What are the best practices for adapting game mechanics to different platforms?

1 Know your target audience

One of the first steps in adapting your game mechanics is to understand who your target audience is and what they want from your game. Different platforms attract different types of players, with different preferences, habits, and motivations. For example, mobile players may prefer casual, bite-sized, and accessible games, while PC players may enjoy more complex, immersive, and challenging games. You need to research your audience and design your game mechanics accordingly, to match their needs and expectations.

2 Optimize your performance

Another important factor in adapting your game mechanics is to optimize your game's performance for different platforms. Different devices have different hardware specifications, such as memory, CPU, GPU, battery, and screen size. You need to ensure that your game runs smoothly and efficiently on your target platforms, without compromising the quality or functionality of your game mechanics. You can use various tools and techniques to optimize your performance, such as reducing the polygon count, compressing the assets, using LODs, caching data, and testing on different devices.

3 Adapt your controls

A third aspect of adapting your game mechanics is to adapt your controls to suit different platforms. Different devices have different input methods, such as touch, mouse, keyboard, controller, or motion. You need to design your controls to be intuitive, responsive, and comfortable for your players, depending on the platform they use. You can use various methods to adapt your controls, such as using virtual buttons, gestures, icons, menus, or haptic feedback.

4 Scale your difficulty

A fourth element of adapting your game mechanics is to scale your difficulty to fit different platforms. Different platforms have different levels of immersion, engagement, and competition. You need to balance your difficulty to be challenging, rewarding, and fun for your players, depending on the platform they play on. You can use various strategies to scale your difficulty, such as adjusting the AI, the level design, the feedback, the rewards, or the options.

5 Test and iterate

A final tip for adapting your game mechanics is to test and iterate your game on different platforms. Testing is essential to identify and fix any issues, bugs, or glitches that may affect your game mechanics on different devices. You need to test your game on various platforms, with different settings, and with different types of players. You also need to iterate your game based on the feedback and data you collect from your testing, to improve and polish your game mechanics.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?