Idle Games (Rocket Star, Sports City and Idle Museum)
Game Designer ・Balance・Production
Developed by: Pixodust Games, 2019, 2020, 2021
Platforms: Android, iOS
Tech Environment: Unity, Google Sheets, Photoshop
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During my time in Pixodust, I've developed along with the team various idle games that were released in 2019, 2020 and 2021. They were clear evolutions and improvements on the previous game, building upon the existing systems, themes and overall company knowledge. This is the main reason why these 3 games are in the same project page.
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My main responsibilities as a Game Designer:
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Define the game vision along with the team and the directory;
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Conceptualize, design, document and configure all of the game systems and content;
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Coordinate with the art and engineering teams to implement and deliver the features as aligned with the product vision;
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Balance and iterate game progression based on telemetry, player and internal feedback;
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Manage the roadmap, organize deliverables and coordinate releases with the directory;
Rocket Star
Rocket Star is an idle game, where the player manages space centers to launch rockets to explore the galaxy! The more rockets they launch, the further they go into Outer Space!
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The main objective was to create a mobile free to play idle game that did not revolve around prestige mechanics. The core loop is based on a three-step money generator, where deliverers and the elevator distribute materials (according to their current level) to the platforms. The workers on the platforms use these materials to build the rocket and allow them to be launched. Launching rockets unlock new planets and more content for the player to explore.
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After the core loop was prototyped, we tested the game internally and externally and made design decisions based on analytics.
I was responsible for designing all of the systems, gameplay and user experience, working closely to both art and code teams and supporting them to build and deliver all of the features as planned.
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The game loop was iterated various times, until we reached the desired user experience and that resulted in the KPIs improvements our tests were aiming for.
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The company was selected by Google to be part of the Indie Games Accelerator of 2019, which took me and the Studio Director to Singapore for mentoring with professionals from successful companies, such as King, Miniclip and Zynga.
Sports City
Manage your sports stadiums, get more fans to visit the city and build an sports empire!
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​Similar to the previous game, the main objective was to create an idle game that would elegantly not revolve around prestige mechanics, but adding more diversity and more activities for players to do in the downtime. ​
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The game is based on individual generators that grant currency that the player uses to upgrade them even further, an infinite positive feedback loop! Each generator had 3 possible upgrades: earnings, queue and capacity, which means the player would have to strategically balance the upgrades or the visitors would become frustrated and leave the park.
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We created AI characters that would spawn, choose paths and spend their currency based on the player's performance, which directly affected how their fast they earned currency and was able to progress through the game. We also created a quests system that would not only guide the player on the next steps, but also help with setting short term goals in the downtime.
Idle Museum
In a similar format as the previous game, this time the player would manage a museum and the different thematic rooms. The game loop functions similarly, with individual generators with the 3 main upgrades possible: earnings, queue and capacity.
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We improved the existing AI, to better reflect the player's decisions and we also created a side activity that would demand more of the player's attention and engagement: a Quiz minigame. This minigame would become available from time to time, and the player would earn both soft and hard currency to boost their earnings and
