User Driven Development vs Traditional Game Development
by Ernest Cheung
Game Producer, Tiny Colony
If you are just tuning in for the first time, make sure to catch the first two parts of the series!
- The Complexities of Game Development & the Importance of Pre-Production (Part 1)
- What is an MVP? Starting Game Production (Part 2)
In this penultimate release, we will talk about the unique approach Tiny Colony has taken in regards to Game Development and why we believe this will ultimately result in a superior product than what is currently available in the marketplace.
Indie Game Development, in comparison with Traditional Game Development, can often be much more hectic, but also far more free in its ability to pivot given its relatively smaller size. This freedom can often lead to innovation when it comes to Game Design. From this perspective, Indie Developers are leading the way as the guinea pigs of the industry. There is a reason many engines like Unity and Unreal have adopted Freemium models, making the barrier to entry extremely low to accessing next-generation technology.
Traditionally in game development, the public will not be involved in any form of play-testing until the game is close to release. This is typically to control the image and first impression of the game. We here at Tiny Colony have decided to pivot from this model. Our community will be involved starting with our MVP build, and then our Alpha, Beta, and so on. We believe that this is a necessary step for bridging the gap between Web3 Technology and Traditional Gamers. We want to emphasize a fun game as the foundation of our project and we need to ensure that any Web3/Play-to-Earn mechanisms work organically with the game we are designing without affecting the gameplay experience in a negative way. This form of Game Development can be considered as User Driven Game Development as our users will be involved much earlier on and will have a say in the future of the game.
We involve our users by creating early playable builds that allow us to test specific aspects of the game. The first of these include the Construction and Management mode of Tiny Colony. The feedback we receive from this initial play-test will allow us to tweak almost all the variables in the game to achieve the best in-game flow. We are planning on having the Alpha build feature the base defense mode and tower defense mechanics. From that point forward, the community will begin to have a voice as to which features should be included in the Beta and onwards. This will be implemented in the Tiny DAO.
We believe that emphasizing play-testing is the best way to balance a game. It helps us write the rules of the game and teaches us how to better structure our tutorials for clarity. It will allow us to identify early on what the best strategies are for approaching the game and whether or not these strategies fit our intended vision. Finally, and most importantly, play-testing tells us whether or not our game is fun. If most of your play-testers are not having fun with your game, you need to identify why and address it immediately. Otherwise you are simply developing a game that has already been proven to not be fun.
Next article we will take a look at the steps leading up to the release of a game and what are some of the pitfalls to avoid. We will briefly touch on the differences between launching on PC via Web3 or on platforms like Steam, and also what the process may look like for those of you who are planning on releasing your game on platforms like Xbox, Playstation, and Nintendo Switch.
About Tiny Colony
Tiny Colony is an expansive pixelated metaverse and construction and management simulation game designed for the Solana blockchain. Players can earn in-game currency by building and running a prosperous ant colony, battling with other colonies, and wagering in community events.
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