Fan Feedback: Crafting Times

This past week, we experienced a first.  With our weekly polls on Twitter, we usually see a fairly consistent breakdown: one option typically blows the others out of the water, one or two are middling, and one option is completely neglected.  That makes the results fairly easy to read.  In this week’s poll, however, the survey on crafting time-sinks went somewhat differently …

After 35 votes, you all had yourselves in a near deadlock for first place.  Sure, higher time-sinks fell behind by a few percentage points, but it’s important to note that, with just one more vote, it would have probably won, or at very least tied the others.  This poll came so close that if you look at it directly from twitter, it says that shorter time-sinks won!

What does this tell us though?  Well, for starters, we know that this reflects the discussions we’re having internally.  That’s pretty interesting.  It’s also clear that we can’t just go flush across the board with this one, not if we want to make the most compelling gameplay experience that we can.  A possible idea that this poll offers is that maybe we could stagger the crafting times.  Speaking in terms of Minecraft (simply because of its ubiquity), crafting wooden planks is as instant as pressing a button, while smelting a bar of gold or brewing a potion takes some time.  Perhaps we could stagger the crafting times based on complexity of process or importance? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

We have a team full of wonderfully creative people, and I’m certain that together, and with your feedback, we’ll come to an agreement that works for all of us!  This week, we take another broader view in our poll, and ask how much time you spend gaming each week. This information ties into mechanics like crafting times, as it gives us a rough idea of how much time our audience enjoys spending in game (and what percentage of that time that time they might want to spend on crafting).

How much time per week do you game on a computer or console? #gaming #pcgaming #console #gamedev #indiedev #GoE https://t.co/DcSn31awG3

— Gears Of Eden (@GearsOfEden) November 28, 2016

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Thanks for your time, and check back on Wednesday for our latest Development Update!