whughesgamedev

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Week 13 - Closing Words

I had a lot of fun and learnt a great deal about game design whilst completing IGB220 – Fundamentals of Game Design. The lecture material and Tracey Fullerton’s Game Design Workshop: A Playcentric Approach to Innovative Games provided useful insights into the considerations and methodologies of designing playcentric games. Over the semester, I conceptualised, developed, and playtested four different game prototypes and with each prototype, I improved my game design workflow. I have come to realise just how integral playtesting is to iterative playcentric design and how it can make a game more fun and accessible.

Using GDevelop was an interesting departure from Unity; its tools facilitated rapid prototyping as I was able to implement and test mechanics in a swift manner. I can see myself using GDevelop in the future to test other game ideas I have. I am very keen to continue development on Drill Till Still over the holidays. I am considering continuing to use GDevelop to test other ideas for the game before eventually converting the project over to Unity.

After completing IGB220, I am very interested in learning more about the processes of game design. I am planning to enrol in the Games Design minor as part of my Software Technologies Bachelor at QUT. I am looking forward to continuing this awesome degree and learning as much as I can about game development.

Thank you for your time.

[whughesgamedev]

Week 13 - Assignment 3 Postmortem

I am ecstatic with how the Drill Till Still prototype turned out. With only a few weeks of development, our team was able to create the framework for what I feel could be an awesome SHMUP. From the playtesting sessions, I was able to identify that players enjoy the core elements of Drill Till Still. Playtesters enjoyed redirecting the projectile around the map once they eventually got the hang of it and they also liked the resource collection provided by the crystal drops. Some playtesters did struggle to figure out the redirection mechanic which indicated that more work would be necessary to improve the accessibility of the mechanic. Possible solutions could be tooltips on the game over screen or a crosshair around the projectile which indicates the direction the player is aiming. To reinforce the core game loop, additional feedback systems should also be considered. Explosion animations or particle effects could be suitable visual feedback for destroying asteroids and defeating aliens.

The spawn system for the enemies was a point of frustration for some of the playtesters as it did not provide adequate time to react to the spawning enemy. Possible solutions include adding a radius around the player which prevents enemies from spawning inside, spawning enemies off or at the edges of the screen, or adding a spawn delay to the enemies with an animation indicating the location of the spawning enemy.

The feedback of the playtesters indicated that the health system could use improvement. It took several playthroughs for the majority of the playtesters to understand the health system, which was visualised via their avatar’s exhaust and increased damage to their spaceship. Increasing the size of the exhaust or changing the highlight colour of the player’s avatar to also reflect the player’s health could be suitable ways to make the health system more obvious. A health bar at the top of the screen, which only pops up when the player takes damage, could also improve the health system’s accessibility whilst making taking damage more noticeable to the player. Another improvement to the health system could be health packs which randomly spawn when the player is low health and regenerate one health when picked up. A system like this would increase the average game’s length as well as allow players to come back from a bad start.

Due to time restrictions with development, there were several features that were not implemented which include: shielded enemies, the projectile energiser, the bomber enemy, and power ups. If development was to continue, these features, along with the aforementioned design changes, could be investigated. Using a combination of naïve, deep, and passive playtesting, the alterations to Drill Till Still could be thoroughly assessed. The feedback and data gathered in the previous weeks could be used as a baseline to compare future playtesting results.

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Week 13 - Assignment 3 Halloween Playtesting

In this week’s lecture, our team had an additional opportunity to collect data from three playtesters. Our team utilised the same methods for playtesting that were outlined in the Playtesting posts from Week 11 and 12. Before the playtesting session I made some minor adjustments to the game’s difficulty. Feedback from the previous playtesting sessions indicated that the number of enemies on the screen at once was overwhelming, so I increased the delay between spawns for each of the enemies whilst also reducing the max asteroid count. The adjustments I made to the spawning system successfully reduced the game’s difficulty. In the previous playtesting session, none of the playtesters were able to beat the boss; in this session, one of the playtesters was able to defeat the boss.

