IdleMMO – A Year In Review

It’s hard to believe, but it’s been a full year since IdleMMO launched. Time really has moved quickly! Let’s take a moment to pause and reflect on how far we’ve come. We’ll take a look at the features we’ve added over the past year and some of the key stats along the way.

Let’s start with the numbers.

Stats

  • The game has seen over 340,000 new accounts (not characters) in the first year.
  • More 436,000 characters have been created in total.
  • 3,582 accounts have been banned – more than 90% of them are due to auto clicking or scripting. We are pending a ban-wave soon so this could easily reach beyond 4,000 by the end of the year.
  • At it’s peak, our server handled over 38,000,000 web server requests in a single day – the single highest day we’ve ever received across all of our games. A server request is simply whenever you load up a page, or press a button in the game that required something on your game to be updated. So that happened over 38 million times within a mere 24 hours.
  • Only 65% of active users only have one character – proving that the game is entirely playable without the use of alts. In fact, this was much lower (around 80%, but our recent change to introduce trade-limited character classes changed that somewhat)
  • A total of 4,953,111,216 items have been gathered. With mining taking the top spot at 2,327,876,420 items gathered (thanks to sweet sweet coal!)
  • Players have spent a combined total of 26,956,104 hours doing actions. Or… in other words… 1,123,171 days. That’s enough time for us to go back to 1051 BC.
  • We’ve updated the game 122 times. That’s an average update every 3 days. Say what you want about the game – but you can’t deny that we are constantly try to keep things fresh!

Now, let’s talk about the features. Over the past year, we’ve added quite a bit to IdleMMO. While the overall UI design hasn’t changed much, there’s been a steady stream of new features introduced to the game.

If it’s been a while since you last played, here’s a quick rundown of the bigger updates. Covering every little change would take a while, but if you’re curious, you can always check out our full patch notes here.


Yule Fest Campaign (December 2023)

Not long after launch, we introduced our first seasonal campaign – Yule Fest – to celebrate the winter holidays. During this event, players could take part in unique activities like building snowmen and complete a time-limited campaign to earn the highly sought after Snowrunner pet.

Removed Alt Character Trade Restrictions (January 2024)

We removed the trading restrictions between alternate characters, making it easier for players to get more out of their alts. This change encouraged many to create additional characters. That said, the game has always been designed to be fully playable with just one character, and that remains at the core of our approach.

Exhaustion Effect (January 2024)

Early on, we noticed a worrying trend: a small group of players were disrupting their sleep schedules to maximize efficiency and avoid losing any experience points in a day. To address this, we introduced the “exhausted” effect, which applies negative effects to characters who play for too long. Initially, this kicked in after 18 hours of gameplay, but we later extended it to 20 hours to strike a better balance.



This was implemented as a temporary solution until we introduce more ways to increase your idle times – something that we wish to explore soon. Once it’s possible to increase your idle times – the exhaustion mechanic will be removed entirely from the game.

Idle Time Increase (January 2024)

We increased the idle time of Main Characters by 20 or 40 minutes depending on their membership status.

Pet Mastery Skill (February 2024)

To make pets even more rewarding to use, we introduced the Pet Mastery skill. This skill improves as you send your pets into battle and, in turn, boosts their stats. The higher your Pet Mastery level, the stronger your pets become.

New Classes (February 2024)

We added four new classes designed around primary skills rather than combat: Chef, Miner, Angler, and Lumberjack. Each class provides a small advantage when performing its specific activity.

Valenfair Campaign (February 2024)

To celebrate Valentine’s day, we introduced a “mini seasonal campaign” meaning it didn’t function like a usual seasonal campaign (with new enemies, dungeons, etc), instead it was simply a regular campaign that only ran for a few weeks.

Guilds (March 2024)

One of the most anticipated updates was the introduction of guilds, allowing players to team up and collaborate to improve their guild’s overall standing.

The guilds update was extensive – too much to cover in detail here – but here’s a quick overview of what it included:
Guild Levels – Grants added benefits, like expanding member capacity and the ability to generate more challenges.
Raids – Collaborative events that are organized by the guild leader.
Challenges – Serve as the primary way to obtain marks by exchanging specific in-game items for marks and experience.
Guild Mastery Level – A persistent game level that remains with the character even if they leave a guild. It serves as a testament to a player’s dedication to supporting the guilds they join.

Shrine of the Old Gods (March 2024)

The shrine was introduced as a way for the community to come together, contributing in-game gold to unlock rewards for everyone. Once a tier was reached, the entire player base would enjoy an EXP boost for a few hours afterward.

iOS App (March 2024)

The long-awaited iOS app was finally released, giving players the convenience of playing directly on their device without needing a browser.

Pet Battle Rework (April 2024)

We noticed that pet battles weren’t being used much, largely because the process felt tedious and unrewarding. To change that, we decided to streamline the system with a rework. After the update, pet battles became much simpler – just press a button, and your pets would start battling, returning only when fully defeated. This simplicity made the system far more appealing, leading to more people using it.

Pet Hunting (April 2024)


We added a feature that allowed players to send their pets on hunts, letting them gather resources or fight enemies without interrupting the player’s current actions.

However, the feature didn’t catch on widely, as it was mostly used by players focused on maximizing every possible gain. As a result, it was removed in a later update.

Guild Announcements (May 2024)

The Announcements feature was introduced to help guild leaders communicate directly with their members in-game. It became especially useful for celebrating achievements or coordinating events within the guild.

Ombric Uprising Campaign (May 2024)

In May, we launched our second global campaign. Unlike seasonal campaigns, global campaigns are permanent additions to the game. Players can switch between available campaigns whenever they like, so there’s no pressure to complete it quickly – it’ll always be there waiting.

Android App (May 2024)

In May, we released the Android app, arguably the most highly anticipated addition to IdleMMO. Many players, especially casual ones, prefer not to play in a browser, making the app a welcome change

Since its launch, the player base has grown significantly. The organic discovery potential of apps on the Play Store has played a major role in bringing new players to the game.

Push Notifications (June 2024)

After a challenging development period, we successfully implemented push notifications for the web app. This feature was later rolled out to both the iOS and Android apps in subsequent updates.

Badges (June 2024)

To make it easier to see a player’s accomplishments at a glance, we introduced badges. These are awarded when specific criteria are met, such as reaching level 100 in a particular skill, and serve as a quick showcase of achievements

Guild Activity (June 2024)

To support guild leaders in managing their members and tracking contributions, we introduced the Guild Activity feature. This tool provides a detailed list of each member’s recent activity, making it easier to stay informed and coordinate efforts.

Tutorial (June 2024)

Despite making the game as intuitive as possible, we recognized that we needed to work on on improving the onboarding experience, especially for players new to the idle genre. We introduced a simple yet effective tutorial designed to guide new players through the basics, making it easier for them to get started and feel at home in the game.

Performance Improvements (June 2024)

Performance updates don’t usually get much attention, but this one was significant enough to affect everyone. After extensive work on the game’s back-end architecture, we managed to bring server latency down from 147ms to just 18ms – a dramatic improvement that everyone caused almost everyone to feel a difference.

Shrine Blessing (June 2024)

To add a little surprise bonus for players donating to the shrine, we introduced the “Blessing of Xethia.” Players who donate more than 100 gold receive this blessing, which provided a temporary 5% EXP boost to all primary skills.

Trading (July 2024)

Before this update, trading was limited to the market, which made it cumbersome to complete transactions directly with a specific player. To address this, we introduced a direct player-to-player trading system, making it much easier to trade without relying on the market.

Forge UI Rework (July 2024)

The forge UI page was very difficult to navigate pre-update due to it being poor in performance, and simply poor in trying to find the item a user wishes to craft. We improved this page by compacting the elements into a grid-based layout, and introducing a filter that allows people to quickly search what they are looking for.

Moonlit Festival Campaign (July 2024)

As part of the summer festivities, we introduced the “Moonlit Festival” seasonal campaign – a unique, lore-driven event. The campaign ran for two weeks.

Market History (August 2024)

To make it easier for players to track an item’s market history, we added a historical chart to the item inspection page. This chart displays the item’s price trends over the past 30 days.

Battle Rework (October 2024)

We realized the battle system needed a rework because the old system was too hands-on for most of our casual player base. While we understand the importance of having “active” elements in the game, making them a fundamental part of gameplay created issues, especially for players who preferred to log in briefly every few minutes and then log off. The old battle system made this difficult, causing them to miss out on a core aspect of the game.

Additionally, the system had deeper flaws that were almost impossible to address. It left significant parts of the game, like equipment and food, ineffective.

To tackle these problems, we completely overhauled the battle system and transitioned it to an idle format. While we know some in the community weren’t thrilled about the change, it was a necessary step to resolve the issues and better support the way most players engage with the game. For a deeper dive into the problems with the old system, you can check out our blog post here.

Stances (October 2024)

As part of the battle rework, we identified a key issue: a character’s combat level often didn’t align with their actual “power level.” It was entirely possible for a character to achieve a high combat level while remaining relatively weak. This disconnect stemmed from the way stat experience was handled – it wasn’t earned through battles but exclusively through primary skills.

We addressed this by introducing stances, giving players the ability to choose which stat they want to focus on and gain experience for during battles.

New Classes (October 2024)

We introduced two new trade-locked classes: Cursed and Banished. These characters are entirely restricted from interacting with the market. In a later update, we added a new option for players with trade-locked characters, allowing them to bypass the usual limit of having only three active alternate characters at a time.

Namestone and Metamorphite (October 2024)

We introduced the Namestone and Metamorphite item as a way for players to change their character name or class.

Two-factor Authentication (October 2024)

To enhance account security, we introduced two-factor authentication, requiring a verification code for all logins from unknown IP addresses.

Eve of Shadows Campaign (October 2024)

To celebrate Halloween, we introduced the seasonal Eve of Shadows campaign that ran for two weeks.

Character Metrics (October 2024)

We added a feature that lets players view their character’s metrics, such as total playtime and the number of items gathered. Players can also view and compare these metrics with other characters, adding a competitive and fun way to track progress.

Weekly Experience Chart (October 2024)

We’ve replaced the level chart with a weekly experience chart, showing the total EXP gained over the past week. The previous level chart didn’t offer much value, especially at higher level, hence the change.

Guild Seasons (November 2024)

Guild seasons were introduced to bring a competitive edge to guilds. Each season lasts 60 days, with rankings determined by the total experience gathered by a guild during that time. At the end of the season, the top 25 guilds earn rewards based on their final standings.

Enemy Scaling (November 2024)

To address concerns about the new battle system, we introduced an option to scale enemies to match a player’s combat level. In return, players receive increased EXP rewards and a magic find boost, which improves the chances of finding rarer loot.

Shrine Improvements (November 2024)

Previously, shrine boosts could only be obtained at the exact moment the shrine was activated. This created an unfair disadvantage for players in less common time zones, who often missed out on these boosts.

