Use sales numbers to create possibilities, not guaranteesĮarly on in our chat, Hecker lamented the recent death of SteamSpy, which served an approximate role in helping developers determine how well their own games might perform when released on Steam.

He said their presence helps him understand what changes are needed for SpyParty's design in the long run, and when navigating feedback from those players, his ability to understand what each of the three 'hydras' (quick reference to the Odyssey) need helps him negotiate how all that free player feedback can be translated into solid design. In our chat, Hecker outlined 3 playstyles-one that's an advanced version of 'early game' strategies, one that relies on facts about player behavior and human psychology, and one that closely analyzes the behaviors and animations of NPCs and instantly acts on anything outside those normal bounds.Įach of those players has different needs, requests, and response to fixes, but Hecker said having them is important for the game's long-term health, and it's better for there to be 'no one right' way to play. The SpyParty community has grown to the point that there are now 'professional' tier players, who, in Hecker's own words, are essentially playing a different game than lower-tier players. It's good for there to be multiple pro playstyles The thing is, SpyParty didn't have to go down the Poker route, and Hecker could have continued to make that Go-inspired version of the game, but as the community grew and Hecker observed what they were doing with his game, he explains that following that path of development became more imperative because it built more soundly on the game's foundations, rather than the version of the game originally in his head.

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