Hey there!
I’m Infinite_Visions, an experienced lua scripter and developer of Visions Games. This is an improved extension of my interview with successful developers found here. Let’s get on with it, shall we?
In this tutorial, we will cover:
* Why do great games fail?
* What makes a successful game?
* When should you scrap your project?
Everyone knows games flop. We launch our beautiful projects, certain that they will succeed, only to see them smashed like sand in a tidal wave. However, what do we actually know about the why?
Why do games fail?
In order to be able to fix this issue, we have to know the why. Astounding, well-crafted, neat concept games rarely take off. That’s a tough fact of Roblox developement.
Unique Gameplay
Before we begin, let’s just clear something up.
No game is entirely unique. Everything is based off other ideas, and concepts. Deal with it.
Gameplay is perhaps one of the biggest reasons why games flop. Online gaming is an oversaturated market. There are thousands upon thousands of games, all flooded with players, most all die out within weeks. Why do they burn up so fast?
The secret lies within their gameplay.
Uniqueness
Games that are unique stand out. These are the games that get all the players. Then comes the copies. Think about the hit game Piggy - it blew up, then came the “copies”. Soon, countless other “rip-offs” were produced.
Let’s take a closer look at the Piggy “rip-offs”. The clones that succeeded weren’t plain copies of Piggy. They had a twist, something to make them better (in players eyes) than the original. They had to be better to grab players off of Piggy, then keep them.
Kitty is a prime example. It took the basic idea of Piggy, then added a new theme, unique maps, characters, and progress systems. They added new features, creating an entirely new experience. In that, they found lasting success, averaging 4k+ concurrent players, in between updates.
But my game is unique, and it flopped?
Uniqueness isn’t everything. You can have a great concept, but not enough actual gameplay. Players must have something they are working towards, a goal. However, they can’t just attain that goal right away (as explained in the Game Balance section)
Fun Systems
Fun systems make the game stand out from a players perspective. Simple things like crouching systems, climbing systems, and different gun handling systems allow for fun gameplay. The game should be smooth, nice, and engaging in these systems.
Replayability
The Problem
In order to better grasp this point, it is better if we use a few key words.
Utility
Players choose the best gameplay. Forgive my economics terms, but every player has what is called Utility. Utility is the amount of enjoyment or satisfaction received from consuming a good or service (in this case, your game).
Diminishing Marginal Utility
As you consume a good or service, your marginal utility (the amount of satisfaction from continuing playing your game) diminishes. Players leave when the marginal utility no longer exceeds that of playing other games.
Fixes
In order to retain player utility, the experience needs to be interesting. Unique Content is essential. Every time the player joins, they need new gameplay to captivate them. This is an extreme challenge to say the least.
I this case, randomizing elements are needed. Every time they play, they should get a new experience.
Randomizing elements
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Other Players
I cannot stress this enough. Social games (roleplays and shooter games) do better than non-social games. Why? You can't predict how other players will interact. This is why games like Adopt Me and Arsenal do well. Every time you join, there are new players, which in turn creates new content -
Randomizing Gamemodes/Rounds
New gamemodes means new experiences. Epic Minigames utilizes this.
- Randomized Rewards/Loot drops
Adding systems that mix up what players receive gives them incentives to keep playing. They might have to grind to get that sword, or might love it when they receive a legendary item right off the bat. Always be careful to balance it out, so they cannot win the game with a single item.
Game Balance
Due to Roblox’s main audience, gameplay needs to have clear goals, and a semi-linear progression. You want your player to have a lot of content, and fun gameplay when they first join. However, you don’t want them to attain everything right away. If they do, they’ll get bored, and leave.
In a perfect game, content should never cut off like seen in the graph. However, the progression should look as displayed. Really fast towards the beginning, then maintaining speed, to gradually taper off.
You can’t really avoid the curve - however, your goal is to drag it out as long as possible. Not be making the game impossible, but by cramming it full of features, and making it fun to continue advancing.
Pay-To-Win
Never. Ever. Resort to This.
Giving certain players the ability to dominate the server, just based off money, is never a good idea. This will drive away your average players, resulting in a sharp decline of your player base.
Instead, base gamepasses off of purely cosmetic or cool features, that doesn’t give the player an inherent advantage. Base game progression off talent, hard work, and do your best to make it not a “grind to win”.
Update Neglect
Updates are essential to long term success. Updates bring in players, proposing new content and adding variety. This makes them a key factor in long-term success on the platform.
Momentum
Updates keep momentum. You’ve all heard of Adopt Me. They update monthly, fixing bugs, adding new content, challenges, and features. This keeps them on top of the platform, pulling in players who would otherwise never even glance at it.
Games that don’t do this have the opposite effect.
Anime Worlds Simulator, a unique and fantastic game, rapidly climbed to over 15k concurrent players. Updates were pushed out, and it peaked at about 20k. However, updates abruptly stopped, and within weeks, players dropped to about 200.
This is partially due to game balance. Games that can be won in single sessions won’t last (think classic obbies, tycoons, etc).
The other part is forced goals.
Don’t force your audience to these standards. By halting updates until likes or favorites are reached, you are repelling your playerbase. Why stick around if new content isn’t coming? Reward these goals, and set them, but don’t base updates off of those varying statistics.
Exceptions
Certain games defy statistics, managing to stay on top of the front page, despite being completely abandoned by their developers (think Breaking Point). Unique and good gameplay (as discussed above) can completely offset update neglect. If your game is fun and entertaining, players will come back.
