Introducing a major feature at Uptown Bingo: Olivia's Residence

We have launched a new release for our game Uptown Bingo: Olivia’s Residence. Justin Zant, the Product Owner of Uptown Bingo has shared some insights with us and how the new house of the main character of this game, Olivia, was created.

Tell us about the process of creating Olivia's Residence

J.Z.: ''Olivia’s Residence began with a traditional data investigation. As a team, we noticed that our players started to ask for more content and based on that, we made a decision to expand the game and make Uptown Bingo more of a town. We’ve already had some ideas in mind but we wanted to create something to quickly bring more content to the game. Since the main character, Olivia, was living in a Clubhouse, having her own home in the town sounded like a great concept to go with. Also, from a story point of view, Olivia’s Residence simply fit the story best and it connected well with the content we already have. That’s how this whole project journey started with Oliva’s Residence.''

What inspired this?

J.Z.: ''Our team started by brainstorming about the whole design and the general aesthetic we would go for. We looked at the references and we tried to figure out what emotions and feelings it would capture. The first thing that popped up in our minds was to have some sort of American home style, something that we could maybe see in the Gilmore Girls TV show, for instance. That was the first thing that caught our attention because it’s feminine and it is something that resonates really easily. However, we soon figured out that this idea wouldn’t really work well because the layout of her Residence is very componentized and there are a lot of different walls obscuring the view, so we had to open it up to make it look better. We always liked the idea of a loft because it’s cute and it opens up the space, allowing us to play around with the design. Once we had the layout in place, we began working more closely with the artist to figure out the general feel of it.''

Overall we’ve received positive feedback. The exciting part is that we will continue to do this again! Content creation allows us to improve the quality of the game.

Can you tell us a bit more about the rest of the process?

J.Z.: ‘'We also had an idea to give the style of Olivia’s Residence an upgrade because since the product is constantly evolving, we’re required to push ourselves and improve individually and as a team. Once we realized that, it was really up to us to start breaking down the assets and make sure that everybody on the team knows what they’re doing and to provide an estimate regarding how long it will take to finish the items. We also did an investigation on what the house itself will look like. Based on the original style of the game, we knew that we already wanted to design it based off of a Southern Florida type of feel. More specifically, we were focused on utilizing two styles in our design process which were an English-Victorian style mixed with coastal contemporary. The next thing we did was trying to sketch and build it in 3D and then take the 3D component and move it to unit. Once that’s all set up, it’s basically boasting the assets and to just continue producing them. The artists have their own creative process regarding the assets. We simply explain what items we would like, but at the end of the day they are the ones who decide what it will look like and how they’re going to design it.''

What are the goals of the Residence?

J.Z.: ‘'So the design goal here was to, first of all, add more content into the game and to see what impacts that has, if any, since we are a very content-driven game. The upside is that you can also play around with the economy, where you can actually make it more lenient for players and make the game feel better. What we’d like to see with all of this is that each of these locations that we build will have their own, dedicated feature that players can interact with. Therefore, it's not just content ready, we’re also adding a feature in preparation for that. For Olivia's Residence, it is more personalized where you basically keep track of your achievements. So we always try to let the game grow. ''

Did you already get any feedback from Uptown Bingo players?

J.Z.: ''Yes, a lot of people liked it. Overall we’ve received positive feedback. The exciting part is that we will continue to do this again! Content creation allows us to improve the quality of the game. Not to mention, we actually get to further create the world in which Uptown Bingo is placed which is super exciting. Last but not least, we would like to mention that we will continue to remain very open to feedback so any remarks on the next environment will be very valuable. We do already have ideas, but if someone were to share a great idea then we would welcome it and who knows, maybe it will someday show up in the game!''