There are numerous Android device manufacturers in the world. And each of them has a series of devices that run the Android OS.
This makes developing an Android game a difficult task. Because you if are developing an Android game, you need to make sure your game is compatible with a wide range of devices.
A lot of game developers consider this an obstacle. So, they choose to develop only for iOS instead.
But top android game developers consider the sheer size of the Android ecosystem an opportunity rather than an obstacle. Because if you develop a game for Android, you can potentially reach a huge user base.
The opportunity to get a large user base is significant for Android multi-player games. Because multi-player games usually require a large user base and can thrive on having many users. In fact, multi-player games with a large number of users are the games that make the most revenue in the industry currently.
However, developing an Android multi-player game that can get a lot of revenue and users is tricky. You will need to spend more money and time on development than on a single-player game. You will also need to create robust networks and implement user acquisition strategies to find the right players.
But before you start to do all this, you need first to get the most basic thing right: you need to develop a good multi-player android game.
Because you can develop an Android multi-player game in millions of wrong ways, there are many mistakes you can potentially make to derail your game’s development.
To help you develop your Android multi-player game the right way, below, we are listing six steps you can follow to develop:
In the design stage itself, you must decide how to implement different multi-player features in your game.
Mobile multi-player games usually come in two types: 1) Complete Multi-Player Games, 2) Single-Player Games with Multi-Player Features.
A Complete Multi-Player Game is a game where the entire gameplay is multi-player. That is, the game won’t have any gameplay aspects that players can enjoy alone.
On the other hand, a Single-Player Game with Multi-Player Features is a game where the main gameplay is single-player. In such a game, multi-player usually exists as a separate game mode.
In both the type of multi-player games, you must craft the multi-player experience with care. And to do this, you can ask yourself a series of questions.
Like, Should your game rank players based on their skill levels? or If so, does your game need a match-making system that matches players of similar skill levels against each other?
The answers to questions like these will help you come up with good multi-player features for your game. And whichever type of multi-player game is, thinking carefully about your Android multi-player game during your design phase helps you develop the best games.
Today’s game engines are so advanced that it has become easier for developers to create multiplayer Android games. And the game engine you use to develop your game will play a massive part in determining your game’s quality.
Some of these quality game engines you can use for development include Unity, Unreal, and Cocos Creator. Other alternatives include HTML5 and JavaScript-based game engines like PlayCanvas, PixiJS, and Three.JS.
Before you pick any one of these game engines, keep in mind that each of these game engines has its pros and cons. And the game engine most suited for your multi-player game will depend on your project’s requirements, budget, and technical expertise.
Unity, for instance, is the game engine most preferred by mobile game developers as it has a lot of features that make Android and iOS game development easier.
Cocos, on the other hand, is a game engine apt for 2D game development for Android.
Meanwhile, if you want to develop a 3D multiplayer game, Unreal might be the best option.
To pick the right engine, analyze the features of each one and compare them to one another. Next, look into your requirements, and then you will find it easy to pick the right game engine for your project.
Your multi-player game will only be as good as your multi-player network. If your players constantly get disconnected and find it impossible to finish matches, then your players will leave your game soon.
So make sure your game has a strong multi-player network. A strong multi-player network must:
The best way to build a multi-player network with such features is with network tools. There are several network tools currently available. Photon, Unity Multi-Player, SmartFoxServer, GameSparks, and Nakama are some of them.
And as in the case of game engines, each network tool has its pros and cons. So you must make the choices after careful assessment and analysis.
You can determine if your game’s central idea or concept is feasible enough to be a good game by prototyping. Finding the feasibility of your idea at the earliest is essential, as Android multi-player game development requires a lot of investment in time and money.
So, before you get into the detailed development steps of your Android multi-player game, create a basic prototype. Only include the base game mechanics and other basic features in this prototype, and instead of making elaborate game art, use placeholder art.
And then test the prototype. Check if the game has elements that make the experience fun. If you find that it has such features, then continue to the next steps of developing your Android multi-player game with confidence.
If you find that it is not, then you can either iterate the idea or discard it.
Once you complete your prototype, you can start developing your game. You can go through the various steps of developing an Android multi-player game like creating the artwork, Animation programming game logic, setting up the servers, etc.
During this stage, you might learn a lot about your own game. You might discover that things which at the beginning you thought would work might turn out not to. On the other hand, the things you thought wouldn’t work perfectly.
Once you finish development, you must test your game. For example, you should test your game’s compatibility, the multi-player network, and various features.
Once the internal testing is complete, you can release your game for beta testing before its official release.
Nowadays, many game developers do beta testing because no matter how perfectly your team tests your game, they won’t find bugs and errors. For instance, your game might have compatibility issues on certain devices, as your testers can’t possibly test your game on every device out there. By beta testing, you can identify these issues before you release your game to the public.
We outlined in this article a simplified overview of the various steps in developing a multi-player Android game. However, the complete game development process of an online Android game is a bit more complicated.
But despite the complication, developers continue to release Android multi-player games because Android multi-player games are among the biggest moneymakers in the gaming industry.
So if you want to develop an android multi-player game, then get in touch with Juego studio they are the best game development company. Their seasoned team of game developers can help you design customized games that will become viral sensations.
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