Make 'em artifacts or options?

[Rubs]

Hi everyone! I was wondering if I can get more feedback on this:

Couple of users requested a ghost piece and a grid for my tetris-type game. First I was thinking about adding these features as artifacts, so that the user should spend some level-up points to get these. But now I'm considering to make them avaliable simply from options dialog.

What do you think about that? Ghost piece and a grid on the field - artifacts or options?

Thanks!

BTW, QuesTrix is to beta already. Getting feedback and improving the game every day rapidly moving to release.

[princec]

Neither. Just put them in and leave them in.

Cas :)

[Tom Gilleland]

artifacts or options?

Is that Artifacts or Artefacts ? :D

Tom

[Rubs]

Neither. Just put them in and leave them in.

You mean just add them to the game? :) Even if so, I'll still make them optional. Nothing hardcoded.

Is that Artifacts or Artefacts ?

I guess you should know better :D


Seriously guys (especially ones that tried the game)! What do you think will make the game better? Additional ghost and grid artIfacts, or simply the ability to have them as a feature?

[princec]

The problem with options is that 99% of your users won't even know there's an option in the first place so you're probably wasting your time making it optional. And even if they do discover the option the fact is you've still had to write the code anyway and somebody decides it was a waste of time for you and turns it off!

I'm a big fan of less is more, myself. The more confusing options and game modes there are the less I find myself focusing on the game. In fact nearly all indie games I've played in the last couple of years that have a page full of options have just completely put me off fiddling with them.

Cas :)

[Rubs]

Yeah, I like everything simple myself. I'm being more and more convinced to make them artifacts.

The pluses are:
+ more choices (thus more fun) for the user during the game
+ less options :)

Thanks for reply Cas!

[Tom Gilleland]

For casual users I think that if you have different ways to play they should be treated as different games, not options. I would treat them as different games in the same title. "Two ways to play" Think of one of the nice solitaire titles out there that have 100+ games in one. We've had success with one of our Poker titles that has 21 different Poker games in one title.

Tom

[soniCron]

First of all, I think it would be an awful reward. How about making mouse control an artifact as well! ;) However, I can both see its value and why some folks wouldn't want it. At the very least, include it during the first few levels. And I'd leave it as an option, but turned on by default. It deserves to be in there, but I think it could bother hardcore fans, so the option is important.

[Rubs]

OK, I added these artifacts (gosh, I think I'm gonna have my face twitching every time I read or type the word artIfact already :D). You can download the last beta and try them right away.

I think they are like some candy functionality for the beginning player, pros won't use them, but it is certain that some percentage of people likes these grid and ghost stuff, so I kinda made them happy with these artifacts.