— September 17, 2021 17:25 — 0 Comments You can earn money not only at the factory, and numerous programmers prove this. VKontakte gaming applications, if sufficiently popular, can generate huge profits for their owner. In this article we will try to figure out how to create a game in VK. Namely: we will outline the main condition for achieving success, define the required technical knowledge and show the basic principles of using the section for developers.
Why are these applications created?
An audience of millions of users will easily provide a high-quality product to a permanent, highly populated community. And this, in turn, will bring a decent profit to the developer. It doesn’t matter which path is chosen - advertising in the game or donation, the work spent will pay off. This state of affairs attracts both professional studios and beginners. In the latter case, there may be no development team. Everything will rest on the shoulders of one person. And if professionals know almost everything about their work, then beginners often have a completely reasonable question: “How to create a game “VKontakte”?
Public or group?
It’s not vectorono, there aren’t that many differences. The public is displayed on users’ pages under friends and supposedly this gives some kind of natural growth, but this is not certain...
We will not be able to measure and record this increase.
Groups make it possible to invite friends, but such invitations, if there are enough complaints, will add an unpleasant icon stating that “the community contains inappropriate materials,” and this will lead to the inability to subscribe from mobile phones, which is 70 percent of users.
Groups allow you to create a wiki menu; there are no public pages, but they allow you to create wiki pages and attach them to posts.
Groups have a little more settings, but all this is not relevant for our purposes and you won’t feel much of a difference.
First steps
At the initial stage, all that is required from a newly minted developer is an idea. Moreover, the more specifically it is described, the better. In addition to specifics, you need to describe it from all sides: theme, direction, features. The application is being developed for integration into a social network, so the best option is a multiplayer game. However, don’t try to create a universe right away; start with something simple. This approach will protect you from mistakes and will allow you to gradually gain the necessary experience to create a truly high-quality VKontakte game.
Group name and description
The name of your group should convey meaning. If you want potential players to immediately grasp the essence, then add something more than the brand name to the group name (Encounter, DozoR, etc.). Add a definition of what is happening: quest, autoquest, urban orienteering, extreme recreation, etc.
Supposedly, a good group name promotes you in searches within VKontakte, but remember yourself, how much do you yourself look for groups on VK? Our topic is specific and without knowing much about it you can’t really look for it.
A few words about the group's address. Addresses: сlub7777 or public7777 are considered bad form, come up with a name that is consonant with your project or conveys the meaning.
And finally, a description of the group. Handle it responsibly. Reading that “this is a game with elements of logic and risk” and nothing original is a bit of a no-brainer, just kidding.
Write in detail, as for schoolchildren:
- what kind of group
- what is the project dedicated to?
- specific, brief algorithms about: where to read in more detail, where you can sign up as a beginner, etc.
- be sure to include the website address
Concept
After understanding the idea, vague and not yet fully clear formulations will have to be reworked to create a meaningful document (in jargon it is called a design document). At this stage, not a single detail can be allowed to slip through the cracks. Design, interface, gameplay, interaction systems and everything else - everything must be documented before creating a VKontakte game. Why do this? First of all, all the data will already be on hand, and it will only be a matter of implementation. That is, the technical side of the work will come into force. Secondly, so as not to get confused in your own thoughts and ideas. And lastly, so that you can tell others about your idea. A person by himself cannot be a jack of all trades. Some are good at programming, some are good at level layout, and some are natural advertisers. It is quite possible that the project will become large, and additional personnel will have to be recruited to the team.
Group avatar
Your avatar is just a picture that allows you to identify your group in the list of others.
It's just a logo, just an anchor. It should not stand out from the overall design of your public page, but it should be different from others.
First and most importantly, focus on the round picture. Well, it just so happened that VK displays any of your ava in the shape of a circle. If you write “important” text there, it will be cut off.
Orient your avatar so that everything around the circle will be cropped.
Don't be shallow! If you put a bunch of text, a contact phone number and a map of the briefing location into your avatar, then in reality you will get a jumble of pixels.
This is all unreadable and meaningless.
Avatars that complement the cover design or blend organically with the background - turning into white - work well.
the main problem
The main problem of a person who wants to create a game is insufficient knowledge in this area or little experience. To write the simplest application, you will have to learn JavaScript, HTML5, SCC, Ajax, and if it is multi-user, the implementation of sockets and a database. It is precisely because of such difficulties that people often give up what they started, without moving beyond the design stage. How to create a VKontakte game without such knowledge? Designers can provide a solution. How acceptable their use is - everyone will decide for themselves. Many such programs do not require programming skills at all. Others use their own scripting languages. And yet, understanding the constructor is much easier than creating something from scratch.
What you need for a modern design
Here is a small checklist for preparing your group for launch or for re-registering if it is already launched:
Check list:
- group cover size 1590×400
- group avatar 400x400 (generally 200x200, but VK will still compress and ruin the picture, so we do it with a margin)
- if the group is new, then 5-7 posts before launch, so that the new user has something to scroll down and so that the group does not look empty
- a special section (discussion), in which newcomers can unsubscribe, saying that they have no one to play with, but want to (effectiveness has been proven by practice)
- bonus templates for post images. It works like this: insert the desired image, save it, and get a stylish photo for the post. If you are too lazy to bother with pictures, then remember that different sizes (one rectangular, the second square, the third vertical, etc.) will lead you to visual dissonance. Of course it’s up to you, but it doesn’t look great
Tululoo Game Maker
The service with a strange name is absolutely free and allows you to create your own HTML5 application (which can then be used on a social network) in a few clicks. It is impossible to create something complex using this constructor, but for the first steps it is suitable in the vast majority of cases. Tululoo Game Maker has a huge Russian-speaking community and, accordingly, a lot of tutorials and documentation. This is good news, since VKontakte will allow you to make your own game in the shortest possible time. After completion of the work, all files will be compiled and transferred to the user.