Accessibility
Your game needs to be accessible by both Computer and mobile for the most players. About 60% of players on the Roblox platform comes from mobile alone. The remaining percent is dominated by computers, and smaller platforms such as XBox.
Custom Controls
Mobile players don’t have keyboards, mice, or anything of the sort. As such, they need their own controls. When developing systems, this is important to keep in mind.
Performance
Roblox is overrun by laggy mobile phones, tablets, and crappy computers. As such, you need to let your game be run by all sorts of internet capabilities.
Your game needs to flow smoothly. For all these devices.
Factoring In Lag
If your game is fast-based, and heavy on performance, you need to account for the difference on Mobile VS pc. Mobile players will be worse in shooter game like Arsenal.
Performance heavy games need to be optimized for all devices. You can eliminate triangles/parts, and cleaning up scripts to help boost performance.
Fixes?
Confining players to servers with other people of like devices is a good solution. Games like Arsenal put their mobile players in different servers, to eliminate this issue, allowing for an element of fairness.
Crucial Bugs
Crucial bugs will cripple your game. Testing phases, and sampling it to your players before a full release is a great idea. Test, test, and test some more.
Coming to a game, only to have it break instantly due to bugs, is not a good impression. Will the player return? Probably not. As such, make a clear “Testing” phase. Eliminate these issues, then follow up with a marketing campaign to regain the players you lost.
Poor Marketing/No Funding
Marketing a game is just as important as anything else. If a person isn’t handed a gift in the first place, how would they ever know to open it?
Create a clear marketing campaign for your game. Budget money, however little, into advertising. Contact YouTubers, create Social Media accounts, and post TikToks on your game. (Yes, TikTok. Your chances of a viral video are pretty decent. It can be a great way to freely advertise).
Start small. Test your ads with just enough to see if they will succeed, before dumping more funds on them. Run for around 500 robux, and check the statistics.
You are aiming for > 1% CTR (Click through ratio, the amount of players who see the ad, and click it). Keep pushing ads out, until you find the few that really get your game out there.
Getting Friends to Play
Allowing players to experience the game with friends is a way to boost players. It allows for better engagement, and overall fun. Have features where you can invite friends, and add team elements.
Earning Money To Fund Projects
Start doing commissions. If you need money, but don’t want to buy Robux, there are plenty of ways to earn what you need.
Luck
Roblox is a luck-based platform. You might get that one random youtuber to click on your ad. It is a perfect moment, when you scroll through your sales to see an influencer played.
In this case, @Funnehcake both saw and played my game. However, they did not make a video on it. Why? It was a buggy mess 
You never know when you will get lucky. Plenty of influencers like @sk3tchyt and @mrflimflim play small games. Most times, this is out of the blue, through a random advertisement they saw.
Motivation
Motivation is a very interesting and tricky thing. It is different for almost everybody. The following are all factors for most people:
- Money
- Fame/Recognition
- Artistic Expression
- Feeling like you are contributing
For me, it is a mix of all of those. I see Roblox as a huge money-making opportunity - there is a lot of potential on the platform that I want to tap. I’ve had a lot of projects that failed, and flopped, just like you (I explain them a bit more in my YT video).
However, I keep coming back. Why? I genuinely love the platform, and what it allows me to do. For me, that’s motivation enough. You’ll have to find the balance that works for you.
The harsh reality with Roblox is that 99% of projects will not succeed. Most things fail. However, the ones that do succeed are because of either luck, or the developers commitment to them.
Take @guywithapoo as a great example. As you can read in his bio,
Every developer starts as a small nobody. Then, they find their niche.
Think of it this way. When you start out, you have a 1% chance of getting “success” on the platform. Every project you release, every player that you engage, expands your portfolio and reach. If you work hard and long enough, people will notice. Your chance will keep growing and growing. Check out any major developer - @asimo3089 for example. If you go to their creations, they have so. many. experiences.
Then, they found the one that worked with people.
There will always be opportunities for work in this flooded market. If you can’t find help or teammates, there will be ways to earn funds. Don’t let funds alone stop you.
When should you quit your game?
There is no clear answer to this - it changes for everyone. You should consider moving on to a new project when:
- You run out of new content.
Without new content, your game may get repetitive. - Your game is a buggy mess that you cannot fix, no matter how hard you try.
Work it from the ground up. If your concept is good, it may be worth it to reworking the major systems. - Your game isn’t at all original.
Plain copies, that are identical to the original, won't often succeed. Consider adding new content. - You are no longer invested in the project.
You have to love what you do, if you are going to pour hours over it. If you are more excited to work on new ideas, pursue your dreams. Make them reality. - The game is too imbalanced to fix.
If the main structure isn't plausible, you can't expect to fix it.
Remember:
Like-Dislike ratios have nothing to do with game success, or audience captivation within the game. They often shift as your player base increases. Don’t quit just because of a few thumbs-downs or harsh comments.
Recap
Players will gravitate to good games. As such, make an immersive, well-balanced experience, that players can come back to. Never, ever give up. If you keep pushing, you will find success.
Let me know if this helped you 
. I’d appreciate any comments, concerns, and suggestions you have to make this topic as accurate as possible. Thanks, chau.
) My point is, fight for what you want and don’t give up. You have so many opportunities right here on roblox, to get where you want to be.