We addressed this by revamping the shrine boost system. Players can now manually apply the boosts to their characters any time after a shrine tier is reached, up until the shrine resets. This change ensures everyone can benefit from the boosts, regardless of their time zone.

Power Hunting (November 2024)

We added a new, entirely optional feature to the hunting mechanic called “Power Hunting.” When enabled, this feature allows players to hunt interactively for a short time. During this period, enemies appear on the screen, and players can tap them to add the enemies directly to their character’s enemy list.

Equipment Balancing (December 2024)

With the battle rework making enemies significantly stronger, we realized that equipment had become far less effective. To address this, we applied sweeping buffs to all the equipment For instance, the maximum attack power of swords was increased from 250 to 400 – a 60% boost. This change helped make equipment more impactful in battles.

Closing Thoughts

It’s been a busy and eventful year, filled with both challenges and achievements. Reflecting on everything we’ve accomplished while writing this, it’s clear we’ve achieved far more than I thought was possible – especially considering this list only covers the major updates.

Looking ahead, I’m hopeful the next 12 months will be just as productive. We’ve got plenty in the pipeline, as outlined in our public roadmap, and with the upcoming seasonal campaign, Yule Fest, there’s always something exciting on the horizon.

Through it all, our focus remains the same: to create a bloody good game.

Thanks for sticking around!

The Experience Matters More Than Numbers

I’ve noticed that some concerns have been raised on our Discord server about IdleMMO’s player population. While I’ve responded to these concerns directly in the server a few times, I realise those messages might not have reached everyone who needs to see them.

Let me put it simply: not only is this trend completely normal and expected, but we’re actually doing better than we initially anticipated – losing players at a slower rate than expected. In other words, we’re still exceeding expectations.

To understand why some players are moving on, it’s important to first look at what drove the surge in downloads in the first place.

Increased Player Count


When we launched the game on Google Play, it introduced the game to tens of thousands of players almost instantly. In fact, within just 24 hours of release, we saw over 1,500 downloads.

The trend took off immediately, with the game reaching thousands of players right from day one. Google Play deserves a lot of credit for this – their store does an amazing job of promoting apps, without us having to do a thing. In fact, they’re far better at this than the Apple App Store.

This isn’t our first experience with Google Play’s organic download surges, either. With our other game, SimpleMMO, we’ve seen similar spikes in downloads. I can’t give you an exact explanation of how this works – after all, I don’t work at Google – but from what i’ve observed, the apps shown on Google Play are always changing depending on trends.

But it didn’t stop there – it started feeding into itself. We had a sizable group of players eagerly waiting for the Android release, and that initial wave of downloads probably caught Google’s algorithm’s attention. The surge likely made the algorithm think, “Hey, this game is doing great – let’s give it more visibility.” Of course, I say “likely” because, again, we can’t know for sure as we don’t work at Google. That said, this fits with how most trend-based ranking systems work. Once momentum starts building, it often snowballs – leading to even more visibility and, in turn, even more downloads.

As a result, the rate at which players were downloading and playing the game kept climbing week after week – far beyond what we had anticipated. In just over two months, we surpassed 100,000 downloads solely on Google Play alone.

This trend continued upwards for a few months. In fact, we peaked at 3,400 downloads in a single day – which for an independent game with almost zero financially-backed marketing is nothing short of staggering.

Naturally – this wasn’t going to last forever and it would be downright delusional to think it would.

It’s impossible to maintain a such a huge surge

From the moment we noticed the game was trending, we knew it wouldn’t last forever. Trends like this always lose steam eventually, and the player count starts to decline – it’s just the nature of things. The real question for us was: how high would the peak be before the slowdown? And as it turns out, it was pretty bloody high. At one point, we had over 13,000 active characters online at the same time.

If you had told me this time last year that we’d hit those numbers, I’d have thought you’d lost the plot.

I knew we wouldn’t be able to maintain that peak indefinitely, no matter what we did. No game – no matter how amazing – can sustain its highest point forever after a surge in downloads, especially without serious financial backing. It’s not a failure; it’s just how the world works. The same concept applies to almost anything.

A better way to look at it is like this: Have you ever been to a large shop on an opening day? It’s packed. Over a week, the rush and excitement of something new fades down until it gets to a level where the super market can maintain and start to grow clientele from.

The truth is, the game launched on the Play Store back in May, and it’s only now that we’re starting to see its momentum slow down. Honestly, we’re amazed it lasted this long.

Are we sure its because of the downloads?

Yes, because it’s evident from the stats we can see. It also aligns with the nature of trends that I mentioned earlier. Again, we’ve seen similar peaks and valleys with our other game, SimpleMMO, many times. It’s not unusual, especially when it comes to Google Play. Their search algorithm changes frequently, which has a direct impact on the number of organic downloads any app receives.

And if, in the unlikely event, this is happening because the game isn’t as good as we’d like and Google gave us more downloads than we truly deserved, our response is straightforward: we’ll keep improving the game. And that’s exactly what we’re doing.

“But… but… it was the Battle Rework! I swear!”

I’ve seen this mentioned a few times on the Discord server. No, it’s not the reworked battle system – or, for that matter, any specific change we’ve made. In fact, here’s the thing: every change we make seems to make some people leave, as bizarre as that might sound. It’s just a reality of change.

Whether it’s one frustrated player or a small group, it’s impossible to please everyone. No matter how beneficial a change might be overall, there will always be someone who isn’t happy with it. This xkcd comic perfectly sums it up better than I ever could:

I think some people don’t realise just how much downloads influence the game’s population. It’s orders of magnitude greater than most other factors. Honestly, I can confidently say that even if I introduced the absolute worst feature imaginable – some pay-to-win nightmare – it still wouldn’t affect the game as much as the sheer volume of downloads does. It’s practically basic math at this point.

Think about it logically for a moment. At one point, we were getting nearly 3,500 new players in a single day. And remember, that surge continued for months. Do you know how massive an exodus would have to be to cause a population shift on that scale? Even if we made a change that not only upset a ton of people but cause them to leave – let’s say a few hundred – it’s still just a tiny fraction compared to the influx of new players we got in one single day.


Just because some Discord servers are seeing a few people leave due to dissatisfaction with changes doesn’t mean it’s a major issue. This is a classic example of the availability heuristic – a bias where people overestimate the importance of something based on the information most easily available to them, rather than looking at the bigger picture. In this case, it’s their own experiences in Discord giving a skewed perspective.

That said, I’m not saying changes don’t impact the downloads – of course they do. Any change will influence the game’s trend and key quality metrics, like how long players stick around before uninstalling. But for a shift this dramatic, it would take a significant, underlying, and fundamental change to the core gameplay. Even then, it’s not always enough. Honestly, I’ve seen games over the past few years that seemed doomed to fail after introducing sleazy dark patterns, yet somehow they’re still going strong.

Obtaining More Downloads

Given the nature of our decline, it’s fair to ask: if downloads are the issue, why not just focus on getting more downloads? Well… it’s not that simple. Almost all of our downloads have been entirely organic, and that’s something we don’t have much direct control over.

Sure, we could take steps to nudge the trend in the right direction – like optimizing our App Store page or running a marketing campaign. But right now, our main priority is what really matters: making the game better. The other things, like marketing and perfecting our store presence, can come later. Those efforts take significant time and resources, and we’d rather focus on them once the game is out of beta.

Putting Numbers In Perspective

Another thing people often overlook is that the situation looks worse than it really is because our player numbers are abnormally high. In fact, I’ve already mentioned that I didn’t expect the numbers to reach this level within a year of release – especially since we’re still technically in beta. But because the numbers are so big, even a small percentage of players leaving can seem like a much bigger issue than it actually is.

Think about it: if we have 13,000 active players on average and lose 10% over two or three months, that’s 1,300 players gone – a big number on the surface. Now compare that to when we had just 1,000 active players early on. Losing the same 10% would mean only 100 players – a much smaller number that doesn’t sound nearly as bad.

Don’t get me wrong here. It’s the same percentage, relatively speaking, but the larger active player count makes any decline seem far more dramatic. Of course, I’m not saying losing players is a good thing – it depends on the circumstances. But I’m pointing out that our unusually high player base creates a glaring perception problem: the losses look bigger simply because we started with more.

So, what now?

As with anything in life, the trend will naturally continue to decline until it reaches a stable point – where new and returning players balance each other out. It’s just the way things work, and there’s not much we can do to change it.

The real question is: at what point will the inflow and outflow of players even out? Honestly, I can’t answer that. But this brings up an even more important question…

Does it even matter?

Now is a good time for introspection. As your self these questions: Are you still having fun? So what if the game is losing players? Does it really matter? Honestly, it doesn’t – not to us, given the reasons behind the decline. We’ve already far exceeded our expectations – beyond anything I ever thought possible within the first year of launch. What truly matters is that we focus on making the best game we can and enjoying the process along the way.

If we were losing players because we were actively making the game worse, that would be a different story. That would be a sign for us to take a step back and reassess. But that’s simply not the case. The decline is part of a normal trend, and, truthfully, there’s very little we can do to stop it. We’re a small independent company. We simply don’t have the financial backing to keep it artificially propped up.

As far as app-based live-service games go, we’re in a unique and fortunate position here. We’re a completely independent, bootstrapped company. We’re not focused on micro-optimizing every single mechanic to keep you hooked indefinitely. We’re not here to nickel-and-dime you or squeeze every cent out of your pockets. I understand that its natural for peoples interest to slowly diminish, and I’m not going to hold that against them. Our goal is pretty simple: make a damn great game and have fun doing it.

As far as I’m concerned, if we stay focused on creating something genuinely good, the community will naturally follow. Obsessing over trying to maintain the massive surge of players we saw at its absolute peak is like trying to stop an avalanche with a shovel – why waste that effort when we could be doing something meaningful instead?

IdleMMO v0.23.0 – Battle and Hunting Rework, Class Changing, and More


We’re excited to share that Version 0.23 is on its way, featuring a complete overhaul of the battle system and the new ability to change your character’s class, among other changes.

Just to clarify, I’ll be using the past tense and referring to the current battle system (the one playable at the time of this post) as the “old” system, even though the “new” battle system hasn’t been released yet.

Problems With The Old System

Let’s talk about why we’re overhauling the battle system in our game. Simply put, the “old” battle and hunting mechanics didn’t fit well with the idle game genre. Despite our efforts to refine these systems, they fundamentally clash with the nature of idle gaming. Many players found this aspect of the game polarizing – it was either loved or entirely ignored.

So, what was the issue with the old system? Let’s break it down.

Level Discrepancies

The huge problem with the old battle system was that a character’s “power level” (how strong they are) didn’t align with their “combat level” as you’d expect in most games. Surprisingly, it was possible for a character to reach combat level 100 but remain significantly weak. This happened because experience in primary stats like Strength and Defence was earned through skills unrelated to combat effectiveness.

