy
A juggernaut mode is just a temporary distraction if there is no reason to fight in the first place. If players are ignoring each other for dummies, your core combat loop lacks enough incentive or risk/reward to make PvP worth it.