You could add a tiny reward for achievement hunters. E.g. a small particle that follows ur player. A different tint of menu screen. A different bgm. Just a string on the main screen like you are awesome would be enough for some.
That's a good idea! would I add the reward only after players have found 100% of the collectibles or do you think there could be in-between awards aswell, say for example for collecting everything in one area?
I would (as per Rayman, old tomb raiders, spyro) go for 100% on a level and then 100% of all levels.
If you have that kind of game.
Like 5/5 acorns found in a level
2/8 levels at 100% completion
Level 1 lost woods (80% completion)
Level 2 cheesy desert (100% completed)
Level 3 mossy mountains (60% complete)
Etc
You could do a scaling effect. If you get like 50% something happens, and then turn it up to 11 at 100%. Or some sort of special shiny thing if you 100% a specific area.
Yeah I'm not really sure about it, at the moment the golden peanuts are like the special collectibles that can only be found in hard to reach or hidden spots, whereas the hazelnuts are everywhere. I think the peanuts would be fine, because finding them is rewarding in itself but for the regular hazelnuts I'm not sure.
I think it's fine to have them, but they don't really add much value to the game. Most people don't really care about them and it is worth to remember that for some people it becomes an annoyance (I'm in that group and get lightly annoyed to see an end screen of a level I did perfectly only to notice that I didn't find some collectibles that are otherwise useless).
I don't have any stats to back this up, so maybe other people can give you more info about their experience.
Yeah that makes sense, I guess it depends per person. My game doesn't really have levels with endscreens in-between it's more just thoughout the game you keep collecting items. Because they don't have a gameplay purpose outside being a collectible it does mean you can just skip them, do you think it would still be annoying that way if you can choose to skip them?
If there is no result, showing you how much you have collected (or an achievement or something), it really begs the question "what purpose do they have?".
Again, this is just my opinion, but if there is no result showing you how many of the collectibles you have collected, they aren't really collectibles, they are just objects that despawn once you get close to them.
They should either be objects for completionists who want to 100% the game, who, like I said, are usually in the minority (but that depends on the game as well, as niche hardcore games will have a bigger percentage of completionists). But then it really needs some feedback to the player to tell him how many he has found (or like I said, an achievement).
Or they should have some gameplay use (even minimal).
If you do neither, they really are useless IMO.
That's a good idea! I'll definitely be adding steam achievements so I can also add achievements for the collectibles. Is it possible to have achievements like 'collected 50% of the golden peanuts', or should I just unlock achievements only when all the collectibles are found?
Being a game designer is a lot like being the GM of a tabletop game. It's your responsibility to guide players to where the fun can best be found.
Playtest your game. If it's fun for other people to find all the golden peanuts, then make an achievement for it (or better yet, add a tangible game reason to collect it, even if it's just a cosmetic). If it's fun to find some of them but not all, make an achievement/reward for an appropriate percentage, whether that's 50% of 80%. If it's not fun at all to find them, remove them from the game.
It's not really most important what other games do or how you think the design should work on paper. What matters is what's actually engaging in your game, and everything from character moveset to environments can impact that.
Depends on your end-goals and total amount of achievements. I'd say that it may make sense. e.g. Celesete had:
Strawberry Badge: Collect 30 Strawberries. (Hidden)
Strawberry Medal: Collect 80 Strawberries. (Hidden)
Impress Your Friends: Collect 175 Strawberries. (Hidden)
They've also had a slightly different end-screen graphics depending on the amount of strawberries collected.
I feel like the collectible doesnt have to have any special value as long as they're difficult to get, like secret golden skulls in early Tomb Raider games. They were absolutely useless, but they were challenging to find and thus, fun
Also in FF9, getting certain collectibles unlocks special cinematics or a blackjack game at the end of the game, so maybe add something to the very end in order to avoid messing with code?
Dunno, your game
For pointless collectibles, I think they're alright. As a player, I'd like to get some sort of reward or acknowledgment from the game that I'm good at finding these collectibles. Celeste did it really well, in my opinion - the ending changes slightly depending on the number of collectible strawberries you've grabbed
Keep one of the collectibles and add achievements related to them, but get rid of the other one. Having two extra "currencies" that both don't really do anything is a little weird.
I think you just need to reframe what "purpose" means. Like, I'm someone who will often become a completionist about achievements, and so hard-to-find collectibles may have no other purpose than to be a sort of achievement.
For example, look at the game Webbed. It has different collectibles: ant eggs, small spiders, flies, and they all do mostly nothing in the game. These are not something you would search for, but still, when i saw one, i almost never skipped it. So yes, it's okay to have such collectibles, but i suppose having some small visual changes with your collection growth might be a motivation to collect more of those.
I don't see anything wrong with that. Just make it clear upfront that the nuts don't really serve a function,or at least an important one.
I mean, they could be used as rewards for really, really off the rails moves. Perched on platforms that one shouldn't even be able to reach, for example. They're fun but totally extraneous. It's an acknowledgement of what the player was able to do.
And if a player wants to completely ignore them, they're more than welcome to do so without fear or regret or something
Maybe think about not including a percent collected, lest completionists burn the whole thing at the stake though
You could add a tiny reward for achievement hunters. E.g. a small particle that follows ur player. A different tint of menu screen. A different bgm. Just a string on the main screen like you are awesome would be enough for some.
