CSS 385 Introduction to Game Design & Development Week-6, Lecture 1 Yusuf Pisan 1
Weeks Fly By Week 6 10/30 - Discuss single button games 11/1 - Discuss game postmortems 11/4 - Single Button Game (Individual) Week 7 11/6 - Play Single Button Games 11/8 - Show group project (may or may not be playable) Week 8 11/13 - Play group projects + Practice Midterm Questions 11/15 - Play group projects 11/ 18 - Milestone & Playtesting Report Week 9 Midterm & Thanksgiving Week 10 11/27 - Play group projects 11/29 Postmortem Presentation, 12/02 Postmortem Documents Week 11 12/6 Final Game Presentation Demos, 12/09 Final Game Documents 2
One Button Games - Pressed or Released Movement - move forward, activate gravity, rotate, jump to location, raise gun, Continuous or fixed Time - stop doing something, use the amount of time pressed as information, Attacking - single shot, continuous shots, shot strength based on time, Button Loading - one button doing the work of multiple buttons (Press Button = Activate "A". hold Button for more than N seconds = Activate "B"). Must have feedback otherwise confusing for player Jump - jump fixed, jump based on time, double jump, jump/drop Explore possibilities -- http://bit.ly/yponebutton Find different ways a button is used, games from memory are OK 3
Playtesting Playtesting is the only way to determine if your game is Complete Balanced Fun Test early Using physical prototypes Digital mockups Actual game Who Early testing on friends Final testing on strangers 4
Recruiting Playtesters Put up flyers Setup a desk at the entrance, give chocolate to testers If you have lots of testers, screen them If they cannot communicate, they are no good You can often re-use playtesters Get their contact details Record basic information about them Gender, favorite game, 5
Playtesting Session Distance yourself from the design Don t talk about how you did not have time or how you thought people would, etc Focus on what they are doing, what they want, what their comments are Will submit comments to developers you are just a humble tester, investigator. Let them open up If your game needs explaining, it is not working Stop talking, let them play and listen Record their actions, their comments, their feelings 2:03 opened door, 2:05 commented on X, 2:06 died, 2:07 Wonders why the character is not respawning Use a playtesting script 6
Playtesting Script Welcome Explain the process. You are collecting data to improve the game. You are not judging their skills or speed The more they get stuck, the more information you can give to the developers on what to fix Warm-up Discussion What games they like and why What game they last purchased Playtesting Session Ask them to talk out loud, so you can record what they are thinking and why they are doing what they are doing Minimal feedback. Help them as little as possible Interview them about the game Thank them for their time 7
In-Game Note Taking Some questions to ask while players are playing the game: Why did you make that choice? Does that rule seem confusing? What did you think that would do? What is confusing you? What is frustrating you Things to observe while players are playing: Areas that are too difficult, frustrating, confusing or, too easy Times when users needed help to continue (and why) Times when players behaved in a way that is very different from expectations Parts of the game users really like. Emotional outbursts of any kind (good or bad) Difficulty with controls Software bugs (but, this should not be primary focus are really interested in gameplay feedback) 8
Methods 1. One-on-One 2. Group play 3. Feedback forms 4. Interviews 5. Open discussion 9
Play Matrix Ask playtesters Is the game more chance or skill Is the game more mental skill or physical dexterity What would they like more of, chance/skill,.. Where do your testers think your game falls on the play matrix? 10
Play Heuristics: Category, Heuristic and Explanation Desurvire, H., & Wiberg, C. (2009). Game usability heuristics (PLAY) for evaluating and designing better games: The next iteration. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 5621 LNCS:557-566. I. Category 1: Game Play II. Category 2: Coolness/Entertainment/Humor/Emotional Immersion III. Category 3: Usability & Game Mechanics
Category 1: Game Play A. Heuristic: Enduring Play A1. The players finds the game fun, with no repetitive or boring tasks A2. The players should not experience being penalized repetitively for the same failure. A3. The players should not lose any hard won possessions. A4. Gameplay is long and enduring and keeps the players interest. A5. Any fatigue or boredom was minimized by varying activities and pacing during the game play.
Category 1: Game Play B. Heuristic: Challenge, Strategy and Pace B1. Challenge, strategy and pace are in balance. B2. The game is paced to apply pressure without frustrating the players. The difficulty level varies so the players experience greater challenges as they develop mastery. B3. Easy to learn, harder to master. B4. Challenges are positive game experiences, rather than negative experiences, resulting in wanting to play more, rather than quitting. B5. AI is balanced with the players play. B6. The AI is tough
Playtest Report 1-2 pages, format will vary but could have Number of players, experience level, problem areas, quotes, observations on emotions, rating given by playtester (on fun, interaction, difficulty, controls,...), recommendations from playtesters, etc. And at least 3 things you will now do as a result of playtesting.
End of Development Checks Functional? Can somebody who knows nothing sit down and play it? Value call, but can observe via playtesting Internally complete? Players do unexpected things, stuck, loopholes Balanced? Meets the goals you have set for player experience Variable tuning, balance between objects Reinforcing object relationships, checking for dominance Matching player's expected skill level Fun and Engaging?
Metric for Your Game What would be a useful metric for your game? Something that can be counted/recorded by the game What would it mean when it is high/low? How do you average over many users? Is there any another interpretation?