Showing posts with label Interactivity. Show all posts

Final Playtesting for Interactivity

Having tweaked Timor from previous personal feedback and play-testing, I conducted some more.

These tweaks were placement of instruction and a few more Notions describing mechanics, the lights intentionally very hard to find. When adding the harp sound effect, I ran into a problem with the blueprints.



I'd added the sound playback from using the harp at the end, meaning it would only sound when it deflected an enemy, and I wanted it so the player could use the sound whenever they wanted, so shifting the position...


The aural feedback would occur and be checked for before the blueprints check if an enemy is in the vicinity, playing the sound at a button press!


On the initial playthrough, my first player was incredibly intimidated by the Ennui, the slow creeping movement and sudden appearance when running fast having quite an affect. When the Harp was found, the sound feedback was so appreciated, players kept spamming the button, to dispel the enemies and enjoy the added sound effect of the harp. Playthroughs were quite long, the map at first alien and new, after a few tries the player started learning the map and exploring, really enjoying the discovery of the Notions, wanting to explore further. Slipping through the world as an embraced mechanic really works, the player dismayed when this bug wasn't in effect, no longer having the freedom to bypass walls. My player was "really sucked into what you can find in the game" and really enjoyed exploring the map, qualms being a light counter and or a small map, however I'm adding neither as the metaphor behind the game, I want my player to feel lost, slowly learning the space and to have the persistence and incentive of discovery to keep going. Following on from contextual studies into research into mazes and labyrinths, my game is very much a multicursal maze, with dead ends and alternative routes, there are enemies in my maze and special items to collect that strengthen the player, following my findings on the idea of mazes making the player stronger for having explored it.

I've conducted only personal research because the nature of my game is quite personal, letting the players experience the game alone and connecting to it on a more personal level than me asking people to fill out a form. Then, sitting with the players, watching their reactions and how they interact with the denizens of my game world, offers much insight and demonstrates the effect my game can have on different individuals.

My next player dealt with the game in a much more jovial way, the Notion pleading the player to not leave it, caused my player to exclaim he won't staying still for a few minutes to see what would happen. He gave the Notions their own voices and dialogue as he was playing, the words really compelling him to look for more; taking th time to stop and read had both my players quite immersed, play time lasting roughly half an hour plus for both, I've really created a game with flow here, my players enjoying the fact that the more you play, the more you learn and the more immersed you become.. The harp mechanic was particularly enjoyed, and more functionality was requested, like different notes and the ability to play songs. The two modes were seen as each having drawbacks and advantages, both being fun to use for the player but floating preferred, a common trait among players. When Death was encountered, ending the game had the player confused and didn't know what to do or what the consequences were, so continued to play.Finding areas undiscovered was exciting but scary, not knowing what new dangers lurked nearby. It was noted that the game being large but sparse was quite effective, it feeling lonely and the few things you could find had a lot of value to the player, some being sad for some, some being highly amusing to others, this dialogue and writing is the driving force of Timor, and has been very well received by all players. My playtesters enjoyed the prototype so much I was asked to really develop it to see what it could become, something I feel I'd really like to pursue.
Read More

Tying up Interactivity

Having received feedback and reflecting upon previous play testing, I've decided to keep the glitch in the game.

Having watched an Extra Credits video on the concept of mechanic as metaphor, something I've really tried to push with my game, I now see this bug as an extension of the message. You can literally be dislodged from the world, be free-falling, but you can still make progress. You just have to find another way of working. How can you make this work for you?

I very much felt incapable, dislodged and like I was perpetually free-falling when making this game due to my own mental health being at an all time low due to many factors- this bug is highly reflective of what I've faced and what many others have and do. The point is, you push on regardless, despite how broken and disorientating everything may feel.


Adding the above prompt among the others into the game, I've also added the exit gate, and a small rock- placed at the bottom of the pit as a tongue-in-cheek "rock bottom".

The fact Ennui sets you back to the beginning isn't always a bad thing, it fixes "the glitch", and sometimes starting back at square one can give you the perspective you need to move forward.

Also, going back to the art game "loneliness"  and seeing how there's no narrative present, it leaves the player to create their own, is rather like what I've done. There is an objective given, but little else, players are to explore and experience the game in their own way. I've had one playtester use "the glitch" to their advantage, to further explore the game, and in fact, do so easier as the walls no longer hold them back. An idea present in another Extra Credits video is whilst developing the game, all devs should consider what it is their exploring whilst developing, leading to cohesive development. I've been exploring the ups and downs of depression, the game world itself being an emotional landscape, of climbing up or sinking below, climbing up from the depths being quite difficult and taking time.

