Game Testing (Drafts)

Today we completed a brief series of game tests, in which we presented our current drafts of our games-in-progress for commentary and critique.

THE GAMES I PLAYED
     Kristi's "Catch the Squirrels": The player attempts to collect all the squirrels in the play area by chasing after them (using the arrow keys). NPC assistance and points are slated to appear in the final version. Collection of the actual squirrels was not yet implemented so the game suffered from an incomplete mechanism. However, the concept and present materials alone show a great deal of potential.

     Maxim's (Untitled) : The player controls a ninja (by means of an XBox controller) and attempts to make it to the other end of the room in the fastest time. The mechanism for control is smooth and extremely well-executed, but the actual game elements were not yet present. However, the varieties of gameplay possible with the movement mechanism alone are staggering and the designer shows clear sophistication in his approach thus far.

     Angela's "Beard Snake" : This game is a Snake clone in which the main character is a bearded man, whose beard grows as he collects hair products. The mechanism is simple yet effective; however, the aesthetics and one minor glitch are the only detractions from the game itself, and with a fair amount of visual polish this game is poised to stand very well on its own.

THEIR RESPONSES TO MY GAME
     As I feared in my previous post, the mechanism for "only collecting some" was not only present, but multiplied by the lack of clarity in what was being thrown at the player's character. The immediate reaction was that too many elements were present too early, the entire game was unclear, and— perhaps the part that took me by strongest surprise— the demographic was unclear. The mechanism (once explained) proved provocative and drew a smile or two, but the biggest complaint by far was that the game was largely unclear, particularly due to its visuals.
Worst of all, the game was not considered fun.

Of all the critiques this game could receive, this above all rings the loudest warning bell and suggests that immediate and drastic measures must be taken to alter my game. The priority of my game development approach is "fun first, all else later"; if the game is already not fun, I must do whatever is within my power to fix this.

IMMEDIATELY PLANNED CHANGES:
• Drastic graphical overhaul— the player is clear, the truck is pronounced, and the collision objects are clearly distinguishable as (un)desirable.
• Careful explanation of the mechanism— the game itself requires explanation. The process in which this is done so far is inadequate; a more thorough introduction is necessary and will thusly be implemented.
• Music and Sound: Currently the game lacks sufficient audio. I will personally develop a musical score for this game, and provide sufficient sound effects from libraries I've collected to give this game a lush soundworld.
• Port to Game Maker: Right now the draft of the game (currently untitled) is in a demo version of The Games Factory and is thus unplayble by anyone besides myself and other Clickteam product owners. A port to Game Maker should make it accessible and more sophisticated as a whole.

With sufficient time, I could see this game becoming a solid example of the basic mechanisms of Bullet Hell games neatly turned on its head. The question is, how much is sufficient?

The Queen's Call: A mid-point Analysis

Part-way through the development of The Queen's Call (which is currently at a "just-playable" stage), we can already start to see the core elements peek through, in regard to what makes it a game, much less one worth playing or not.

The formal analysis of this game would conclude that it is a single-player real-time modern-day-themed loose sh'mup in which the player must dodge obstacles (most of them) within a given time period to win the game. The game's system is simple and singular— dodge the bad obstacles, collect a good obstacle maybe once every so often.

Initial Session reports may involve confusion about the gameplay— while the arrow keys are rather straightforward, the use of the "z" key is less frequently mentioned outside of the how-to, and is somewhat difficult to see in-game itself. The Red balls do not very accurately represent the kind of fuel (caffeine) the main character requires to continue, and seeing as red is often a color associated with avoidance as opposed to attraction, I could see several players being confused about their purpose in the game. While the mechanisms are present and, if understood, at least present a reasonable challenge to the player, their aesthetics and appearance leave much to be desired.

That said, a short revision of the aesthetics and the player experience should form a more compelling game in the near future— fortunately, now that the mechanisms and dynamics are established, the aesthetics may be revamped to improve the player experience.