Looking for suggestions to keep a game's replayability high

Hey guys,

im about a week or two away from releasing my Game and im worried about its player retention abilities.

The games concept is something i personally havent seen on roblox before, so im unsure how people will react to it.

Being a top-down shooter/ stealth game, I feel as though the replayability in the concept itself could succeed, but i also worry its not enough. Ive added around 15 unlockable operators that can be purchased with in-game currency, with each one having its own unique weapons, playing styles, and equipment. You would start off with 8 Operators to choose from, so it doesnt feel like youre stuck playing one operator for days on end.

There is a level system, but all it does is level you up. I have yet to think of anything that players can earn from getting to certain levels.

Do you think that having the option to unlock a wide variety of unique operators to match your playing style would be enough for players to come back and grind?

Since this is a shooter game, make sure you use enough of your budget to advertise. Players usually leave once they see the game empty since they have no others to play with. A good way of keeping your players is to slowly increment the power of the ā€˜operatorsā€™ and try your best not to create an ā€˜ending pointā€™. An ā€˜ending pointā€™ is when a certain player has ā€˜completedā€™ the game, all achievements unlocked, they are the most powerful, etc. This is when the player decides to leave, so itā€™s best to constantly add new operators/features.

1 Like

Grinding is boring to me, a little is good but when it takes days I just quit the game.

How about a master mode?

3 Likes

I made sure that players can at least unlock one operator before they reach level two (about 20 or so minutes of playing) and try to keep the ā€œgrindingā€ need low.
I know when I play games, trying to grind for days on end just to get something to be as good as another player can get boring and frustrating, thatā€™s why rather than the operators being overpowering to the starter operators, they are balanced, but with unique ways to play each so players feel like they unlocked them with good reason.

What exactly do you mean by master mode?
I was thinking of adding ranked lobbies so experienced players have more of a challenge, if thatā€™s what you meant

4 Likes

Ok, I have you idea what you just said in that first paragraph so itā€™s probably better than my idea.

The idea of the ranked lobbies is great!

This is what I meant by master mode: Master Mode - Zelda Dungeon Wiki, a The Legend of Zelda wiki You obviously canā€™t use that term but itā€™s what I was thinking of.

2 Likes

Adding more operators in the future is in the plans, and will be the main feature addition in future updates.

Iā€™m just wondering what else would be engaging enough to add to keep players coming back, that would also work within the premises of the game

1 Like

You definitely need gamepassesā€¦ Gamepasses not only grant you money, but it also encourages the player to come back, since they have an advantage over others.

2 Likes

Wouldnā€™t that be pay to win? You need to be careful with stuff like that.

1 Like

No if the creator also makes an alternative for those with no robuxā€¦

3 Likes

As @xander5610 said, I feel like having game passes that allow an advantage over others would be crossing the line into p2w.

I made sure the game is balanced, no matter which operator you chose. There are 4 operators that are considered ā€œpremiumā€ that can be unlocked only through card packs. Card packs can be purchased for robux, or if you are a premium member; you get one daily card pack, along with other benefits as an incentive to get players to purchase premium through the game

3 Likes

One thing that helps me, is when unlocking new items, characters, or whatever, is to make sure the player can get a few new ā€˜thingsā€™ in the span of about 15-40 minutes. With this, donā€™t make it so all the ā€˜thingsā€™ are unlocked 15-40 minutes. When you reach a point where you can say ā€œyes, this player likes my gameā€, make the unlockables harder to get, but donā€™t increase it immediatly. Slowly increase the grind, then drop it again, only to increase it another time.

Hopefully that makes sense. Iā€™m in class right now so i typed this out really fast. mb for any typos.

1 Like

Make a game with no end but with good lore so that people can grind. There are many tips for this on devforum

1 Like