This situation caused quite a bit of confusion among players. Many were frustrated, thinking they couldn’t defeat enemies that matched their combat level, and we had to clarify repeatedly that this wasn’t a bug – it was just how the system was designed. The issue arose because the system limits battles to no more than 100 turns. If a character is too weak to defeat an enemy within those 100 turns, the battle simply won’t proceed. This rule was primarily set to save time, as fighting through more than 100 rounds could drag on for several minutes.

One popular suggestion we’ve received is to have the game issue a warning before a battle starts if the character is not strong enough to attack a specific enemy. However, this presents a technical challenge. To determine whether a character can successfully attack an enemy, we would need to simulate the battle before it actually begins. Unfortunately, simulating battles does not scale well.

Difficulty In Obtaining Primary Stats EXP

As touched on above, the discrepancies in levels and the resulting confusion were largely due to the way experience points were distributed across different skills. For instance, activities like woodcutting, which seemingly had nothing to do with combat, contributed to increasing a player’s strength, while smelting boosted speed.

Not only this, but the experience awarded per action was excessively low. Ten months into the game, the highest Strength level achieved by any player is only 92. This slow progression caused primary stats to lag significantly behind the pace at which characters could increase their combat level, leading to a disjointed and illogical system where combat effectiveness didn’t match combat levels.

Hunting

The hunting mechanic, intended to add depth to the battle system, fell short of expectations mainly because it was tedious. The process involved repeating the same action every few minutes, which turned into a burdensome task of keeping the screen on just to ensure the hunt was completed. The core issue was the awkward timing of the hunts – they were too frequent and too brief to truly fit the idle game format, yet not short enough to be engaging for active play. This left players in a limbo where, for two or three minutes at a time, they couldn’t do much else but wait.

Another significant problem with the hunting system was its inefficiency, particularly frustrating for new players. They could spend considerable time hunting for enemies, only to encounter enemies that were “unkillable” for them. This meant they had to restart the hunt without engaging in any actual combat, leading to a cycle of fruitless efforts. This aspect of the system was so tedious and unrewarding that it sapped the excitement out of the gameplay. Even writing about it is dull.

Battling

The battling system, while slightly more engaging than hunting due to the need to monitor health, was still tedious. The system required a minimal but awkward level of attention – not active enough to be captivating, yet not passive enough to be truly idle. Players couldn’t just set their characters to battle and check back after a short period; they had to intermittently manage the gameplay, which disrupted the flow of a typical idle game.

This issue was even more pronounced for lower-level characters, where simple battles, like defeating a rabbit, could take up to 40 seconds.

More Issues

I don’t want to spend an unnecessary amount of time outlining the problems with the old battling and hunting system so I’ll just quickly list the rest.

Attacking Lower Level Enemies
The game mechanics incentivized players to target lower-level enemies. Given the lengthy process required to hunt and defeat higher-level enemies, the efficiency (EXP per second) actually decreased in tougher locations, making it more practical to stick with weaker enemies.

Stats
Despite reaching high levels, the impact of stats was minimal – this was primarily because players kept attacking lower-leveled enemies.

Food
The inefficiencies in combat rendered food almost pointless. If characters are primarily engaged in low-risk battles (like attacking weak rabbits that only inflict minor damage), there’s little need for resources like food that are meant to recover health lost in more challenging fights.

Bots
It seems that about 80% of people using bots are doing so specifically for the battle system, setting up an autoclicker on the battle page and leaving it running for hours. While I get why they do it – given how tedious the system can be – that doesn’t make it acceptable. We’re naively hoping that by smoothing out some of the friction with our new battle rework, we might discourage the use of automation a bit. Even a 10% reduction in bot usage would be significant for us. Reviewing flagged accounts and banning offenders is a time-consuming process, so easing the burden even slightly would be a big win.

Thoughts

We’ve got a lot of improvements lined up, particularly addressing the points we’ve been talking about. I realize there’s a few players who really enjoys the old, more “active” hunting and battling system, and some of you might be disappointed with the new direction we’re taking. But the truth is, the old system wasn’t quite in line with where we want the game to go. We’re trying to find a balance that keeps the game engaging while staying true to our vision.

We’ve honestly put a ton of work into the old battle system. If you’ve been here since the pre-beta stage, you will likely be aware how many times we have made adjustments to the battle and hunting system. I’m extremely cautious about not leading us into a “sunk cost fallacy”. Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, things just don’t pan out the way you’d hope.

Battle and Hunting Rework

So, let’s dive right into what we’ve been working on with the battle system. Instead of just telling you about the changes, I think it’s better to show you directly.

Just a heads-up: Everything I’m sharing is still subject to change. We’re in the alpha testing phase, so things might still change quite a bit.

When you first open the battle page,  you’ll notice nothing has changed if there are no enemies to battle.

However, when you start hunting, you might notice something different…

We’ve made the hunts longer, a lot longer… and this all depends on your stats. Instead of just a few minutes, now you can hunt up to the maximum idle time allowed by the game. To extend your hunting duration, you’ll need to boost two key stats: Movement Speed, which you can increase with your equipped pet, and your Hunting Mastery level, which goes up the more you hunt. The higher these stats, the longer you can stay on the hunt.

However, with the changes to the hunting mechanic, we’ve decided to remove the ability for pets to hunt on your behalf. Not many players were using the pet hunting feature, and with the new system, it would make things a bit too powerful.

When you finish the hunt, you will notice that the enemies will be stacked on top of each other.

The main idea behind this change is to let your character continuously hunt enemies until you reach the cap, which is determined by your Hunting Mastery level. It’d be pretty impractical (and a bit silly) to display each enemy individually if you’ve got hundreds waiting, like how the old system did.

Currently, the maximum number of enemies a character can stack ranges from 500 to 2,000. So, if you’re at level 100 in Hunting Mastery, you’ll be able to stack up to 2,000 enemies. This change should streamline the experience and keep things looking clean and manageable on your screen.

This leads to another new feature: when you hunt more enemies, they just stack up on top of the ones you’ve already hunted. Since it’s not feasible to hunt all 2,000 enemies in one session – given that the idle time maxes out at 160 minutes for your main character with a membership – you’ll need to split this task over several hunting sessions. Also, it’s important to note that reaching that 160-minute cap requires a high Hunting Mastery level and sufficient Movement Speed.

When starting a new hunt, it will pick up right where the last one left off. You can keep going like this until you hit your limit.

If you decide to cancel a hunt midway, the game will automatically determine how many enemies you hunted during that time. For example, if your current capacity allows you to hunt 500 enemies over 100 minutes, and you cancel after 50 minutes, the game calculates that you’ve hunted 250 enemies – because you stopped halfway through. These enemies will then be added to any you had previously, stacking them up for you to battle later. This way, every minute of hunting counts, even if you don’t complete the full duration.

To start attacking an enemy, just click on the one you want to defeat. This will open a dialogue window, giving you the option to attack.

You will notice two new things on this screen: Food and Stance.

Food

You can choose which food to bring along for the battle, and adding food effectively extends your battling time. Here’s the basic idea: the more food you carry, the more enemies you can battle. Food boosts your “effective health” – for instance, if your character has 100 HP and you take 20 food items, each providing an extra 10 HP, your total effective health becomes 300 HP (100 + (20 * 10)). With a higher effective health, you can engage more enemies consecutively.

The battle continues until one of three scenarios occurs:

  1. Your character gets defeated (in which case, they have exhausted all their health and food).
  2. Your character defeats all the enemies
  3. You exceed the maximum idle time.

Stance

Stance is our new method for gaining primary stat experience points. Now, instead of earning these points through skills, you’ll get them directly from battling. We believe this approach makes more sense since primary stats are exclusively used for battle. Previously, obtaining them via skills seemed to disconnect them from their main function, making the whole system feel a bit disjointed.

There will be five stances to take:
Balanced: Obtains EXP for every primary stat. for instance, if you get 20 EXP, then each stat will get 5 EXP.
Offensive: Obtains EXP only for strength.
Defensive: Obtain EXP only for defence.
Agile: Obtains EXP only for speed.
Dexterous: Obtains EXP only for dexterity.

Just to clarify, the experience points (EXP) you earn from defeating enemies are allocated to both combat and stats. For instance, if you defeat an enemy and you get 20 EXP from that enemy, that means that 20 EXP will go towards your combat level, and 20 EXP will go towards your primary stats depending on your chosen stance.

Battling

When you start battling, you will be shown a completely new battle screen.

We’ve significantly revamped how the battle system operates behind the scenes to streamline performance and to allow it to scale. Previously, in the old system, battles were conducted one enemy at a time. For each encounter, the system would “simulate” the fight to determine the winner and calculate the rewards. This method, especially when facing multiple stacked enemies, became highly inefficient and a major performance bottleneck as it had to simulate each battle individually.

Now, we’ve shifted to a “bulk” simulation approach. Instead of handling each battle one-by-one, the system simulates the entire sequence at once and calculates the outcome collectively. This not only speeds up the process but also helps in handling multiple enemies more effectively, making the whole system more robust and capable of scaling as needed.

Here’s what it specifically calculates:
– How many enemies you can defeat until one of three battle ending events occur (as I have explained above)
– How much damage is given to the enemy per hit.
– How much damage you take from the enemy per hit.
– How many hits you take to defeat the enemy.
– Your hit chance.
– The enemies hit chance.

All this info is displayed right on your screen, so you can keep an eye on your character’s progress and tweak things as needed. This new method is definitely more scalable, but it’s not without its drawbacks. For instance, unlike the old battle system, you can’t check your current health during a battle to heal up in real-time. Also, you miss out on watching each battle unfold hit by hit through those little toast notifications.

Since we’ve revamped the battle system, we’ve had to tweak how some of the stats work, especially Agility and Dexterity. We’ll detail all the changes in-game once everything is released. It’s a bit too soon to dive into the specifics since we’re still fine-tuning and experimenting with the battle formula. We want to make sure we get it just right before sharing the full details.

We’ve set up the system so that if you end a battle early, it will automatically calculate how many enemies you’ve defeated and give you the appropriate rewards. For example, if you start a battle with 20 enemies and it’s supposed to take 20 minutes, but you cancel after defeating the 15th enemy (around 15 minutes), you’ll still get the EXP and loot for those 15 defeated enemies. Plus, any unused food will be returned to you. You’ll also receive a handy overview of everything in your notifications, so you don’t miss any details.

Closing Remarks

And there you have it – that’s the rundown on our new hunting and battling system. It’s designed to be much more “idle friendly” than previous versions. Just how idle it can be really depending on your character’s stats and how much food you decide to invest in the battle. So, you have some flexibility on how hands-on or hands-off you want to be!