The game Spec Ops The Line  which didn't have the budget to compete with games like COD, used its disadvantage to create a game that served to critique the genre, the game being about PTSD and ridiculing the idea of pretending to be a hero in a virtual environment, when the reality is far more macabre. It reflects PTSD through disassociating the player with their actions through mechanics and gameplay, players feeling as its a game they must shoot their enemies, however through loading screens the game guilts the player for their actions- reflecting the cognitive dissonance the protagonist would have for his violent actions. The game breaks the 4th wall a lot, it reaches beyond the game and to the player themselves, engaging them in a very direct way. Metaphorical mechanics have large impacts on players.

***Play-testing***

With all features in my game now collated, I decided to get it playtested one more time. My tester, at the pit to rock-bottom, actually chose to float down to investigate, the only player to have done that so far. She was very engaged, and really enjoyed mode swapping and how the Notions each had something different to say in different worlds. In this version of the game however the killzones were not big enough, so appearing in "the void" was still an issue, the feature of slipping through the world actually helped and was enjoyed! Some visual feedback from the harp could be good when its used, maybe even a sound clip! The lights were hard to find, which is intentional, but maybe a Notion to underline this and make it seem intentional would be good, perhaps some more arrows as well as it was rather difficult to navigate and the prompts were hard to see so may need some replacement.

Other than that, it was engaging! An Easter Egg of sorts (a prompt holding a light at the beginning which if you fade through you can collect) was found which was an interesting feature the tester revealed to me. The Notions she felt were neither good or bad, not on her side but with no power to hurt her. A main feature was that the harp was very hard to find, I may add some more clues.

I'll tweak these features in Timor, before testing it again!
Read More

Weekly Summary 9: Pitch and Evaluation











My Pitch Document!

My game was very well received, my ideas applauded and my reasoning behind everything was appreciated.

Areas of improvement however include the readability of the information, I wanted the boxes to reflect the text that appears in game and be sort of disorientating, but for a pitch document it needs to be clearer. The snapshots from my game have a blue background, which needs changing as in the actual game It'd be different. The sewing needle page, the needle icon can be removed to make the playbourds bigger, in general titles need to be added to make the pitch read better.

With these changes in mind to make, I've also revisited my prototype, to have it as complete as possible before starting the next project. The main technical issue, aesthetics aside, is that world swapping whilst colliding with a wall will cause the player to fall through the map, players can swap to flight however and still navigate, but will have nothing to collide with. Some people who've played actually like this glitch, and see it as a disorientating experience that lends itself to the game.

I however, would like it fixed. I assumed it would be due to the fact my two game maps for the worlds are made of pieces, stretched and squashed square tiles. After combing the sprites which I thought would alleviate the problem, a new one arose. Now instead of swapping on collison and falling, you simply change movement in that same world, trying to swap again will throw you outside both maps and into the killzone, starting the game again.

At this time I've made the problem worse and don't know how to fix the original, so will leave it for the time being. So fixing a mechanic and polishing my Pitch is how I'll wrap this project up!
Read More

Weekly Summary: 8




Adding more graphical components to my pitch doc, I revamped some playbourds with a concise yin-yang motif. One for movement and one for the two paths.

I also sketching out playbourds for the coping mechanisms, discussing how they'd be used.



Escapism would be used to find hidden areas, Lights and paths the Wanderer wouldn't be able to on their own, it'd also be used to talk with mute Notions, opening up to the marionette about threats, hidden Lights and darker, extended thoughts, feeling and stories.



Leisure is used to ward away Ennui, like a pulse, and appease especially distraught notions, giving the Wanderer Light if perked up, even if only temporarily.





I'd had the idea for a sewing needle in the game for quite a while, but exactly what ways you could use it confused me. Many ideas for platforming came to mind, but as you're able to float, it would seem a little pointless. I'd had the idea of being able to create a shield by cording off areas of the map with thread, but prefered the idea of binding enemies directly, sewing them to the level. I also like the idea of the needle sewing the player down, so they cant be teleported by Ennui or harmed by anything else. Instead of the scribble above, I decided to paint this.


I'd decided to recycle the face from a study during my workshop, however above everything appears very flat, so with further improvement...


Added some tone to the piece, which better describes the binding of the Wanderer.

Just now to put my Pitch Doc together and present my game!
Read More

Weekly Summary: 7

With my game playtested, with a few aesthetics to add in, I started to focus primarily on my Pitch Document and the sketches and concept pieces within. I began with tackling my splash screen, a painting that summed up my game and would quickly grab attention.


