The Idea File: Player Retention & Incentives

As Aunty A was gulping her morning coffee this past Wednesday in attempt to jolt herself awake for another day at the salt mines, the fabulous Devs at Junebud were in full brainstorming mode with ideas and questions about our favorite game.  

Well, this sort of discussion (via Twitter) will clear the cobwebs in my mind better than any caffeinated beverage, and later when Sara starting discussing analyzing game data it was like a double-shot espresso to this old girls' system!  Alianore LOVES analysis and data...what I would have given to sit in on THAT presentation.  Alas, as I was stuck on another continent away from this riveting discussion, I had to content myself with thinking about ways in which to keep players coming back to the game and staying.

1. Revamping the medal rewards and earning gems:  In the early months of last year when I first started playing MilMo, gem acquisition was essential.  Not only did I want to earn the gem collection medals, but there were abilities to buy that needed quite a few of those sparklers.  Although I still need gems to buy gun cells and arrows, there are fewer and fewer things to purchase with gems while I still accumulate gems with each monster kill and with most new medals earned.  In other words, the number of gems earned is disproportionate to what you can do with them in game after a player reaches a certain level...and as you work toward the last few monster medals a gem reward all way through the 7th medal, a gem prize is a little anti-climatic.   
2. Facebook platform/Enlarging Game Appeal:  If it were not for Facebook, I might not have found my favorite game and I might not have been able to expand my game friendships.  But as a player who is also a social gamer, I have found that the successful games on Facebook are those that also apply a type of "social pressure."  While there are many online gripes and petitions against games that put high demands on needing to request/gift items for game tasks...it is that component which also keeps them coming back for more.  Now this I believe is problematic for MilMo because it is a MMO, it can be accessed through the internet and other hosts, and is NOT THAT TYPE OF GAME.  But there might be something can be stirred out of that thought...I leave it to the creative-types!
3. Leveling system:  I have mixed thoughts on the leveling system that was introduced last year.  On the whole, I like leveling and I like it in MilMo...it provides players with another type of achievement goal, it limits/promotes advancement through the places in the game, and it is a helpful measure what you are up against when trying to kill a monster.  However, with the top level being maxed at 21, it might convey that there is nothing else to achieve in some subliminal way.  Although there is always SOMETHING to do in MilMo, once you achieve level 21 you miss that gratification that comes with experience points floating toward your overall total.  But to increase the possible levels would then necessarily lead to creation of new monsters with higher levels themselves, as with the current leveling system, monsters that are a certain level below your own does not award you any experience points.
4. Repeatable/Daily Quests:  In many ways, this is somewhat related to point #1.  We have a few repeatable quests in game and they are fun to turn in the required items, but I do not think they are something players actively pursue on a semi-regular basis (except for the member Imagination Devourer quest).  It might be more interesting if there was one repeatable quest for each island and/or collection medals for all the things a player gathers to complete the quests.  Although I am sure it would be a programming nightmare, but a daily log-in quest might be fun.
5. Game tech issues:  Although Alia can find her way around a computer fairly proficiently for an old gal, I will never pretend to understand the magical world of programming, what a cranky server likes to eat to keep it happy, and what makes the computer go go go.  However, the most commonly-experienced issues with lagging in the game and the crashes associated with the Unity Web Player often leave a player mildly frustrated.  After restarting the game the third or fourth time, the desire to play that day may start to wane.  Although patience is the key with any game and its particular foibles, sometimes a player decides to save the game-play for another day.

There is more that I need to shake out of the noggin, but the morning coffee has long worn off so if any perspectives are startled out of brain I might be persuaded to write a follow-up post.  But I would love to hear from the rest of you about your ideas on player retention!