Hi,
After already finishing few gam jams I had a rough idea about what to expect but not about how to improve the result I deliver. Do I make this awseome 3d game or stick to 2D? Maybe creatie something big? But how? Its only 7 days - and its 10-20h if I'm lucky (there is this thing called life that will hit you hard when you least expect it). There must be something else.
Microinteractions are nothing more than details of your game. There is a great talk by Renaud Forestié from Unity Copenhagen 2019 on how to design a better feedback in your games. Honestly I have spend 1 whole day researching instead of coding but it was worth it and maybe you can use the knowledge!
The attention to details can make an average game great and the great game average. That is 1 aspect that I see missing in my own designs. The "Juiciness" of the game is in the little things like - camera shake when shooting, particles flying all around when bullet hits the surface or an enemy. Its overall the feedback you give to your players after they perform an action. They need to know that this is the action that they want to do (that you want them to do). Those small thing can really make a big difference.
Now you might say "Peter this is a game jam! I don't have time for details and feedback! I need features!". But is it really true? Do you need 5 different weapons? Do you need 3D? Or do you want players to enjoy themselves a little and have fun? What is more important - your creative vision or the experience of the players?
Now I myself have still a long way so take all that is written here with a grain of salt. In my entry Drill Away! I have focused on designing "juiciness" and microinteractions for my game. You can watch a quick devlog that will be followed by few tutorials on how we can implement some of the little things that I believe make the game a little more fun.
I encourage you to check out 2 more video on how to make your game more juicy that will really blow your mind. One is Juice it or lose it - a talk by Martin Jonasson & Petri Purho and another Jan Willem Nijman - Vlambeer - "The art of screenshake".
Thanks a lot
Peter