The feedback from the beta players is undoubtedly very important. Include the valuable information you need in this feedback, which allows you to make a little change and bring about a very big improvement. It's not easy to make the game what it is now, now it's time for you to perfect it.
But it is very difficult to get information from feedback and improve the game. People will like the games they make, and they will look at players' criticisms of it with emotion. And often the improvements that test players ask you to do are not the same as what you really need to do. Every piece of feedback may irritate you and requires careful analysis. Below is a list telling you how to deal with each feedback email or post.
1. Read, stay calm, and read it again.
Because you may not understand accurately after reading it again, you need to understand that reading feedback is to optimize your game from other perspectives.
2. Categorize feedback
Here are some broad categories of feedback and how to deal with it.
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"It does not conform to my aesthetics"
You are making a zombie game, and this person does not like zombie games.
Continue your work-this person's feedback is meaningless.
Pertinence: 0
Frequency: High
You might think like this: "Why doesn't anyone like my aesthetic?"
You should think like this: "The number of people who accept an aesthetic is directly related to the number of games that use that aesthetic. So be happy, whether you do something very popular or something unusual, it's good."
Take action: None.
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"I like this aesthetic but why not a Japanese role-playing game"
This person does not like the type of game, but he likes your aesthetic! So you should muster the courage.
Pertinence: 0
Frequency: High
You might think like this: What do you do?
You should think like this: I should do other things instead of listening to him. The type of game is not determined by the player.
Take action: None
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"I can't play here anymore" (you have written it very clearly in the game tutorial)
This man is a fool, he is not serious Watch the tutorial. Ignore him, ignore him?
wrong! This is a very useful piece of feedback, you should pay attention to him right away. He discovered that there are very difficult places in the game. He will never be the only player who finds it difficult. Behind him are thousands of people. This is an opportunity to make your game more playable. Maybe you want to lower the difficulty? Maybe your operation method is bad? Or is the tutorial still not clear enough? All in all, this type of feedback should never be ignored rashly.
Pertinence: High
Frequency: High
You might think like this: this game is not for players who don't read the instructions.
You should think of it this way: no one will read the game instructions, because people are lazy, and very few people will take the initiative to watch the tutorials. Simple and clear tutorial design is the key.
Take action: Redo this level until the player no longer complains about their inability to make it through.
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"I did something weird and the game crashed."
There is a golden rule for testing the game: if a bug occurs once during the test, it will It will happen 12,000 times, no matter how strange the bug is. If this bug is not acceptable to the player, then the bug must be removed now.
Pertinence: High
Frequency: Very high
You might think like this: Oh, my God, there is another bug that needs to be fixed. When will it be fixed?
You should think like this: The bug has appeared now, but fortunately it is not the release date, otherwise it will be over.
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"This is also called a game feature? What is this, you need to give it up."
This is a very good feedback, because like most feedback, it contains It contains very useful information and information that you need to ignore.
Another direct way of this feedback is that there are some problems with the game's characteristics. There is no other deeper meaning. You have to pay attention to this feedback, but the extreme point of view of the tester makes it difficult for you to follow it, and you will even get angry when you see it. People often fall into a trap to ignore this kind of feedback and disagree with what the tester is asking to do. Don't worry about what the tester tells you to do, just know that you have to improve.
Try to understand why they don't like it-maybe because the description is not in place, there are bugs, not clear, and the game features are too badly designed. Quietly put away your pride and modify your game characteristics.
Pertinence: High
Frequency: Medium
You might think like this: Puff! You are just a player, what game design do you know? Are you a developer or I am a developer.
You should think like this: This is an opportunity for me to make my pet system better
Take action: redo
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"I really want to make myself like this game. I worked hard, but I didn't make it."
This is an embarrassing comment. Sometimes people won't like your game-even if you do it well. "Nerve Freeze" is a controversial and successful game, but I still met many people who said "I admire this game, but I don't like playing it." You can't please everyone in the world, you can't do it. Fried eggs do not break the shell. Listen to the opinions of these people and continue your work.
It is likely that you are not doing well enough. If you hear a lot of such feedback, it may be that you need to seriously think about the reason.
Pertinence: Moderate
Frequency: Low (hopefully)
You might think like this: Don’t do this game...
You should think like this: I should jump out of my point of view and look at my game from a different angle.
Take action: take action depending on the situation.
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"I like your game very much, I want to see you add these features..."
If the tester asks to add simple functions, such as adding "the opponent's "The end of the round" is a reminder, if I can do it, I will make improvements.
More importantly, I am not inclined to directly modify the game to respond to testers. A player’s suggestion will give me inspiration and give me a general idea of what the players like about the game and what improvements they want. You know the overall direction of your game best, don't be too distracted by the direction others say.
Often testers will put forward very good points, which directly resonates with me. This is one of the best parts of independently developing games.
Pertinence: Moderate
Frequency: Moderate
You might think like this: Oh! Correct! Maybe the player should be able to talk to the monster, maybe a new item can be added here...
You should think like this: I don't want to deviate from my direction, think about it with the same direction.
Take action: listen to opinions, think carefully
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"This game is great!"
We all want to be overwhelmed by feedback like this, but there are still a few things to pay attention to:
first , I know you want your players to fall in love with your game at a glance, but that is often not the case. Faced with a new game, players have already learned something from reviews and public opinion. Except for these players, no one will completely fall in love with a game the first time they play-they need to learn about the game slowly. Don't be frustrated because the game has not been positively reviewed for a few days, and see what happens in a week or more.
Second, don’t think about it because one person doesn’t like your game, and don’t publish it immediately because one person likes your game and expect that 95% of game magazines will publish it.
Pertinence: High
Frequency: Low
You might think like this: yeah! My development is very successful!
You should think like this: Well, it feels good. ——Enjoy this feeling
Take action: go and play!
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Finally, how do you deal with the lack of feedback?
Maybe half of people apply for the test but won't play your game. Just ignore them-this is very normal, and it is definitely not a reflection that your game is not good enough.
If someone is still playing a week later and they like your game, this is also normal.
If no one has played it more than once, this is a very serious warning and there may be something wrong with your game. Don't think too much, people usually use not played to indicate that your game is not fun.
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