Name for 'Quest' mode

[Phil Steinmeyer]

My casual game, like many others nowadays, has a main gameplay sequence, which I've currently dubbed 'Quest', whereby the user plays through the levels of the game, and sees their progress, level by level, on a map.

It's not really a quest - there is no accompanying story, and I don't plan to add one. The map basically serves as a progress indicator.

I also have a bunch of mini games, each of which has a reasonably apt name (Puzzle, Arcade, etc).

A tester has said (and I agree), that calling the main mode 'Quest' feels wrong when there's no Quest/Story there.

Anybody care to contribute alternate suggestions?

[Bmc]

What does the newest Collapse game call the mode. They have one similar to what yours seems to be.

edit: I guess they call Quest. I'd stick with quest, although there is no story per se, they are traversing a map which is a quest imo

[Pyabo]

What are the other modes and what are they called?

[Phil Steinmeyer]

The main menu shows

Play Quest!
Mini Games
Awards
Hi Scores


All the 'other' games are under Mini Games
Puzzle, Arcade, Countdown, etc...

[PeterM]

Campaign?

Maybe it conjurs up too many "war-like" images?

[Tom Gilleland]

"Path of Personal Jihad"? :D

No why don't you just label it "Progress" or "Progress Map" since that's what it is.

Tom

[Drake]

People generally understand Quest Mode, I think. If you want to go with something more uncommon/obtuse, hopefully you will also make that button much more prominent than the others, and/or stick their mouse cursor on it when they enter the menu screen.

With just the map aspect to go on, I think: Journey, Voyage, Travel, World Tour.

[Leper]

"Normal Game" - Quest/Story/Campaign
"Quick Game" - Mini Game

[Matthew]

...main gameplay sequence...

Maybe simply "Main Game"?

[TheMysteriousStranger]

Play Quest!
Mini Games
Awards
Hi Scores

If those are your options, then why not simply call the first one "play"? It's only worth naming it something special if there are multiple game modes to choose from.

[Nexic]

Play Game maybe?

[Popcorn Boy]

Classic Game
The Game
Banana Mode

I think Play Game actually works pretty well.

Don't get too caught up in this one, don't think you'll sell one less unit based on the name of the mode. :)

[RedCloud]

How about "Main Mode" or "Level Mode"? Just some suggestions.

[Sparks]

Boldly step forward and call it "Let the adventure begin" :)
Or "Get on Your way/journey".

Call me old fashioned, but I think that a map-based progress should be a little more romantic than just "Start Game" nowadays.

[svero]

Maybe you should consider revising the map idea entirely? The dots on a map thing is overused at the moment, and that's especially true if there's no actual quest in the game, and its just throwing some graphics at the player for no particular reason. In some games the map makes sense or is used to good effect. It sounds like you've just thrown it in without too much thought. You could denote progress with awards or something else and call it Trophy mode or Classic mode etc... Maybe you can do something a little more original and clever with it?

[Phil Steinmeyer]

I think points on a map has become quite popular in casual games for a reason, directly related to the business model itself.

The player plays the game for a max of ~60 minutes before making a purchase decision. But at that 60 minute mark, they want to know if the game has 65 minutes of content (i.e. almost all new content used up) or 7 hours of content.

A map is an excellent visual way of conveying this.

[svero]

Partly, but the same effect was achieved in the past with thumbnails and all kind of other devices. It need not be an actual map.

[Leper]

If the map looks really pretty I like it. Magic Match does a great job of using a Map. Sometimes though, maps are pretty pointless.

[Popcorn Boy]

I think points on a map has become quite popular in casual games for a reason, directly related to the business model itself.

The player plays the game for a max of ~60 minutes before making a purchase decision. But at that 60 minute mark, they want to know if the game has 65 minutes of content (i.e. almost all new content used up) or 7 hours of content.

A map is an excellent visual way of conveying this.

Agreed - the user wants to feel they are making progress, but also want to see that they have a lot more content to explore for their $19.99.