User feedback clashes with your game feature design. How do you navigate this creative dilemma?

When user feedback clashes with your design, it’s time to switch to detective mode. Start by really listening—figure out if the criticism is coming from a large crowd or just a few loud voices. Look for patterns to see if there’s a core issue or if it’s just personal preferences at play. Feedback is your game’s best friend for leveling up, but remember, it’s all about balance. Don’t go rewriting the whole story just because a few players didn’t like a plot twist!

From what I've experienced, you'll get all kinds of player feedback and suggestions that would be detrimental to the game. Even if you just focus on the most popular pieces of feedback, you could still ruin your game. Rather than trying to listen to players design feedback and balancing that, I'd argue that staying true to your vision will still keep players happy and engaged. If you let players decide how to build your game, you'll get undesirable results. Take their feedback and suggestions and possibly apply the best ideas when planning a new game, but don't be a pushover about your current baby unless it's fixing bugs.

Listen to Users: Take the feedback seriously. It can offer valuable insights. Evaluate the Feature: Consider how important the feature is to your game. Decide if the feedback suggests a real issue or just a preference. Consider Changes: Think about whether adjusting the feature would improve the game without losing your original vision. Communicate: Talk to your community about why the feature is designed the way it is. Test and Iterate: Try out changes or alternatives, and see how players respond. Make a Decision: Choose the best path forward, balancing your vision with what players want. This approach helps you improve your game while staying true to your design.

The player experience is key; as a designer your job is to create an experience that elicits enjoyment. If what you’re providing doesn’t, it’s time to figure out why. Design is an iterative process so go back to step one: define the problem. Then continue to step two: propose a solution. From there you design, test, observe and (possibly) iterate again. Nothing in design is absolutely perfect, but it should achieve joy for most.

Reflect on Your Design Goals. 1. Reconnect with Your Vision: Revisit the original intentions behind the feature. What were you hoping to achieve? How does it fit into the overall game experience? 2. Assess Its Importance: Consider how integral the feature is to the game’s identity. Is it a core element, or could it be adjusted without losing the essence of your design?

After gathering feedback, take a step back and analyze it objectively. Set aside personal attachment to the feature and view it through the lens of the player. Not every idea that works in development will work in gameplay, and patterns in feedback can reveal deeper issues. Carefully weigh the pros and cons of making changes, considering what will ultimately enhance the player experience.

Once feedback is gathered, it's important to analyze it objectively, setting aside personal biases. Consider the player's perspective—does the feature enhance the gameplay, or does it detract from the experience? What might seem like a brilliant idea during development could have unintended consequences when put into practice. By identifying patterns in the feedback, you can make more informed decisions about whether to revise the feature. Objective analysis allows you to discern between constructive criticism and feedback that might not align with your game's goals.

It depends on the feedback and who’s saying it. The first thing you should do is figure out why the feedback is being presented. Sometimes certain players just aren’t your target demographic, and that’s ok. You can’t make a game that pleases everyone. Usually though, people giving you feedback are already interested in your game and thus are likely opinions you want to listen to. Take stock of the reasons why the feedback is given to you. Sometimes a player says they don’t like something when the real problem is that they don’t understand it, so you need to find a way to communicate it better. Sometimes it’s just clunky and needs to be refined. Sometimes it’s just a flopped idea. Digging into the root of the complaints is key to fixing them

A piece of feedback from 1 user is an outlier, a piece of similar feedback from most users is a problem. when you have gathered feedback pay careful attention to just how many people are giving you similar feedback, this will be a really good starting point on your journey to knowing what to pay attention to and what to move on from.

Community Engagement is Key. 1. Be Transparent: Share the rationale behind your design choices with your players. Help them understand your vision and how their feedback fits into the bigger picture. 2. Involve Players in the Process: Show that their voices matter. Involving the community in the development journey fosters trust and creates a sense of shared ownership.

Engaging with your community is key to gaining deeper insights from feedback. Open a dialogue through forums, social media, or in-game surveys to better understand their concerns and suggestions. This approach not only shows that you value their opinions but also encourages collaboration in improving the game. When players see their input leading to positive changes, critics can become advocates, strengthening the community's loyalty and support.

Engaging with your community can provide a deeper understanding of the feedback and the concerns behind it. Open a dialogue with players through forums, social media, or in-game surveys to clarify their thoughts and suggestions. This interaction not only helps you gather more nuanced feedback but also shows that you value their input. By actively involving the community in the development process, you can build trust and potentially turn critics into supporters as they see their feedback influencing the game's evolution.

While the community's feedback may not be positive, the fact that the game is getting feedback means that there are players out there that care enough to voice their opinion. This is where engaging with the community in a constructive way is fundamental. The aim shouldn't necessarily be to make any drastic changes to the original concept of the game, but to show care in return. This of course calls for the ability to discern honest actors from those who simply want to troll. It's a fine balance. Ultimately though, the act of engaging in the conversation shows that the devs are actively listening. Long gone are the days when the devs could be siloed away from the players; it's becoming less of a nice-to-have and more of a requirement.