We’re still in the experimental phase with this rework, and we’re very cautious about how they might impact the game’s economy. Because of this, there’s a possibility we might adjust the loot rates and EXP rates for enemies. We don’t want to flood the market with crafting materials nor make it too easy to level up just because it’s easier and quicker to defeat consecutive enemies. I can’t go into specifics yet because we haven’t finalized our review – there’s even a chance that nothing will change. But I wanted to give you a heads-up that these aspects are under consideration, so you might see some adjustments.

Changing Class

Characters will now have the ability to switch classes using a special class changer item, a feature many of you have been asking for. However, to prevent frequent class hopping and maintain game balance, there are a few rules:

1. You can only change your class once every 14 days.
2. Class changing items are not tradable. You can only get them from a vendor using tokens.
3. Characters cannot switch to or from the Forsaken class.

Changing Name

This is another highly requested feature. This will work in a similar way to the class changer with similar restrictions (but Forsaken can also change their name).

Fishing Reviews

Saving the biggest news for the end, right? Well, I wouldn’t want you to finish this blog post without a bit of a shocker, so here comes a grenade for you. We’ve noticed a significant imbalance in gold accumulation when it comes to the fishing skill, particularly at the higher levels involving sharks. To help you see just what we’re talking about, here are some graphs provided by @visiel in our official Discord server which you can check out here: https://discord.com/channels/1118502854957727754/1277666983952908319/1277666983952908319. These should give you a clear picture of the stark differences in earnings in fishing compared to other skills:

It doesn’t take a genius to pinpoint where the imbalance is. We haven’t had the chance to fully review this area yet, as we’ve been focused on the battle rework, so I can’t share exact details about what the changes will involve. But, let me be upfront – you might want to brace yourself. We’re planning adjustments to how gold accumulates for high-value items in fishing.

Balancing is always a touchy subject because it can disrupt gameplay and strategies, particularly for those who’ve invested heavily based on the current system. But, let’s be honest, when one skill significantly outperforms others in terms of profit, that’s the textbook definition of imbalance. This especially true for skills that stand alone versus those that are interdependent (By this, I mean that some skills, like Fishing and Woodcutting, stand alone and don’t rely on other skills, unlike Cooking and Smelting).

From the start, we’ve committed to making decisions that we believe are in the best interest of the game’s health and balance – even if it means making decisions that people ultimately won’t agree with.

That said, just to slightly ease your concerns, I want to clarify that this update may not be an outright nerf. While it’s still too early to dive into specifics, one of our key objectives is to put a greater emphasis on cooked food so make of that that what you will.

Overview

This is just some of the changes we have planned in the upcoming update. There’s a lot more we haven’t disclosed yet so expect some surprises too. Fishing changes aside, which I am sure most of you will be screaming with glee after finding out about it, I’m sure that this update will improve idleMMO and make it more enjoyable to play. Oh, and we also have a new global campaign lined up too. We’ll share more information on that soon.

We don’t have a set timeline for when this update will roll out – it could be as soon as next week or perhaps not until early October. The timing really depends on when we feel everything is polished and ready. Given the scale of these changes, especially since they impact a core system of the game, we’re taking extra care to ensure we get it right.

IdleMMO v0.12.0 – Guilds, Raids, Challenges, Shrines + more

In this post, we’ll provide a sneak peek into the new mechanics that will be introduced in v0.12.0.

It’s important to note that everything discussed here is currently under development and may undergo adjustments prior to the official release. Consider this a small taster of what’s to come. The comprehensive patch notes available upon release will serve as the definitive guide to all the changes.

Guilds

We initially considered incorporating guilds into IdleMMO from the start, but we chose to postpone their implementation. Our decision was rooted in the desire for guilds to have substance and purpose rather than merely existing for the sake of it. We aimed to introduce guilds thoughtfully, ensuring they align with the overall game design philosophy.

Guilds have been designed to ensure a seamless user experience, consistent with the carefully crafted design philosophy of the game, where most interactions occur on a single page.

Guild Creation

To create a guild, a character must pay a significant gold fee. This fee was deliberately set at a high value because establishing and leading a guild demands substantial investment in both time and resources.

After the guild is created, the guild page is presented, showcasing everything from the array of actions available to guild leaders to editing the guild’s appearance, allowing for a unique and personalized touch.

Guild Level

The guild incorporates a leveling system that progresses through participation in diverse guild activities. This leveling mechanism not only mirrors the guild’s activity level, which is vital for ascending the leaderboards, but also unlocks specific perks. As the guild’s level rises, certain capabilities expand. For instance, higher-level guilds can issue more challenges within a 24-hour period compared to lower-level guilds.

Furthermore, the number of available member slots increases as the guild’s level progresses. Initially, guilds are capped at 20 members, but this can expand to a maximum of 25 members based on the guild’s level. We intentionally imposed this relatively small limit to uphold a focused, manageable, and balanced community.

Guild Icons and Backgrounds

To enhance guild individuality, we offer customization options for backgrounds and icons. Guilds can personalize their background by selecting from those purchased by the leader from the market. This allows for cohesive branding across both the guild and profile.

Icons, on the other hand, are distinct entities with their own designated category in the vendor. They can be acquired for a nominal token fee, providing a wide array of options for guild representation.

Changing either the background or icon is a straightforward process. By clicking on the respective edit icon, guilds can seamlessly update their appearance to reflect their character.

Guild Description

The guild description is like the heart of the guild, setting it apart from others. It can tell a story about how the guild was formed or list the requirements for joining. It’s a way for the guild to express its identity and values to potential members.

We’ve designed the guild description to work seamlessly with Markdown, offering even more flexibility for creativity to each guild.

Guild Raids

Guild members can participate in raids to earn experience and rewards. Raids are collaborative events organized by the guild leader and prearranged by high-ranking members. Members can join a lobby before the raid starts, and once the scheduled timer runs out, the raid begins automatically.

Guilds have access to a variety of raids, each designed to scale in time. Higher-tier raids require more time to complete but offer greater rewards in terms of experience per participant and experience gained per second. This means that although they demand more time, they provide richer rewards for both the guild and its members.

The guild’s experience gain hinges on the number of participants in the raid. More participants yeilds more experience points for the guild.

Users scheduling a guild raid can select a specific start time for the event. This feature is particularly valuable for coordinating with members across different time zones, ensuring everyone can participate at a convenient time.

Individual participants earn experience by successfully completing guild raids, receiving both Combat Experience and Guild Mastery Experience.

Participants forfeit rewards if they leave a raid prematurely, resulting in reduced rewards for the guild as well.

Guild Challenges

Challenges serve as a way for the guild to accumulate experience quickly. Members holding specific ranks within the guild have the authority to generate challenges, each lasting for a duration of 24 hours.

These challenges foster collaboration within the guild, encouraging members to work collectively towards shared objectives, such as acquiring specific tems and subsequently contributing them to the challenge.

Upon successful completion, the guild earns experience points. Notably, participants are rewarded with an additional 2 experience points for every item contributed towards the challenge, irrespective of whether the challenge is completed or not.

As the guild levels up, more challenges can be generated. If a challenge is deemed to be too difficult, higher ranking members of the guild can refresh a specific task.

Guild Mastery

Guild mastery is a persistent game level that remains with the character even if they leave a guild. It serves as a testament to a player’s dedication to supporting the guilds they join. Although initially, there may not be significant benefits to increasing the guild mastery level at release, we have confirmed plans to expand its functionality. This includes enhancing the rewards obtained from performing raids, providing further incentives for players to increase their guild mastery level.

Guild Ranks

In the guild hierarchy, there are three ranks—Soldier, Officer, and Leader—each with distinct permissions. The Leader holds the highest authority and there can only be one Leader at a time. Soldiers are regular guild members with no extra permissions. Officers have additional privileges, such as generating tasks and accepting player invitations.

As the guilds feature in IdleMMO expands, the ranks will also grow in complexity. We’ve intentionally designed the system to be highly dynamic, allowing us to seamlessly add, modify, or remove ranks in the future as needed.

Guild Marks

Marks serve as currency earned through guild challenges, granting access to various guild mechanics such as refreshing challenges and participating in raids.

Currently, the primary method to acquire marks is by completing challenges.

By utilizing in-game marks as a form of currency earned through standard gameplay activities, we ensure seamless integration of future guild mechanics, fostering a cohesive system.

Shrine of the Old Gods

The Shrine of the Old Gods is a game mechanic where the community collaborates to achieve a common goal, earning game-wide boosts for everyone’s benefit. If you’ve played our other game, SimpleMMO, you might recognize a similar mechanic called the “Orphanage.”

However, shrines operate slightly differently. To donate to a shrine, characters must first be near one. Fortunately, shrines are located in almost every location (though not all), and they can be easily accessed by pressing the “Nearby” button.

The shrine features multiple tiers, with each tier offering a boost to every character in the game. Once a tier is reached, the boosts becomes active and all progress goes towards the next tier. We’ve intentionally designed the system to allow tiers to activate gradually throughout the day, based on when the goal was reached, or all at once, providing a larger combined boost.

Updated Wiki

While still a work in progress, the wiki has undergone a slight revamp, featuring more comprehensive information about various game mechanics along with overall design and structural enhancements. While I won’t delve into specifics, here’s an example of the changes made:

Additional Changes

Version 0.12.0 marks our largest update yet, packed with numerous additional changes to the game including many changes that improve its quality of life. For instance, we’re introducing key binds that enable web users to swiftly and seamlessly switch between characters without relying on their mouse.

A comprehensive list of these minor changes will be included in the patch notes upon the release of v0.12.

Release Date

We don’t have a set release date for this update yet. We’ll release it when we feel it’s ready, whether that’s tomorrow, Thursday, or even next week. However, we’re confident that we’re very close to release; we just want to ensure everything works correctly and that the underlying code is extremely robust before making it public. As always, stay tuned to our Discord server for notifications when this update drops.

Navigating the Pay-to-Win Debate: Insights from IdleMMO

Since the public release of IdleMMO two weeks ago, I’ve frequently addressed questions about its monetisation strategy. Recognising that not everyone is aware of our previous discussions, I believe it’s important to clearly articulate the rationale, process, and broader context of IdleMMO’s monetisation approach. This will also help you in assessing whether the game can be considered pay-to-win.

Before delving into the details, I want to clarify that this post is not an attempt to defend or justify any imbalances in the game, nor is it aimed at swaying opinions in our favour. Instead, my goal is to provide a fair, balanced, and unbiased analysis of what I refer to as ‘the pay-to-win conundrum’ and to give you a clear understanding of the reasoning behind the monetization strategy we’ve chosen for IdleMMO.

Context

Before we begin, it’s important to understand IdleMMO’s monetization strategy, which consists of two main components: memberships and tokens.

IdleMMO offers an optional membership subscription for a small monthly fee. Ehen we say optional, we don’t mean it’s just technically optional but recommended if you want to progress. It’s completely optional. The overall benefits that the membership subscription provide are negligible at best when it comes to actual progression. We haven’t gated any content or given significant advantages to subscribed players, and we don’t plan to.

