What is GDD? Let’s propose an Enhanced Club Feature for Hill Climb Racing 2

Introducing a groundbreaking evolution in clubs. a complete transformation that aims to redefine social interactions and features within the game. I had a few ideas about GDD for new features such as vehicle decoration mode, birthday gift and … but in the end, I think having a much better fully featured club and its controls is one of the most important things that is missing from the game. The current club system is basically pointless and very limited. Here are a few of them:

• Lack of Meaningful Controls for Leaders and Co-Leaders
• Absence of Incentive for Active Participation and Collaboration:
• Lack of Club Bank and Resource Sharing
• Lack of Collective Achievements and Progress

Clubs should be much more robust with lots of controls that provide players with much immersive and engaging experience and irresistible to not socialize with friends. This new vision seeks to revolutionize the way players engage with clubs, turning them into dynamic hubs of collaboration and shared accomplishments. The goal is to empower both leaders and members, creating an environment where there is a very big urge and sense of collective achievement.

Our job is to implement 4 types of mechanics for this new feature:

• Bank and Resource Sharing Mechanics: The mechanics of depositing and withdrawing resources from the club bank, setting resource thresholds, and controlling access involve rules and interactions that govern how this feature operates.
• Enhanced club communications mechanics:  to implement a few new options for the current chat system.

• Role Assignment Mechanic: The mechanics of assigning roles (e.g., member, sergeant, lieutenant) to players, defining their permissions, and managing ranks within the club system constitute a set of rules and interactions that determine how the feature functions.
• Club Achievements Mechanic: The mechanics of tracking club-wide progress toward achievements, determining the criteria for earning them, and rewarding players upon completion are part of the rules and interactions that shape this aspect of the feature.

The “new improved club” will affect many other features and aspects of the game design. The following graph is a try to clarify that:

In subsequent sections, we will go deeper into the details of the proposed mechanics and features. Here are a few notes before start reading the GDD:

• The interface should be changed to include the new features and controls and the interface design should reflect the essence of the enhanced club experience while ensuring seamless navigation and user-friendliness. So the team members (UI/UX designers, developers and QA specialist) should take all the principles of game design into consideration: 

https://beastoon.com/unlocking-mobile-game-design-secrets-a-path-to-success/

• The proposed system can be quite complicated and the potential of this transformation is boundless. The actual and proper GDD might be a lot bigger, addressing everything for this new system, and requires many days of tremendous work and collaboration with other teams to propose the real proper one. Also, the format is not optimum and I personally might choose other types of documents for this, But for the sake of presentation, simplicity and to only show a glance of what is going to happen, this can be a good starting point GDD.

For this feature, developers, designers, and the QA team must work accordingly to achieve the following results:

• Design a user-friendly interface that enables leaders to create, modify, and assign ranks to players and easily manage the hierarchy. along with clear explanations of their permissions.
• Include a visual representation of the club’s rank structure to help leaders visualize and adjust role assignments.
• Implement a robust permission management system that is intuitive for leaders to configure and maintain.

Explanation: We will start by implementing a new button here that is only visible to leaders or proper ranks and it’s all about controlling the club and providing the following features:

In the new window we will have a comprehensive suite of controls and tools will be at the disposal of club leaders. This level of administrative authority empowers leaders to shape their clubs in accordance with their vision and goals. There are 2 distinctive parts on this page:

A- Inviting and Shaping the Membership: Leaders can control what types of members they want. Here we divide players based on their preferences(players have to choose their role by default before searching for clubs and joining, therefore leaders can filter what type of players they want. 

• new players: those who just joined the game and want to look around to see what will happen.
• Casual players: who just don’t want to get into the addictive game and will play whenever they feel like it. 
• Race monsters: These players always like team races and can’t get enough of it.
• Kilometers monsters: These players may not be very good at races but sure they can drive a lot and improve weekly team chest.

There are also statistics systems: monitor players and can generate easy reposts to identify players who were below the standards of their roles.

B- Management of ranks: Leaders should be able to create ranks and assign roles for each rank. Here is an example for ranks that a leader might like to create:

• Member: Primary role: Active participation in club activities.
• Sergeant: Primary role: Supporting club leadership and facilitating coordination.Assisting club leaders in managing club resources and member engagement.Offering guidance and assistance to newer members. Encouraging active participation and fostering a positive club environment.
• Lieutenant: Primary role: practically the same role as leader. They can run the club when the leader is not active. facilitating communication between leaders, sergeants, and members.

Here are the check boxes that leadership can check or uncheck for different roles:

• Mute members
• Kick members
• Create announcements
• Assign roles
• Write in the chat
• Distribute resources
• Invite new members

For this feature, developers, designers, and the QA team must work accordingly to achieve the following results:

• Develop an intuitive UI for the club bank, allowing players to easily deposit and withdraw resources, set thresholds, and control access.
• Implement an efficient database system to handle resource deposits, withdrawals, and tracking within the club bank.
• Provide clear tooltips and explanations for each action within the resource-sharing mechanic to guide players effectively.

