Prototyping some interfaces

This is a stage of development where big decisions need to be made. I have to design the interface and most of the game design at the same time. I already have some idea of how this game will be played, by merging ideas from two existing games together: Clicker Heroes and Zombidle. This may be the first game I make that has the feature of guilds to offer a social aspect.

Interface sketches to elicit solid design ideas.

I have a good feeling about this project. I have gotten a better grasp on this type of genre, which is "clicker" or "idle" oriented. I actually play a few. It offers a great sense of endless progression and should be easier to balance over games that are designed to be played continuously in long sessions. For example, traditional first-person-shooters and strategy games can easily feel too easy or too hard if not balanced correctly, and is contingent on the player's skill, anyways.

It will be technically difficult to handle cheating if I make this game competitive online. Frankly, based on income from Zombie Guard, ads earn far more money than in-app purchases (thanks Google!). So, as long as people are playing the game, cheating or not, it ought to be lucrative anyways. I plan on having currency earned by watching video ads from time to time - it may sound incredibly greedy, but it simply works; as a player, I do not mind at all if it is optional.

Zombie Guard is more of an arcade game that has some freemium features tacked on. The player eventually runs out of gas to continue playing levels, unless they wait three hours in real life to earn more. Based on critical remarks, I eventually neutralized that feature so the game is more of an arcade game. Again, ads earned more, so I had less incentive to encourage players to buy gas "pay to play". Scratch Tickets on the other hand, had a similar three hour freemium feature, but it succeeded because of the limited depth of the game.

This game will have a little bit of randomness and a little bit of strategy. The various upgrades, heroes, items, and fighting locations will offer an interesting long term experience, especially as it grows with features post-release.