Hi everyone, I’ve been a long-time player of text-based crime/mafia browser games, and I’ve officially started development on my own project. I’m aiming to capture that classic "persistent empire-building" feeling—committing crimes, training stats, navigating a player-driven economy, and climbing the ranks—without falling into the trap of making it feel like a "second job" or a stale spreadsheet simulator. Since this genre thrives on community interaction and long-term strategy, I want to build the features that players actually care about, rather than just guessing. I’d love to get your input: The "Mafia" Hook: In your opinion, what is the best way to handle the "Family/Gang" dynamic? Are there systems (like recruitment, territory control, or leadership roles) that you feel are underutilized or currently done poorly in existing titles? Active vs. Idle: How do you prefer the game to balance active effort (manual crimes/attacks) versus passive growth? Do you prefer a "time-based" system where everything is about efficiency, or a more traditional "energy/stamina" model? Progression & Burnout: What is a mechanic that usually makes you quit a browser-based RPG after a few weeks? Is it power creep, a stagnant economy, or perhaps the lack of meaningful endgame goals? Social Friction: What kind of player-to-player interactions (like markets, bounty systems, or coordinated attacks) actually make the world feel alive to you? I’m currently in the early stages, so I have the flexibility to prioritize mechanics that the community is actually hungry for. I'm not looking for marketing hype—just honest feedback from those of you who live and breathe this genre. Thanks in advance for your time and expertise!
Sharing a quick peek at the early dashboard for my Mafia project. It's still early days and definitely a WIP, but I’m looking for some constructive criticism on the UI. What’s working for you here, and what would you change to make the daily grind more intuitive?
An easy example, have you seen any doors which have a pullable handle on the door you are supposed to push? People try to pull them open. Building owners put up sign saying push but people keep trying to pull. Real solution, remove handle install plate. Plate is likely cheaper and will prevent the issue but alot of building owners don't think of that, they just keep putting up bigger signs saying to push. Yeah if I ask you for are you supposed to push or pull and there are signs you will obviously know. It's 730am, you are running late because daycare had a long line to drop off off your kids, you decide you can still get a coffee from your favorite shop, as you're ordering your boss calls asking where you are because X is down, you try to talk yourself out of being yelled out as you walk out out of the coffee shop, you see handle, you pull. You have 150 things in your head, you don't want to add in sign reading, you see handle you pull handle. You spill coffee all over yourself because it's a push door. Now that coffee shop has a bad memory in your head. You may not directly connect it to the handle but that's the true cause. The local shop loses some business, your mornings are no longer as nice, everyone loses.
But now you know that you will see this everywhere...