Game is frustrating.

[Michanicks]

There is a lot of unobvious rules which i would not know about without internet guides.

A lot of stupid and unlogical rating penalties for literally everything.
Post apocaliptyc simulation? Lower the score.
Law game for adults? Lower the score.
Adventure game for PS4? Ok. For PS5? Lower the score.
AI is too good for my adventure game? Not because other sliders is too low, but literally because is AI is 20%+? Guess what, lower the score.
Make game with same topic second time in the row? Lower the score! Why?! I don't know! Imagine Sid Meier Civilisation getting nuked because it's the same "all the same" alt history strategy many times in the row.
You don't have 3 specialists for right development sliders for AAA game? Lower the score. Did game tell me so? No, online guides did when i got tired i can't make at least a mediocre AAA game.
But at the same time game treat fashion MMO Simulation for kids on Wii as great combination.
It's unlogical and unrealible without making mistakes over and over (without making something really wrong) OR using online guides.

The way review scores working is stupid. It's not enough to just make a good and expensive game, you have to complete with yourself! Did you ever disliked REALLY good game just because it was the same quality as another game from the same devs?

Failing contracts because your workers may scratch their head for a weeks is not fun.

Also you can't send your workers on vacation for any time, so before making a big project you have to wait until your workers is tired and THEN send them on vacation and THEN start make a good project. I ruined few AAA games because workers didn't go on vacation before start and become tired after developing gott started. I can't even pause development for such emergency!

Maintancing cost for MMO is stupid high, if real MMO would cost so much, there would not be any MMO games, specially ones which is popular for many years like "WoW" or "EvE online". MMO games are not profitable at all, any large game would be much better.
And why developing addon is cost so much time and money as whole new MMO game?
And why MMO games don't calculate playerbase but just amount of sales?

Game started so fun but over time the game began to look like a clicker with weird rules, where only increasing numbers pleases you.

[Kirjath]

All of this is my experience as well, and I never make enough research points to both research new topics/mechanics and train my employees. It's either leave employees at their current skill (which seems to hurt review scores) or otherwise be unable to get new topics or game mechanics unlocked (which seems to hurt review scores).

And forget about keeping up with a custom game engine. You can never just update an existing one that you already made with just a few minor changes. You've got to pay for everything all over again. Your employees just reinvent the wheel each time I guess.

Beyond that, the most disappointing thing I've learned is that making bad games can actually improve your future ratings. I don't feel like bombing every couple of games I make just so the review algorithm gives me a break. That's not realistic in the slightest.

In the end, one of the more frustrating game developer games out there in my book.

[Rockomax]

I do agree that there are few things that are counterintuitive, but it needs to be a game.
You get penalized for having 20%+ AI in an adventure game, because thats not where your focus should be to make a good game.

There need to be rules in place, even when they seem illogical. Every game out there has game rules that are counterintuitive.

For me it does makes sense, that every new game needs to be better than previous one. At least in Game Dev Tycoon and even in the real world to a certain extend.
If getting a good score just meant setting the sliders ( time allocation ) correctly, than it would get too easy.

Sid Meier didn't make a new Civilization game every year, so that comparison doesn't hold.

The OP's post contains a lot of complaining, but nothing that even comes close to what could be done different.

[Michanicks]

Originally posted by Rockomax:

The OP's post contains a lot of complaining, but nothing that even comes close to what could be done different.

Because i am not a develompent team who getting paid for its work, i am just one guy ithout experience in gamedev, why should i think about it? I can't even test out my ideas, so if it would be bad, you would just say: "Current game is better than your ideas".

I'll try.
1) Since my main complain is game tell you almost no info, most of mechanics are hidden from players so without guides it's like walking blind. I assume game will be better with tutorial and/or more tips ingame like "don't include all the features for new engine at one time, save for later" or "you need specialists for AAA games, otherwise score will be lower".
2) Fix the MMO - keep maintanting nearly the same, just make playerbase getting lower and lower without addons and eventually you get less money from customers than maintanting cost and you have either shut down servers or make the new addon. Also make addons cost less and faster to create;
3) Add ability to stop development for emergency and/or let go workers for vacation before the get tired so it's easier to manage development of AAA games.

These were an examples of easy fixes.

[Rockomax]

From everything I wrote, you only picked up on the closing part.

I agree MMO's are horrible to maintain. I just stopped making them.

Even though the game often keeps you in the dark what the most effective tactic available is. I think that not overexplaining is a much better aproach.
The developers are aware that there are several area's where players could have used more guidance. The hints system was implemented later.
I completely understand why they wouldn't overhaul the game, eight years after release.

Like any game, it's up to the players to experiment.
It's easy to bash on a game, when not understanding the rules, but I do agree a few things should have been more clear.
Players should know they are "competing" against their own score, in order to produce hit games. With that knowledge players would have easily figured out not using all new engine features at the same time for example.

As for tired Staff. You know it will happen and you also know making an AAA game takes a long time. Send everyone on vacation before developing. I have been using the "VacationTime" mod for a long time, just to give me a timer for when Staff needs a rest.

You say you're not a paid developer, but can you imagine how it's hard for someone to please you when you're basically only just stating it's bad.

[Michanicks]

Originally posted by Rockomax:

You say you're not a paid developer, but can you imagine how it's hard for someone to please you when you're basically only just stating it's bad.

I know i will not be pleased, it's all was just ranting.
I love games and have much more fun than dissapointment most of the time with most of the games (this included), but for some reason the only thing i do on Steam forums is complaining. I don't want to wast time to tell good things about game since it's bring me nothing, just cost some time, but complaining makes me feel better. Maybe that's the way i release the steam.