Our goal is to strike the perfect balance with our membership, making it worth the cost without creating disparity between free and paid users. We’ll dive into the specifics of what the membership includes later in this blog post.

Tokens are the other form of monetization in IdleMMO. They can only be used for two things: slot expansions (like buying an extra inventory slot) and cosmetic skins. That’s it. We’ve purposely designed tokens to be completely optional, just like the membership. You can totally play the game with the default number of slots. The expansions are there to provide a small improvement in reducing the inconvenience of managing your inventory, but they’re not necessary.

We want to be clear: tokens will never be used to purchase boosts, lootboxes, pets, premium items, or anything else. They’re strictly limited to cosmetics and slot expansions.

Defining Pay-to-Win

Before we continue on, I think it’s important to define ‘pay-to-win,’ a concept we have given considerable thought. The Cambridge dictionary defines it as:

in computer games, involving or relating to the practice of paying to get weapons, abilities, etc. that give you an advantage over players who do not spend money

Cambridge.org

While accurate, this definition is broad and overlooks the nuances of gaming contexts. For instance, a two-tiered subscription model like ‘Old School RuneScape,’ with both free and paid tiers, could be labelled ‘pay-to-win’ under this definition. Yet, this overlooks its relatively balanced monetisation, especially when contrasted with the more aggressive pay-to-win models prevalent in mobile gaming. It’s important to note that I’m not categorising ‘Old School RuneScape’ as definitively pay-to-win or not, as I haven’t played it extensively enough to make that call. However, this example illustrates that the term ‘pay-to-win,’ while technically applicable to RuneScape due to its membership advantages, doesn’t quite capture the full picture of its monetisation approach, particularly in the broader context of the gaming industry.

The core challenge with the ‘pay-to-win’ concept is its inherent subjectivity; it defies a one-size-fits-all definition. In a recent survey we conducted to gauge perceptions of the ‘pay-to-win’ model, participants’ definitions of the term varied widely. Some argued that if a game has little or no definitive ‘winning’ outcome, it cannot be considered pay-to-win. In contrast, others adhered more closely to the strict definition, suggesting that any game offering microtransactions for non-cosmetic items qualifies as pay-to-win. This diversity in viewpoints underscores the difficulty in pinning down a universal definition for pay-to-win. The term’s breadth implies that, in theory, most games could fall under the pay-to-win umbrella, rendering the phrase nearly meaningless.

Taking ‘Old School RuneScape’ as our case study, the debate around its use of bonds illustrates the complexity of the ‘pay-to-win’ concept. A simple Google search reveals divided opinions: some argue that purchasing gold with real money creates an inherent imbalance. Yet, if we consider the bigger picture, buying gold doesn’t guarantee rapid character progression—significant time investment is still a prerequisite for any substantial advancement. This survey highlighted a significant distinction: the concept of ‘pay-to-progress-faster.’ While it’s related to ‘pay-to-win,’ it represents a separate idea within the same general framework. It’s evident that players who invest both time and money will progress faster than those who spend the same amount of time but no money. Whether this is fair or detrimental is subjective and depends on the context—does the progress of others truly impact your own? I remain undecided on this matter, as I understand the validity of both perspectives.

My intent in this blog post is not to covertly sway you towards a particular viewpoint on the ‘pay-to-win’ debate. Instead, I aim to highlight the complexities associated with the casual use of the term. A deeper examination might lead to the recognition that labelling a game as ‘pay-to-win’ is a subjective judgment that can obscure the merits of a game’s monetization strategy, which may in fact be quite fair and thoughtfully designed. This is compounded by the vast spectrum of individual opinions on a matter as subjective as this.

Considering the broader context

I’ve previously mentioned the importance of considering the broader context when evaluating monetization strategies. This is a pivotal reason why many do not regard ‘Runescape’ as a ‘pay-to-win’ game, despite the option to purchase gold directly. It’s within this context that ‘IdleMMO’ enters the discussion.

Monetisation Models

While developing IdleMMO, we evaluated various monetisation models, from energy systems to a cosmetics-only approach. Initially, during the very early stages of our closed beta test, we adopted a membership model similar to ‘Old-School Runescape’, restricting certain game areas to members. Yet, we soon recognised that this approach inadvertently marginalised our free players, who are essential to the game’s success. In fact, for an independent studio like ours, free players are just as crucial as paying ones.

Recognising that ‘Runescape’ may not face this challenge due to its established popularity, we shifted our strategy. We introduced a subscription model that offers slight in-game boosts and cosmetic enhancements while granting full access to free players. This change was meticulously considered and aligns with our commitment—outlined in our past development blog posts—to develop a fair and sustainable monetisation system that respects both free and paying players. Adjusting our membership benefits was a key step in honouring that commitment.

We’re still carefully monitoring the membership benefits in IdleMMO, specifically the modest increase to experience and skill efficiency. However, we’ve deliberately tuned these perks to be subtle to avoid a significant divide between paying and non-paying players. Our goal is to strike a delicate balance: we don’t want to devalue the subscription to the point where it’s not worth the investment, nor do we want to enhance it so much that it creates the disparity we sought to avoid by moving away from a ‘Runescape’-like model. Feedback from our survey indicates that most players are indifferent to these minor boosts, viewing them as ‘the lesser of all evils’ in game monetisation.

Pay-to-Win Claims

Despite our meticulous efforts to ensure balance in IdleMMO, we’ve encountered claims that the game is ‘pay-to-win.’ This could possibly stem from an oversight of the broader context or a lack of consideration for any alternative models (which I’ll address shortly). To be clear, as stated at the outset, this blog post is not intended to influence your stance in our favour. The main goal is to give you a full understanding of how our monetization strategy works in the game while considering other monetization models. That way, you can make an informed decision about whether IdleMMO—or any other game—is “pay-to-win”.

In the case of IdleMMO, the ‘pay-to-win’ concerns don’t stem from the subscription or token model itself, which has seen minimal criticism. Rather, they centre on the feature that allows players to sell membership subscriptions to other players for in-game gold. I completely acknowledge the logic behind these concerns: the capability to effectively ‘purchase’ gold with real money naturally raises balance considerations. Yet, it’s equally vital to consider the role and value of gold within the game’s economy to fully grasp the implications of this feature.

In designing IdleMMO, we’ve emphasised active participation by rewarding players who consistently engage with the game over those who log in sporadically. That’s why we’ve capped the maximum idle time to just under 3 hours, rejecting the 24-hour ‘set and forget’ model used by other idle games. It’s essential to recognise that gold alone doesn’t equate to rapid progression; dedicated time and effort are paramount. In essence, irrespective of the gold accumulated, it pales in comparison to the benefits gained from actively resetting skills every 2 hours. Time is king in IdleMMO. This principle mirrors the general sentiment regarding ‘Runescape’ bonds—they’re not seen as pay-to-win because, despite the gold they provide, time investment is crucial for real advancement.

However… what happens if a player has both?… In gaming, when players invest both time and money, it inevitably introduces some level of imbalance. The critical question is whether this imbalance actually matters. The term ‘pay-to-win’ often surfaces in this context, suggesting that monetary investment leads to an unfair advantage. While some argue that without a defined ‘winning’ state there’s no issue, I personally remain sceptical. In my personal opinion, a game might still foster a ‘pay-to-win’ environment even if winning isn’t clearly defined.

In determining if a game is “pay-to-win”, a key consideration is whether another player’s accelerated progress due to financial investment impacts your own gaming experience. This can be subtle, as advantages gained through paid mechanisms might indirectly influence your gameplay, something you may not notice until it’s too late. To help get to the bottom of this, a good question to ask yourself is, ‘Does a system that allows others to advance more quickly affect or diminish my own personal progress in the game?’

The subjective nature of gaming means the answer varies. For competitive players focused on leaderboards, the answer may be a definitive ‘yes,’ whereas, for others less concerned with rankings, the impact may be negligible. If the former is true and it does impact your own gameplay, then you may start to ponder over alternative monteization apporaches. This brings us nicely into our next section…

Alternative Monetisation Models

When you take a step back and look at a game’s monetization model from all angles, trying to find a better way, you might realize that there isn’t a perfect solution. We’ve been very clear about our goal: to create a game that’s both sustainable and balanced. Choosing a monetization strategy is a complex and nuanced process, and unfortunately, it’s not as simple as some people might think.

Games, especially live-service games, need a steady stream of income to keep development going. But finding a way to generate that income without compromising the integrity of the game is a huge challenge. There’s no easy answer, and it requires careful consideration of all the factors involved.

For IdleMMO, we’ve looked at a lot of different monetization options, but they either won’t work for our game or would make the membership so unappealing that no one would bother buying it.

Let’s take a closer look at some of the alternative models we considered.

One-time purchase

Adopting a one-time purchase model for IdleMMO isn’t feasible from a financial standpoint. The extensive costs associated with maintaining an online-only game make this approach impractical, as it would shift our business focus from maintaining a loyal player base to constantly seeking new players to sustain the game.

It’s important to acknowledge that while this model works for some games (such as Melvor Idle), it doesn’t align with our operational realities. IdleMMO relies on a server-based technology stack, meaning the game’s processes, with the exception of the user interface, are not handled on the user’s device. This server reliance increases our operational costs substantially.

In summary, the server-dependent design of IdleMMO and the associated ongoing costs, such as administration, salaries, and maintenance, render a one-time purchase model unsustainable for us.

Relying entirely on cosmetics

An exclusive reliance on cosmetic sales for revenue is fraught with challenges. Firstly, not all players are inclined to spend real money on in-game cosmetics; this is a sentiment I share and notice widely among players. While some major games thrive on cosmetic sales due to their massive player bases, the math doesn’t work as well for smaller games. For instance, a blockbuster game with 20 million MAU (monthly active users) could generate $400,000 from a single $20 skin if just 0.1% of its players purchase it. In contrast, a smaller yet popular game with 10,000 MAU players would make a mere $200 from the same percentage of purchases, which is insufficient to sustain the game’s financial needs even short-term.

Additionally, there’s the cost of employing artists dedicated to creating these cosmetics, which further eats into potential profits. Plus, the administrative efforts to manage these processes are significant. The viability of cosmetic-based monetisation scales with the size of the game’s active user base and requires careful balancing to ensure sustainability.

Hybrid between one-time costs and cosmetics

Many games use a hybrid model where players pay a one-time fee to access the game, but then offer cosmetics or other bonuses for purchase in-game. This seems to be an increasingly popular approach, especially for AAA games that don’t have an online component. The problem with this model is that it still doesn’t generate enough revenue to be financially sustainable for most games.

The truth is, the games that can make this approach work usually have a massive audience, which allows them to get away with it. As an independent, bootstrapped company, if we added a one-time purchase fee to IdleMMO (especially since it’s predominantly a mobile game), there’s a very high chance the game would be dead on arrival and we wouldn’t be able to raise enough capitcal to continue development.

