After spending hundreds of hours on one Decentraland game project and maxing out 2 AI plans along the way, these are 3 of the biggest things I've learned, and honestly, they're still areas I'm working to improve myself:
1. Long-term progression matters
Is your game something players enjoy for 5 minutes, or something they want to return to tomorrow?
Good progression should make players feel like their time mattered. Rewards, unlocks, and end-game systems should give them a reason to keep going without making that time feel wasted.
2. Design for players who don’t speak your language
Text-heavy UI creates friction fast.
Use icons, colors, imagery, and universally understood interactions wherever possible. If your game relies heavily on text, add language selection and localization.
If players don't understand what's happening, they probably won't stick around long enough to enjoy it.
3. Reliability is part of game design
A fun game that randomly breaks, disconnects, or becomes unavailable will still lose players.
Choose a tech stack you trust. Stability, uptime, and predictable multiplayer behavior matter just as much as mechanics and visuals.
I'm still improving all three of these in Drop Party.
Fun gets someone in the door.
Progression, accessibility, and reliability are what make them come back.
🎉 DROP PARTY CASTLE is OPEN!
My Friendzone Buildathon entry is live in
@decentraland
It's an AFK-style balloon-blowing mini-game with:
🫂Social XP bonuses
📈Level progression
🪁Craftable rewards with perks
🎉Drop Parties every 12 hours
Come hang out, help us blow up some balloons, and be there when the prizes start dropping. 🎈🎁
/goto DropParty.dcl.eth