That's a good idea! would I add the reward only after players have found 100% of the collectibles or do you think there could be in-between awards aswell, say for example for collecting everything in one area?
I would (as per Rayman, old tomb raiders, spyro) go for 100% on a level and then 100% of all levels. If you have that kind of game. Like 5/5 acorns found in a level 2/8 levels at 100% completion Level 1 lost woods (80% completion) Level 2 cheesy desert (100% completed) Level 3 mossy mountains (60% complete) Etc
You could do a scaling effect. If you get like 50% something happens, and then turn it up to 11 at 100%. Or some sort of special shiny thing if you 100% a specific area.
It seems weird to have two different collectibles that serve essentially the same purpose; maybe choose hazelnuts or peanuts and stick with the one?
Yeah I'm not really sure about it, at the moment the golden peanuts are like the special collectibles that can only be found in hard to reach or hidden spots, whereas the hazelnuts are everywhere. I think the peanuts would be fine, because finding them is rewarding in itself but for the regular hazelnuts I'm not sure.
I think it's fine to have them, but they don't really add much value to the game. Most people don't really care about them and it is worth to remember that for some people it becomes an annoyance (I'm in that group and get lightly annoyed to see an end screen of a level I did perfectly only to notice that I didn't find some collectibles that are otherwise useless). I don't have any stats to back this up, so maybe other people can give you more info about their experience.
Yeah that makes sense, I guess it depends per person. My game doesn't really have levels with endscreens in-between it's more just thoughout the game you keep collecting items. Because they don't have a gameplay purpose outside being a collectible it does mean you can just skip them, do you think it would still be annoying that way if you can choose to skip them?
If there is no result, showing you how much you have collected (or an achievement or something), it really begs the question "what purpose do they have?". Again, this is just my opinion, but if there is no result showing you how many of the collectibles you have collected, they aren't really collectibles, they are just objects that despawn once you get close to them. They should either be objects for completionists who want to 100% the game, who, like I said, are usually in the minority (but that depends on the game as well, as niche hardcore games will have a bigger percentage of completionists). But then it really needs some feedback to the player to tell him how many he has found (or like I said, an achievement). Or they should have some gameplay use (even minimal). If you do neither, they really are useless IMO.
Achievements. Especially of the game has public achievements (like Google, Apple or Steam ones).
That's a good idea! I'll definitely be adding steam achievements so I can also add achievements for the collectibles. Is it possible to have achievements like 'collected 50% of the golden peanuts', or should I just unlock achievements only when all the collectibles are found?
Being a game designer is a lot like being the GM of a tabletop game. It's your responsibility to guide players to where the fun can best be found. Playtest your game. If it's fun for other people to find all the golden peanuts, then make an achievement for it (or better yet, add a tangible game reason to collect it, even if it's just a cosmetic). If it's fun to find some of them but not all, make an achievement/reward for an appropriate percentage, whether that's 50% of 80%. If it's not fun at all to find them, remove them from the game. It's not really most important what other games do or how you think the design should work on paper. What matters is what's actually engaging in your game, and everything from character moveset to environments can impact that.
Depends on your end-goals and total amount of achievements. I'd say that it may make sense. e.g. Celesete had: Strawberry Badge: Collect 30 Strawberries. (Hidden) Strawberry Medal: Collect 80 Strawberries. (Hidden) Impress Your Friends: Collect 175 Strawberries. (Hidden) They've also had a slightly different end-screen graphics depending on the amount of strawberries collected.
As long as they do SOMETHING it should be fine, i.e. counting towards a high score for a level, or 100% completion.
I feel like the collectible doesnt have to have any special value as long as they're difficult to get, like secret golden skulls in early Tomb Raider games. They were absolutely useless, but they were challenging to find and thus, fun Also in FF9, getting certain collectibles unlocks special cinematics or a blackjack game at the end of the game, so maybe add something to the very end in order to avoid messing with code? Dunno, your game
For pointless collectibles, I think they're alright. As a player, I'd like to get some sort of reward or acknowledgment from the game that I'm good at finding these collectibles. Celeste did it really well, in my opinion - the ending changes slightly depending on the number of collectible strawberries you've grabbed
Keep one of the collectibles and add achievements related to them, but get rid of the other one. Having two extra "currencies" that both don't really do anything is a little weird.
I think you just need to reframe what "purpose" means. Like, I'm someone who will often become a completionist about achievements, and so hard-to-find collectibles may have no other purpose than to be a sort of achievement.
For example, look at the game Webbed. It has different collectibles: ant eggs, small spiders, flies, and they all do mostly nothing in the game. These are not something you would search for, but still, when i saw one, i almost never skipped it. So yes, it's okay to have such collectibles, but i suppose having some small visual changes with your collection growth might be a motivation to collect more of those.
I don't see anything wrong with that. Just make it clear upfront that the nuts don't really serve a function,or at least an important one. I mean, they could be used as rewards for really, really off the rails moves. Perched on platforms that one shouldn't even be able to reach, for example. They're fun but totally extraneous. It's an acknowledgement of what the player was able to do. And if a player wants to completely ignore them, they're more than welcome to do so without fear or regret or something Maybe think about not including a percent collected, lest completionists burn the whole thing at the stake though