After the Halloween playtesting session, I analysed the pre-playtest surveys to gauge the demographics of the playtesters. Based on their responses to the survey, I categorised the playtesters into three groups: core, wide, and outside. The core are players who actively enjoy and purchase games of the same genre as the one being playtested, wide players enjoy similar genres to the one being playtested, and outside players generally do not play games of the same or similar genres to the tested game, if at all. Tracey Fullerton (2018) outlines how core players are the ideal candidates for playtesters as they can provide more relevant feedback than wide and outside players. Due to their familiarity and fondness of the genre, core players can compare the tested game to similar games on the market and provide additional market research. The opinions and feedback of core playtesters are more representative of the tested game’s target audience than the comments made by outside and wide playtesters. Outside and wide playtesters can still provide useful feedback, especially regarding the game’s accessibility to new players. From the analysis of the pre-playtest surveys, I was able to identify the first, fourth, and sixth playtesters as core, the third playtester as wide, and the second and fifth playtesters as outside.

References

Fullerton, T. (2018). Game Design Workshop: A Playcentric Approach to Creating Innovative Games (4th ed.). CRC Press LLC

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Week 12 - Assignment 3 Playtesting

In this week’s tutorial, our group conducted another playtesting session to gather feedback on the current iteration of Drill Till Still. This time, we recruited two students from outside the class, and one from within the class, to be naïve playtesters. Our group shared similar roles to last week’s playtest, with me running the playtest, Jacob and James taking notes, and Kelvin conducting the post-playtest survey.

I adopted the same approach to communicating with playtesters for this week’s playtest, as I had done in the practise session. Before the playtest, I outlined the objectives of the playtest and encouraged the playtesters to think aloud whilst playing. If the playtester stayed quiet for too long during the playtest, I would ask them a question to prompt them to vocalise their thoughts. When asked a question by the playtester, I would usually respond by asking questions of my own to qualify theirs. The playtesters filled out surveys before and after the playtest. The survey completed before the playtest contained questions which would allow the team to evaluate the demographics of the playtesters. The post-playtest survey contained quantitative questions on the playtester’s experience with the prototype. I analysed the notes from the playtesting, as well as the survey responses from the playtesters, to create a thematic feedback chart which can be found in Figure 12.

One playtester spent their entire session without realising they could redirect the bullet. This really highlighted to the team that the redirect mechanic was still not obvious or intuitive to use. It was interesting to see how the playtester approached the game without using the redirect mechanic; instead opting to use the return ability to boomerang the projectile back to the player after destroying an enemy. From this playtester, our group established that the redirect mechanic would need to be made more accessible. Potential ways to do this could include tooltips on the Game Over screen or in-game obstacles which force the player to shoot around them to hit the intended target.

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Week 12 - Assignment 3 Iteration and Changes

In her book, Fullerton (2018) outlines that playtesting is essential for highlighting a game’s issues. The feedback from the playtesters can be used to identify what is working and what not working in a prototype. From the feedback, developers can iterate on the game’s design and retest to identify if the changes worked. The feedback of last week’s playtesting was used to create an action list of priority changes to be implemented this week (refer to Week 11 post for more details on the action list).

Playtesters were often dying in the game with a low score in the single digits. This indicated to our team that the game’s early challenge was too high for the playtesters. To improve the flow of the game, I added a wave spawn mechanic for the enemy agents. At the start of the game, the asteroids are the only enemy agent, the player encounters. When the player collects three gems, the Chomper begins to spawn, at six gems the Gunner starts spawning, and at nine gems the boss spawns. The wave mechanic gradually introduces the enemies to the player so that they are not initially overwhelmed. The Chomper was causing the majority of the playtesters deaths, so I reduced the speed at which the Chomper moves to allow players more time to react to it.