Advertisements

I personally hate advertisements in games. They only really make money when they’re incredibly intrusive and forceful. Think about how many times you’ve played a free game where there’s a constant ad at the bottom of the screen, or you’re forced to watch an ad every time you finish a level. It’s frustrating and takes away from the enjoyment of the game.

While ads might work as a way to get some extra income if they’re completely optional (meaning the player has to go out of their way to watch them), they simply don’t generate enough revenue without constantly bombarding the user, which severely diminishes the game’s quality and overall experience.

Disabling tradable memberships

For IdleMMO specficially, the issue at hand can be distilled to a single core problem: selling membership items for in-game currency allows players to effectively purchase gold with real money. While the fix might seem straightforward – simply prohibit the trade of membership items for in-game gold – this approach is flawed and could exacerbate the issue.

Our aim is to establish a system that is financially sound for us and fair for all players. Removing the option to buy memberships on the market could disenfranchise a significant portion of the player base who rely on in-game gold to purchase their subscriptions, ensuring the game remains accessible regardless of real-world financial status. As of the time of this post, over 58% of our players have obtained their subscription this way, without spending real money.

The dilemma presents us with two paths:

  • Ban the market sale of memberships, which could widen the gap between free and paying players, as only those with the financial means could afford membership.
  • Maintain the market sale of memberships, allowing players to use in-game gold for purchase. This runs the risk of a minority accumulating substantial gold wealth.

To me, the choice is clear. Restricting membership to those who can pay with real money, just to prevent a few from amassing in-game wealth, seems unjust and inconsiderate.

Placing a cap on subscription sales per individual

While I’m not an expert in economics, placing a limit on the number of subscriptions each person can sell might not be effective, and could potentially do more harm than good. Market prices are driven by demand—basic supply and demand principles. Making memberships scarcer could significantly boost their demand, allowing sellers to command even higher prices and earn more in-game gold, thereby exacerbating the issue at hand.

Setting a maximum listing price for memberships

Implementing a cap on the listing price of memberships is not a practical solution. Given the market’s volatility, especially in the early stages of the game’s life and before it stabilises, setting a fair price that balances profit for the seller and minimises inherent disparities is nearly impossible. Additionally, imposing such a restriction could significantly deter players from selling memberships.

Conclusion

In the end, as we’ve explained in this post, we’ve put a lot of thought into how we’ve monetized IdleMMO. Our goal is to create a game that’s fair for everyone, and the approach we’ve outlined seems to be the closest we can get to that ideal without compromising the integrity of the game itself.

So, the million-dollar question is: Is IdleMMO “pay-to-win”? At the end of the day, that’s for you to decide based on your own perspective and values. The aim of this blog post is to equip you with a deeper understanding to inform your judgement on whether IdleMMO, or any game, fits the “pay-to-win” category, by examining the nuances of the term within the game’s specific context. On top of that, this post has a practical purpose: it gives us a reference we can point to whenever someone claims that IdleMMO is “pay-to-win”. This way, we don’t have to keep repeating the same explanations over and over again.

Whether you believe IdleMMO is “pay-to-win” is entirely your prerogative, and I respect that perspective. My intention of this post is to clarify that the “pay-to-win” label is highly subjective and can differ greatly among individuals; simply using the term doesn’t capture the complexity of the issue.

Last Updated: 15th May 2024

IdleMMO is now available to everyone!

We are extremely pleased to announce the opening of the IdleMMO public beta!

We will be slowly phasing out the announcement to help stagger the number of active players and reduce the strain on the servers. This may take between 1 and 3 days (with pre-registration emails being the last due to the substantially higher amount of users who have pre-registered compared).

You can play now at https://web.idle-mmo.com on your desktop or mobile device.

As of right now, the game is only playable on the Web App only. The mobile applications are expected to launch in January or February. This approach ensures that we don’t hasten the development of each game version, but instead allow them to evolve steadily, in line with our core belief of releasing well-polished products instead of unfinished ones. Despite this, the game can be fully accessed and played on mobile devices through the Web App.

You can find out more about our future plans by reading our roadmap here: https://trello.com/b/CxIn7i5B/idlemmo-public-roadmap

You can also read more about the game via our official wiki here:
https://web.idle-mmo.com/wiki

We hope you enjoy IdleMMO! You can let us know your thoughts by joining our Discord server: https://discord.gg/nDGbr7AKkk

Another update on SimpleMMO

A few months back, we gave an update on SimpleMMO, outlining the game’s current state and our commitment to resolving existing issues before introducing new mechanics. Our plan remains unchanged, but we’ve slightly revised the timeline. It is taking longer than we expected to get back on track.

When we initially published the post (available here), our timeline was based on the expectation that our new game IdleMMO would launch in summer. This release would enable us to redirect more resources to SimpleMMO at the start of autumn (or fall, for our American audience).

However, the situation evolved unexpectedly. Due to a significant surge in interest for IdleMMO, we decided to postpone its release to the end of the year. This delay allows us additional time to further polish the game. This decision was carefully considered and you can read about our rationale here. As a result, we haven’t yet been able to fully move over development resources back to SimpleMMO. However, this doesn’t mean we haven’t been developing both games concurrently – we definitely have. Our recent updates have mostly been behind-the-scenes, resulting in no notable changes in the update log. However, as IdleMMO’s release nears, with a target of mid-December, we are increasingly focusing on ensuring a smooth launch.

So, let’s just clarify one thing by being extremely clear: SimpleMMO’s development will slowly return back to normal once all IdleMMO‘s apps have been published. In fact, recently, I’ve been itching to move back over to SimpleMMO for an extremely welcome change of pace. However, right now, this isn’t possible due to IdleMMO’s imminent release.

Why is there no update log of everything that happens behind-the-scenes?

I’ve noticed this question raised multiple times before, and simply put, there’s no need for such detailed technical updates. They would likely create more confusion than clarity. For instance, if we mentioned migrating our caching driver from file-based storage to a Redis key-value database, or applying middleware to update the client’s connecting IP to the one that connects to Cloudflare’s edge, it would prompt questions like “What does this mean? What is Redis?” Providing such intricate technical details serves no practical purpose and would only consume valuable time.

Future Expectations for SimpleMMO

I touched on this in my last post, but to recap, many upcoming updates will significantly enhance existing systems. Additionally, the mobile UI will undergo a substantial overhaul to incorporate a more modern design pattern—we already have a working prototype of this.

Until then, you have the winter holidays event to look forward to which will start on Friday December 15th.

If you haven’t already pre-registered for our upcoming game IdleMMO, you can pre-register here. You can also join our Discord for a chance to participate in our closed beta testing.

Feel free to let us know any questions you have in the comment box below.

IdleMMO – UX, Combat, Market, Mobile Web App, and more.

The third phase of the beta proved highly successful. We addressed numerous bugs and collected valuable feedback on several mechanics. This will allow us to refine and entirely revamp certain aspects.

After each phase, we distribute a feedback form to our players. This enables us to collect their insights on the beta and compare responses across phases, ensuring we’re on the right track.

I’ve touched on the feedback questionnaire before, so I won’t dive back into it. What stood out was that players felt the game ran smoother and noticed improvements in several mechanics. But there’s still that nagging issue with the battle system. We’ll get to that soon.

So, without further ado, let’s just dive right in and see what has changed.

Combat Level

The combat levelling system turned out to be a bigger headache than we’d anticipated. The character’s combat level was calculated from the average of four attributes: strength, defence, speed, and dexterity. On paper, it sounds uncomplicated, but in actual gameplay? It felt tedious. Players essentially had to boost those four attributes just to nudge your combat level up a bit. It’s no surprise that many felt this made progression extremely tedious.

We’ve revamped the combat level system to align more with traditional MMO/RPG mechanics. Now, it has its own dedicated experience bar which you level up by engaging in battles, taking on world bosses, and embarking on dungeon expeditions.

However, we didn’t do away with levelling individual attributes. Now, these stats are enhanced through skills. For instance, Woodcutting rewards the character with a bit of strength EXP for each log, while Smithing boosts speed EXP, and so on.

This also addresses a related problem: being restricted to levelling up specific attributes based on the class. Prior to the upcoming phase 4 update, classes were distinguished by how EXP was allocated across attributes post-battle. For instance, a warrior would gain more strength EXP than a shadowblade. This posed a real challenge in terms of balance, especially since attributes influencing damage output naturally had an edge over those emphasising speed.

Beyond phase 4, we will be rolling out specialised skills solely for attribute levelling. This will offer players greater EXP rewards compared to the general skills. As an example, we’re considering an ‘Agility Course’ skill where characters can idle for up to 2 hours, exclusively earning speed experience.

We’ve implemented this change to make the levelling system more gratifying and rewarding. Moreover, it empowers players with greater flexibility in their gameplay, rather than confining them to the constraints of their chosen class.

As for the class system, we are still working on it it to ensure that each class offers unique utility and remains distinct yet balanced. We aim to prevent any single class from becoming disproportionately dominant. Therefore, during phase 4, the classes will have minimal differences as we continue to work on this mechanic.

UX

One of our top priorities is delivering a seamless and satisfying user experience. Lately, we’ve devoted countless development hours to fine-tuning in-game mechanics, ensuring that everything feels intuitive and rewarding, rather than like you’re wrestling with a bear.

One of the most significant updates is the game’s interaction with the UI. We’ve introduced a dynamic module that adjusts elements on the user’s page based on their actions. For instance, when a player lists an item on the market, their inventory updates automatically, eliminating the need for a page to refresh. This enhancement reduces friction between the game and the player, as it minimises full-page loads for most actions.

Market

The market had the most significant changes in terms of UX. We dedicated countless days solely to refining it.

The market page now displays a filter on the right-hand side of the page. This filter allows the user to search through all the various market listings so they don’t need to perform any full page loads. The process of filtering through the market happens synchronously as the player types.

We’ve got rid of the usual paginated navigation (with next page/previous page buttons) and replaced it with an infinite scroll system. Now, the user can now simply just keep scrolling down the list until they find a listing that they are looking for.

Once the user has found the item they are looking for, they can go ahead and purchase it. The UI will automatically register this purchase and subsequently update any elements related to the purchase. Again, this removes the need of another full-page reload and thus further reduces friction between the user and the game.

Mobile Web App

The 4th phase of the beta will be accessible through mobile browsers, allowing you to play on the move. However, I’ll be upfront: this feature wasn’t high on our priority list. As a result, the mobile browser experience might leave something to be desired. For the optimal experience, our native iOS and Android apps will be the way to go.

Battle

A recurring feedback from our beta testers centres on the battling system. We’ve heard your concerns: the system often feels unrewarding, monotonous, and demands excessive interaction. We completely understand with these sentiment, that’s why we have made necessary adjustments.

We received various feedback on how to improve the battling system and a lot of them simply revolved around either making the mechanic completely idle or by splitting off the system so that there are two types of battles: idle battles and active battles.

