next »

[dog199200]

When I started making my game, the idea of great gameplay, and something people will want to play again was the primary thought on my mind. Recently, I started thinking about things that could make a person want to keep playing the game, and one of those things is extra content after you beat the final boss, whether it be end game, or new game+ content. Generally, games that have great end game content have some sort of grinding systems, which my game does not. My game is mainly story based, and certain artifacts are needed to beat the game. I am leaning more towards new game+ content, allowing the player to explore the world more fully and be able to collect all the artifacts to unlock a special world and a secret ending, as I do not see a good way to do end game content on a game that has no leveling system. Just unlocking the world after the game is already beat seems to take away the ability of being able to play the game differently and fully exploring the world as they play from the beginning.

These are just some of the thing I have been thinking about for extended content for my game. Want are some of the things you look for in extended content in a game, and do you prefer end game, or do you prefer new game+ content?

[oodavid]

I think a lot of story based games have optional side-quests that can add to the playtime; collectables relating to game lore, or even things that break the 4th wall and interact with the player in engaging ways.

[SolarLune]

End game content would be more special to the player, I think. They might fish around in their save file after beating the game for any hidden secrets or extras - I think players might think a New Game + mode is literally just the same game, but easier (because you get to keep your equipment and stats or whatever).

Additional content is always possible to put in, even if you don't have a leveling system. You just have to hide or position the content accordingly. For example, put different little puzzles that aren't solve-able before the game ends. Afterward, they can be solved. If the player solves them, unlock the secret world. Or, base the unlock of the world on if the player solves the puzzles before the game ends, or if the player beats the game fast enough, or whatever.

[saluk]

I rarely have a desire to do more in a game once I finish the story. I usually try and clear out as many side quests as I can get to before I go for the big boss, because I know that once I do it's rare that I will look at the game again. So for me, I prefer new game+, because then when I do come back to the game and feel like playing it again, it will be a fresh, slightly different, hopefully more challenging experience.

[dog199200]

I think I could get a much more clear answer if I actually go into detail on what my plan is. At this time my development team is torn between new game+ and end game content. Some of the developers hate the idea of replaying a game at all, while some prefer replaying it as long as there is more to do. The issue with the game in question is purely storyline driven, similar to what you'd find in Banjo Kazooie or Zelda games. As it stands now, the player will get to the "end" boss, but not be able to collect all the artifacts up until that point. At this point is when it becomes an issue, as there are two paths to take. A) The players can unlock new game+ mode and play through again, with the entire world unlocked so they have the ability to collect all the artifacts, which that didn't have before. Also, all dungeons will be entirely redesigned, being made harder, and the character will take more damage. That way it's an entirely new gameplay experience. B) The player is not asked to start over, the world is unlocked so they can collect all the artifacts, but the dungeons are kept the same design and same difficulty.

[Josias Jose]

A) The players can unlock new game+ mode and play through again, with the entire world unlocked so they have the ability to collect all the artifacts, which that didn't have before. Also, all dungeons will be entirely redesigned, being made harder, and the character will take more damage. That way it's an entirely new gameplay experience. B) The player is not asked to start over, the world is unlocked so they can collect all the artifacts, but the dungeons are kept the same design and same difficulty.

B) gives as much extra content as you want(1 artifact missing? 2? 10?), A) makes literally a hard mode, PLUS the artifacts that couldn't be collected before. Personally, i would prefer B), as a challenge to the skill developed while playing New Game, but A) needs way less work than B).

At this point, i think it's more about communicating to the player what exactly is available to play after the end of the game(so that content is not missed, or misunderstood), and what fits bettter yout team's calendar to finish the game.

About not-playing-after-the-end vs. replaying-as-long-there's-something-to-do, it's depends of what you call properly the end. A) could happen without a New Game+, if it was somewhat explained in the game story itself.

[gunswordfist]

Is there any chance that both a and b could be included?