Group cover and dynamic cover
Yes, yes, we have moved on to the basis of the modern display of VKontakte groups to covers.
This is such a wide, beautiful group header with which the user first of all comes into contact.
It looks nice when it blends into the background (with white color) and does not have clear boundaries, but here everything seems to be left to the designers.
Dynamic cover
A dynamic cover is a header that is periodically updated and reacts to certain changes in the group.
There are many services, but for example this one has the maximum number of settings.
The main purpose of using dynamic covers is to increase the activity of community users. For example, you can set up your players to earn points by liking posts or commenting on them, and then exchange these likes for in-game goodies.
And many people are pleased to see their avatar on the cover of the group...)
You can use the following widgets:
We won’t go into the settings, you’ll figure it out yourself) or watch this video:
This pleasure costs an average of 100 rubles per month.
The only caveat that dynamic covers impose is that they require the design of the background image to be adjusted to the widgets used. So that your bells and whistles look organic.
Little life hack
Create a training group for yourself, close it from everyone and test all innovations there. New widgets, design and everything you want to use in the main group, try it there first.
BE SURE to see how your new design looks from a mobile phone: this is a very important factor. 70 percent of users access VK from their phone.
VK trims covers at the edges by about 10 percent on each side. Shift the design closer to the center and then there will be no incidents, for example, in the form of the first and last letters of the project name being cut off.
The game has been created. What's next?
- After creating an application, you need to post it on a social network. Since a fairly popular resource was chosen, this will not cause any difficulties. First you will have to upload all the game files to any hosting.
- Next you need to open the site vk.com. In the lower field of the portal, find the inscription “For Developer” and click on it.
- On the page that opens you will be able to find detailed, but not exhaustive, information about game development. Since the application has already been created, click on the “Create application” link, it is located in the top menu.
- The page will display an interface with several text fields that you will need to fill out. First, specify the name of the game, and then select its type (IFrame).
- After this, you will have to make a short description of your project and choose the genre to which the game belongs to a greater extent.
- Further filling out the forms is not so important until a field called “IFrame” appears. It needs to provide a link to the main game file. If it was created in the Tululoo Game Maker, this is the address that points to "index.html".
Stages of creating a game
There are several stages in creating entertainment programs. Let's look at them in detail:
Stage I
Concept creation. This stage is necessary to “live” see your own target audience. This will help you position your game.
Gameplay development. This item is mainly needed during the development of small applications. After all, you need to choose the genre of the toy.
Game mechanics. Here you can calculate the necessary mathematical processes used in the utility. For example, the mechanics of shots, the balance of damage caused.
Stage II
Creating a game prototype. You need to create a prototype of the so-called “engine”.
Stage III
Alpha version development. At this time, programmers are developing the concept of the characters and the general graphic component.
Stage IV
Creating a beta version. This is an important point. Almost the entire application and 70% of all content should be ready. Users can already experience the game. Specialists who conduct tests are selected for the team, and the time of the advertising campaign is determined.
Stage V
Release. Now the game is becoming available to a wider audience, and the developers are making the necessary changes. Various reported issues are being fixed.
Developing an entertainment app requires a lot of knowledge.
Positive aspects of role-playing games
For some reason, many parents think that role-playing games only have a negative impact on the formation of a child’s personality at any age. However, psychologists do not agree with them and their arguments about the positive aspects of games are that: • Role-playing games teach literacy. When a person writes a lot, literacy is often developed naturally through training. Also, he reads posts from more experienced players, thereby forming his vocabulary. Increasing your vocabulary level is a direct path to personal development. Writing skill also improves; • Also, role-playing games help you learn to think more structured, and also improves your ability to express your thoughts. Writing posts requires a certain organization of thinking. Some role-playing games require you to write posts from a certain number of lines. And the clearer and more structured the thinking, the better the ability to express thoughts and the more structured speech; • A chance to diversify your social circle. Often, it is through role-playing games that people find new friends and continue to be friends in the real world. In this way, even an introvert can find a friend, for whom it is much more difficult to build normal communication in the real world; • The level of responsibility increases. For example, if a character is promoted, for example from a teacher to a dean, then the player’s level of responsibility will be higher. Consequently, this developed responsibility, with the ability to competently manage one’s time, can transfer to the real world.; • Updating the range of interests. Often, when people choose, for example, a character of a different nationality, they begin to become interested in his country, and their worldview changes. Also, one's social circle can influence a person's interests. It happened that people in the real world united and created their own business, earning many times more money or creating a community with a worthwhile role-playing game, taking money for advertising; The only downside to role-playing games is the large amount of time they take up. And if you don’t know how to set priorities correctly, you can start the real world. These tips will help parents rethink their children's hobbies.
