Chapter 79: Positioning Two Games
Extremely relaxing, incomparably joyful, harmonious, and loving.
From a normal perspective, these descriptions are perfectly reasonable. But coming from Alex's mouth, it felt a little unsettling. After all, Outlast and Overcooked were cautionary tales. Previously, Overcooked was described as a harmonious and loving cooperative game, only for countless people to lose their friendships. And yet, the official blog even offered a seemingly plausible explanation.
Online, players have already declared Alex a complete liar. Now, the usual rhetoric has returned. It's hard to believe!
"Don't get carried away by the recent online controversy. We are all adults and must exercise our own judgment," Alex said with a smile, observing everyone's expressions.
Everyone nodded, but to themselves they mumbled. 'This is how self-discipline is needed to realize that the players were right!'
But then, everyone was captivated by the design sketches on display.
"A variety show? Those summer challenge shows that local TV channels air every summer?"
Jane, a regular viewer of variety shows, was the first to speak, analyzing Fall Guys' key rules.
"But there's a difference. In those variety shows, one person competes and the winner is determined by completing the level. This way, everyone participates together."
"Reality is definitely different from video games. In real life, if there are too many people on each track, stampedes can occur, especially in shows like this that require a lot of physical effort. But video games are different."
"But wouldn't 60 people be too chaotic?"
Observing the game's concept draft, everyone mumbled and discussed. It was clear that Fall Guys had surprised them.
"Alright, everyone, quiet down for a moment. Allow me to explain the key points of this game," Alex said, patting the table as he looked at the crowd.
"First and foremost, the game is positioned as a collection of relaxing, casual, multiplayer mini-games. The art must feature exaggerated characters, comical actions, and bright, vibrant colors. The background music should also be lively, allowing players to immerse themselves in the game with a relaxed mind."
"The game's physics should be even more exaggerated, even unrealistic, to increase visual enjoyment and encourage subsequent secondary spread."
Everyone listened enthusiastically as Alex analyzed Fall Guys' key elements. Veteran employees like Eric looked especially relaxed.
The conceptual drafts of Three Kingdoms Tactics and Fall Guys retained the characteristics of the previous Outlast and Overcooked.
Their high degree of completion, from art and level design to key gameplay elements, was completely integrated. It was incredibly concise and clear; just by looking and listening, everyone had already formed a mental picture.
"The rest are operations. John and Sarah, from the marketing and operations department, please present two plans. Three Kingdoms Tactics will be a long-term free-to-play game with in-app purchases, aiming to increase user engagement."
"Fall Guys, on the other hand, is a short-term popular game. Prepare me a copy of the subsequent promotion and marketing plan," Alex told John and Sarah, Nebula Games' new operations team leader.
John and Sarah nodded.
From Alex's description, the basic positioning of both games can be broadly distinguished.
Fall Guys operates on a buy-to-play model, but Alex defines it as a fast-paced game that needs to generate significant short-term interest, attracting a critical mass of users and generating profits, similar to seeking short-term financial gains.
Three Kingdoms Tactics, on the other hand, is a long-term strategy designed to increase user engagement in Nebula Games. Additionally, the free-to-play with in-app purchases strategy seeks to encourage nurturing and increase the cost of abandonment.
Different positioning and attributes naturally require different marketing and promotion methods.
"The latter is not very important. This exhibition focuses more on offering a good preview to players, and we will not launch it in the short term," Alex said directly, as everyone agreed.
As for the third folder, Alex had no intention of showing it, as it was actually just a folder.
"Jane, Lisa, and Eric, stay. Review these two design drafts carefully. If you have any questions, gather them and we'll discuss them in the meeting."
When Alex finished, the rest of the staff stood up and left the room to return to their posts.
Looking at Jane, Lisa, and Eric, Alex said: "In addition to these two games, we are also working on a larger project. I will write the script and storyboards for the CG animation. Jane, you will be responsible for the follow-up."
"Lisa will also write the worldview and background. Eric, after you finish working on Fall Guys' action system, you can start testing the action demo to familiarize yourself with it and gain experience so you don't have to start from scratch later."
Alex assigned tasks to the group.
Everyone nodded. For the three of them, the workload on Fall Guys and Three Kingdoms Tactics was relatively minimal.
With the creation of the Fall Guys and Three Kingdoms Tactics project teams, Nebula Games began to operate efficiently.
During the development of these two games, the video game industry experienced several setbacks.
First, within the indie community, after Overcooked's success, numerous tier-three and tier-four game designers and developers launched similar cooperative games. However, as expected, these games did not generate much buzz. This is because, without a clear central theme, these types of games struggle to connect with players.
For example, Overcooked's central theme is essentially a conflict between players in cooperative mode. Through videos and live streams, the "breakup" meme was coined, which further boosted the game's popularity.
However, this feature is not limited to a cooperative game; it requires meticulous level and numerical design. If the game is not executed correctly, making it too easy, the so-called "breakup" is meaningless. However, if it is exaggerated, players, far from breaking up, will unanimously condemn the game as a complete failure.
Clearly, these games have not hit the mark and, naturally, have not had much impact.
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