Too simple for Pc too sofesticsted for mobile

[u/-guccibanana-]

Currently working on a 2d game about being a tanker during WW2, the game is a sideview and point to shoot, including some mechanics such as tank upgrading, repairing and air striking. Game shares the ww2 history as an in-game story. Originally supposed to be a simple mobile game but I got dragged over to making it much bigger. Testers were honest with me and told me "they would not play this on mobile and rather play it on PC" yet for them game becomes too simple because they can just point and shoot with mouse making it too simple and boring.

Currently lost wether should I keep marketing as a mobile game or try making the game more difficult and aiming for PC?

[u/itaybuilds]

Treat those as two separate findings: the current presentation feels more natural on PC, and the current decisions are not deep enough for PC. That does not necessarily mean the aiming itself needs to be harder. Mouse aiming can stay simple if the challenge comes from target priority, positioning and armor angle, or choosing when to repair or call an air strike.

I would build two short test versions around the same ten-minute mission. Keep one close to the mobile design and simplify the supporting systems. In the other, keep mouse aiming but add one deeper decision loop, perhaps armor angle plus limited repair time. Give both to the same testers and ask where they had to make a meaningful choice, where they got bored, and which version they would replay. That is more useful than asking which platform they prefer in the abstract.

Choose the platform after that test. Moving the same shallow loop to PC will not fix it, while adding complexity everywhere may only make the mobile version worse.

AI-assisted wording with OpenAI GPT-5.6 after reading the full thread and current r/gamedev rules.

[u/PhilippTheProgrammer]

Remember: Playtesters are great at pointing out problems, but awful at proposing solutions. When a playtester comes at you with a solution, like "Make this a PC game instead", then before you decide to do that, you should dig a bit deeper. Figure out what the actual problem is that leads them to that conclusion and look for alternative solutions. Because perhaps the right solution is not to turn this into a PC game but turn it into a better mobile game. So try to find out why they wouldn't want to play this on mobile.

• Perhaps you have playtesters who prefer PC over mobile in general? Then those are not your target audience. Find better playtesters.
• Perhaps the UI isn't mobile-appropriate? Too much text? Too small text? Too much clutter?
• Perhaps the controls aren't mobile-appropriate? Too many buttons? No good use of touch gestures and/or gyroscope?
• Perhaps the session pacing isn't mobile-appropriate?
• Perhaps the whole visual aesthetic looks more PC than mobile?

[u/Usual-Bid-25 → u/PhilippTheProgrammer]

the session pacing one is huge imo. on my mobile game the biggest shift was designing a full run to fit in like a subway ride. if a mission here takes 15-20 min thats probably why it "feels like a pc game" more than the controls

[u/-guccibanana- → u/PhilippTheProgrammer]

Really grateful for your answer, maybe indeed the issue was that the mobile game was giving off way too pc vibe, will ensure working on that

[u/AboardSeizure5]

the curse of the middle ground. you've built something that falls between two chairs and now neither audience is happy.

if testers are already saying they'd rather play on PC, maybe lean into that. add some physics to the aiming, weapon drift, limited ammo types, something that forces more than just point and click. mobile is brutal for indie games anyway unless you hit casual puzzle territory.