The core design challenge of Dragonfire is to bring the depth of the 4x strategy genre to a casual mobile player base.
Research on top app store games indicated that casual players who engage (and spend) the most prefer to play in short bursts, say during a commute. The same players tended to value attainable progression within those limited windows of time.
Dragonfire's hypothesis is that, if those complexity-curious players could be spared the friction points common to other market examples, they would be receptive and more likely to engage with the deeper progression offered.
Based on the app store market competitor research, and learnings from Game of Thrones: Conquest's success, WBG saw an opportunity to bring the depth of the 4x strategy genre to a casual mobile audience. They would do this by offering a game with meaningful progression that can be accomplished in short sessions, which is how that group of players prefer to engage.
We would further improve on our competitors' retention rates by streamlining common churn points and allowing the player to opt into their preferred level of complexity.
A large contingent of casual mobile gamers appreciate strategy and depth, but would respond poorly to the kind of frustrating complexity and overwhelm typical for the genre.
My background was in live service games, so I had plenty of relevant experience to bring to the Dragonfire team. I was very excited to work on a game in preproduction for the first time. Finally an opportunity to build a game for usability from the ground up.
My primary role was to work with product owners and designers to research, map, visualize, and prototype the intended player experience. I oversaw the testing of solutions, and iterating in response to feedback. I also coordinated with engineers, QA, art et all to define unknowns in terms of scope and implementation.
I also participated and sometimes lead twice-weekly UX team design jams where I assisted team members with explorations and problem-solving. I also fielded, documented, and triaged feedback as it came in from various sources over the course of production.
Research and analytics indicated that a significant number of casual mobile gamers, who also spend on the games they play, might be "complexity curious". The business development folks set the success metrics that would be the basis for many decisions going forward, largely based on KPIs concerned with engagement and retention over time.
We formed hypotheses based on the gathered information, and tested our solutions. First using clickable prototypes, and later iterating in the dev environment. A/B testing was performed on solutions with a high degree of uncertainty. After the core loop was built, the whole team engaged in daily playtesting.
Not everything translated seamlessly from prototype to actual game experience. That's something I learned early on while shipping new features on live games. This really emphasized the importance of having the resouces to iterate before shipping a feature, a luxury that was rarely afforded for live content in my previous experience.
Creating an accessible player experience for Dragonfire would require the streamlining of complex 4x systems, while retaining a satisfying level of depth. To best serve our main player persona (complexity-curious), the core loop would need to be tailored to fit into multiple small sessions of play. Complexity needed to be introduced one layer at a time so as not to feel overwhelming. Learning needed to be accessible and not require an outside source of info to do research.
Much of my career has been spent simplifying PC-level complexity into mobile games, and Dragonfire was no different; however, it was deeply satsifying to be present from early in production and to have the opportunity to create a player-centered experience from the ground up.
I learned much about the key metrics that make or break mobile games, and the interesting ways in which to approach offering more complex and niche gaming experiences to casual mobile audiences.
Player drop-off, particularly during onboarding, is a major concern for similar titles. In our research we identified several opportunities to reduce churn that could be applied to Dragonfire. The idea was that if we could keep casual gamers from feeling overwhelmed, they would be interested in the complexity that the genre had to offer.
Dragonfire's solution to the player dilemma is an accessible 4x strategy game with a snappy core loop that fits into multiple short sessions of gameplay. It would use progressive disclosure to introduce complexity to reduce overwhelm. It would offer attainable progression in those sessions, using micro goals and rewards, to make time invested feel meaningful. And lastly, it would keep players engaged over the long term with seasonal content that also builds a permanent legacy.
The process began with exploration. I worked with product owners to understand the intent behind each mechanic and the business KPIs implicated. With design, I explored ways to simplify and present complex game concepts for a casual player base. I created prototypes to inform development and shed light on open questions around accessibility.
I was able to narrow down the scope of a design early, before a feature entered production, by having developers weigh in on the UX approach during prototyping. With plenty of time before development, we found many limitations and friction points to address. Upgrades, for example, required more streamlining to keep the player moving through the flow.
Because Dragonfire launched with streamlined onboarding, players in soft launch regions were responding as expected: engaging in short, meaningful bursts multiple times per day and demonstrating interest in the game's seasonal content.
Onboarding was a critical experience to get right. We partnered with UX Is Fine to craft the most casual-friendly onboarding experience we could have, while the internal team focused on the core loop. Internal WB testing proved invaluable; we even had access to the specialized accessibility QA team for WBG.
Our biggest contributing wins included
-Offering player milestones early in the experience (within the first session) that feel earned and rewarding
-Goals that were based on rewarding deep engagement and retention
-Reducing the player's cognitive load by gradualy teaching complex mechanics
-Providing automation that allows the player to feel powerful, competent; gives them reason to feel emotionally invested
Minigames were later added to give the player more achievable micro tasks. More "durable" (doesn't reset each season) avenues of progression will also be a focus going forward, adding value to the player's account with time.
Seasonal content will add unique opportunities to add to the player's personal and social legacy over time, encouraging peacocking of rare achievements and bolstering the player identity/persona.
The team will no doubt continue to experiment with variations in seasonal content, keep the game feeling fresh and responsive to its player base.
Stay tuned for more.
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