Stickiness Forever: Game Mechanics - Julian Migura, BoaCompra
Everybody should already know the easy answer, but lets talk a bit about what really makes a great game a sticky one. Julian talked a bit about game mechanics that everyone can implement in their games.
Make your game as balanced as possible
The game won`t stick if the difficulty curve is unbalanced. Casual games need to have an easily scalable difficulty level, so when designing your game you should always ask yourself how hard the game really is for the players (not for yourself). You should know how hard or easy it is to progress and gain new levels
Reward good behavior and allow players to show off
The ego of your players needs to be boosted from time to time with either badges or various other rewards. Create obvious indicators and put large emphasis on different statuses and items World of Warcraft is notorious when it comes to these kinds of rewards
Take an honest look at what players do online
It is very important to reevaluate your own goals and keep on changing. Understand why people do things in your game (again a hint at user experience) and see why they prefer one thing to the other.
Make it fun for them, not for you
User research is the most important component when building the next hit. You need to know who your players are and what is fun for them.
Create an experience and not just a game
Games like Mass Effect and Fallout are significant events in the modern popular culture and they both have the best stories to date. Mass Effect in particular has ventured into numerous other media channels - comic books, graphical novels, board games, you name it.
Layer the experience!
Let players do 3 things at a time and divide the quests into easy, medium and hard. Players should have a sense of advancing in the game and a goal to move forward. Short term quests act as fuel for your players.
Keep in mind that you need to target the MTV generation who are bombarded with different games out there, so use the 10 seconds you have and focus on best aspects of your game. Grab their attention on the first try, because you only have one shot at making your game a success story.
Experiencing some technical difficulties here
Prioritise the actions you want your players to take and don`t be afraid to be subtle
Don`t copy Zynga and send constant updates to other players. Everything should be self explanatory and players should figure the tasks out with ease. Make sure you don`t challenge players with hard UIs.
Lastly, use monetization carefully
Monetization can backfire greatly, so don`t be greedy and go crazy with it. If you are greedy then your players are likely to abandon your game and never look back.
