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A note on popularity distribution between plots

I have countless times seen people asking why generic "low-effort" plots such as survivals, skymine plots etc. get so much more attention than games with more unique gameplay elements and features, and I've formed my own theory of why this happens. (Note that this is just an educated guess, and there's probably more factors to the situation.)

Generic plots are usually simple and easy to understand, naturally this will attract players that are looking for a quick source of entertainment. More advanced and unique games can be very fun once you get into them, but the average bored player isn't always willing to spend time learning and getting familiar with a new concept, hence many people leaving within a few moments of joining a game, and hence the popularity of games like survivals and skyminers. This is an issue among almost all platforms that provide a large selection of player-created games. Roblox, as an example, has this issue too, where 90% of the most played games are essentially generic clickers ("simulators") constantly creating spinoffs of each other.

I can't say for sure if this effect is more common among younger people, but if you take a look at statistics from games on Roblox you can clearly see that the average age of those playing on the generic "simulator" games is lower than the average age of those playing on more unique games. The statistics might not be 100% reliable in determining the cause of the popularity distribution between games since the more unique games might be tailored for a more mature audience and vice versa, but if the players' age plays a role in how willing they are to learn and get into games with new concepts, then that might explain why players on DF claim to have experienced an increased difference in popularity between plots since CommandGeek's video was released.

TL;DR: Generic games like survivals might be more popular simply because they are easy to understand, and therefore they attract players that are just looking for a quick game to play without putting too much effort in learning a new game concept.
 

Requals

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just make a really generic game, but have it only be generic at the start. reveal more features as the player goes on, so they dont just leave at the start because Omg this emerald armor is ENDGMAE?? No.
 

General_Mudkip

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You've pretty much hit the hail on the head. The vast majority of players are joining the server to have some quick, relaxing multiplayer fun and aren't looking to delve into a complex game with tons of systems and different things to understand right off the bat. Prince is right here; introducing the complex systems a while after the player has become accustomed to the simpler ones is the best way to keep a player engaged and not have them get completely overwhelmed.
 

SamMan_

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do note that if your concept comes with a learning curve it's probably not actually as good a concept as you think it is
 

Noah

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New game idea: a game that becomes super generic and simple at the start and then gets really complex at the end B))))
 

realRoforbYT

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I have countless times seen people asking why generic "low-effort" plots such as survivals, skymine plots etc. get so much more attention than games with more unique gameplay elements and features, and I've formed my own theory of why this happens. (Note that this is just an educated guess, and there's probably more factors to the situation.)

Generic plots are usually simple and easy to understand, naturally this will attract players that are looking for a quick source of entertainment. More advanced and unique games can be very fun once you get into them, but the average bored player isn't always willing to spend time learning and getting familiar with a new concept, hence many people leaving within a few moments of joining a game, and hence the popularity of games like survivals and skyminers. This is an issue among almost all platforms that provide a large selection of player-created games. Roblox, as an example, has this issue too, where 90% of the most played games are essentially generic clickers ("simulators") constantly creating spinoffs of each other.

I can't say for sure if this effect is more common among younger people, but if you take a look at statistics from games on Roblox you can clearly see that the average age of those playing on the generic "simulator" games is lower than the average age of those playing on more unique games. The statistics might not be 100% reliable in determining the cause of the popularity distribution between games since the more unique games might be tailored for a more mature audience and vice versa, but if the players' age plays a role in how willing they are to learn and get into games with new concepts, then that might explain why players on DF claim to have experienced an increased difference in popularity between plots since CommandGeek's video was released.

TL;DR: Generic games like survivals might be more popular simply because they are easy to understand, and therefore they attract players that are just looking for a quick game to play without putting too much effort in learning a new game concept.
I overcomplicated Upgrade PvP so I don't get put in the category. Also CommandGeek fans will get better. Anyone remember Walk Through a Pot of Gold? That was a plot I made when starting out and the type of plot they all are making.
TLDR: Devs are not born. They are made.
 

Wobber

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did you put a tldr for 4 simple sentences
 

stinkey

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I overcomplicated Upgrade PvP so I don't get put in the category. Also CommandGeek fans will get better. Anyone remember Walk Through a Pot of Gold? That was a plot I made when starting out and the type of plot they all are making.
TLDR: Devs are not born. They are made.
no, I don't remember, sorry
 
D

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Anyone remember Walk Through a Pot of Gold? That was a plot I made when starting out and the type of plot they all are making.
ok we get it you're like 1000 iq genius dev you're superior to everyone else on df yes
 

Jimmy_The_Knight

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do note that if your concept comes with a learning curve it's probably not actually as good a concept as you think it is
A game not having a learning curve means that the gameplay is uninteresting and shallow as a puddle. It works for casual party games, but look at how quickly Fall Guys became unpopular.
 

BigSpaceRex

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challenge: take a shot every time you go onto forums and there isn't a post talking about how plot quality is declining
(you see, this is perfect for me because I'm not 21)
 
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