I’ve created a round-based game that takes about 6 minutes per game. I’ve set it up so that players don’t respawn and when they die all they can do is spectate (or walk around a small lobby). Clearly players like to do something while they’re waiting instead of just spectating so this is definitely hurting the game and the average visit length.
I’m not sure what I should add to fix this issue, maybe I should change the entire gameplay so that it’s more of a kill-based thing with respawns so that players can constantly play the game without having to wait 6 minutes per round. I could also add lobby games while players are waiting.
The game is still lin early stages of development so changing the gameplay is still possible, but I’m not sure what the best way to change the game is, so I was looking for advice.
Yes I would say make the players respawn after they die, but implement a point based system. Maybe when someone gets a kill, they get +1 point and then the person who died gets respawned and the person with the highest points wins the round.
If a player joins within the round, then make it so they spawn in the game so they can still play, but they have less time to get points so it’s somewhat fair.
The lobby could be bigger and more decorated as it looks very plain. You could add some rolling balls or something like a pool where people can interact with instead of staying in a boxed room with a few trees.
Thanks, I’m probably going to change it to a respawn thing then. This also means I have to change the building system but I’ve been needing to change it anyways because I was planning on adding different modes to the game. Thanks for the feedback!
Perhaps consider some goodies for the players to buy whilst waiting. For example power ups or tougher armour or increased speed.
and maybe snippets of a video of parts of the game you have not made live yet.
Adding an obby (to the lobby) which will reward players a small reward once completed may improve the game since players who are in the lobby will have more to do, increasing the size of the lobby or adding areas to explore in the lobby might also improve the game (it might be up to personal preference), using image labels to create GUIs and adding colourful buttons which players can interact with and animating GUIs may also make the game seem more user friendly.
Maybe don’t add waiting at all. How about when the player dies you try to find a server that is about have a new round and transport them there? This way you can keep rounds how you want it, but can keep players constantly playing. And if the player does have to wait a few seconds at a time add something to do in the waiting room to keep them from getting board.
For example, say the player wanted to train. Maybe you can add an airship training simulator in the lobby so players can fight against AI to get better until the real round begins.
Make wins per ship. And let dead ship members join crew of people still alive.
ideally with a limit so the teams are even-ish.
Then give the crew members a small reward if their crew wins
Thanks for all the suggestions! I’m most likely going to end up using a respawn system though and change the game loop a little bit. Players will build their ship and it will save in “slots.” Then, when joining the fight, they can choose one of their slots and jump right into the action without having to wait or build their ship every time.
Make a separate multiplayer version where people can create teams and fight other teams with larger ships. Allow customization of the ship’s paint and texture.
The lobby could definitely see an introduction to a scenery related to the game rounds themselves.
