After the mid-semester presentation, we came back with two main questions in mind:
What do we need to improve after the half, and how can we work better as a team?
1. Improving the Experience — Making It Feel Alive
Following our instructors’ feedback, we began focusing on the naturalness of the AI conversation.
Our voices still sounded too robotic — too “AI-ish” — so our first task was voice adjustment. We refined the pitch, pacing, and timing of the ElevenLabs output to make the dialogue sound more human and emotionally believable.
At the same time, we started exploring how to make the experience more entertaining. Our goal is for players not only to learn but to laugh and feel that “wow, that’s unique!” moment — the kind of spark found in the best interactive entertainment references.
2. Rethinking Collaboration — From Individuals to a Team
Before the half, we were more like five people working separately than a true team. Everyone worked on their own tasks and only synced when necessary. It worked… until it didn’t.
Limited communication led to misunderstandings — a designer’s vision could turn into something completely different once implemented. It wasn’t just inefficient; it was draining.
So after the half, we re-established our process with three new collaboration rules:
- Sync Early: Share drafts quickly and align direction early to confirm feasibility.
- Keep Track of Work: Document progress instead of relying on verbal updates.
- Share Your Work: Show results to relevant teammates for early feedback.
We also structured our review process into three clear stages:
- Internal Review – Check functionality and integration within the team.
- Instructor Review – Receive directional feedback and align with academic goals.
- Playtest – Identify and fix critical functional and experience issues.
Week 8 became a reset point for us — not just technically, but interpersonally. We began to act less like five separate contributors and more like one coordinated team.