4 ms·

Nice! IMO, it ought to be significantly harder. I was able to survive for 45 seconds on my first try--that's long enough that I started getting bored, and I don

Nice! IMO, it ought to be significantly harder. I was able to survive for 45 seconds on my first try--that's long enough that I started getting bored, and I don't really want to try again because it would take at least 45 seconds to beat my previous score. By comparison, consider how long a typical Flappy Bird game lasts, particularly on your first try--probably less than 10 seconds at most! That makes you want to try again.

samdychen 1y ago
That makes some sense. My main concern before was that if the difficulty is too high at the very beginning, it might discourage players.
- philipodonnell 1y ago
  This is a great use case for using an algorithmic difficulty ramp where it can really dial in that curve to solve for getting people to play longer over multiple sessions.
  - wizzwizz4 1y ago
    This is abusive use of computer technology. Don't optimise for addition. If you're optimising for anything, it should be enjoyment.
- abetusk 1y ago
  Have difficulty settings. Default is "easy/moderate" so that people get a sense of it. For people playing twice or as people get more experienced and want a challenge, they can choose a more difficult setting. Have leaderboards for different difficulty settings to encourage exploration of different settings.
- joelanman 1y ago
  might work out the opposite - 'ah I can do better than that, one more try'
- arnorhs 1y ago
  Tbf my experience was the opposite. But sure if I'm just terrible or if it's harder on a phone, but my first tries were sub 20s and my highest was 45 before giving up xD
- laserDinosaur 1y ago
  For some comparison of difficulty, there's an old game called Squares which is very similar to yours. It does a good job of ramping the difficulty up pretty fast, but it allows the game have fun short gameplay loops because of the extra gameplay mechanics (ie, you are not just moving but collecting squares too). Gameplay Video: https://youtu.be/n8nRCyjCy_Y https://youtu.be/n8nRCyjCy_Y Apparently you can still play it online at: https://www.albinoblacksheep.com/games/squares2 https://www.albinoblacksheep.com/games/squares2
- cdaringe 1y ago
  He doesn’t want to be the guy! I want to be the guy in every game https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Wanna_Be_the_Guy https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Wanna_Be_the_Guy
GTP 1y ago
Depends. There must be some sweet spot there, since if it lasts too little, then it becomes frustrating to retry every few seconds.
- bravesoul2 1y ago
  Just have levels. Each level has more or faster dots. You continue from the last failed level.
- Wowfunhappy 1y ago
  > There must be some sweet spot there, since if it lasts too little Absolutely, and therein lies the essence of game design, right? For a simple game like this, I'd say 8-10 seconds is a good time to shoot for, for the player's first session. It'll naturally get longer as the player gets better. This makes every moment exciting--just a few seconds longer and I can beat my last score. But yes, this is an art not a science.
OneOverInfinity 1y ago
Hard Mode: Zoom in your browser window Easy Mode: Zoom out
- thesnide 1y ago
  berserk mode : move the world, leave the player immobile in the center

samdychen 1y ago

That makes some sense. My main concern before was that if the difficulty is too high at the very beginning, it might discourage players.

philipodonnell 1y ago
This is a great use case for using an algorithmic difficulty ramp where it can really dial in that curve to solve for getting people to play longer over multiple sessions.
- wizzwizz4 1y ago
  This is abusive use of computer technology. Don't optimise for addition. If you're optimising for anything, it should be enjoyment.
abetusk 1y ago
Have difficulty settings. Default is "easy/moderate" so that people get a sense of it. For people playing twice or as people get more experienced and want a challenge, they can choose a more difficult setting. Have leaderboards for different difficulty settings to encourage exploration of different settings.
joelanman 1y ago
might work out the opposite - 'ah I can do better than that, one more try'
arnorhs 1y ago
Tbf my experience was the opposite. But sure if I'm just terrible or if it's harder on a phone, but my first tries were sub 20s and my highest was 45 before giving up xD
laserDinosaur 1y ago
For some comparison of difficulty, there's an old game called Squares which is very similar to yours. It does a good job of ramping the difficulty up pretty fast, but it allows the game have fun short gameplay loops because of the extra gameplay mechanics (ie, you are not just moving but collecting squares too). Gameplay Video: https://youtu.be/n8nRCyjCy_Y https://youtu.be/n8nRCyjCy_Y Apparently you can still play it online at: https://www.albinoblacksheep.com/games/squares2 https://www.albinoblacksheep.com/games/squares2
cdaringe 1y ago
He doesn’t want to be the guy! I want to be the guy in every game https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Wanna_Be_the_Guy https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Wanna_Be_the_Guy

GTP 1y ago

Depends. There must be some sweet spot there, since if it lasts too little, then it becomes frustrating to retry every few seconds.

bravesoul2 1y ago
Just have levels. Each level has more or faster dots. You continue from the last failed level.
Wowfunhappy 1y ago
> There must be some sweet spot there, since if it lasts too little Absolutely, and therein lies the essence of game design, right? For a simple game like this, I'd say 8-10 seconds is a good time to shoot for, for the player's first session. It'll naturally get longer as the player gets better. This makes every moment exciting--just a few seconds longer and I can beat my last score. But yes, this is an art not a science.

OneOverInfinity 1y ago

Hard Mode: Zoom in your browser window Easy Mode: Zoom out

thesnide 1y ago
berserk mode : move the world, leave the player immobile in the center