We recognized that many of these challenges could be tackled using existing mechanics, aligning with our core vision for the battling system.

Current issues with the battling system

We have two types of battles: enemies (which you need to manually hunt and defeat), and dungeons.

Enemies were overwhelmingly powerful and lacked balance in every respect. Most were virtually unbeatable unless players monitored their screens non-stop, healing after every hit. It essentially deviated from the very essence what we are trying to achieve.

Furthermore, the time it took to hunt down an enemy, especially entry-level ones, was excessively lengthy. For instance, hunting the first available enemy (a rabbit) took a whopping 40 seconds before the battle even commenced.

Dungeons were virtually out of reach for nearly all beta testers, save for a very select few. We recognized that dungeons encapsulated exactly what players wanted – an idle battle experience. Yet, the steep level requirements meant hardly anyone had the chance to engage with them.

How we have addressed those issues

Firstly, we’ve notably toned down the strength of these enemies. Now, a reasonably equipped character can tackle multiple enemy rounds without being glued to their screen for potential healing. Moreover, with the reduced enemy stats, battles should conclude more swiftly.

We’ve also greatly shortened the hunting duration for enemies. For instance, a rabbit, which once took 40 seconds to hunt, now only requires 8 seconds. This substantial time cut aims to alleviate the tedium and friction players felt during the hunting process.

As for dungeons, we’re rolling out four new ones designed for characters ranging from levels 3 to 60, with the entry-level dungeon opening up at combat level 3. By making them more accessible, players now have the choice to engage in combat through the traditional idling system or to actively hunt. Our goal is to offer both options, each with its unique advantages and considerations.

Public Release

We’re undeniably nearing our launch date, but there’s still much to accomplish. Our goal is to ensure everything is polished and perfect before we go live. After all, making major alterations to mechanics post-launch would not only be undesirable but also time-consuming.

With that in mind, here’s the revised likelihood of the game’s imminent release:

Before November 1st: 20%
Before 2024: 95%

As we draw closer to November 1st, the goal seems increasingly elusive. While I haven’t entirely dismissed the possibility – especially given our significant development progress in recent weeks – our priority remains to be on the game’s stability and polish. We’re committed to delivering a quality experience rather than hastily pushing it out just to meet an essentially arbitrary deadline.

That said, we are still completely on track on developing it before 2024. In fact, my personal goal is to release it by the winter holidays because:

  • In my opinion, winter holiday events are the pinnacle of seasonal in-game events and I don’t want to wait until December 2025 for us to have our first one. The thought of that depresses me.
  • I have an extended break over the winter holidays and the very last thing I want is for this game to be mulling over my mind during this period. If it’s not released by then, I will constantly be thinking about it.

Guilds

In our previous blog post, we hinted at having guilds ready for launch. However, we’ve decided to let it simmer a tad longer in the oven. As a result, guilds won’t be available on launch day.

Phase 4 Availability

The 4th phase of the closed beta will be available within the next week or two and we will be inviting more players to join us. We plan to run our first seasonal campaign (event) during the 4th phase for Halloween. If you are interested, you can join us in our Discord channel for a chance to participate in our closed beta!

Closing remarks

As we inch closer to the game’s release, our focus is shifting from introducing new features to enhancing the overall gameplay experience. The updates in phase 4 stand as proof of this direction. While, on the surface, there might not seem like a ton of new flashiness to rave about, this update is, by far, our most extensive. That’s thanks to the countless tweaks and improvements we’ve implemented both behind the scenes and in the user experience.

As with all of these pre-launch blog posts, everything is subject to change. Nothing is final.

Let us know your thoughts in the comments box below!

If you haven’t already, remember to pre-register over at https://www.idle-mmo.com.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Threads!

An update on IdleMMO – Beta testing, feedback review, and a deep dive on what has changed

Summer has came to an end and the release of IdleMMO is still out of sight despite our claims that it would be released this summer.

In an ideal world, that would’ve been true. However, our plans slightly changed after we announced the game. We have received an incredible amount of interest in the game – way higher than we originally anticipated. We’ve garnered over 2,100 pre-registrations and attracted over 1,200 members to our Discord channel. Remarkably, this growth is entirely organic, stemming from word-of-mouth referrals. We’ve invested no marketing efforts into the game, aside from a few occasional blog posts.

Originally, our plan was to launch a polished, albeit minimalistic game and expand on it over time. However, given the unexpected surge in anticipation, we’ve chosen to delay the release to further refine key mechanics. We now aim to have pet battling and the guild framework in place at launch. More importantly, we are committed to ensuring balance and stability, learning from past oversights in our previous games.

We cannot provide a definitive release date at this time, and it’s possible we may never announce one in advance. As previously shared in our blog, we’re inclined to ‘shadow drop’ the game once we believe it’s ready. This could happen without prior notice. Setting a fixed release date would place unnecessary stress on us and could inadvertently shift our focus from the primary goal: creating the best game possible.

That said, in an effort to still ensure we remain on a timeline (despite us being incredibly flexible), here are the chances that the game will be released publicly within the next few months:

Before October 1st: 0%
Before November 1st: 60%
Before 2024: 95%

We’re aiming to launch the game ahead of the Halloween season, aligning perfectly with our desire to introduce its first seasonal campaign (i.e event). This timing would be ideal.

However, that said, I want to make it clear that we will not hesitate to delay the game even further if we feel like it is not ready.

From now until the official release, we’ll be conducting several closed beta tests, available to our Discord members. While our initial plan was for three phases, we’ve decided not to set a limit on the number of beta tests. Instead, we’ll conduct as many as needed to ensure a smooth release.

To participate in our beta test, join our Discord server and select the “Beta Entry” role. When the closed beta is live, individuals from this role will be randomly selected for an invitation.

Phase 1 and Phase 2 beta tests

Over the past few months, select members from our Discord community were invited to join the first two phases of our beta test. While the first phase closely resembled an alpha test, we simplified terminology and called it the initial phase of the beta. Consequently, we reset all progress as we transitioned to phase two.

Overall, the feedback was very positive. Although it’s still early days, we’re pleased with the game’s performance.

After each beta phase, we asked participants to share their insights through a brief form. We’ll delve deeper into the changes prompted by this feedback later in the post, but first, here’s some data:

Feedback Data

The total amount of responses we got from the form was 42. Not every participant completed every question hence some discrepancies.

Question 1: On a scale of 1 to 5, how much did you enjoy playing IdleMMO?

27.3% said 5
57.6% said 4
12.1% said 3
3% said 2

Thoughts: We are cautiously optimistic with these results. Having the majority of the votes rate it a 4 is a huge boost to us. That said, we recognise that some players might still be in their initial “honeymoon” phase, so we’re approaching these responses with caution.


Question 2: On a scale of 1 to 5, how smooth was your experience?

39.4% said 5
24.2% said 4
36.4% said 3

Thoughts: We are extremely happy with this. This is the very first iteration of the game at its earliest phase and we are already at a point of feeling like the game is stable.

Question 3: Do you see yourself playing IdleMMO after it has been publicly released?

93.9% said yes.
6.1% said maybe.

Thoughts: What a relief! I had genuine concerns that players might engage with the beta but then decide not to come back.

Question 4: What are your thoughts on our approach to an idle game with a short expiry limit for an action?

The general consensus was that the participants were happy with the approach due to it feeling “different” than other idle games as it feels more like a game rather than a daily task.

Here are some highlighted responses:

I like it because it’s unique [compared to] other idle games, which makes it more fun to play. I feel like this feature is unique [compared to] other idle games.

I enjoy the different approach in having to check in more frequently.

I like it a lot, the hunts a little too active/too many clicks. I wonder how this will effect the longevity/endgame since the progression is a bit quicker.

I’d personally like to see a longer idle time. It would accommodate folks with busier schedules (work, school, and whatever else comes up). It would allow them to not miss much on gains, etc. I’m all for a longer idle time, [perhaps] 5-8 hours.

I like it. [What’s the] point of an idle game that you login [to] every 24 hours or so? I like the activity aspect, even if it’s an idle game.

I would prefer if it was longer. I mean, there is not much difference between clicking once every 2 hours [and] every 12/24 hours. Most people play idle games because they can relax [with] it, but also play actively when they have the time.

This was one of the reasons I stopped playing the beta. The limit needs to be raised substantially.

Thoughts: We recognize that our approach may not resonate with everyone, especially those with tight schedules. Yet, we aimed to bring a fresh perspective to the “idle” game genre. We saw little value in creating another title mirroring the countless ones already available. As highlighted in our previous blog post:

During our initial research, we discovered that many idle games allowed players to remain idle for extended periods of time, sometimes up to 24 hours or even longer, without requiring any interaction. However, we found ourselves disenchanted with the “set it and forget it for 24 hours” gameplay as it diminished the sense of active engagement and turned the experience into a mundane daily task rather than an enjoyable game. In developing IdleMMO, our aim was to incorporate idle mechanics that enable significant character progression in less time compared to typical idle games, but with the requirement of at least some level of player interaction.

Question 5 to 8: We polled players on various aspects of the game, including their favourite and least favourite features. The responses concerning favourites were diverse, a fact we found both surprising and heartening. On the other hand, the hunting and battling system was almost universally singled out as the least favourite features. We fully grasped the reasons behind this sentiment and implemented changes to enhance it. We’ll delve deeper into those adjustments soon.

Changes

As a result of both the feedback and the slight change in our plans, the game has shifted slightly towards providing a more rounded gameplay with deeper features and mechanics. Let’s just dive right in!

Battling System

Originally, players had to first hunt an enemy, then manually initiate and actively watch the battle to finally collect rewards. This process was cumbersome, unengaging, and contradicted the core idea of an idle game. Both we and the players found it unsatisfactory, signalling a clear need for change.

We’ve divided battles into two categories: hunting and dungeons. While we intended hunting to be a more “active” aspect, requiring player engagement for progression, dungeons were designed to be the true “idle” feature, letting players progress through a dungeon over extended periods. However, we realize we made the hunting aspect overly “active”, turning what should have been a fluid experience into a cumbersome one.

We’ve revamped the system to make the transition between hunting and battling much smoother. We implemented two key changes to this system:
– You don’t need to wait for the enemy to be hunted before initiating a battle anymore. Battles will now start automatically, even when you’re offline.
– You don’t need to watch battles unfold anymore. The hunting and battle mechanism operates like typical idle mechanics, where you don’t need to actively play for events to transpire. However, there’s a twist: your health decreases gradually as the battle continues.

Let me demonstrate how this works.

First you select which enemy you want to battle. This can be any enemy within your level.

Before you battle an enemy, you must hunt it. Once the hunt is initiated, a countdown will appear until the enemy can be fought. The hunting time is dependent on your movement speed and your movement speed can be increased with mountable pets.

Immediately after the hunt has finished, the battle has begun. Over the next 40 seconds, your character will continue to battle the enemy until it has been defeated.

