Testing the 2nd Test Build
Last week we made a new build with the improvements we worked on and tested it with new people. We learnt a lot and confirmed we are still on a good path but we also realize there are several changes we need to make. Because we have solved the larger issues in the game, various concrete and smaller issues became visible. We compiled those issues in a list and prioritized them to start this week fixing them.
After analyzing the notes we took from the test session we divided the issues into 5 categories:
Improvements to the the tile system
Improvements to the level design and pacing
Improvements to the UI
Improvements to the Game Feel
Bugs
Starting with the tile system, there are 3 improvements we need to work on. The first one is to hide the tiles that are far away from the player, to be specific, the tiles outside a 5x5 area with the player at the center of it. The reason behind it is that when the whole map floor is shining and showing animations it becomes really distracting and overwhelming for the player.
The second improvement is to remove the visual effect on the ground from the checkpoints. Currently the checkpoints shine with an aura around the borders and on the ground of the tiles they are on. The effect on the ground makes it so the players cannot see what those tiles are supposed to be, which prevents the players from playing effectively.
The third improvement is to change the colors of the tiles, interactable objects, collectable objects and the lighting. Right now many of the elements that compose the map seem to either blend too much among them or to call too much the player's attention when they shouldn’t. A good part of why this happens is because the lighting we are using alongside the base color of the assets interact together to create this effect. Also, we realize that the new color of the ½ tempo tiles, which is red, could be interpreted as dangerous which affected a bit the game experience of some players when it could be avoided.
Now, talking about the improvements to the level design and pacing, we identified 3 bullet points to work on. The first one is to reduce how many mechanics we teach per level and how often we should introduce a new mechanic. At the moment we are introducing 2 mechanics per level on average and we do this every level. The reason behind this is that we assumed each of these mechanics were so simple that not doing this will cause the players to get bored. Now we are planning on introducing on average 1 mechanic per level, with more than one level to explore and reinforce the mechanic.
The second bullet point is to reduce the amount of “noise” on the levels. This is somewhat related to some of the improvements for the tile system. In short, we need to reduce the visual and sound stimuli that distract the player from the gameplay. Aside from the changes already mentioned on the tile system section, this also requires changing the materials and placement of the assets in the level.
The third improvement is more concrete, to only introduce the “HP Collectables” when the enemies are already known. At the moment they only distract and confuse the players that don’t know why the player character can pick up objects. This helps with the issue with the noise and pacing.
The next set of improvements are for the UI, which are 4 in total and in general are the changes that will affect the game the least. The first one is to only show the ½ indicators in the tempo UI when the payer is standing on a ½ tempo tile. Having it present at all times is creating visual noise which we are trying to reduce, as well as confusing some players that think that is the tempo you should follow at all times.
The second one, to replace the “Good” and “Perfect” texts that appear when you move to “OK” in both cases. At the moment we aren’t using the information of water the player is having a perfect timing or just a good one, so removing it reduces the amount of information on the player’s mind.
The third change is to improve the calibration screen. Right now it is providing insufficient information to the players, and caused several of our testers to have issues understanding what to do at the start of the game.
The fourth change is the most impactful of these 4, to better communicate that each “HP Collectable” provides you with an extra hit point before returning to the last checkpoint. Right now, nobody has understood by themselves what the “HP Collectables” do. In concrete we are planning to make the player character flash, play a hit animation and drop a “HP Collectable” when the player is hit by an enemy.
Now for the game feel improvements, we identified 2 changes we need to make. The first one is to increase the error margin the player has when following the tempo. Right now it feels too punishing and most players, including the more hardcore ones, told us the ramp up in difficulty didn’t feel right. It is important to remember to check every game element and system, and ask if it is adding to the relaxed experience we want the game to be.
The second change is to modify the camera rotation. We saw on more than one occasion how the players got confused on whether they should press the keys to move vertically or horizontally. This happens because the angle we are using for the camera gives space for this question. The solution to this issue is simple from a technical standpoint, but we need to be careful as changing the angle can cause some of the existing levels to not work at all anymore.
Now for the final set of changes, the bugs. We saw the following 4 bugs:
Pressing 2 buttons send the player to an empty void
Spamming a button sends the player to an empty void
The player character is missing animations which causes it to disappear under certain conditions
In level 3 there is a part of the map the player should be able to access but they can
We managed to work on some of these changes on friday last week but the bulk of the changes will be made during this week and maybe some of the next week. As soon as we finish these improvements we will test with users again.
