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TEAM NAME: Aurora Game Name: Aeon: Observations: Analysis

1) A game testing session was conducted where a player experimented with controls, movement, and combat. Several issues were observed such as lack of tutorials, inaccurate aiming reticle, weak enemies, and confusing objectives. 2) An online survey was administered to gather player preferences on gameplay elements. Respondents showed a preference for an ability tree over freeform abilities, a dodge roll over simply moving in combat, and puzzle-like combat encounters over solely archery puzzles. 3) The results provide insights into how to improve gameplay mechanics and level design, such as adding tutorials, varying enemy types, and considering puzzles in combat encounters.

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73 views

TEAM NAME: Aurora Game Name: Aeon: Observations: Analysis

1) A game testing session was conducted where a player experimented with controls, movement, and combat. Several issues were observed such as lack of tutorials, inaccurate aiming reticle, weak enemies, and confusing objectives. 2) An online survey was administered to gather player preferences on gameplay elements. Respondents showed a preference for an ability tree over freeform abilities, a dodge roll over simply moving in combat, and puzzle-like combat encounters over solely archery puzzles. 3) The results provide insights into how to improve gameplay mechanics and level design, such as adding tutorials, varying enemy types, and considering puzzles in combat encounters.

Uploaded by

api-313433093
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Thomas Ball

GAM 302

12/7/14

TEAM NAME: Aurora


GAME NAME: AEON
TESTING DONE:
Test #1: Jeff Grow, 12/5/14, 8 minutes

Observations:

Analysis:

Jeff experimented with the third person


camera and movement controls, trying to get
his bearings. He experimented with the
buttons and learnt how to interact with the
game.

There is currently no in-game tutorial or


teaching that helps players who might not be
used to this sort of game, though there is a
how-to-play reference that lists each buttons
function. We need to nail down when we aim
on introducing certain elements and how we
want to teach them to our players in an
elegant way.

Jumped off a cliff and died, triggering the


respawn.

Right now, the death effect we have isnt


quite enough feedback in a case like this,
since the player can outrun it if they are
moving fast enough (i.e. falling). There is also
a problem where the player is still in control
of the character when he is technically dead,
as made evident by him using an ability that
flashed bright colors after dying.

Commented that the aim is still off

This refers to the aiming accuracy of the


reticle that we have on the screen. It isnt an
accurate representation of where the arrow
will actually land. We need to create a system
that either tracks what is currently aimed at
and stick an arrow there, or make a reticle that

Thomas Ball

GAM 302

12/7/14

is essentially a laser pointer. Jeff explained to


us that hed rather have no reticle than one
that gave him inaccurate information.

Attempting to dodge while in aim mode, Jeff


found that he could just strafe and easily
move out of the way of the enemy attacks.

Our current enemy archetypes fire fairly slow


projectiles at a much more limited range than
the player character. This makes them fairly
trivial challenges. A variety in enemy
behavior and types will allow us to build
interesting encounters that justifies the player
characters diverse set of abilities.

Attempting to kill an enemy by repeatedly


dashing into him.

The dash ability we had in the current build


was actually a precursor to a bash ability,
which was basically and upgrade to the dash
that dealt damage. It dealt exactly 1 point of
damage in this build (as we werent looking
to test it in this playtest), which means that it
would need to hit an enemy 30 times before
they were defeated. The damage feedback we
implemented clearly works, since Jeff kept
trying to kill an enemy with it until he
realized how little damage it did.

Long range advantage against all enemies.

As it stands, the player can shoot as far as he


or she can see. This means that any ambush
we set up can immediately be overcome by
the player standing back and shooting any
placed enemies. We will either need to break
up the environment so the enemies are better
hidden, or have them spawn when the player
is in a certain location.

Awkward star acquisition.

The star was the main objective in the game,


and when Jeff approached it he jumped and

Thomas Ball

GAM 302

12/7/14

dashed right into it. The plan was to have a


certain part of the environment in view when
picking up the star, as a new objective marker
would appear as the stars objective marker
disappears. However, the jump and dash
approach makes the framing of the next area
awkward, and Jeff completely missed his new
objective being shown before him until he
reoriented himself.

Confusion over objective marker.

The player is given one instruction: follow the


beam of light. This refers to a large beam of
light that serves as a beacon for the player to
follow. While it was easy for Jeff to see where
it was, the positioning of it made it appear
over a small mountain, back in the direction
he came from. He needed to traverse his way
through the level until he found an optimal
path, but it would be more helpful to have
smaller waypoints that lead the player in the
right direction rather than a single point that
might make them attempt to climb terrain we
dont want them to climb.

Test #2: Online Survey, 12/6/14


We created a short online survey and asked people from our games Facebook group to fill it out,
giving us an idea of the things people would be most interested in seeing in the future.
Question 1: Would you want to fight cool bosses or have an ability tree?
This question was further explained as how freeform the players would like the game to be. If we
give the player specific abilities as they progress, we can create environments that use those

Thomas Ball

GAM 302

12/7/14

abilities, and bosses that require them to be defeated, akin to a typical Legend of Zelda game.
Our original plan was to have a number of abilities that the players could unlock in any order
they wish. This posed a problem for building environments, since we could never be certain what
the player would be able or unable to do at any given time.

Analysis of the data shows us that our potential players are more interested in the more
structured of these two options, with freeform abilities only receiving a third as many votes.

Would you want to fight cool bosses or have an ability tree?


10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0

Boss

Abilities

Question 2: Do you prefer to move out of the way of enemy attacks, or use a dodge roll?

Thomas Ball

GAM 302

12/7/14

A dodge roll is a difficult thing to perfect, and some players arent even interested in it since our
game is more focused on ranged combat than melee combat. We were curious to see what kind of
numbers we would get from this question, and tried to explain each method with supporting
videos to make our goals as clear as possible. It would have an impact on our future decisions
about combat and enemy behaviors. With the dash ability already a mechanic that we plan on
moving forward with in the game, it raises questions about whether the dodge is necessary and
made redundant by it.
The results show that dodge is slightly more popular than simply moving out of the way of
attacks. There isnt a lot of difference between these two options, which means that it might be
best to go ahead with the dodge, and make it an option for players who want it, but not making it
necessary to be effective in combat.

Do you prefer to move out of the way of enemy attacks, or use a "dodge roll"?
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0

Move

Dodge

Thomas Ball

GAM 302

12/7/14

Question 3: Do you want archery puzzles in the game or fight encounters that are puzzle-like?
This was an important question for us since it would impact how we go about designing combat in the
game. Player behaviors are very different, with mixes between a desire for combat, exploration, narrative,
and puzzles being very varied from player to player. It was important for us to understand peoples
expectations and desires so that we can adjust how we design levels. We asked about puzzles and went on
to explain that puzzles would mutate the combat; i.e. instead of just shooting an enemy until it dies, the
player might have to use a certain ability on it to bring down its defenses, and then lure it into a ground
trap before its core is exposed.
The results show us that puzzles are definitely something that a significant number of people are
interested in, however there isnt anyone who could just take it or leave it; nobody voted that they didnt
care, and some voted that they absolutely dont want puzzles. We might have to make a decisive choice
about the direction we think is most attainable, but its promising to see that there is some positive
reactions to our somewhat unconventional combat ideas.

Do you want archery puzzles in the game? Fight encounters that are puzzle-like?
6
5
4
3
2
1
0

Thomas Ball

GAM 302

12/7/14

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