Second Prototype
Taking what we learned from the first prototype we made this new prototype level. The most impactful change we made was designing the level so it coincides with the song rhythm and tempo, assuming the player doesn't miss a bit. We made this to give the experience of being in a music video where your actions go at the rhythm of the music. Aside from this, another big change we added 2 types of collectables which I used to guide the player through the “optimal path” and a door to add interactivity. Another change we made was to the angle of the camera, now it is more interesting to look at and helps with some issues we had related to detecting depth while playing. Finally, we decided that in order to make the game a casual experience it needs to be able to teach the players how to play it with as little text as possible. Thus, I designed the level to teach the player everything they need and also give them the space to test what they learned.
We want to test the new length of the level, if the new mechanics add value to the game and if they work well alongside the enemies. Also, if the tutorial was effective at teaching players what they needed.
Talking about the design of the level itself, I focused on giving the player more space as a whole. In order to create variety I made some sections more narrow or wider than the average as well as changing the direction the player has to go to progress. We discovered that moving in different directions feels very different as the fixed camera reveals different amounts of information.
An aspect that made designing this level incrementally difficult was following the tempo of the song. Having to keep in mind how many tempos have passed at any given moment while predicting the optimal routes the player can take to complete all the challenges, became almost unmanageable by the end of the level. Though I think it is a nice feature and it follows the original brief of creating the experience of being in a music video, I’m not sure it is a sustainable solution. We’ll try to keep it but if we can’t find a solution for its issues, this feature might have to go.
Something that seems to be an absolute win is the new 2 collectibles. These are the “half coins” and the “conga line coins”. The “half coins” are a collectible that when the player grabs the half that is enabled by default, spawns the other half and the player has to get it before its timer ends. The “conga line coins” spawn a line of coins after the player touches the coin that is enabled by default. If the player misses a bit while collecting them, the coins disappear and the collectible is lost. Visually the 2 collectibles have sprites with different shapes and colors. These new mechanics allowed me to guide the player much more easily, which helped with maintaining the pacing of the game.
Another element that was very successful is the tutorial. This time I kept in mind the longer length that we were aiming for, and used it to pace the rhythm at which the player learned each new mechanic. First, we implemented a wide area at the beginning where the player is asked to press any of the arrow keys at the rhythm of the icon moving in the UI. This is made to calibrate the game to the player’s input. Also, this is the only part aside from the level end celebration where there is text present. Once the player has calibrated the controls they can move in this area to get used to the movement. While in here the song hasn’t started. Once they exit this area the song starts while the player sees a countdown to start moving. In this next area the player sees an “patrolling enemy” that is out of reach, this is to communicate that they exist before they actually have to deal with them. A little later they see a “rotating enemy” that is also out of reach. Next they find their first obstacle, this is here to force players to move in different directions. Next they find their first collectible, a “conga line coin”. The only challenge is keeping the rhythm while collecting the coins. This is the end of the introductory area, the next area reintroduces the enemies and collectables in situations that are low risk. Also, we introduce the “½ tempo” tiles in the middle of this area now that the players are getting used to the previous mechanics. The next area is a harder challenge with all the parts that they have learned until now.
The third area is lower in difficulty to give the players space to breathe while also using the space to introduce the mechanic of the doors that are opened by buttons. The last area is the final challenge of everything they learned. First a fast paced narrow corridor to create tension followed by a section with the hardest challenge to obtain a collectable while avoiding enemies and keeping the tempo with the different tiles.
After testing we learned the following. First, the length of the level is good and it could even be longer if we wanted to. Second, the 3rd area where the players are given space to breathe was a bit confusing and boring, I have to avoid creating spaces that big without that much to call the attention of the player. Third, the tutorial was mostly successful though it felt a bit more drawn out than it needed to be. Fourth, the parts where the players interacted with the world felt fun as the players liked having an effect in the world and seeing consequences for their actions. And the final conclusion, the idea of keeping the player always in motion because “it is more engaging and fun” ended up being fallacy.
All the testers told us they enjoyed the moments where they needed to stop and plan what to do next. Also, many of them told us that keeping in motion all the time was too hard. Even those who liked the difficulty told us they reached a point at which they stopped feeling like they were in a music video and only focused on performing a perfect execution.
