Pet hotel games offer a delightful escape for animal lovers and management enthusiasts alike. Having spent time immersed in the prologue of a promising new title, I’m excited to share some feedback and suggestions aimed at elevating the player experience and ensuring its success in the competitive gaming market. These points are centered around improving user interface (UI), gameplay clarity, and feature depth, all crucial for a captivating Pets Hotel simulation.
Key UI and User Experience Improvements
One of the most immediate enhancements would be to improve pet identification during pickup. Currently, it’s challenging to match pets with their owners at pickup time. Displaying the pet’s name above the owner as they arrive would be a simple yet impactful quality of life improvement. This would eliminate confusion and streamline gameplay, especially as the hotel grows and manages more animals.
Another area for UI clarity is the employee advertisement system. It would be beneficial to visually confirm that an employee ad has been successfully placed on the advertisement page. This would prevent player confusion and reassure them that their recruitment efforts are registered, avoiding accidental duplicate ad placements.
Finally, the daily funds page requires better explanation. The purpose of the editable numbers on this page is unclear, leading to potential player misinterpretations, as seen with the daily cost of rooms. Providing a clear tooltip or in-game explanation of how daily funds and costs are calculated is essential for player understanding and strategic financial management within the game.
Gameplay Balance and Feature Enhancements
To further refine the gameplay loop, consider adjusting the timing of pet pickups. Currently, the immediate arrival of owners in the morning can feel rushed. Implementing a buffer hour before the first pickups would allow players time to attend to the pets’ needs – feeding, walking, and general care – ensuring they leave in optimal condition and maximizing customer satisfaction, directly impacting the hotel’s rating.
Expanding on customer management, the game could benefit from allowing advance room bookings. Enabling players to register pets for rooms that will become vacant later that day would optimize room utilization and prevent downtime. This proactive approach to bookings would add a layer of strategic planning to the gameplay, keeping the pets hotel consistently busy.
Addressing in-game information accessibility is crucial. Implementing in-game notes or a “whiteboard” system for each pet room would be invaluable. This could include details like favorite and disliked foods, allergies, declawing preferences, and other specific care instructions. This would reduce reliance on external notes and streamline pet management, particularly as the number of pets increases. Visual cues, like a pet picture on the room door, would further enhance organization and ease of tracking individual pet needs.
Furthermore, clarifying pet needs and how to fulfill them is essential. The current trial-and-error approach can be frustrating. Providing in-game explanations for each need bar and the actions required to satisfy them would improve player understanding and engagement. Similarly, explaining the benefits of various store items, such as the wall tablet, would encourage strategic purchasing and deepen gameplay. Guidance on improving employee happiness beyond just breaks is also needed to address employee management challenges.
Finally, as the game incorporates different dog sizes, it’s vital to provide information about pet size during booking calls. Knowing whether a caller has a small pug or a large breed dog is crucial for appropriate room allocation. This information would prevent players from making inefficient room assignments and enhance the realism of pet hotel management.
Bug Fixes and Minor Adjustments
Beyond gameplay features, addressing minor issues like the spelling error in “Receptionist” within the furniture tablet is important for polish and professionalism.
Additionally, retaining employee schedules across game days is a significant quality of life improvement. Having to reset schedules daily is tedious. Persisting employee schedules would streamline management and allow players to focus on other aspects of the game. Finally, rebalancing employee happiness progression is needed, as current depletion rates appear too rapid, even with break rooms.
Conclusion
These suggestions aim to enhance the pets hotel game by focusing on clear communication, strategic gameplay elements, and user-friendly features. By addressing UI clarity, gameplay balance, and incorporating helpful in-game information, the game can provide a more engaging, rewarding, and ultimately successful experience for players passionate about pet care and simulation games. Focusing on these areas will solidify its position in the market and appeal to a broader audience of pet hotel enthusiasts.