The title would also be appearing alongside an illustrated page number. Playing with a handful of fonts, I found something that worked and felt cohesive with my game.

Timor- Latin for fear/dread

 Other thematics assets, like title banners and page numbers...

Reflecting the colour scheme and the Ennui...


Page numbers- I was more fond of the second mask, so decided to use that, and having already decided to do so, used them as the basis for the NPC Notions.
This thematically also made a lot of sense.  I'd also drawn out Death at this point to be put in game.


I intend on putting him into Spriter, to make the mask shake erratically.


My pitch at this point was mainly being roughed out with a simple gradient background and the page numbers and titles used to lay the foundations.

From Playtesting, I added clearer instructions and arrows into my game.




Alongside some further messages dotted around the game world, to add some further flavour to the game and the general experience.



A couple of rough playbourds about world swapping and movement modes, these aren't very clear, so they'll be redone.

The mask the main character, the Wanderer, has is called Paisley. Who'll act as a guide of sorts throughout the game, pointing out where lights are within close proximity;this feature however doesn't feature in my prototype. However, she'll be largely obstructive, spouting largely absurdest nonsense depending on the root the player is taking. Collecting Lights will have her chipper and excited for all...


...Wandering to the depths or close to death will have anxious, lethargic and nihilistic.




I'd also drawn icons for the Coping Mechanisms found in my game, which are items the player can find to help them traverse the world easier. These are...

Fortitude- A sewing needle that can be used to guard the player, sew parts of the level together and build tripwires, I feel it could be quite an adaptive mechanic!


Escapism- A marionette that can be used to  explore areas the player cannot. It'll be used to find hidden areas also, and interact with creatures the Wanderer cannot.

Leisure- A harp that projects Ennui away. The Coping Mechanisms were inspired by the idea of mechanic as metaphor, which I hope comes across, blunt or not. I originally wanted them to be 3D meshes in a 2D world, but feel it would be too much dissonance in the 2D world.

I'll be working on putting base text and more visuals into my pitch next week, I've received feedback on implementing the binary nature of my game into the theming and to deliver as much information as I can visually, rather than with text.
Read More

Weekly Summary 6

I began by hunting down audio, looking for a backing track to my game that would suit the mood I'm trying to convey. I discovered a piece on Soundcloud aptly titled "Sad Ambiance" by Aric-misc. projects and promptly asked for permission to use. I also looked for a sound effect for my NPCs, I wanted something more abstract than what royalty free sites like SoundBible were offering, something memorable and strange to fit the game and the NPCs themselves. I decided on a clockwork sound, as I felt within the game it wouldn't be easily identifiable, more of a strange crackle that players would hear as they entered the NPCs trigger box.

I also worked on some aesthetics for my game this week, to make it start to look like something.
Implementing my walk cycle proved difficult due to settings I had in place, but it was soon fixed by simple scaling. I painted the enemies that appear throughout the game, warping the player to the start.


I quite like the idea of some kind of mound, like in the Mutual Core video by Bjork, covered with theatre masks.


Im thinking of calling them Notions, or bad Thoughts as that's what they represent, catching up to the player and having them start at square one- they could also be seen as Ennui, that creeps and consumes the player.

I also wanted my collect orbs to appear as something, small suns or lights. The first being a failed attempt, the second a more workable sprite.


The player having to collect three minimum to pass through the gate at the top of the map, there are more to collect in the game if the player chooses to explore more however. I also tried to create a backdrop for my game, something simple.



However these were far too dark and parts of the first world and NPC text weren't appearing. I decided to leave it for now and use the default texture, until something more workable comes up.

Mechanically, a lot was going wrong with my game. When swapping worlds and hitting an enemy, an Ennui, the teleport co-ordinates would warp the player further along, so one world where you weren't meant to fly you could, and the other was the mapless dark void. So a simple actor with killzones  attached was needed. I looked into these nodes, as i needed the game to restart in case the player did fall through the game world, and a node to end the game with the Death Interactions

.
Whilst trying to get the harp to work, the pulse was acting as the collision necessary to warp the character to the beginning, so this needed to be changed to the player capsule, containing the character so the warp would still be effective.

To solve the enemy problems, I set up two pawns, one for each world. Which worked fine, but to make it more efficient I used one pawn with a boolean instead, based on world. This too had snags, but it was an issue of swapping nodes around- Ennui were taking the player to wrong world. The harp mechanic worked, but they no longer warped the player on a simple touch, they have to really get up close to the player. I tried to amend this with changing the dimensions of the capsule component with limited success. Through play-testing I'll judge if this is too much of an issue.


