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Why is the voting period so short? + Bot rules

A topic by ElliotBak3r created Jun 28, 2020 Views: 191 Replies: 2
Viewing posts 1 to 2
Host (1 edit)

I was asked this and this is my explanation. There is an aspect of multiplayer games called Community Management. If nobody is playing your game, you can't play in the first place (this mainly applies to Online games with lobbies). So my thought process was that if I shorten the time of voting, I will increase the density of players playing the game at any given time, increasing the likelihood of finding a player randomly.

On top of that, I will also mention when me and my friends will be playing each game, including Couch-Play.

(2 edits)

One note relevant to this: would it be acceptable if an online game also featured bots?

Their behavior would of course be extremely basic, they would only serve the purpose of showcasing the game’s features in the absence of other players.

Without bots, even if the jam becomes modestly popular and the voting period is kept short, creators still risk falling into the usual circle with online games: Player A joins -> No one else to right -> Player A leaves -> Player B joins -> …

Host

I was dreading this question for a long time. I was asked that and gave a rather simple answer but I want to revise it. I gave it a good thought and have decided to allow bots in the game under a few rules:

  1. They must not be the main focus of the game.
  2. They must be clearly marked as a bot.
  3. They should be used sparingly.
  4. They should not take away from the experience of playing the game with real players.


It must be said that you should try to get players to play together through methods like recommended schedules. I will try to help out by posting my own recommended schedule and open invitations to play.