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Is this game a bit too hard to play?

Asylum House

Asylum House

Active Member
11
2017
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Credits
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Hello! We have just made a game called Oily Man and published it on iOS and Android. But it seems like we have made a "Flappy Bird" frustration level of game and yet, it doesn't have the same popularity as Flappy Bird.

By the way, we are a couple that is interested into making games and did this out of our own time and savings. Let us know how is it. Thank you so much. Deeply appreciate it.

Game Trailers:


Links:
Oily Man on the App Store
Oily Man - Android Apps on Google Play
 
Why do people hate themselves lmao. Dark Souls no death runs, flappy bird, people playing the game with one hand; it's like they want pain and frustration in their lives. For me I've always avoided these types of games. Games are supposed to be fun and relaxing, I've always said. For people who want to break records or brag to their friends that they could do it, then maybe that's the right demographic. Obviously I don't belong there.
 
Fun game! I only have two bits of advice:

1. Add some footsteps and an oil skid behind the little guy if you can.
2. I really dislike losing a heart just to progress to the next level. Pokemon Shuffle and Angry Birds 2 both do this I believe. People should only be punished for failure.
 
Well, this isn't gonna be taken too well, but I feel your game's lack of popularity is because:

1. It's quite complex to get into. I mean sure, the goal is pretty simple (move the man to the end of the path), but even 3D gameplay in general seems to be complicated for a casual smartphone audience. Remember, Flappy Bird had exactly one button to use. That's it.

So people who like games for their brainless simplicity are likely going to be put off by this, since it just feels more complicated than the other titles they're playing.

2. The art style is very forgettable. It's not bad, but it also doesn't stand out very much compared to other games on the app store.

My advice? Change the art style to make it more distinct, and realise your audience is likely not the Flappy Bird style 'go viral' one but a much more niche one. Focus your efforts on appealing to them instead.

Additionally, you may also want to get in touch with a few YouTubers too. After all, that's how most people seem to learn about games nowadays. Someone like Pewdiepie or Markiplier or what not plays it, then suddenly their millions of fans give it a go as well.

So if you can get some of these people playing this title, maybe that'll help it get a bit more popular as well.
 
The game actually looks really nice. I think the main reason why flappy bird trended is that everyone jumped on the bandwagon. Everyone back then was talking about how frustrating the game is, well I say they should try Cat Mario. I think the game has potential and you just got to find a good way to promote it and let people know that this game exists.
 
arachnophobik said:
The game actually looks really nice. I think the main reason why flappy bird trended is that everyone jumped on the bandwagon. Everyone back then was talking about how frustrating the game is, well I say they should try Cat Mario. I think the game has potential and you just got to find a good way to promote it and let people know that this game exists.
Click to expand...
I almost forgot about Cat Mario. The guy who made that loved torture. The people who played it and tried to complete it loved torture even more. Where did all the relaxing games go? Why frustrate yourself needlessly with video games? They're supposed to make you enjoy yourself, not frustrate you to no end!
 
OursIsTheFury said:
I almost forgot about Cat Mario. The guy who made that loved torture. The people who played it and tried to complete it loved torture even more. Where did all the relaxing games go? Why frustrate yourself needlessly with video games? They're supposed to make you enjoy yourself, not frustrate you to no end!
Click to expand...
While this topic is on phone games, what about games where you are killing people like in The Division and many other shooting games? Or is that a different story altogether?
 
Danielx64 said:
While this topic is on phone games, what about games where you are killing people like in The Division and many other shooting games? Or is that a different story altogether?
Click to expand...
I think he's talking about difficult mechanics.
 
Danielx64 said:
While this topic is on phone games, what about games where you are killing people like in The Division and many other shooting games? Or is that a different story altogether?
Click to expand...
I haven't tried the Division yet. Apparently you can only talk to NPCs one at a time or something, and people have to wait in line to get their quests or any NPC dialogue. I don't like online gaming in general; it always feels so empty in my opinion. I dunno, there's just not enough "life" out there in the game compared to single player games where all NPCs have their own lives to lead.
 
