Sprint 15: Destination Alpha (Playtest Results)

Click here to play the Alpha release version of the now retitlted "Force of Nature."

The alpha playtest was both informative and helpful. Some questions could not be answered properly/completely due to the lack of development progress in their given area. Not all of our players were avid gamers, and one of them was primarily a "mobile gamer".

1 – Did you find the game confusing or find yourself not knowing what to do?

            1                      2                      3                      4                      5

Player 1 - 5
Player 2 - 5
Player 3 - 3
Player 4 - 4
Player 5 - 5

All of the players agreed that the game needed basic instructions since we did not provide any prompts or tutorial levels in the game. Obviously over time they were able to discern the controls but it was time wasted.

2 – Were you able to defeat your enemies very easily?

            1                      2                      3                      4                      5

Player 1 - 4
Player 2 - 4
Player 3 - 5
Player 4 - 5
Player 5 - 5

Lane combat is very easy to participate in and all players agreed that the click to attack system was easy to follow. Players 1 and 2 found fault with the camera angle, which once again was our fault (incomplete implementation of the perspective camera).

3 – Did the environment feel expansive and make you want to explore it?

            1                      2                      3                      4                      5

Player 1 - 2
Player 2 - 1
Player 3 - 1
Player 4 - 1
Player 5 - 3

All the players were unanimous in their response. Everyone felt that they had no incentive to explore the map beyond the lane combat, and only one player attempted to walk beyond the lane combat (Player 5). This question turned out to be the most important part of the playtest result. These responses led us to setting up an experience system for the player, and also overhaul the character traits trees and combat from the ground up. 

4 – Was it easy to differentiate what you could interact with and what you couldn’t?

            1                      2                      3                      4                      5

Player 1 - 4
Player 2 - 4
Player 3 - 5
Player 4 - 4
Player 5 - 3

Even though we had not replaced the place-holder assets with our own custom models, all players found it very easy to discern what was interactive and what wasn't. Players 5 and 1 suggested that we keep the GUI colors separate for the different teams (i.e.: keep different HP color indicators for the enemy characters).

5 – Did the music and sound effects fit the mood of the environment they were in?

            1                      2                      3                      4                      5

Player 1 - 3
Player 2 - 3
Player 3 - 3
Player 4 - 2
Player 5 - 3

The only thing we had available in game during the playtest was the level's main ambient theme. All players thought that it worked with the level's imagery and themes. Player 4 thought that the theme didn't add anything to the game and should be changed. The other players told us what we already knew: we needed to add more sound effects for better interactivity.

Optional - Do you have anything else you want to say about the game?

Player 1 - N/A
Player 2 - N/A
Player 3 - "You should add lan or online player."
Player 4 - N/A
Player 5 - "I want to see other levels, and other characters."