Explanation: Club Bank is a dynamic and innovative addition that redefines the way members interact and collaborate. This feature introduces a new button, incorporating a proper sign as a bank.

The first look is a window with 50 free slots and a few controls. Here are the rules:

• There can be a maximum of 50 stacks of parts in the bank and each stack can’t be more than 100 parts.
• Only leaders can see the controls which is to manage the bank
• Those controls govern how each rank can interact with the bank. Here are the checkboxes:  can withdraw(number of parts per day) – can deposit(number of parts per day)

For this feature developers and designers have these responsibilities:

• Design a user-friendly chat system that allows players to reply to messages, send direct messages, mention (@username ), pin messages, and easily communicate with club members.
• Optimize the communication system to handle high volumes of real-time messages efficiently and provide a smooth user experience.

Explanation: Here in the context menu, we will add 3 relevant options: Reply- message- Pin

For this feature developers, designers, and the QA team must work to achieve the following results:

• Create a dynamic interface that tracks club-wide progress toward achievements, showcases completed achievements, and displays earned rewards.
• Ensure that the achievements mechanic is seamlessly integrated with the overall player progression system for a unified gaming experience.

Players of a club may work together to unlock achievements. These achievements will be shown in the club info tab and remain forever:

To bring the whole Achievement list, can be very long and challenging work, but here are 2 of them:

• Title: Unity 
  • Achievement Description: “Forge an Unbreakable Bond”
  • Achievement Objective: Reach maximum club membership capacity and maintain it for a consecutive number of days.

Reward: Exclusive club banner customization options, showcasing the Unity Titans emblem to signify the club’s unity and strength.

• Title: Epic Expedition
  • Achievement Description: “Chart New Territories Together”
  • Achievement Objective: Accumulate a certain number of collective kilometers driven by club members in club-related activities, races, and challenges.

Reward: Unlock a unique club vehicle skin inspired by the theme of exploration and discovery, symbolizing the club’s shared journey.

For this feature developers and designers have these responsibilities:

• Implement a rewards system that grants meaningful benefits to players based on their level of club participation and contribution.
• A variety of incentives, including gameplay advantages, faster progression, and exclusive rewards to motivate player engagement.

Explanation: Engaging players and fostering a thriving club environment isn’t solely about mechanics and controls. it’s also about providing meaningful incentives that make active participation not only appealing but rewarding. The improved club system introduces a range of enticing incentives and bonuses and renews a sense of enthusiasm among club members.

Feature: A new relevant icon near the club chest to show the list of possible bonuses. To name a few:

– Gameplay Advantages: an edge bonus earned through dedicated club engagement.

–  Faster Progression: This might involve accelerated experience gain or a small discount in vehicle upgrades and…

–  cosmetic skins

Implementing the new and enhanced club system is anticipated to have a significant impact on KPIs that reflect the game’s engagement, retention, and overall player experience. Here’s how the new feature is expected to influence each of the listed KPIs:

• DAU (Daily Active Users): The new club system can lead to an increase in DAU as players are drawn to the more engaging and collaborative club environment. Players’ motivation to interact with their clubs, participate in activities, and socialize with fellow members can contribute to a rise in daily player engagement.
• User Retention Rate: The enhanced club system can positively impact user retention by providing players with a deeper sense of community and accomplishment. With the added interactions, rewards, and collective achievements within clubs, players are likely to be more invested in the game over the long term.
• Time Spent in Game: The feature is expected to extend players’ session durations as they participate in more club-related activities, discussions, and competitions. The dynamic and social aspects of the club system can lead to longer play sessions and increased overall time spent within the game.
• Virality: The new club system can encourage players to invite their friends and social connections to join the game and participate in the enhanced club experience. This viral effect can amplify the game’s reach and attract new players through word-of-mouth recommendations.
• Churn Rate: By creating a more engaging and social environment, the enhanced club system may help reduce the churn rate. Players who feel connected to their clubs and motivated by shared goals are less likely to stop playing the game.
• Player Engagement: The new feature, promotes higher player engagement through increased interactions with clubs, their members, and club-related activities. The more engaged players are, the more likely they are to explore other aspects of the game and remain invested in its ecosystem.
• Ad Performance: The improved player engagement resulting from the club system can positively influence ad performance metrics, such as click-through rates and ad views. More engaged players may be more receptive to ads, leading to improved ad interactions and revenue.
• Club Participation: The new club system is designed to significantly increase club participation, with players actively engaging in club activities, discussions, and collaborative challenges. This elevated participation can lead to more clubs becoming active and achieving collective goals.
• Monetization Metrics: The new club system can positively impact monetization metrics by increasing player engagement and interaction with in-game features. With enhanced club activities, members may be more likely to make in-game purchases, thus contributing to improved monetization metrics such as Average Revenue Per Daily Active User (ARPDAU) and Average Revenue Per Paying User (ARPPU).