OursIsTheFury said:
I almost forgot about Cat Mario. The guy who made that loved torture. The people who played it and tried to complete it loved torture even more. Where did all the relaxing games go? Why frustrate yourself needlessly with video games? They're supposed to make you enjoy yourself, not frustrate you to no end!
Click to expand...

That, I could actually agree with. As fun as it was playing Cat Mario, I never even bothered to finish it because of the difficulty. I thought it was just nice at first but it's not something I'd play 'till the end just to be able to tell people I've finished it. It makes me seem like I have no life at all lol. Never bothered playing flappy bird either to get a high score, if I can remember correctly I played 4 times and I deleted it out of my phone.

Dark Souls would be a different story though...
 
OursIsTheFury said:
Why do people hate themselves lmao. Dark Souls no death runs, flappy bird, people playing the game with one hand; it's like they want pain and frustration in their lives. For me I've always avoided these types of games. Games are supposed to be fun and relaxing, I've always said. For people who want to break records or brag to their friends that they could do it, then maybe that's the right demographic. Obviously I don't belong there.
Click to expand...

Yes I guess sometimes some games can be too challenging for people and some players just want to play something relaxing and not as hard. Maybe that's why jackpot machines are so popular in casinos too.

benoit489 said:
Fun game! I only have two bits of advice:

1. Add some footsteps and an oil skid behind the little guy if you can.
2. I really dislike losing a heart just to progress to the next level. Pokemon Shuffle and Angry Birds 2 both do this I believe. People should only be punished for failure.
Click to expand...

Okay, yes we were researching on the oil trail or some kind of visual element to show he is losing oil. As for the heart, we will take note of that and discuss how we go about it. The heart acts like the energy which is required to play every level. Thank you so much for your feedback. Much appreciated.

CM30 said:
Well, this isn't gonna be taken too well, but I feel your game's lack of popularity is because:

1. It's quite complex to get into. I mean sure, the goal is pretty simple (move the man to the end of the path), but even 3D gameplay in general seems to be complicated for a casual smartphone audience. Remember, Flappy Bird had exactly one button to use. That's it.

So people who like games for their brainless simplicity are likely going to be put off by this, since it just feels more complicated than the other titles they're playing.

2. The art style is very forgettable. It's not bad, but it also doesn't stand out very much compared to other games on the app store.

My advice? Change the art style to make it more distinct, and realise your audience is likely not the Flappy Bird style 'go viral' one but a much more niche one. Focus your efforts on appealing to them instead.

Additionally, you may also want to get in touch with a few YouTubers too. After all, that's how most people seem to learn about games nowadays. Someone like Pewdiepie or Markiplier or what not plays it, then suddenly their millions of fans give it a go as well.

So if you can get some of these people playing this title, maybe that'll help it get a bit more popular as well.
Click to expand...

Yes, we are now working to make the earlier levels easier so players actually pick up the skill required for the game through playing through. We are also learning to make the game looking more memorable and also looking much better as well, adding in more interesting elements.

As of now, we are looking for more feedback to improve the game before we hit the main press or big YouTubers.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Good day to you!

Oily Man 1.1.0 is now live on both Google Play Store and Apple App Store. Here is the full changelog:

* Now you can record Oily Man's crazy death scenes and share it online!
* We widen the paths of levels 1 - 6, added more walls, and changed the appearance of the entrance/exit portal.
* Countdown has been removed. The game now starts when you move Oily Man.
* Additional animations added to make Oily Man more alive and hilarious.
* Now you can keep the coins you have collected even though you fail to clear the level.
* The number of coins required to unlock levels are now cheaper.
* Game improvement and optimization.
* Bug fixes.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Those who say "Cat Mario", that's a nickname a YouTuber gave to a nice classic Flash game called "Syobon no Action" (しょぼんのアクション).
Shobon is really only this → ( ´ ・ω・｀) .
And that's exactly the face the main character has, along with enemies having faces like (・∀・) and ( ﾟдﾟ), hence the name (though the general definition to those faces is "Kaomoji" (顔文字, literally means "face letters")).
 
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