S Park Finner
DUST University
Ivy League
367
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Posted - 2014.05.11 23:06:00 -
[1] - Quote
Tl/dr: This isn't as intractable a task as the OP suggests but it is really hard, somewhat new ground, and can easily spiral out of control.
Traditional marketing funnels draw and filter large audiences into the subset that will ultimately buy the product or service being offered. In the gaming world that means
- Getting as many potential players to try the game out (social media, advertising, free-to-play GǪ etc)
- Having core game-play that appeals to the target audience (e.g. good gun-game for FPS)
- Implementing mechanisms designed to retain the players as long as possible (e.g. GÇ£Just ten more points and you can unlock the BFGGÇ¥)
Of course real game design is a lot more complicated but I think that captures the flavor of the idea.
The issue for CCP with Legion is that they seem to want to capture multiple audiences by offering elements of several genres early in the funnel. The PVE elements under discussion are an example:
- For the FPS player the PVE element provides a GÇ£training groundGÇ¥ where you can get used to weapons and gain experience
- For RPG players it provides a way to get into the lore of the world and learn the mechanisms of resource management.
- For PVP players it's a game in itself.
The huge challenge, then, is providing a compelling second stage for each of the audiences. Where do the segments go from there? How do they get there? What is the retention strategy? And my biggest issue, how does CCP keep from forcing the segments into parts of the game they don't want while providing them with the game-play and retention mechanisms needed to sustain the game?
My initial impression is what we know of current designs could fail in this last goal. As an example, FPS players will have to get involved in salvage and training if they want gear. It's not that simple alternatives aren't available: fighting earns ISK, ISK buys gear. But thats only one combination in one component of the game.
That being said, CCP and the Legion team seem like really smart guys that know a lot about designing these kinds of systems GÇô so they may well bring it off. I wanted with this post to point out that there is a path to a solution but there are also a lot of balls to keep in the air and this is the kind of combinatorial problem that can get out of control fast.
It is but to keep the nerves at strain, to dry one's eyes and laugh at a fall, and baffled, get up and begin again.
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