During this time, you will slowly lose health as the battle progresses. It’s important to keep an eye on your health and refill it with food when necessary. You are able to refill your health mid-fight.

Once the battle has finished, you will automatically get the rewards. From the point of hunting the enemy to defeating it requires absolutely no action on your behalf. It is all done for you. However, you must manually hunt another enemy if you wish to do it again (thus fulfilling our wishes of making the battle mechanic more” active” than dungeons).

Membership

During the first phases of the beta, the benefits were strong. We were fully aware of it as it was our intention. It was also immediately noticed by the community. I’ve always attached myself to the idea that its better to release something initially that is slightly too powerful/beneficial and dial it down than vice versa.

Given that the membership subscription is our primary revenue source (enabling us to eliminate gacha systems, energy systems, and the like), launching a lacklustre membership would be extremely detrimental. This is why we initially offered it with strong benefits and, after collecting sufficient data, made calibrated adjustments that balanced it.

Initially, in our original scope, our intention was to provide a subscription system akin to Runescape with locked out skills, locations, etc. Essentially, our goal was to make all paying players on the same playing level.

Since our initial plan, we’ve delved deeper into monetisation strategies and sought feedback from our community on game monetisation. This exploration prompted a significant rethink of our membership system. While Runescape’s model has proven to be successful, it’s a dated approach that tends to sideline free members. After all, those who play for free but engage daily are equally valuable as their paying counterparts.

As a result, we’ve redefined our membership system. We aim for it to offer significant benefits, ensuring value for subscribers, while not alienating or disadvantaging free players.

Our preliminary changes are as follows:

Alternative (Alt) Characters

– Alt characters were a member-only benefit but now all players can create 1 extra alt character for free regardless of membership status.
– You can unlock another alt character level slot once one of your characters has reached a combat level of 60.
– You can purchase 2 additional slots for tokens.

This allows for 5 alt characters overall. We’ve transitioned this from a purely membership-based system to one where it can be unlocked solely through gameplay. Tokens can be readily acquired in-game, either by completing campaigns or through daily rewards.

We’d also like to clarify that trading between alternate accounts is not permitted. Hence, users with multiple alt accounts won’t have any inherent advantage over those with fewer.

Idle Times

Originally, idle durations were set at 30 minutes for free players and 60 minutes for members. This allowed free players to set an action and be away from the game for half an hour. While we had emphasised our goal to create an idle game that demands slightly more engagement than others, we identified two problems with this approach:

– We felt like 30 minutes was too short (even by our standards).
– By allowing members to have double the idle time, it created a larger gap between free and paying players.

During the second phase of the beta, we made the following changes:

– We increased the idle time from 30 minutes to 60 minutes for free players and from 60 minutes to 120 minutes for paying players.

However, that only tackles one issue. That is why we will be introducing even further changes so the idle time for free players will increase from 60 minutes to 80 minutes 

We are still open to adjusting the idle times for both members and free players, but we want to wait for more data before making any further changes.

Members get a marginal 15% EXP bonus

We’re still on the fence about this feature, and it’s undecided whether we’ll retain, reduce, or remove it entirely. Our goal is to offer a membership benefit that justifies its value, without creating significant disparities or disadvantages.

After our research and reaching out to some members of the IdleMMO community, it was agreed upon that this was the “lesser of the evils” so-to-speak in regards to monetising an MMORPG.

We believe a 15% boost strikes the right balance – significant enough to be noticed but subtle enough not to skew the game dynamics. In IdleMMO, progression is primarily driven by time spent playing, and this modest boost won’t change that.

Free players can access every area

As noted above, we originally expected to create the game that had a similar model to Runescape with locked out skills and locations. However, we realised not only did it fail to fit our vision, but it also severely handicapped the free players. Therefore, all players will be able to access every area of the game regardless of membership status.

More Inventory/Pet/Bank slots for free players

During phase 1 and the early stages of phase 2, the membership subscription literally doubled the inventory space, pet space, and bank space. Not just that but it was the only way players could increase their space.

We quickly realised this was a bad idea. That is why we made the following changes:

– We increased the free inventory slot count from 28 to 35.
– We increased the free bank slot count from 28 to 35.
– We increased the free pet slot count from 7 to 14.
– We decreased the membership inventory slot count from 49 to 42.
– We decreased the membership bank slot count from 49 to 42.

Not just that, we now allow characters to upgrade their inventory/bank/pet slots using gold.

Simply put, members now only get 7 additional slots (instead of double) and the remaining slots can be purchased with gold.

Further comments on the membership

Creating an MMORPG game is an incredibly expensive process and monetising it is a very difficult and sensitive issue to tackle. I want to make it abundantly clear that we are still open to adjusting every part of the membership subscription. We want to make sure that we get the membership absolutely right for both us and the community. The very last thing we want is for either:

  • A membership so undervalued that it’s not worth purchasing, jeopardising our ability to continue game development.
  • A subscription so dominant it’s perceived as “pay-to-win” or unfairly disadvantages free players.

As far as membership benefits go, the “big” hitters are what I have discussed above. The others are just small bonuses, such as having a cool gradient name and badge.

In essence, our system is in an experimental phase, and we kindly ask for your patience as we refine it. We’ve already committed to avoiding gacha systems, energy mechanics, character boosts, and loot boxes. This is why we’re treading carefully with our subscription model. While we will offer skins for purchase with tokens, we don’t intend to rely on them as our primary revenue stream by pricing them exorbitantly (*cough* Overwatch *cough*).

Pets

Pets were a big hit with the beta testers despite doing or providing absolutely nothing of value (yet). We have made a few changes to the pet system that we think everyone will enjoy.

We’ve added health, happiness, and hunger stats to the pet.

Health – Health will be used for battles. You will be able to send your pets on hunts to level them up.
Hunger – Your pet’s slowly get hungry over time so remember to feed them every once in a while!
Happiness – We don’t want you to forget about your pet so you must pat it to make it happy!

Also, when you tap the pet to give it a pat, it will leap with delight!

To feed you pet, you can use any food items. Food will increase both the pets health and hunger.

Search

During our time play-testing the game, we noticed that it was difficult to find a very particular item, enemy or location. That is why we have added an easy-to-access global search bar that allows you to search pretty much anything in the game.

Profile Status

You will be able to view, in real-time, what other players are doing by visiting their profile. You can hide this if you want to remain incognito.

Appear Offline

Helpful for those of you who wish to remain fully incognito so you can continue your progress even while working 😉

Updated Character Page

The initial character page, as showcased in our introductory blog post, was rather basic and didn’t fully highlight the character’s skin. We’ve revamped it, allowing the player to display their character in all of its glory!

Campaigns

Campaigns are our completely free battle pass system. We aim to make this as friendly as possible and for it to serve only as a system to encourage active gameplay. We haven’t fully fleshed out the system yet so we cannot demonstrate how it functions right now. However, this is our plan:

– Each global campaign will last for 2 to 3 months. (Subject to change).
– Once a global campaign “ends” and a new one starts, you will still be able to access any older campaign.
– You will be able to switch between campaigns at any time. Therefore, if you join the game in a few years, you will have access to every global campaign since its conception and can switch between them. We wanted to eliminate any fear of missing out. If you have played Halo Infinite, it will work similar to that.
– Seasonal events (Halloween, Winter Holidays, Easter, Valentines etc) will be incorporated as seasonal campaigns and will only be possible to play during the respective season. During this time, you will be able to seamlessly switch between global campaigns and seasonal campaigns.
– To obtain EXP for your selected campaign, you must complete daily, weekly and monthly tasks.
– The campaigns will be a completely free way for you to obtain tokens and skins.

And much more…

This is just a little teaser on the changes we have been working on over the past few weeks. We are heavy in development right now and we have much more exciting stuff planned that we can’t wait to showcase to you.

Please note that everything listed within this blog post is subject to change. Nothing is final.

Let us know your thoughts in the comments box below!

If you haven’t already, remember to pre-register over at https://www.idle-mmo.com.

You can also join us on discord for a chance to participate in our closed beta!

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We are rebranding SimpleMMO!

We are thrilled to announce the exciting rebrand of SimpleMMO!

It wasn’t that long ago since we recently moved away from the sword logo to the dragon logo. In fact, we went into detail on the reasoning behind the rebrand and ultimately it boiled down to it being the most effective in pulling in new players.

SimpleMMO’s past logos

As time went by, we slowly started to lose our love for the dragon logo due to two big reasons:

  • The colour scheme presented significant challenges in our work process. The combination of blue, purple, orange, and red, along with small black elements, proved to be quite problematic when attempting to establish a cohesive and unified brand for the game. Despite the promotional images using a darker background, it was originally designed with the intention of placement on a white background. We’ve recently made a company-wide decision to shift our focus towards creating products solely using a dark colour scheme and, in our opinion, the logo doesn’t blend as effectively against darker backgrounds.
  • The dragon and the text lack unity, existing as two completely separate elements, with the dragon positioned on top and the text beneath. While this design approach might suit other businesses or software, we realised it wasn’t quite fitting for a game. Our aim was to create a logo that exudes a more unified and game-like appeal.

During our pursuit of designing a new logo, our initial step involved creating a fresh app icon, which would serve as the foundation for the subsequent logo design.

The process for deciding on our new icon lasted approximately 6 months utilising the same tools provided by Google as we done during our previous rebranding. The tools allowed us to see if a logo was effective at bringing in new downloads to the game. As the app icon has a huge prominence in a store listing, being the first element users encounter on the Google Play page, it stands as one of the most critical factors in driving new downloads.

We went through various different types of icons testing the effectiveness of them against our dragon icon. During this period, we leveraged both traditional icons and icons created by artificial intelligence (AI) to explore its potential in creating an icon that could be even more effective than our dragon design.

Here are just some of the icons we tested throughout the time period:

Shield Icon

Knight Icon

Sword Icon

Despite these icons, a critical problem remained unresolved: they failed to address the issues we had with the dragon icon, leaving us apprehensive about the possibility of yet another rebrand in the future, repeating the same cycle of uncertainty.

Throughout this period, we also dedicated our efforts to developing our second game, IdleMMO, and we are delighted that its logo addressed all the concerns we had with SimpleMMO’s dragon logo. The newly purchased logo boasts a cohesive design and an established colour scheme, perfectly aligning with our vision for the game.

So, naturally, we decided to use the same artist for SimpleMMO.

SimpleMMO Logo

SimpleMMO App Icon

The results were overwhelmingly positive, as it was determined with 90% confidence that the new logo could potentially yield a remarkable 25% to 40% increase in engagement.

And it was definitely evident…

New logo (Orange) performance against the old logo (Blue)

It is perfect and, as a result, we decided to completely change our brand to this new design.

The rebrand will be gradually introduced over the next few weeks, and we are absolutely thrilled with the response we’ve received so far. We firmly believe that this new logo perfectly aligns with the direction SimpleMMO is heading towards.