DEVELOPMENT OF ONLINE GAMES

The video game market is developing at a tremendous speed, and at the end of 2020 its volume amounted to $ 126.6 billion, which is 12% more than in the previous year. According to statistics, online games generate the largest income for their publishers – those that give gamers the opportunity to play online with other users. Top 5 most profitable games of the past year:

• Honor of Kings: $ 2.45 billion
• Peacekeeper Elite: $ 2.32 billion

• Roblox: $ 2.29 billion
• Free Fire: $ 2.13 billion
• Pokemon Go: $ 1.92 billion

It is important, however, that users are not limited to current games, and are looking forward to new releases, game mechanics and stories, especially for games on the PlayStation and XBox consoles. This gives developers a high chance of project success and makes gamedev an attractive field for investment.

Making a game is a complex and structured process that involves an entire development team. Let’s consider the main stages of game development in more detail.

Stage 1. Planning

The foundation of any video game is an idea and a concept. At this stage, success is predetermined and the demand for the entire project, as well as the expectation of what the result will be.

When planning, you need to determine:

• What will this game be about and who are her characters.
• Will there be a PvP mode.
• What is the target audience of the game?
• It will be a 2D or 3D game.
• What platform it will run on: Windows, Android, IOS, PS or XBox.
• What staff and resources will be required.
• How long will the development take.
• What will be the budget. Types of monetization.

When the ideas have been generated, and their viability has been verified, you can proceed to the next step.

Stage 2. Preproduction

At the pre-production stage, representatives of different departments – scriptwriters, artists, designers, animators and developers jointly work out the scale of the future game and the ways of its technical implementation.

In particular, pre-production defines:

• The concept of the scenario: who will become the heroes of the story, what is their background and how they relate to each other, what motivates them.
• Feasibility: Based on the scenario and technical resources, the developers determine how realistic it is to bring the idea to life.
• Matching styles: Artists and designers harmonize visual effects, color palettes, and art styles to create a coherent picture.
• Game mechanics: The developers flesh out the game mechanics of each character. If necessary, recommendations are given to artists on how to optimize the appearance of heroes.

At the same stage, prototypes of future characters, environments and interfaces are created in order to understand how all the elements will interact with each other.

Stage 3. Development of

Production is the most difficult and time consuming stage. During it, the following are created:

• Models of all characters and their animations.
• Sound design of the game: from background music to sounds that a gamer will hear when a character walks, shooting or performing other actions.
• A dynamic in-game environment that will suit a variety of game strategies.
• Voice acting of characters.
• The source code, in which every smallest detail of the future game will be spelled out.

Depending on the complexity of the project, the creation of a game can take up to several years of painstaking work.

Stage 4. Testing

After development, the testers take over and, for the purpose of quality control, check the performance of every function and every button in the game. Examples of errors that can be detected by a tester:

• There may be problem areas with errors in the game.
• Not the entire interface is displayed on the screen.
• An unauthorized ability to walk through a wall or other confined space is available.
• The character gets stuck in one place for unknown reasons and cannot move.
• The character dialogs are too long and tiring.

Sometimes several types of testers are used: some test the walls for “strength” by bumping into different areas a thousand times a day, others check the game for the pleasure factor, and so on. After long hours of testing, the project is ready to go.

Stage 5. Before release

In anticipation of the official release, marketing activity is intensifying: closed screenings are held, feedback and comments from players are collected, which can be used to make timely improvements.

Also, exclusive beta-copies of the game can be sent to streamers and popular players who, through live broadcasts, demonstrate the gameplay to their audience.

Stage 6. Release

After the beta test, the game is finally finalized, taking into account the wishes of real players, and then its official launch is carried out.

Stage 7. Post release

After the release, the work on the game does not end. The developers are now supporting the game and creating updates aimed at improving or expanding the gameplay.

Also, at this stage, the results are summed up and discussed what the players liked more, and what decisions it is better to refuse. Based on the information received, additional chapters and game levels can be developed and sold, or ideas for a sequel can be formed.

The success of the game largely determines the quality of its development: how well thought out the gameplay, the variety and balance of game mechanics, the quality of the characters and surrounding textures.

All this, taken together, forms the user’s impression of the product and makes him want to enter the game again and again.

AVADA-MEDIA has been working in the field of game development for over 10 years. We know everything about gaming trends and gamers’ preferences, and this knowledge helps us create successful projects that are in demand.

If you decide to invest in the development of a unique computer universe, contact us and we will discuss your project from the technical side.