version: "1.0.1" name: roblox-game-design description: "Use when designing or reworking a Roblox game: core loop, tutorial/FTUE, levels, economy, retention phases, juice, grind, curation." when_to_use: "Also when players quit early, the game feels boring or grindy, balancing rewards and prices, reviewing a design or game idea, and auditing the first session." last_reviewed: 2026-10-14 sources:

• original
• https://departmentofplay.net/retention-framework-keep-your-players-forever/
• https://gdcvault.com/play/1023845/This-is-a-Talk-About
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBmIkEvEBtA
• https://markfloryan.github.io/gamedesign/readings/Bartle_1996.pdf
• https://devforum.roblox.com/t/roblox-curation-how-do-we-consider-games-for-today%E2%80%99s-picks/4005089
• https://about.roblox.com/newsroom/2025/09/roblox-moments-user-generated-discovery

Roblox Game Design Fundamentals

When to Load

Load for the structural craft of a Roblox experience: core loop and meta-game architecture, tutorial/FTUE structure, level design, economy design, retention-phase planning, juice/game feel, Bartle balance, grind avoidance, Today's Picks or Moments readiness. Route elsewhere: metrics/discovery → roblox-growth-design; persuasion/pricing → roblox-player-psychology; VFX → roblox-animation-vfx; economy telemetry → roblox-analytics.

Quick Reference

• Core loop first: three layers must each work: core loop (moment-to-moment), meta-game (hour-to-hour), long-term progression (day-to-day). If the raw actions aren't fun, nothing above them survives.
• Retention phases: D0–7 understandability/novelty/stability → D7–30 progression/mastery/return triggers → D30–90 social comparison/LiveOps → D90+ community.
• Teach invisibly: teach through experience, never popups; environmental teaching, dynamic UI, kinesthetic learning, show don't tell, inverted pyramid of complexity.
• Levels: Kishōtenketsu (safe intro → develop → twist → conclusion) plus the invisible hand (coins/lighting guide without text) and fairness (deaths feel the player's fault).
• Economy: every source needs a sink; soft/hard/social currencies; prices must scale with the power curve; watch hoarding, churn at choke points, currency devaluation.
• Anti-grind: grind is a state of mind, not a mechanic. Fix with juice, skill ceilings, and measurable chunks.
• Bartle: Achievers/Explorers/Socializers/Killers form an ecosystem; over-serve one and the others leave.
• Field data: measured onboarding/monetization/retention numbers (2026; see full.md).

Full framework details, checklists, case studies (Stardew, Hades, Artifact), and the curation/Moments prep: references/full.md