The Conception
Whether or not you’re working with a huge team, a small team, or only yourself. Every game starts out with a simple concept. Without a concept the game is nothing. The concept could be multiple things, a gameplay loop, or a linear story game. Most games on roblox use gameplay loops as they can be, for lack of a better term, addicting. They give the user either a concrete or abstract goal to achieve. If you look at minecraft the gameplay loop of building is really abstract, minecraft doesn’t tell the user how to progress but instead gives the user a free sandbox. This could be found in game with house building aspects, such as “Welcome To Bloxburg”. A example of a concrete goal could be a fps game. Arsenal’s goal is to get kills, there is a meter of how well you’re performing. Another example of concrete goals could be a simulator. Your goal is to unlock the best items. It’s best to decide what you want your game to be. Try to make a game off a genre you enjoy and play alot of. If you go off a genre try to add some new gameplay elements to your game or combine multiple in a way not attempted before. Never copy someone’s idea. Some simulators don’t add new gameplay elements and instead just copy existing simulators. The best performing simulators added something new. You may think the audience doesn’t pickup on it, but they do. Always try to make a game you’d like to be part of, if you’re making a game for money then you shouldn’t make games.
The Creation
Games should really be created on a timeline. Don’t include dates, but somethings need to be done before others. Try to get core gameplay into the game before adding onto it. If you’re making an fps add guns before map rotation. If you’re working with a team make sure everyone is on the same page. If someone doesn’t get what the game is supposed to be then it could turn out weird. Make sure your team knows it’s okay to ask questions. Also if you’re working with a team you should use a task management service. I’d personally recommend trello, but they’re all about the same. While creating the game try to keep your audience in mind. If you’re aiming for kids, try to keep the game bright and cheery, if you’re aiming for everyone just design it based off of the games theme.
Monetization
this is heavily based off this article
After you’ve completed your game you can add monetization or a way to make money. Roblox is currently expanding the ways you can earn money off your games. If another way gets added I’ll try to update this section. When adding monetization never give a player a advantage. Sell them convenience. If you’re making a simulator, don’t sell someone an instant kill whatever, Sell them a better whatever but make it do the same damage. They can reach the end goal quicker but they don’t really affect other players. If you’re making a fps game, don’t sell a 1000 damage gun, Sell one that shoots a little faster or does a little more damage. You could also do cosmetics in that case, make a weapon skin. Now with premium payouts you shouldn’t give premium players a huge advantage. It falls under the same golden rule of “sell convenience not advantage”. For more information of ethical monetization I suggest you read the link above.
Post-Release / Updating / Maintaining a good community
I do not talk about ads here, but that is more or less a requirement.
After releasing your game you should keep updating the game to keep players coming back for the new content. It is also important to keep a good community, with a bad community it could sour everyone’s opinion about your game. To maintain a good community you should not only listen but also try to actively ask questions. If something is wrong you can implement a system to fix it. If your users are reporting hacks then try to patch them. It’s also good to have a team of moderators. This ensures that if an automated system doesn’t catch it, a human can. You could use a already built admin system, but I’d recommend either hiring someone to build one or making one yourself. This way it suites your game’s needs more. If you roll out an update and your community doesn’t like it, then try to work with your community to fix the next update.
thanks for reading. hopefully it helped someone!
-DevTops