today after playtesting QuotaFactory a bit, I found myself in a position I really hoped I wouldn’t, I just didn’t find the game fun. Which is a huge issue considering how much work I’ve put into it already. Meaning it’s time to figure out the main issue, and make it more fun!
Figuring out the issue
Well, what’s making the game boring and not enjoyable? First thing that comes to mind is that currently the quota starts at 5 pieces of item at first, meaning that day 1 is already not much of a challenge, with rest of the days, also being too easy. The first idea was to make the Quota higher, maybe 10, 20 or 30 pieces at first.
A couple minutes of play-testing later… it’s even worse now. All increasing the Quota did is making the day last longer, without actually upping the difficulty. If I can make 5 bread in 25 seconds with ease, making 30 bread just takes longer, but nowhere near 300 seconds. With the game just becoming a game of waiting, where you have to do nothing.
So increasing the quota is not going to help, but making it higher than 5 is still a good idea, so let’s keep for now 10-15 as the start. Based on rng, according to the seed.
Finding out actual solutions
Since upping the quota has done very little to help make the game more fun, what can we add for the player to do. First idea that came to mind is making the machines not automatic by default. Meaning that your machines need player input at first to do anything, until you somehow make them automatic later.
Making the machines not automatic by default won’t solve the issue, as once the player has them automatic again we are back where we started. Meaning that the next thing that could make the game more interesting, instead of just giving the player 3 cards to pick from for free, make it that the quota rewards the player with money. Which then can be used to buy these cards.
An idea which was given to me by my lovely girlfriend was to make the Quotas not the same. Meaning that 1 day you’d have to make 15 bread, second day they’d want 20 bread-rolls, next day they’d want 20 of each and then the day after they’d want 50 cakes. Which would make the game way more interesting than just making bread over n’ over till you die.
Another thing she thought would be great were employees. Personally, from just the idea of implementing this am not a fan, but I don’t want to throw the possibility out the window, meaning that maybe one day employees will be added. Unfortunately that’s all the ideas I can get right now, so I’ll implement all of this and then hopefully, the game will either be fun or I’ll get a new idea how to make it more fun.
So to make a “complete” list of what I decided to add:
- Non-automatic machines by default
- Make place-ables(belts, ovens, …) cost money
- Make quotas randomized and give money upon completion
- and figure out more…
Update on progress of the game
To not just talk about the ideas on what to do with the game, here’s a little run down of all the things that have been done.
Made a movement system! Now you can move around your belts, furnaces, etc.
Also started work on some songs for soundtrack so that the game is not so silent, and updated the main menu into a nicer look, including a little discord invite board.
And… that’s all I can show you right now, unfortunately didn’t have much time to work on the game, due to work so, hopefully I will get more done now with a few days off from work.