Week 12 – Softs!

Softs Preparation

We used the previous week to focus entirely on the main necessary components of the game and get a completed loop, with all levels of each minigame implemented. By Monday, we had a few remaining items – such as backgrounds for the launch animations and more difficult levels for Mage’s experience, but we are confident that these will be complete well before Softs. We have playtests planned with both Heather and Shirley prior to Softs so we can start to gauge faculty reactions to our project and figure out what needs to be ironed out for the playtest to run smoothly. 

Client Meeting

We had a meeting with Ian to discuss how the final install would go. It’s unlikely that he would have time to wire the buttons underneath the TV or mount shelves for the physical rocket before April 29th, so we should focus on making sure kids can complete all actions using motion controls, and these other physical components can be added in later. We should also design our rocket model to be as easily moveable as possible so that they can easily have it out on the counter and then move it around/work on the placement later. Ian will unfortunately be out of town for the second half of our visit, but he’s excited for us to come down. He once again stressed that the most important thing with this experience is that kids can enjoy and understand it without any help from the volunteers.

Softs

We had our soft opening on Thursday, from 9 AM to 3:00 PM. We had overall very positive feedback from faculty! They had fun playing the games, especially the faculty members who came in pairs and were able to work together. They felt that we had created an experience that successfully captured the spirit of Give Kids The World and The Wonderlab. However, the most consistent problem we had throughout the day was the start/idle screen. Players would accidentally select a game when they were on the start screen and this would lead to them starting the game in a state of confusion. It was also impossible to have a conversation while standing in front of the camera without accidentally triggering a game/action. A few other recurring observations: 

• No one understands how to disconnect wires in Won’s game. Despite completing the tutorial, once they get into the actual game, the guests forget how to remove the wires. 
• People have trouble matching the exact color in Mage’s game because the fuel tank and the color block are too far from each other. 
• There are some general issues with the UI being a little difficult to understand. 
• Some guests felt that the rocket launches weren’t exciting/climactic enough. 
• There was still a little bit of jitteriness with the hand tracking that made it hard for people to select things at time. 
• The physical rocket was working in the Unity Editor, but not in the build, so the rocket’s idle animation was continuously running. 

From this feedback we have a really solid list of deliverables to complete in the next week. Our top priorities will be the UI/Idle Screen and the Ending Animations, ensuring that the entire game flow is as clear and satisfying as possible.