Instead of "Comm Signal Lost", a minigame!

Marvel Puzzle Quest MPQ Suggestions and Feedback
1

Sometimes, try as we might, we mobile users just can’t stay online all the time. Commuters, for example, who play on trains to and from work - guess what happens when the train hits a tunnel or goes underground? So why not give us something to do when our signal drops out?

For some minigame ideas… well, take a tried-and-tested microgame format of your choice, dress it up in Marvel colours and there you go!

  • An endless runner game a la Canabalt
  • A simple card-matching game; “pairs”
  • Space Invaders clone vertical shooter
  • Something physics-based?
  • Angry Birds: Redwing (launch the Falcon’s feathered friend at evil Spider-Hams!)

And so on. I don’t know whether it’d be a good idea to make it possible to collect prizes (like ISO) in the minigame, as it would have to be less ISO than the 20-point consolation prize from prologue nodes, and the offline nature would leave it more open to hacks and other abuse. But I think it would be still worthwhile even if it was a completely “pointless” pursuit. From a user retention point of view, it keeps your customers’ attention on the MPQ app instead of just leaving them to switch to an offline game or go and do something else while they wait to get back into cellular or wi-fi reception range.

2

Except that, if we get a “comm signal lost” mini-game before we get 3rd powers for 2 power characters, more persistent PvE content, or even an x-Force Wolverine buff, then someone somewhere at that company has been wasting everyone’s time.

3

Ah, you’re one of those people who hates that they’ve taken the time to make the game look more appealing - new load screens, crit tile, etc. - instead of focusing on “fixing” characters whom you have no guarantee that anyone in Demiurge is even interested in fixing!

Improving the overall user experience (and helping user retention) is a worthwhile goal in and of itself.

4

Nah. I appreciate that the game has to look slicker to pull people in (although I don’t know that the critical tile redesign was, strictly speaking, an upgrade). And I’ll admit that my initial post sounded really negative. To be fair: having a signal-lost mini-game would be awesome. I just think that, ultimately, the resources used for such an endeavor would be better spent on actual game mechanic improvement.