Players Might Hate Game Changes. Should It Matter?

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Part of my #hive experience revolves around blockchain gaming. As far back as I can remember, I have enjoyed a good video game.

  • I was introduced to the original Mario Brother (on Nintendo) in 1985 by my uncle.
  • Around the same time, my dad bought a Commodore 64 (black screen with green light). I have memories of playing a game where you try to land a rocket in a cave, before running out of fuel. Can't figure out the name for the life of me!
  • I also remember playing Pitfall with my cousin. There is VHS video of us jumping out of our seats while pressing the jump button on the joystick.
  • I moved on to SuperNintendo, Sega, Nintendo 64, and perhaps a few other gaming systems I can't remember.
  • I have not gamed much on personal computers, but I sure do enjoy a good network battle of Age of Empires II.
  • Earlier this morning, you could have heard a rousing game of Mario Kart on the original Wii. Today is my birthday and I have been told that another match is in store for our celebration as a family.

The way games were developed and played in my childhood is not the way games are developed and played today. Things have changed. And that rate of change is accelerating faster every day.

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My Three Favorite #Hive Blockchain Games

SplinterlandsdCityHoly Bread
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who to thank@aggroed, @yabapmatt@gerber@simplegame
on discord?yesyesyes
primary hive account@splinterlands@dcitygame@simplegame
how to earndaily quests, tournamentsdaily income, top 200 playerdaily quests, arena battles
in game currencyDECSIMgold, bread

Three Key Changes


My hope is that all changes within a game are for the betterment of the players/community and the long-term sustainability of the game/developers.

This is a fine balance that developers have to struggle with. If you don't make the right changes you cannot support yourself, your employees, and your company. If you make the wrong change, then the players leave.

The following are three changes that I struggled with (to some degree):

  • Splinterlands changed the stat of Prince Rennyn.
    It became rather apparent, rather quickly that Prince Rennyn was too powerful. My concern was that I had just bought several cards to combine before the stats change was made. Personally, I felt that I might lose value in my investment. Overall, my investment has held up rather well. But in the moment, I cringed a bit (maybe a few bits) after the stats changed.

  • dCity required more unique cards to remove the negative popularity of the Garbage Dump card.
    With the release of the 2nd edition cards, dCity made some changes to how the first edition cards interacted within a city. I always want game developers to think long term, but the short term impact of these types of changes can throw a player for a loop, especially when changes impact key stats related to daily earnings.

  • Holy Bread removed Bread Crumbs as an in-game currency.
    Prior to being turned over to new management, Holy Bread provided daily payments in Bread Crumbs (in-game currency) based on your rank. Over the last few days, Bread Crumbs have officially been removed from gameplay because of their negative impact on the overall game economy. I cannot comment on how this change will impact the future of the game as it is still new.

When Developers Make Changes


As a player, I show my support of a game by participating and sharing.

As I mentioned earlier, I would rather developers make key, strategic decisions (even hard ones) then skip town and leave all the players with nothing to show for their investment.

When changes are made, I have really appreciated great communication. The following is personal feedback about communicating future changes.

  1. Give Players A Long Runway
    There is not a cookie-cutter formula about how much time to give, but I personally appreciate a longer runway when it comes to changes (I am talking weeks - maybe two - not months). This extra time allows me to make decisions about how I want to proceed with the game moving forward.

  2. Regular Updates
    There is no need to blow smoke, just to blow smoke, but I enjoy hearing about where things are moving in the future. Roadmap updates may not be appreciated by all players, but I guarantee they are appreciated by some. More than anything, it lets us know you are present. I definitely see this as something that would be posted on the game's primary #hive account.

  3. If You Have A Website, Keep It Updated
    I know that many of us primarily communicate on #hive, but I think it is important that "static" information on the game's website reflects the most up-to-date data. My long-term hope is that many of the #hive blockchain games become so mainstream that players do not worry about the hive blockchain that they are built on. Hopefully, games will reach a place where their primarily communication method is not their #hive blog.

  4. In-Game Messages
    Use this for the big changes that everyone needs to know.

Final Thoughts


I hope I don't sound like I am complaining. More than anything, I want my favorite #hive blockchain games to be around for a while. If they are, that means that the developers/founders are crushing it and making some major "dough." Which means that I might be as well. I really like mutually beneficial relationships!

Thanks to @aggroed, @yabapmatt, @gerber, and @simplegame for all of your hard work and the great entertainment you have given the Hive Community. Keep pressing forward as you we all move to blockchain gaming for the masses!



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6 comments
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Garbage Dump change was mentioned many times on discord and posts before :P no one reads it :P

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I can only imagine how frustrating it is writing updates in posts and discord when no one reads it. I admit that I have a hard time following all of the information. I do appreciate your efforts. And I really hope that dCity keeps growing and progressing. I like how the game play is different than two games I mentioned. I also appreciate that you reward the top 200 players with HIVE. Keep it up. Even when the players “complain,” we are still cheering for you.

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I feel you there.
That is why we added an in-game notification system.

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Nice article on the challenges developers make.
Many games makes changes that causes players to Leave but also causes New players to look at the game and join.
This is the natural cycle of games. (MTG, Warhammer, D&D) countless others have gone through this cycle over and over.
My personal feeling is it is new to "crypto investors". So it is our goal to communicate the logic behind any changes we make.

The choice is what type of game do you want to be?
What type of player do you want?
& as you said "how to make it sustainable and Fun"

It is a constant balancing act.

Thanks for the mention and for playing.

--simplegame

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Glad to give you a mention and thanks for stopping by. I appreciate what you said about making changes that will facilitate new players joining. That is important.

Keep up the good work. I have appreciated the increased communication since your crew took over. Look forward to seeing the new developments unfold!

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Hi @sumatranate

Thank you so much for supporting original collage art on Hive by joining the LMAC Curation Trail. That's much appreciated!

If you see your stake well used we would of course be happy if you the spread the word about the LMAC and our trail.

Cheers!

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