A sidebar in Fullerton’s book (2018) by Michael Sweet goes over the importance of audio within games. “Sound can have a profound impact on the game by intensifying the level of engagement by the player and extending the creative style of the game.” Music and sound effects were an area of focus for the next prototype as previous iterations of Drill Till Still did not contain audio.

As the game is set in space, I went for a futuristic feeling with the sound effects and music. The game’s score now contains two Cyberpunk music tracks by Scythuz (2017). An up-tempo futuristic track reinforces the fast pace of the main level’s game play, whilst a slower song plays in the start, game over, and victory screens, to relieve tension from the player. Fusehive’s sound effects (2020) provided an interesting mix of retro blips and futuristic weapon samples which I used to reinforce the primary attack and resource gathering mechanics. A futuristic blaster sound plays when the player shoots the projectile and a reload sound plays when the player collects the projectile. Audio feedback is now provided when the player destroys an enemy, with a different sample used for each enemy. A positive sounding retro sample was used to add feedback to when the player collects a gem. I also added audio feedback for when the player takes damage. The audio changes depending on the player’s health, with more alerting samples used to indicate lower player health. All music and sound effects were sourced from the Humble Music and Sound FX 2 Bundle, which I purchased on Humble Bundle.

References

Fullerton, T. (2018). Game Design Workshop: A Playcentric Approach to Creating Innovative Games (4th ed.). CRC Press LLC Fusehive. (2020). Futuristic Sci-fi Lasers & Blasters Weapons Sound Effects Library – Science Fiction War Mini Pack. Game Dev Market. https://www.gamedevmarket.net/asset/futuristic-sci-fi-lasers-blasters-weapons-sound-effects-library-science-fiction-war-mini-pack/ Scythuz. (2017). Cyberpunk Music Pack. Game Dev Market. https://www.gamedevmarket.net/asset/cyberpunk-music-pack-7297/

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Week 11 - Assignment 3 Practice Playtesting

During the tutorial this week, our group had a chance to run a practise playtesting session to prepare for next week’s playtest. For this session, we found two naïve playtesters from within the class to try out the current iteration and to provide feedback on the prototype. I volunteered to lead the playtesting session, as I wanted to gather more experience in the role. James and Jacob both took notes during the playtest while Kelvin playtested other group’s prototypes.

In her book, Fullerton (2018) outlines that understanding the player’s thoughts when playtesting is crucial for gathering effective qualitative data. The average person is not used to dictating their internal dialogue so before the playtest, I encouraged the player to think aloud; verbalising the intention behind their actions and why they came to that decision. During the playtest, I was asked a variety of questions by the playtesters. Generally, I did not directly answer the question, but instead asked a qualifying question back to the playtester. Doing this, I was able to gain a better understanding of the playtester’s mentality. As part of the playtest, the player was asked to fill out a survey which incorporated quantitative questions. I averaged the results of the surveys which can be found in Table 9.

The group discussed the results of the playtest, and we drew several conclusions on the current iteration of Drill Till Still. The projectile redirect mechanic and crystal resources both required accessibility improvements, and the player’s current health was not obvious enough. The game’s difficulty curve was also harsh for the naïve playtester as enemies appeared too quickly at early stages of the game. On a positive note, playtesters generally enjoy playing the prototype and liked the visual aesthetic. From the team discussion, I created an action list dictating priority changes for the next prototype iteration which is as follows:

Reduce Chomper scale and speed,

Add tutorial screen for controls,

Add wave system to gradually introduce enemies,

Add audio,

Change crystal sprite to look more like a gem,

Add victory screen,

Add damage to ship sprite when hit,

Change Gunner sprite colour to look more like an enemy,

Add boss fight.

References

Fullerton, T. (2018). Game Design Workshop: A Playcentric Approach to Creating Innovative Games (4th ed.). CRC Press LLC

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Week 10 - Assignment 3 Development

This week was devoted to iterating the Drill Till Still prototype. When developing the racer prototype, I discovered how to increase the size of the game window in GDevelop, so I started by increasing the boundaries of the game space. I felt the boundaries of the original prototype restricted the movement options for the player. It also restricted the size of the agents, both player and enemy. To reflect the larger game space, the boundary mechanic which teleports the objects to the opposite side when touched was adjusted.