In regards to exit gate and collecting orbs, I learned that I needed two instead of one variable, one assigned to the character of "orbs" and one assigned to the orbs themselves as orb amount, so they can be added together upon collision, tested by the end gate.


This resulted in the exit gate working. So my harp now worked, the enemies worked correctly, as did movement and there's a way of winning the game. However for sake of metaphor, the other way of ending the game had to be implemented. The interactions with death.

It turned out what I had tried to lay out was far too convoluted, so I was taught about text arrays and linking a widget.



An array is a collection of variables accessed via a single node, simply referring to the number of the variable you need from the array is how these blueprints work.


By then referring to the order in which these words appear, and where within the widget...


This is how the interaction takes place, with a choice of two, or one options. This is how the player can choose to die.

Having now achieved a basis for all my working mechanics, I tried to visually polish everything to the be left with Pitch Document to work on solidly, however this shouldn't have been how I divided my time, they should have been worked on simultaneously. This can't be helped now however.

I tried setting each block that made the separate game maps a solid colour, by changing the texture of the material, that worked for a while, however it also destroyed my game. Each block that made my map expanded to the point of ruination, nothing could be navigated due to this texture change. I luckily had a backup but had to redo a lot of things. Having a black world and a white one would have to wait.

To get it playtested, I also roughed up some instructions, something I want visually present in the game, so players can wander immediately. NPCs, now called Notions, were also blocked in.


With these, I had my first playtest, leaving them in the room alone to connect more with the game, as intended.


Feedback

 -killzone needs to be bigger

-game works fine until you world swap into part of the other world, then you fall out completely

-theres a glitch if you world swap too quickly next to a Notion, the text stays

-there should be a harp and light sound effect

-the Notions were seen as suicidal thoughts and it sets the games tone as mental illness, they're seen as outside forces telling you what to do, good and bad influences. They were relatable messages.

-when reached Death, he seemed to be a good choice due to Notions, Positive mode is designed to have you fall and not be able to ascend without the other mode. They were seen the other way around, as there is a joy to flying, which is something I hadn't forseen.

-music worked very well, sound effects got attention

-harp and end gate not found, perhaps have arrows,

-Engaging, wanted to find Notions

-Main character has been seen as different genders by different people, something to be projected on, which was the intention.

A moment I enjoyed whilst playing is discovering a room in flying mood filled with huge Ennui, it was my playtester's first run in with them. A few niggles, but this insight is invaluable.



Game Research

 I was told to look into the works of Daniel Benmergui, a games designer who instills emotion and meaning into his games, upon closer inspection of his game "Today I Die" I realised...


...I'd actually played this before. At the Digital Revolution in London in 2014, I sat and played his game, and really connected with it. Its like interactive poetry, shifting words to change the scene to get the girl to safety. Simple mechanics, big impact. Much can be said for his other game "I wish I were the Moon".


I hadn't played this one, but I has multiple endings, based on what you shift where and when. Remove the man from his moon and hes miserable. Put both of you on it, you drown. My favourite way of ending the game is putting yourself in his place, becoming his "moon". These games hold a lot of meaning, and I really admire the emotion and story put into them

Research Lecture

Linking back to my essay, which is about how forms of entertainment of the past influence today's video games, its easy to see that play and games are an integral part of humanity. This lecture used mazes as an example, a real life space to navigate away from the real world. Something we all do today but don't require an architectural building to do; we can escape and explore through games.

There are unicursal mazes with one path, and multicursal mazes with multiple, these have dead ends and can lead you astray. The myth of the Minotaur heavily features one, and mazes have been a part of culture since the age of the Greeks in one form or another. Within a  multicursal maze you meander, exploring different routes, which can be said for games with different endings like Silent Hill, which is both virtually a physical maze and a psychological one. A personal favorite game is Virtues Last Reward, which has a plethora of endings which in itself is a mechanic, its a large "maze" that must be explored completely to discover the true ending. Pacman serves as a maze, a space to outrun and outwit ghosts through different levels, many games can be linked.

My game is a maze, an interactive one where intimate thoughts are encountered, its a space to be explored and surmounted. One can choose to explore and discover things, or choose the easy way out of the maze. A metaphor reflecting the living of a life.

Tale of  Tales have a game called The Path, which takes direct inspiration from Little Red Riding Hood. If you do as you're told an always have been through the story and every other source, you follow the path and nothing really happens, but stray or meander, and the game really starts.

The game I critique will have to be unpicked in such a way as to find these links, I'll start looking into games ASAP.
Read More
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)