[RichSG]

If your game is story based, another motivator you might like to add into new game + mode is the chance to unlock extra info about the story and characters, for example more backstory, motivations, things like that. As long as it's not critical to understanding the basic flow of the story (for the first playthrough), stuff like that is always intriguing in story driven games (at least  I find that 

[arrogant.gamer]

I seem to recall that Chrono Trigger's new game+ included endings that couldn't be achieved otherwise (like, challenging the last boss, Lavos, right away). In addition, new game+ felt like a very natural extension of CT because of the time-travel theme. You might try a blend of the two: scatter your "end game content" through-out the game, but in a way that makes it necessary to navigate the game+. For example, there could be an end game area that is accessible, but impossible, early on in the game. As the game progressed, perhaps that area becomes inaccessible through some narrative elements (like, it explodes). A player could look forward to revisiting those areas in the new game+, and being able to challenge them. Tuck your end-game content into the main flow of the game. Huh, not bad! You would be able to tease the player with it along the way ^o^// foreshadowing the level of power they will one day achieve.

That kind of reminds me of the structure of Antichamber, somehow. Not in the game+ sense, but in the sense that the difficult puzzles are often the first you encounter... sometimes you don't even recognize them as puzzles! Then after a series of easier versions of the puzzle teach you the particulars, the non-euclidean space leads you back to the original challenging puzzle, which you are able to solve. Fun times!

Does your game involve time travel? I think new game+ would lose some of its mystique for me if it didn't also fit into the game's internal reality somehow...

Are there any known bugs in your game? A game I worked on, Super Plumber Bros, has some bugs in the collision detection. One of them means that the player can actually rappel down walls ^o^// I've occasionally thought of going back and adding a kind of "final final level"... one that would only be approachable by someone who knows how to exploit the bugs in the game. In other words, end game content!

[bdsowers]

I tend to prefer New Game+, especially in situations where the game had things you couldn't experience in a single playthrough (different endings, characters that were mutually exclusive, quests that locked/unlocked other quests, different play styles with different skill trees). However, I only like this if the game is relatively short or really amazing. I just don't have time to play a 15 hour game more than once. I barely finish 6 hour games these days.

If the game is long, I prefer just some end-game content. But odds are I won't stick around very long. Usually I'll play some optional fun little quests or things that take the gameplay in a different way (ie: a Colosseum in RPGs or a boss-rush mode).

[MAVW]

I'm not that big of a new game+ guy, but I get that is pretty cool to actually replay the game with different stuff if you've liked it the first time around.
It depends on the game but side quests are nice when you simply don't wanna finish the game yet, if you want to spend more time in this world before it comes to an end.

[Kytin]

I love story focussed games, but I very rarely continue playing after I have reached the end. The end of the story is the big emotional climax, bigger than anything that has gone before. If you want the player to keep playing after that, you probably need to promise (or at least hint) at an another emotional payoff that they can achieve if they keep going, whether you decide to use New Game+ or End Game content.

New Game+ would probably work better for giving the player access to a modified storyline with a different climax, but then the New Game+ mechanic becomes part of the story itself, which can be kind of awkward. As arrogant.gamer mentioned, this works better in a story that features time travel.

If you want to go with End Game content then you have a different problem. The climax of the story will have wrapped up (almost) all of the story threads (if it doesn't, then it's not really an ending), so in order to give the player a new emotional climax you have to basically have a second story that plays out after the first.

In either case, getting people to replay a story driven game is hard because once you know the story you lose the driving reason to play the game.

[Dreii]

Personally whenever I beat a game (even one that isn't story driven), I don't play after the ending to see the final content, If the game play was interesting enough or I REALLY dug the story I'll do a new game+.

But only if there's a promise of more story bits that where unexplained or more character developments.
As far as replay-ability goes the only thing that works on me is multi-player aspects.

which aren't on your agenda, and I may be the minority but that's how I would react as a customer