Behold! Our first playtest for the first full experience build from start to finish! This week we’ll playtest for the UX refinements that are needed. This week is also CMU’s Carnival, so effectively we only have 3 days. However, with so much to refine, we eventually came to work the full week!

Playtest night

While technical issues limited players to the first half of the game (Moon, Camera, and Watch puzzles), we gained crucial insights into our core “loop” and how players are absorbing the world of Naiad. We followed an interview structure

Here are some feedback we got summarized by AI.

Narrative & Immersion

• Presence: Players felt a strong sense of curiosity about the protagonist’s identity. One playtester even adopted a full “RPG mindset,” viewing themselves as the explorer rather than just a player.
• Environment: The distinction between the 3D “real world” and the hand-drawn “flashbacks” was clear and effective. Players successfully used the camera mechanic to piece together bits of the protagonist’s history.
• Music & Atmosphere: A key takeaway was the need for audio. Players specifically requested ambient music to help deepen the immersion and signal atmospheric shifts.

Mechanics vs. Story

• Information Priority: In the early stages, players are (rightfully) intrigued by the mechanics—specifically the physical interaction of rotating and placing phones.
• Cognitive Load: For most, mechanics take priority over story during puzzles. However, players reported that the UI cues (like white circles) made actions feel intuitive rather than frustrating.
• Exploration: Players love “goofing around” with the phone alignment and exploring the scenes, sometimes slowing down their puzzle progress just to see the world’s limits.

Key Friction Points

• The “Robot” Problem: Currently, our robot companion is being mistaken for inanimate objects (like a fire hydrant). Clarifying the robot’s design and role is a top priority for our next build.
• Item Logic: Some items, like the ticket, felt like they “popped out of nowhere.” We are looking at ways to better integrate these item discoveries into the visual narrative.

Assets Refinement Gallery

This week, to make sure the robot is properly recognized as one, it is rigged! The robot lives!

Next steps

Next Monday is soft opening, where we’ll demo our experience as well as share our final project goals to faculty at ETC!