I then went about implementing the enemy agents, starting with the alien chomper. The alien chomper is a melee character which constantly pursues the player. I was able to create the chomper’s attack pattern by adding a constant force to the chomper in the direction of the player. Originally, I used the same spawn system for the chomper that I used for the asteroids; however, whilst self-playtesting I realised that the chomper would often spawn too close to the player to allow them a suitable amount of time to react. To solve this, I implemented a similar spawning system to the traffic in the racer prototype. The spawn system now uses random numbers to determine a corner of the boundary for the chomper to spawn. Spawning the chomper in the corner, increased the reaction time the player has to the chomper’s attack to more suitable level.

In the one-page design, I outlined that the gunner is an enemy which shoots projectiles at the player whilst also keeping its distance from the player. I found it hard to implement an AI which would both move away and attack the player at the same time, so I opted to make the gunner a stationary agent which would constantly track the player and shoot at intervals. Implementing an AI for the gunner, more alike what was originally envisioned, could be a potential point of iteration for future prototypes.

I implemented a basic scoring system in the original Drill Till Still prototype which gives points to the player each time they destroy an asteroid. I updated the scoring system so now the asteroid drops a crystal when destroyed which the player can pick up to score points. Having the scoring system tied to crystal pick-ups, promoted a more active play style as players are incentivised to move around the game space.

During the week Jacob produced some awesome pixel art for the prototype which included a space background, player avatar, projectiles, aliens, asteroids, and crystals. I added the assets to the prototype which really improved the game’s aesthetic.

[whughesgamedev]

Week 9  - Assignment 3 Group Formation

During this week’s lecture, I was introduced to the third assignment for IGB220. For this assessment we would be forming groups of two to four, to collectively work on a game. As part of the assessment the group will be conducting a playtesting session and will complete a report based off the playtesting.

In the tutorial this week, we pitched our game ideas for assignment 3 to the rest of the class. For my pitch, I read aloud the X statement of the one-sheet I developed earlier in the week. After everyone in the class had pitched, we had an opportunity to peruse each other’s one-sheet and one-page. We then formed groups for assignment 3, based off the pitches, one-sheets, and one-pages. James Ellem, Jacob Knights, Kelvin Vu, and I, formed a group (A3 Group 15) to work on the game I pitched, Drill Till Still. We decided that we would adapt the concept by incorporating the pixel style and theme from Jacob’s game. During the tutorial, we set up a Discord channel which would act as the main form of communication between the group. We also allocated roles for each team member: by now, I was very comfortable with GDevelop and the prototype, so I volunteered to be the lead programmer.

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Week 9 - Assignment 2 One-sheet

In her book, Fullerton (2018) refers to the one-page as a sell sheet. The purpose of the sell sheet is to succinctly explain the game idea as well as the target market. The core game idea of Drill Till Still revolves around destroying asteroids and battling aliens using a redirectable drill. I started on paper, sketching potential layouts to communicate the core game idea. Using a physical medium, allowed me to quickly ideate one-sheet layouts.

I felt that out of my sketches, the one pictured in Figure 10 best visualises the game idea behind Drill Till Still. As the drill and asteroids play a large part of the game, they constitute the focal point of the layout. The asteroid has noticeable crystals protruding out of it, which allude to the resources which are collectable in game. The destroyed state of the drill invites the viewer to question how the drill ended up that way. The space setting of the game is communicated by the background image. I used a bold font with a high contrasting bounding box to make the text stand out against the background. The short description of the game ends with a call to action to further entice the viewer and to indicate the existence of the final boss. The digital version of the one-sheet is pictured in Figure 11.

