edit: This thread has become the most-liked thread ever posted on the Developer Forums. Thanks for the tremendous response! Update logs and update notifications are clearly an incredible priority to Roblox developers. Let’s make this idea a reality.
The Problem
This feature request aims to solve the following problems:
- Developers have no way to communicate game updates to players. We are forced to change the game icon, thumbnails, and even the titles of our games just to convey that our game has been updated.
- The game description section is too commonly abused to show update notes because developers do not have a proper avenue to convey update information. This makes it difficult or even impossible for new players to learn about a game before playing it.
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It is hard for developers to revert changes in their game because they do not have any information in version history except for the version number and the upload date.
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The “My Feed” section of the home page and the Notifications menu have very little content.
The Solution
With that out of the way, let’s talk about the proposed solution: A dedicated updates tab on the games page where the developer can add updates with version numbers/names and patch notes. Additionally, an opt-in subscription for players who wish to be notified whenever their favorite games have new updates added.
To lay it down: nothing belongs in the game’s title except for the name of the game. Nothing belongs in the game’s description except a short description of the game. Banners and popups don’t belong on a game’s icon.
However, because developers have no other way of conveying update information on the Roblox website, they are forced to make their game and the entire platform as a whole appear less professional by putting stuff where it doesn’t belong and essentially hiding important information from new players.
Steam, Xbox, The App Store and every other game platform all have dedicated sections for news and/or update information about their games or apps. They don’t put it in their game’s blurb and they sure as heck don’t put it on their game’s cover art.
The Technical
How would this process work? Here are the steps:
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Developer adds new content to their game. While publishing in Roblox Studio, they will have the option to give the version a name/number as well as a short blurb or changelog explaining what has changed.
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If the developer does this, they will be able to add this version to the game page as an update. Even if they don’t, the information attached to this version of the place are displayed in version history (under place settings) so that the developer can easily and accurately revert their game in the event something goes wrong.
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If the update is added to the game page by the developer, players who have explicitly subscribed to game updates will receive a notification in the Notifications tab and in “My Feed.” Additionally, mobile players will receive a push notification and PC players a desktop notification depending on their notification settings.
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Clicking the notification will take the player to the game’s update page where they can read about the update in its entirety. No matter how many updates the developer makes, subscribers will only receive one notification per game per day. If players are subscribed, a clearly-visible “unsubscribe” button will be displayed directly on the game and/or update page so that players will no longer receive notifications for games they are not interested in.
Conclusion
Let’s take update information out of the icon, out of title, out of the description and out of anywhere else where it doesn’t belong. Let’s grant developers greater control over their game versions. Let’s grant players the ability to know right away when their favorite games are updated. Let’s take an important industry-standard step to effectively communicate vital information about our games.
Thank you.
