No, really! It's like a bonus stage, and you get one chance on it. If you die, that's it, bonus stage over, on with the game. That make sense? Maybe the game doesn't do enough to explain this dynamic? It's supposed to be just good stuff you can collect (until the spikes come), like a free-for-all collect good stuff, with no danger (except, there is danger, I put baddies in there).
Yeah, that makes sense. I did notice that something was different about the level (the rain of goodies and timer), and I actually thought it might be a bonus level at first because of that, but changed my mind for a couple reasons (other than glossing over the intro screen apparently).
First, there was baddies there, which as you say is not common in bonus levels (not a "problem" in itself, but adds up). Second, every level is filled with goodies anyway, and while that one might have a few more it didn't seem like a big difference. I mean, there's does seem to be more stuff falling than normal levels have originally, but it's impossible to get everything anyway (I think?), and then there's the umbrellas of other levels that does the same thing. Third, there was keys and an exit, making the goodies seem like a secondary goal (like in an ordinary level). And, as I discovered later, the rain of spikes happens on ordinary levels too if you spend too much time, so that's normal too.
For a bonus level in this kind of game I think I'd expect it to end when the timer ran out (assuming I registered that it was a bonus level in the first place..), and death (if present) to either just to have the effect of time running out (not losing credit), or maybe take away all the goodies you collected (more reason to avoid death)? Not sure.
With the nag screen ..
I could have the default button, as the 'continue game' option. So, you'd just have to wait 3 or 5 seconds or something, before you need to press it (unless of course, you want to press the buy option).
It's not so much what's the default button that's the issue, it's that 1. you can't use the screen with the keyboard like the rest of the game, and 2. the continue button is on an
invisible timer. I'd make it possible to select what button to press using the arrow keys and then press that button using either enter or space. Make it possible to use everything without switching away from the keyboard. Also, the timer should be visible, so that people know that there's not a bug on that screen, but that they just have to wait for a bit, and how much longer that is. A countdown on the continue button would be fine.
The way I've set it up, at the moment, it randomly (25% chance) happens after you complete a level. I can tweak it of course, but I guess the question is, what's the optimal setting, to drive sales? Show it less, or more?
Oh, I see. I think I was just unlucky then, because I didn't exaggerate when I said the nag screen popped up between every single level when I played last time. And when I died, too. For me, there was a 100% chance.
I played the game some more today to check (hadn't used up my 30 mins fortunately), and this time it was much better. I think I was having a bad day or something last time, because I didn't think the nag was that annoying this time
. Anyway, this time it popped up between the first three levels, and then I didn't see it again for I think 6 levels.
It does seem like your random number generator has some issues though. There was the 100% nag screen issue I had last time (that was just way too much, bad day or no), and this time I had another problem: On the bubble tutorial level, there was no more bubbles when I got into the little room on the lower left, which was not fun since you need bubbles to escape from there. I was stuck there until long after spikes started falling. Then finally a bubble appeared, which proceeded to run me straight into a falling spike which killed me (could've tried to jump off I guess, but there was no other bubbles and I was a bit tired of waiting by then). The next try of the level went fine, but I managed to die anyway, and then on the third try it "ran out" of bubbles and got me stuck again.
You could have a maximum delay between bubbles for each generator to fix the bubble issue. For the nag screen, it may be better to not rely on the rng for that and just have it appear at a constant interval, like every 5 levels or something (and when you quit etc). (I'm by no means an expert on this kind of thing though, so take what I say with a pinch of salt
)
My feeling is that it may be better to default to the 'continue game' option, while just forcing them to watch content that they'd get in the full version.
It does make it less likely that people will push the buy button accidentally
I was also reading a very interesting article by Andy Schatz (of Pocketwatch Games) this morning. He was saying it's a good idea to give the player a taste of content from further on in the game, rather than making them wade through boring tutorials and such like. I'm kinda doing that, I think, but just showing them, rather than letting them play it. Dunno it that's a good idea or not really, but I saw an XBLA game do something simular, and I thought it was a fiendish sales stratagy (ah, it was Mutant Storm).
I prefer your way. Letting people think that they're going to play some awesome level and then when they're ready to start go "oops, you can't" is just mean
. (Though I can see how it could be efficient in making people wanting the full version more..)
I think the demo you've got running in the background of the nag screen shows off things fine, though maybe you could focus a little more on that demo than you do currently, since it's easy to dismiss it as just insignificant background with that big dialog dominating the middle of the screen. Maybe make the dialog a little smaller or squish it a bit and move it to the bottom edge of the screen, or make it slightly translucent or something? (I don't know, pinch of salt applies here too
)