References

Fullerton, T. (2018). Game Design Workshop: A Playcentric Approach to Creating Innovative Games (4th ed.). CRC Press LLC

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Week 9 - Racing Postmortem

The development of the racing prototype was another opportunity to reinforce the methodologies of game design that I have been developing throughout the semester. I spent most of the development focusing on the near miss mechanic as this would constitute the core game-loop. The near miss mechanic functions as a high-risk, high-reward system for the player, as the player is incentivised to drive near enemy agents. To further emphasise this, the amount of points the player receives from a near miss increases with the proximity to the oncoming traffic. Playtesters generally enjoyed the near miss mechanic, however as an objective, it was not initially obvious to them. I believe that a lack of player feedback for completing a near miss was likely the reason for this.

In her book, Fullerton (2018) outlines that visual and aural feedback is critical for achieving flow. Useful feedback lets the player know when an action affects the game state and the outcome of the action. Without immediate feedback, the outcomes of player actions are not obvious, and the objectives of game become unclear. In the racing prototype, the only player feedback received for completing near misses was a change in the score in the top-left of the screen. Additional, and more impactful visual feedback would likely improve the near miss mechanic. Need for Speed: No Limits (Firemonkeys Studios, 2015) uses extensive visual feedback to highlight drafting and drifting. Visual effects like motion blur and vignette, and centrally located text, which only appears when drafting and drifting, improves the game feel of driving at high speeds (see Figure 9). Incorporating similar visual effects and text could be a potential way to improve the useability and feeling of completing a near miss.

References

Firemonkeys Studios. (2015). Need for Speed: No Limits [Computer Game]. Electronic Arts. Fullerton, T. (2018). Game Design Workshop: A Playcentric Approach to Creating Innovative Games (4th ed.). CRC Press LLC Hurricane, J. (2015, October 2). Need For Speed No Limits Guide – How To Earn Cash Fast. Gamers Heroes. https://www.gamersheroes.com/game-guides/need-for-speed-no-limits-guide-how-to-earn-cash-fast/

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Week 8 - Assignment 2 One-page

In Week 6, I was introduced to the second assessment for IGB220. For this assessment, I was required to produce a one-page and one-sheet. I decided that for the assessment, I would create a one-page and one-sheet for the SHMUP concept I developed in Weeks 4-6. This week I focused on the one-page. A one-page is a document used to communicate design ideas to a development team and as such, should contain all the information necessary for the team to successfully implement the design. As I had previously devoted time to conceptualising the formal and dramatic elements of the prototype, creating the one-page was a straightforward process. The digital version of the one-page is pictured in Figure 8.

One area of attention that I focused on was the enemy aliens and how they interact with the player. I designed each alien so they would attack the player in a unique fashion: the chomper is a melee agent who rushes the player, the gunner is an agent which attacks the player at range using a projectile, the bomber is agent which indirectly attacks the player by dropping mines, and the boss is a large agent who shoots a laser which tracks towards the player. At later stages enemies have a chance to spawn with a shield which can only be destroyed using the energised drill. To energise the drill the player must shoot the drill through an energiser gate. I felt this highlighted the redirect mechanic of the primary attack as the player must fire the drill through the gate then redirect the drill towards to the enemy.

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Week 8 - Racing Playtesting

In this week’s tutorial, I conducted playtesting to gather feedback on Near Miss. Similarly to the SHMUP playtest, I used a combination of qualitative and quantitative questions to gauge player response. The results of the playtesting session can be found in Figure 7 and Table 8.

From the playtesting feedback, I was able to gain valuable insight on my design decisions for the racing prototype. The playtesters generally enjoyed the near miss mechanic, however more work is required to highlight when a near miss occurs and to improve the game feel of near misses. The rate at which obstacles approach the player should be reduced so the increase occurs more gradually.

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Week 8 - Racing Development

Last week, I developed a racing game prototype which would serve as the backbone for Near Miss. The prototype was based off a GDevelop Wiki tutorial (“Road Rider – Endless car game tutorial”, 2020). Using the tutorial as a guide, I implemented the player controls, obstacles, collision, and a basic points system.

