LiveOps

Understanding LiveOps

Live Operations (LiveOps) encompasses all activities that keep a live service application, particularly games, updated with new content after launch. The main goal is to show that the game is "alive and well" through regular content updates.

Basilisk is designed specifically to support LiveOps workflows by enabling:

• Rapid content creation and iteration
• Safe deployment to production environments
• Version control and build comparison
• Non-technical team members to manage content

Establishing Cadences

A LiveOps cadence is a regular schedule for releasing content updates. Examples include:

• "First Monday of every month at 5pm UTC: 1 new character, 1 revamped character, 2 skins, 5 leaderboard events, and a month-long storyline"
• "Every 3 months: A new competition type, which becomes permanent if successful"
• "Weekly: Bug fixes, balance adjustments, and small content additions"

Basilisk helps you maintain cadences by:

• Streamlining the build and deployment process
• Providing safety checks to prevent mistakes
• Enabling quick iteration and testing
• Maintaining a clear history of all changes

Workflow Integration

Integrate Basilisk into your LiveOps workflow:

1. Content Creation: Designers and content creators work in Google Spreadsheets
2. Review: Content is reviewed and validated against the Basilisk Definition
3. Build: Data builds are created from validated spreadsheets
4. Testing: Builds are tested in development/QA environments
5. Comparison: Compare builds to understand changes before production
6. Deployment: Publish to production with safety checks enabled
7. Monitoring: Monitor the application after deployment

Environment Strategy

Use environments strategically for safe LiveOps:

• Development: For initial testing and iteration
• QA/Staging: For thorough testing before production
• Production: For live player-facing content

Best practices:

• Enable forced diff review in production
• Test all builds in lower environments first
• Use environment-specific Basilisk Definitions when needed
• Limit production access to trusted team members

Game Systems Integration

Integrate Basilisk data builds into your game systems:

• Character System: Load character data from builds
• Item System: Fetch weapon, armor, and item definitions
• Quest System: Load quest data and objectives
• Event System: Configure events and their parameters
• Economy System: Manage pricing, rewards, and currencies

Design your BDL definitions to match your game's data needs. See the Creating Content for more details.

Safe Deployment Practices

Follow these practices for safe LiveOps deployments:

• Always compare builds: Review changes before publishing
• Test thoroughly: Test in lower environments first
• Use descriptive build IDs: Make it easy to identify builds
• Document changes: Add detailed descriptions to builds
• Monitor after deployment: Watch for issues and be ready to rollback
• Keep build history: Maintain a record of all deployments

Content Update Types

Basilisk supports various types of content updates:

• Regular updates: Weekly, biweekly, or monthly content drops
• Fresh content: New missions, characters, items, events
• Time-limited events: Seasonal events, limited-time offers
• Balance adjustments: Tweaking existing content values
• Bug fixes: Correcting data errors and inconsistencies

All of these can be managed through Google Spreadsheets and deployed via Basilisk without code changes.

Team Collaboration

Basilisk enables collaboration between technical and non-technical team members:

• Content creators: Work directly in Google Spreadsheets
• Designers: Define content structure and values
• Engineers: Create BDL definitions and integrate data
• QA: Test builds in QA environments
• LiveOps managers: Coordinate cadences and deployments

The Web Console provides a central interface for all team members to view definitions, builds, and deployment status.