FFT Demo Hunter
Fresh Gameplay Stats and New FFT Content!
Ahoy Fantasy Football Adventurers! I have some great updates for you today including exciting stats from the demo, new abilities to show off, and even a HOT (literally) new playfield!
So, How’s The Demo Going?
The demo has somehow been out for seven weeks now and I thought it’d be fun to do a deep dive on some of the player data I’ve collected and share key insights! Note: The demo is only available for Windows/Mac via Steam, so there won’t be any iOS/Android data included below.
Top Line Stats
Total Downloads - 1,028
Lifetime Unique Users - 108
Median Time Played - 19 minutes
Average Time Played - 1 hour 10 minutes
Steam Demo Reviews - 9 (All of which are positive!)
Players With 3+ Hours of Playtime - 10
To say I am thrilled about this would be a massive understatement! While my game hasn’t gone viral and become a runaway success (yet!), these are solid numbers for my first major demo release. I’m especially proud of the Median Time Played, which means half the players that launched my game played for at least 19 minutes. That tells me the game is capturing the attention of players and keeping them engaged.
Adventure Funnel
In software development, a funnel is a way to measure and visualize how far someone has gone along in a series of steps. It’s very useful to understand where users and potential customers are getting stuck or losing interest. In FFT, I’m using it to measure what specific matches users are playing, and if they are able to win and move to the next level (all the way through to the demo boss, Queen Versephone).
You can see what the funnel looked like for the original playtest here. Spoiler: Only 4.3% of players were able to make it all the way through and complete the final stage. The playtest had a different final match that I wasn’t entirely pleased with, so I replaced it in the demo. Here’s what the demo funnel looks like now:
Much better! The funnel completion rate is about four times higher, with nearly one in every five players completing the demo. I also have about twice as many participants in this data which gives me more confidence in the numbers.
The biggest drop off was (and still is) in the middle of the first non-tutorial match. I have tweaked the difficulty of this battle significantly which I believe accounted for most of the drop off in the playtest. My prevailing theory for the remaining abandonment is the game isn’t resonating with some people, so they bounce. Turn-based tactical fantasy football doesn’t appeal to everyone :) There has also been some feedback about the necessity for scoring two goals to win, as well as a difficulty spike for the final boss battle, which I’m still mulling over how to tackle…
TL;DR; Feedback works!
What Players Are Saying
While launching the demo was a dream come true, it was even more meaningful and motivating to get such positive feedback from people who have played the game. Here are a few quotes from reviews FFT has received on the demo.
“A really fun homage to Final Fantasy Tactics! I appreciated the creative ways that football mechanics/themes blended with the famous FFT movement system.”
“A clever mix of sports and strategy… it shows strong potential for fans of both strategy games and football.”
“I love the football element, how it isn’t just about battling the other team but actually moving / passing the ball down the field to score. It really makes you think of creative strategies to snag victory.”
“The first time I dropped back and lobbed a ‘bomb’ across the field, it felt like something entirely new to the genre”
Thanks to everyone who has left a review or submitted feedback! This is the part where I shamelessly beg those of you who have played the demo to please leave a review! It helps out A TON with ye ol’ algorithm, and with just one more review, Steam will begin displaying a rating summary next to FFT in search results. You can leave a review by visiting the demo page on Steam here.
Demo Updates
In case you missed it, I’ve already delivered a few updates to the demo since it launched. Some major highlights include:
Gameplay/Content
Status effects now display in the unit overview UI, including turn count that tells you how long the status will be active.
The scoring team now passes the ball to the opposing team after a score, similar to kickoffs in football ensuring both teams get a chance to score.
Bugs fixed
Units can no longer learn locked abilities.
BP bar no longer gets stuck on a wallop color in the unit overview.
Controller/keyboard can now be used to scroll stats and prediction screens.
Camera now always pans to the acting unit when earning experience points.
Camera no longer pans too quickly after an action when screen shake is disabled.
You can now select tiles behind walloped units more easily.
Patched out the security vulnerability found in Unity 2017+.
Onward and Upward
Now that the demo has been released, I’ve had a lot more time to focus on building out the rest of the game. I wanted to highlight a few new abilities and a sparkly new playfield that will be making their way to the full release of Fantasy Football Tactics.
D.W.A.L.B.
Dynamite With a Laser Beam, this new Gamebreaker ability is guaranteed to blow your mind! A bundle of dynamite is plopped down catty-corner from your current position and explodes with fire and lasers, damaging all units in both directions. It may even force a fumble if the ball carrier is hit!
Before showing the video, it’s time for a Pop Music Quiz! The name and description for this ability comes from a lyric in a famous UK band’s 1974 hit song, and their first major hit in the US. Can you name the band and song?
It took a bit of research to get a convincing “glowy” laser effect, and was also useful in creating the new bolt effect (see below). Bonus, Post Processing in Unity has unlocked some other cool things I’ll be able to add to the game.
Hail Mary
Nothing sums up the excitement of football quite like the Hail Mary pass. Your team is down with only seconds remaining on the clock. The quarterback takes the snap, drops back, winds up their arm, and launches an absolute rocket down the field. What happens next is up to fate.
In Fantasy Football Tactics, a Thrower can now target a receiver in a straight line downfield… at any distance! Upon receiving the pass, however, they may be instantly WALLOPED knocking them out and forcing a super fumble. It’s the ultimate high-risk high-reward play that can be tricky to set up but feels really great when it works! Watch the full video above to see both possible outcomes.
Bolt
The Caster has been a quick favorite of many players for their powerful magic attacks, bordering on the OP side in some cases. While Flame is great for dealing damage and Frost is useful for slowing down an opponent, the Caster’s ability to force a fumble has been relatively limited… until now!
Bolt is a ranged attack that summons a bolt of lightning down from the sky and deals damage to a single target. It’s not as powerful as Flame, but it packs a powerful shock that is guaranteed to force a fumble. It can only be used from a distance so you’ll need to carefully strategize your movements to pull it off.
River Rock Playfield
What good is a video game without a fire level? The overall layout is relatively simple but definitely has a vibe. As referenced above, this level comes with some special Post Processing effects for rendering heat distortion, as well as plumes of smoke and steam emitting from the rock (I have my lovely wife to thank for this detail <3)! Those with a keen eye might even spot a new bonus ability… can you guess what it is?
It’s not implemented yet, but your units will be damaged when landing in or performing actions from a lava tile. This will introduce a whole new level of strategy, especially when it comes to picking up fumbles that land in the liquefied rock. The River Rock playfield won’t be coming to the demo, so please look forward to checking it out in the final game!
Wrapping Up + Fun Fact!
Thanks for tuning in to this update! If you haven’t yet, I hope you’ll check out the FFT demo–and make sure to tell your friends too! I’ll be back next time with more behind-the-scenes previews of even more new content and Fantasy Football Tactics news.
Fun Fact: Did you know that this past Sunday, the Denver Broncos became the first team in NFL history to score 33 points in the fourth quarter after scoring 0 points in the first three quarters? It’s also the most points the Broncos have ever scored in the fourth quarter… ever. Now do you Bo-lieve?