This week, I about implementing several changes to create the initial digital prototype for Near Miss. Firstly, I developed a points system which rewards the player for driving near other vehicles. The closer the player’s avatar is to another vehicle, the more points the player receives. To allow for more freedom of movement, I added verticality to the player’s movement and removed the restrictive road barriers. The trees now act as a boundary preventing the player from being able to leave the game space. I added extra obstacles in the form of traffic cones which use the same spawn system as the traffic and trees. Finally, I added a mechanic which increased the speed of the oncoming obstacles based on the points the player has.

In her book, Fullerton (2018) summarises flow theory and its application to game design. Flow theory is based on Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s studies on the elements of enjoyment. Csikszentmihalyi (1990) outlines that the optimal experience for a user is a product of the careful balance of challenge and ability with frustration and boredom. Increasing the speed at which obstacles approach the player over the course of the game, provides a gradual increase in difficulty which made the game more approachable for inexperienced players and more challenging for experienced players.

References

Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1990). Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. Journal of Leisure Research, 24(1), 93-94. https://doi.org/10.1080/00222216.1992.11969876 Fullerton, T. (2018). Game Design Workshop: A Playcentric Approach to Creating Innovative Games (4th ed.). CRC Press LLC Road Rider – Endless car game tutorial. (2020). GDevelop Wiki. Retrieved September 17, 2021, from http://wiki.compilgames.net/doku.php/gdevelop5/tutorials/roadrider

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Week 7 - Racing Conceptualisation

For the racing prototype, I wanted to create a game which deviated from the standard player experience of a racing game. The objective of a typical racing game is to reach a goal before the other players. Racing games like Mario Kart (Nintendo, 1992) obscure the goal by placing obstacles on the track.

Generally, in a racing game, the player is incentivised to avoid obstacles so they can reach the goal first. Incentivising the player to drive closer to obstacles, reduces the margin of error, which naturally leads to high-risk high-reward gameplay. Near misses in Burnout (Criterion Games, 2001) and drafting in Need for Speed: Underground (EA Black Box, 2003), highlight the exhilarating gameplay which can arise when narrowly avoiding obstacles.

For the racing prototype, I wanted to explore the gameplay which can arise when narrowly avoiding obstacles becomes the primary objective. I went about conceptualising the formal elements of a racing game with this play experience in mind. A summary of the formal elements for the racing prototype can be found in Table 7.

References

Burnout Fandom. (n.d.). Near Miss. https://burnout.fandom.com/wiki/Near_Miss Criterion Games. (2001). Burnout [Computer Game]. Acclaim Entertainment. EA Black Box. (2003). Need for Speed: Underground [Computer Game]. Electronic Arts. Mario Kart Tour. (2019, October 5). Other racers aren’t the only obstacles you’ll come across out there on the track. Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/mariokarttour/posts/other-racers-arent-the-only-obstacles-youll-come-across-out-there-on-the-track-c/2572402926326068/ Nintendo. (1992). Super Mario Kart [Computer Game].

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Week 7 - Racing Elevator Pitch

Title: Near Miss.

Genre: 2D Endless Runner.

Primary Mechanics: The player controls a speeding car and must drive as close as possible to oncoming traffic.

Setting / Style: In Near Miss, the player drives through suburban streets dodging traffic and other obstacles along the way.

Audience: Simple mechanics allows players of all ages to play.

Pitch: Near Miss is a 2D endless runner with a focus on narrowly avoiding traffic and other obstacles. The player earns points by driving their car as close as possible to oncoming traffic. The more points the player earns, the faster the obstacles approach the player.  

