CinderingJoin Date: 2009-02-28
Post Count: 8171 |
I should start off by saying that this is NOT a guide to guarantee some front page game overnight. I made this guide to give my opinions on what the best practices and strategies are to gradually become more successful on Roblox. It is based on both my experience, and my observations of other games/developers on Roblox.
WARNING: LONG READ AHEAD! NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART...
► ► ► ► Introduction ◄ ◄ ◄ ◄
Hi there, and welcome to my guide! A question I've been asked many times over the years is "How do you get your game so popular?" or "Can you help me make a cool place?" I'm making this guide for all those people who have the same question. Let me tell you that there's no secret magic trick to suddenly become insta-famous. Most of the time, it takes quite a bit of effort. It will not happen right away, so patience is certainly required. Don't expect to have the #1 game on Roblox after reading this guide, but the tips here should certainly push you in the right direction.
► ► ► ► Starting Out ◄ ◄ ◄ ◄
First, I guess I'll tell you how I got started out. Back in my newbie days of March 09, I created a simple "Climb the Volcano Obby". Or, a more accurate name, "Take a Stroll Through a Midgicano". That thing wasn't even 100 studs high. Regardless, I bid 250 tix or something on an ad created with MS Paint (ah, the good ol' days), and I got front page at 4 AM somehow. I then spent a good portion of my earnings on some stupid R$250 face. Yay me!
Times change, though. Back then, I would totally encourage you to make an obby if you wanted some quick success. In 2014, that same approach will not get you very far. The bar for game quality is a lot higher, and with all the added incentives like Game Passes, Developer Products, and DevEx, you'll be facing lots of tough competition. However, I would still say that creating a simple-yet-addictive game is a good starting point for new developers. Heck, if you can put a nice twist on the obby genre (like lolbunnyface's Speed Run), it could do really well.
Make something that not many people have seen before. As a new developer, if you try to create "The Cray Cray Murderer #17" or "5 Player Gun Factory Tycoon" or "Welcome to the Different Advanced Continued High School of Robloxia", you won't get anywhere. Because why would people play some new developer's game if there's already a better, long-standing version at the top? And why would you, starting closer to the bottom, want to compete against one of the top games on Roblox? Make something fun and unique, or put a cool twist on a popular genre. It takes a lot of experience to be able to compete with the top games.
You definitely want to have Builders Club if you want to get into creating games. The daily Robux bonus will allow you to build up more of an advertising budget, and any assets you sell will give you 70% of the profit, rather than 10% as NBC. (And of course, then you can create more than 1 game)
► ► ► ► Planning a Game ◄ ◄ ◄ ◄
Planning is a very important thing to do. If you want success, you need to make sure that your game is not only fun for a wide audience, but will keep players coming back multiple times. Games like obbies, where you complete it once and you're done, are one-hit wonders - they will never be seen again after their initial success.
Some things to think about when you have a game idea:
- Will the game mechanics be fun for people?
- Is this something that players could keep on coming back to?
- Would this be a fair and balanced game for everyone?
- Realistically, how challenging would it be to create this game? (Don't push yourself too far)
Don't get bogged down with tons of details. If the game is far too complicated, people won't play it! Remember that this website is primarily made up of younger players.
Imagine yourself actually playing the game you have in mind. If it seems boring in your mind, it will probably be boring for other people too.
► ► ► ► Designing the Game ◄ ◄ ◄ ◄
Building/scripting your game is obviously the longest, most challenging process. If you're trying to learn either of these skills, my advice is to practice, practice, practice. You can look up guides to get yourself started, but in the end you have to learn how to do those things on your own. Take some free model scripts, look at them, experiment with them to try and create different results. That's how I got started learning. Plus, the Roblox Wiki is an amazing resource for anything you could possibly want to know about scripting!
If you get stuck, don't be afraid to use some free models (after all, that's what they're there for), just don't infect your game with them!
Collaborating with friends is a great thing to do if you don't have all the necessary skills (for example, I'm a good scripter but a self-proclaimed terrible builder... thank goodness for Umbra and Maisy!) and it can help you complete the game a lot faster.
► ► ► ► Marketing the Game ◄ ◄ ◄ ◄
This is another key to success. I've seen many, many amazing games that will hardly have any players online, simply because the creator is not good at advertising! You need to design an eye-catching ad that will also effectively draw in your target audience. Don't just use some random funny ad that gets a lot of pointless clicks. People will just click to comment "lol ad" and then leave without playing. It should be relevant to your game - if you can make it funny too, then that's another plus.
Obviously, spamming is a no-no for advertising. I don't know why people do this, as it's not even effective in the slightest.
The game's thumbnail. Make it look exciting! Make players think "Wow, that looks pretty cool, I'll give it a try" or "I wanna do what that guy is doing!" You can spice it up with posed NPCs and graphical effects if you know how to do that stuff.
► ► ► ► Money, Money, Money ◄ ◄ ◄ ◄
Good monetization of your game is important to maintain your advertising budget and keep your success going, because the tix solely from visits doesn't add up to much anymore. Yes, there are plenty of people that say "WHY DO YOU HAVE TO PAY FOR THIS?!" but honestly, microtransactions are something to be expected on any game with a free-to-play option.
Create gamepasses and developer products that would be appealing to a lot of people, but don't break the game balance too much. People don't want to play a pay-to-win game. As for pricing, don't price them too high if you're a new developer. People won't spend big money on an unpopular game. If you've monetized your game well, then hopefully you will make a good return on your advertising bids and be able to continue the process while making money.
A couple thousand tix is usually a good amount to spend on advertising. You wouldn't want to bid too low, otherwise you wouldn't get many players on your game simultaneously.
► ► ► ► You've Found It ◄ ◄ ◄ ◄
So maybe you've found just the right game idea and got it on the front page! "Woohooooo! Time to bathe in all my cash, I'm filthy rich now!" NO! Don't be that guy! If you just sit back and watch, your game will be done for in a matter of time. Once you've found success with a good, replayable game, you need to keep it updated and keep up the advertising, otherwise people will completely forget about it. Once you've got your name out there and you have a much stronger budget, it will empower you to create more ambitious games and advertise more effectively.
► ► ► ► Conclusion ◄ ◄ ◄ ◄
Success is not always an instantaneous process, so don't give up just because you can't get on the front page right away! Like I said, practice is key. Keep on improving your building, scripting, and game design skills. Good effort in all these areas will be highly rewarding. It will usually take more than just one game before you reach the top! I've created plenty more games than what I have on display on my profile. I started out with just a couple thousand visits on my games. Over time that grew to be tens of thousands, then hundreds of thousands, etc... Success snowballs!
Everyone, including me, starts out from absolutely nothing. Zero visits, zero recognition. I believe that anyone, with the right amount of time and effort, could create the next hit game on Roblox! Don't just do it for the fame, though - You should always do what you love! The best products always come from people who truly enjoy what they're doing. With all that said, I wish you the best of luck with your Roblox development journey :D
► ► ► ► TL;DR ◄ ◄ ◄ ◄
Send a nice, hot bucket of fried chicken to Shedletsky, and he'll surely put your game on the front page...
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