Solving Retention Problems With Early Access Goal-Setting
Solving Retention Problems With Early Access Goal-Setting
Early Access is a crucial phase for indie game development, but many games struggle to maintain player interest long enough to reach a full release. The core issue? Poor retention. Many developers launch into Early Access without a clear plan to address player feedback and iterate towards a compelling, complete game. This article offers goal-setting strategies, especially when paired with disciplined journaling, to improve retention and build a game players will love.
Goal-Setting Framework
The key is to proactively set SMART goals tied to player feedback and game metrics. Let’s adapt the SMART framework for Early Access:
- Specific: Clearly define what you want to achieve. Instead of “Improve combat,” try “Reduce player deaths in the Goblin Caves by 15%.”
- Measurable: How will you track progress? Use in-game analytics to monitor player behavior and feedback surveys to gauge satisfaction.
- Achievable: Be realistic. Don’t aim for a complete game overhaul in a single update. Focus on incremental improvements.
- Relevant: Ensure goals directly address player feedback and core gameplay loops. Are players complaining about confusing UI? Make that a priority.
- Time-bound: Set deadlines for each goal. “Implement the new UI tutorial by the end of the month” provides a clear timeline.
For example, imagine a game where players are frequently dying to the first boss. A SMART goal might be: “Reduce player deaths to the first boss by 20% within two weeks by adjusting the boss’s attack patterns and adding a clearer telegraph for its special ability, measured using in-game telemetry.”
Document these SMART goals in your game dev journal. This creates a single source of truth, enabling you to track your progress and stay focused.
Iterative Refinement Through Feedback
Setting goals is only the first step. You must actively track player behavior and feedback to refine these goals.
- Monitor Analytics: Pay attention to metrics like playtime, session length, drop-off points, and conversion rates. Where are players getting stuck or losing interest?
- Collect Feedback: Use in-game surveys, community forums, Discord, and social media to gather qualitative feedback. Ask specific questions about pain points and desired improvements.
- Analyze Feedback: Categorize and prioritize feedback based on frequency and impact. What are the most common complaints or requests? Which changes would have the biggest positive impact?
A common pitfall is neglecting negative feedback. It’s tempting to focus on positive reviews, but negative feedback often reveals crucial flaws. Address negative feedback head-on and document your response in your game dev journal.
Use this data to adjust your SMART goals. If your initial attempts to reduce boss deaths aren’t working, analyze why and revise your approach. Perhaps players are still struggling with the boss’s attack patterns despite your changes. Adjust your goal and try a new solution. This iterative process is what separates successful Early Access games from those that languish.
Your game dev journal can act as a historical record of your decision-making process. You can refer back to the rationale and supporting data behind your goals to better understand which decisions were successful.
Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
Several common mistakes can derail your Early Access goal-setting efforts:
- Setting Unrealistic Goals: Aiming for massive overhauls in short timeframes is a recipe for burnout. Focus on smaller, achievable improvements.
- Ignoring Negative Feedback: Dismissing negative reviews or complaints prevents you from addressing critical issues.
- Failing to Track Progress: Without clear metrics, you can’t objectively assess whether your efforts are working. Implement robust in-game analytics and track key metrics religiously.
- Lack of Documentation: Not tracking the changes being made in your game.
One indie developer launched into Early Access with the goal of adding a complete crafting system within a month. They quickly realized the scope was far too ambitious and had to scale back their goals significantly. They burned themselves out in the process. The lesson? Start small and iterate.
Tracking Your Progress
All of this is made more efficient with a game development journal. Regularly updating the journal with your goals, progress, and any challenges you come across can make a huge difference. A game dev journal isn’t just for recording what you’ve done. It’s a tool to help you think through problems, brainstorm solutions, and track your learning. It’s also a great way to stay consistent with your devlogs.
One of the best features of a digital game development journal is that it will allow you to track data to better understand if your efforts are working. For example, you can track:
- Project milestones and timelines
- Technical specs
- Code snippets
- Bug fixes
Consistent documentation helps you understand what changes were made, when they were made, and the rationale behind them. This makes it easier to debug issues, revert changes if necessary, and learn from your mistakes. Plus, it makes it easier for others to collaborate on the project if needed.
By documenting player feedback, your design decisions, and your progress toward your goals, you create a valuable resource for future development. Game development journals allow you to record the “why” behind your decisions, not just the “what.”
By actively iterating towards targeted goals, driven by player feedback and documented in your game dev journal, you’ll significantly improve your retention rates and build the game your players truly want. Ready to start documenting your journey and achieving your Early Access goals? Check out our game development journal to track your progress and insights.