Engaging your community can be a really useful resource, but it can also be a curse. Asking for blanket feedback could help if there is something specifically or well known to be wrong with your product, but if not then you will likely get a blanket spread of feedback, all of which will seem equally important. It will also allow you to see what you want to see, not what you need to see. Work with talented people who understand the questions that will get you the most useful answers and make your questionnaires targeted at the thing you're currently looking at and avoid open feedback, you'll get much more actionable information that way.

Test and Evolve. 1. A/B Testing: If you're uncertain about a change, consider testing different versions of the feature to see which resonates more with players. 2. Keep the Dialogue Open: After making adjustments, seek more feedback to gauge whether the changes are hitting the mark. Continuous iteration is key.

Iterating on your game's features requires a careful approach. When incorporating feedback, opt for small, incremental changes rather than drastic revisions that could create new problems. Thoroughly test each iteration to ensure it addresses the feedback while preserving the game's overall integrity. This process is about finding a balance between staying true to your original vision and evolving the game in response to user insights.

When it comes to making changes based on feedback, iteration should be done thoughtfully and incrementally. Rather than overhauling a feature completely, consider making small adjustments that can be tested and refined over time. This approach minimizes the risk of introducing new issues and allows you to see how changes affect the overall gameplay. Wise iteration is about balancing the need for improvement with the integrity of your original design, ensuring that updates enhance the game without compromising its core elements.

A story: once, when I was working on a game that was live and had been for a while we were trying to make some big changes without losing our audience. We did this by A/B testing, which is a great tool when used right. We did not use it right. Every time we made an update there would be a dozen or more changes and the data would be impossible to parse. Update 1 we lost retention, but we don't know which of the 30 things we did caused that. Update 2, we gained the retention back, but of the 20 things we changed we had no idea what had fixed it. when you do AB testing make sure that you are doing it on something recognisable and clearly trackable.

Set Clear Goals Define Objectives: Before starting iterations, clearly define what you want to achieve with each change. Are you improving gameplay balance, enhancing user experience, or fixing specific issues? Prioritize Changes: Focus on high-impact changes that align with your game’s vision and player feedback. Prioritize issues that have the most significant effect on gameplay and player satisfaction.

Feedback can be tough sometimes , but it's important to evaluate it carefully before taking action. Something that isn't good at the moment doesn't mean it's entirely bad. An idea might be good, but not well executed. Since you have an overall vision of the project, use feedback to improve it, rather than simply changing your entire vision.

Make sure the feedback you're following is from your target audience. if you're making a hardcore soulslike then don't listen to the casual action gamers who say it's too hard. If you're making a mobile puzzle game don't listen to the tps fan who doesn't like the cute story you put in. your vision is as important to you as it is to the people who you've made this for, so make sure that the feedback you're following is for the game you're making.

Honour Your Creative Vision. 1. Balance Player Input with Creativity: While it’s important to listen to your players, remember that you are the creator. Balance their desires with your creative instincts. 2. Trust Yourself: If you believe strongly in a feature that isn’t immediately embraced, give it time and perhaps refine its presentation or functionality before making drastic changes.

While feedback is valuable, maintaining your original vision is crucial. If you implement every suggestion, your game might lose its unique identity. Trust in your creative direction, as sometimes staying true to your vision can lead to a stronger, more cohesive game that resonates with players. The key is to find compromises that address valid concerns while preserving the core experience you set out to create.

While feedback is valuable, it’s essential to preserve the original vision for your game. Reacting to every piece of criticism can dilute the game’s identity and lead to a less cohesive experience. Sometimes, the long-term success of a feature is only evident once players fully experience the game as intended. Staying true to your vision means making selective adjustments that align with the game’s core principles, rather than trying to please everyone. It's about finding the right compromises that enhance the game while maintaining its unique appeal.

Make a Thoughtful Decisions. 1. Weigh Your Options: Ultimately, you’ll need to decide how to proceed. Whether you stick with the original design, make modifications, or even scrap the feature, ensure it’s a choice that aligns with both your vision and your players' needs.

Strategic adaptation to feedback is key to ensuring that changes benefit the game's long-term success. Not all feedback is actionable or beneficial, so it’s important to consider how potential changes fit into your overall vision. Will they improve the game’s quality and player experience, or are they merely quick fixes that might not hold up in future updates? Strategic adaptation involves making informed decisions that serve both the immediate needs of the players and the broader goals of your game, ensuring that any adjustments enhance the game while staying true to its essence.

I believe the key is adaptability. Rather than viewing feedback as a roadblock, it’s a chance to refine the game. By tweaking the design to better align with player expectations while staying true to the core vision, the final product often becomes stronger and more engaging. This approach not only improves the game but also builds a more connected and satisfied player community.