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Week 6 - SHMUP Postmortem

Prototyping the SHMUP concept, provided me with another opportunity to apply the design principles being taught in IGB220, and the underlying theory that is outlined in Fullerton’s book (2018). I have become more confident in conceptualising games and feel that I have a better understanding of the underlying elements which affect player experience. I devoted most of my time towards prototyping the redirectable drill as this mechanic would form the foundation of Drill Till Still’s game loop. Focusing on the core game loop, then building out from there, provided a natural flow for prototyping. In doing this, I was able to isolate the effects of each new element as they were added to the prototype. I attempted to create a simple interface which leveraged metaphors to communicate the game’s systems effectively to the player. I found that a green-yellow-red colour scale was intuitive for the playtesters, however I recognise that such a system would restrict colour blind players from being able to enjoy Drill Till Still.

Fullerton (2018) outlines that it is hard for developers to fully understand a game’s experience from the point of view of the player due to their proximity to development. Therefore, playtesting is one of the most import facets of game development, as it provides an opportunity to incorporate player feedback into the game’s design. Using a combination of qualitative and quantitative questions, I was able to survey playtesters on their experience with Drill Till Still. The feedback helped me identify insufficiencies in the game’s design regarding the clarity of mechanics and objectives. The kind of playtesting that I conducted for the platformer and SHMUP prototypes is known as active playtesting due to its active involvement of playtesters to provide feedback. In his Game Developers Conference presentation, Anthony Giovannetti (2019) outlines that passive playtesting is a powerful tool, when used in conjunction with active playtesting, as it maximises the feedback from playtesters. Passive playtesting uses metrics built into the prototype to track player performance. Giovannetti (Game Developers Conference, 2019) highlights that passive playtesting is especially useful for indie game studios as it is less time consuming, less expensive, and more scalable than active playtesting. Passive playtesting could be especially useful in the Australian game development scene as it is comprised mainly of indie studios. Passive playtesting is by no means a replacement for active playtesting, but when combined, they are powerful tools which facilitate playcentric game design. I am unsure if GDevelop has the capabilities to support passive feedback systems. Regardless, I am very interested in exploring their implementation in Unity.

Due to the rapid prototyping process, there were several features that I was unable to implement. Enemy variety, including a boss character, power ups, and interactive obstacles are all formal elements which could be explored in future prototypes. A resources system in which enemies drop minerals for the player to pick up could also be investigated. Such a system could improve moment-to-moment gameplay as players would be inclined to move their avatar towards danger to obtain the resource reward. Future prototypes could also investigate the impact dramatic elements have on the overall player experience.

References

Fullerton, T. (2018). Game Design Workshop: A Playcentric Approach to Creating Innovative Games (4th ed.). CRC Press LLC Game Developers Conference. (2019, June 27). Slay the Spire: Metrics Driven Design and Balance [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rqfbvnO_H0

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Week 6 - SHMUP Playtesting

During the tutorial this week, I was able to gather valuable feedback on the SHMUP concept, via playtesting. I prepared a survey for the playtesters to complete at the end of the session. The survey was structured in a way so that I could gather qualitative and quantitative data from the playtesters. Qualitative questions allowed playtesters to provide a short response, whereas quantitative questions accepted a response on a scale of one to five. The qualitative questions on the survey were based on example questions in Fullerton’s book (2018). Examples of the qualitative questions on the survey include:

What are your thoughts about the game?

Where you able to easily learn the mechanics?

Any information that would have been helpful at the start of the session?

Was there anything you did not like about the game?

Did you find anything confusing?

Was the interface easy to understand?

What games do you like to play?

I summarised the qualitative feedback, using thematic data analysis and averaged the quantitative responses. A summary of the playtesters’ feedback can be found in Figure 4 and Table 6.

The playtesting session highlighted that the primary shooting mechanic was difficult to initially grasp. Evidence of this can be seen in the quantitative data, as the average scores for clarity of design and strategy were the lowest of the questions. This was also reflected in the qualitative data through responses regarding a steep learning curve and unclear mechanics. The results indicated that playtesters understood the green-yellow-red scale used for the player’s lives and drill fuel systems; however, it also highlighted that more work would be needed to improve the interface’s legibility.

References

Fullerton, T. (2018). Game Design Workshop: A Playcentric Approach to Creating Innovative Games (4th ed.). CRC Press LLC