Playtesting
|
Since the start of this project, we have had two opportunities to let teachers and other students playtest our game. These two sessions have had an immense positive effect on the development of our game. Even if we playtested the game several times ahead, checked for bugs, searched for errors and wrongs, we were still too blind to see all the glitches that needed to be fixed. Working on the same game for weeks, makes it eventually difficult to spot what needs to be improved. That’s why we truly enjoyed having people playtest our game, since they could see errors we were too blind to see. Furthermore, we also got the chance to see what the players appreciated about the game; what was fun and entertaining. This is also important to investigate, since we want the game to be as fun as it can be. We should not only focus on the negative things, but also try to find the most favourable moments in our game. From that information, we knew what we needed to focus on to develop an even better game. To collect data, we decided to create a survey for every playtester to answer. The questionnaire consisted of seven questions:
By letting people answer these questions, we received great feedback on what we needed to improve, but also on what the players enjoyed the most. The first playtest gave us an insight on what people thought about the swarm function (when the player call the surrounding bees to get into a swarm, instead of being spread out). The majority of the players did not enjoy the speed boozt of the swarm function, since the bees were flying too fast. Also, there were not really a reason to use the swarm function. You could still win the game, by not being in the swarm. Therefore, we slowed down the speed of the swarm mechanic, to make it easier for the player to keep up with the change, as well as adding obstacles. By adding obstacles, we forced the player to use the swarm function. Otherwise, the player could easily die and lose the game. However, during the second playtest, we once again received feedback on the swarm function. But this time, it was too easy. The player could easily beat the level by only using the swarm function. Now, the players over-used the swarm function. We discussed this problem, and came to a conclusion. We decided to eliminate the shooting mechanic while being in a swarm. This lowered the eminent sense of being in the swarm and the mechanic were once and for all balanced. If we would not been able to get people to playtest our game, the problems could still have been damaging our game. Therefore, we have enjoyed and appreciated the playtesting sessions, since we received great inputs and feedback from individuals who have great knowledge when it comes to games. Thanks to them, we have been given a chance to improve our game. Thanks for reading!
 |
