#VRTesting

[bhanu-prakash-practice-2]

Blog Post 17: Full Player Testing & Stress Testing VR Performance

With the environment polished and all core mechanics stable, we initiated a series of full player tests to simulate real gameplay scenarios from start to finish. Our main goals were identifying overlooked bugs, measuring VR comfort, and confirming that the environment encouraged intuitive exploration.

Each team member took turns playing the experience using the Oculus Quest 2 headset, while others observed, taking notes on navigation flow, performance drops, or gameplay confusion points. We also enlisted a few classmates to act as external testers, providing valuable first-time player feedback.

Several minor issues were quickly identified: players occasionally missed visual clues guiding them towards stone puzzles, and some teleports inside narrow corridors felt slightly cramped. I adjusted lighting contrast levels and opened up certain paths slightly to improve clarity without reducing challenge.

Performance-wise, thanks to earlier optimizations, the experience ran smoothly at a consistent frame rate, significantly reducing potential VR sickness risks.

The testing phase validated our belief that a strongly designed environment acts as an invisible guide, subtly shaping player decisions without overt instructions. Watching players naturally explore, solve puzzles, and escape reinforced the strength of our environment-first design approach.

[myworldwidereviews]

My 360 VR video test playlist. Videos made by me/us. #VR #VRvideo #VRhike #VRtest https://t.co/pkbBP3Lcbo

My 360 VR video test playlist. Videos made by me/us.#VR #VRvideo #VRhike #VRtest https://t.co/pkbBP3Lcbo

— KevinOgMari (@RiceAndReindeer) February 23, 2017

from Twitter https://twitter.com/RiceAndReindeer February 23, 2017 at 02:53AM via IFTTT

[bhanu-prakash-practice-2]

Blog Post 16: Final Bug-Fixing and Polishing Sessions

With the core mechanics now functional, the final stage of development focused on bug fixing and polishing the environment. Over several intense days, our team conducted full playtests, carefully observing player movement, stone interaction behaviors, and environmental glitches.

Small issues cropped up repeatedly: collision volumes overlapping, teleportation misalignments, and occasional texture streaming delays. Each problem, while minor individually, threatened the overall player experience if left unchecked.

We divided the tasks efficiently. Joel focused on blueprint-level fixes like improving teleport smoothing and adjusting trigger radii. Kamal helped optimize asset LODs further to ensure textures loaded promptly even during quick turns in VR. Meanwhile, I meticulously inspected every corner of the environment, adjusting lightmaps, fixing z-fighting issues between floor and wall meshes, and refining occlusion culling for distant assets.

Steve also contributed by reviewing art consistency, ensuring that props matched stylistically across different elemental sections. Small additions like subtle ambient fog and dust particles in Earth zones greatly enhanced the environmental atmosphere without affecting performance.

Working together during these final polishing sessions, the maze transformed from simply "working" into a truly immersive, believable world. Every detail now supported the player’s journey visually, mechanically, and emotionally.