So development is done, your game is submitted and online, and people are playing it. You’re done right? Well, it depends on the type of game and platform it’s being played upon.
A game may very well need tweaking following its release. It could be because as more and more people play the game, new bugs or oddities are found. Also while it’s too late to drastically change any of the games key features or gameplay, player feedback still goes a long way towards design choices in future projects, not to mention it lets designers know what part of the game work better then others. Another reason may be you update the code so the game runs more optimally, or if you happen to have downloadable or added content.
Cut The Rope is a great example of a game that continually added new content well past the date of its release
In any case while it does happen that some games are 100% bug free, running optimally with no new added content on the way - leading to the developer just dropping it and moving on - the majority of games continue to be supported for a certain amount of time after packaging and release.
With New School Blues, for example, uploading it on a server for the public to play is only step one. We’re eagerly awaiting player feedback, not just in the case of us fixing a bug or two or optimizing code, but also because it will let us know what parts succeeded and what parts may not have resonated so strongly. It’ll make us better developers and designers; and these comments are to be recorded. Much like the post-mortem, they can serve as guides for future projects.
We got thick skin, we can take it… Who am I kidding?! Go easy on us!
So when you do get a chance to play in the coming days, drop us a line and let us know what you think. As much as we love and are proud of the game, think it’s awesome and believe you will really enjoy it, we’re also dedicated craftsmen. So any constructive criticism is appreciated and welcome! Thanks and see you tomorrow for a little surprise…