{"id":196,"date":"2025-10-03T22:16:47","date_gmt":"2025-10-03T22:16:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/echotrio\/?p=196"},"modified":"2025-11-15T02:09:28","modified_gmt":"2025-11-15T02:09:28","slug":"week-6-playtest-iterations-and-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/echotrio\/week-6-playtest-iterations-and-more\/","title":{"rendered":"WEEK 6 &#8211; Playtest, iterations, and more"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Demo Reel<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-video aligncenter\"><video controls preload=\"auto\" src=\"https:\/\/drive.google.com\/file\/d\/1RWmh7J5T4Ar4D7omE97nHceaGqqkmSvu\/view?usp=sharing\"><\/video><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Introduction<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>This week, we conducted our first public playtest. As we shift our design approach, instead of trying to perfect the design on paper, we decided to show our demo early and gather user feedback to guide the next steps. We\u2019re glad to see that the playtest was effective. The main feedback we received from our six playtesters is summarized below, and for more details, you can check our playtest feedback <a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/document\/d\/1y0s_2UsrUj4r7vIR0IUicHnQIj3Zru8pUh29i6NjsaU\/edit?usp=sharing\">here<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Progress<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Art<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>We are continuing to implement both Athena\u2019s and Poseidon\u2019s models. Feedback indicates that Poseidon looks too young. To better match his personality and voice \u2014 mean, ruthless, and a tough warrior \u2014 we are considering emphasizing his masculinity: stronger jawline, beard, pronounced nose line, forehead wrinkles, and slightly larger nose and ears to reflect age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-28f84493 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"464\" src=\"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/echotrio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Athena-1024x464.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-198\" style=\"width:1260px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/echotrio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Athena-1024x464.png 1024w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/echotrio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Athena-300x136.png 300w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/echotrio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Athena-768x348.png 768w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/echotrio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Athena.png 1340w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"531\" src=\"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/echotrio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Poseidon-1024x531.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-199\" srcset=\"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/echotrio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Poseidon-1024x531.png 1024w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/echotrio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Poseidon-300x156.png 300w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/echotrio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Poseidon-768x398.png 768w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/echotrio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Poseidon.png 1415w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-28f84493 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:100%\">\n<p>\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Tech<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>We implemented a log system to record what players say during the playtest, allowing us to trace and analyze interactions. Subtitles can now scroll, and players can control when to start speaking to avoid overly sensitive voice detection issues. For the next week, <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Art Integration:<\/strong> Athena\u2019s and Poseidon\u2019s art assets will be ready for integration. The lip-sync plugin can also start animating lips and eyes when the characters are speaking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>AI Control:<\/strong> Investigate ways to more precisely control AI outputs with inputs. The deliverable will be a documentation for designers to reference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Experience Polishing:<\/strong> Improve AI behavior, such as enabling the AI to speak first and reducing overly verbose sentences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Design<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>We\u2019ve been adjusting prompts to strengthen our characters\u2019 personalities, enhance voice performance, and enrich the overall experience. Some examples can be found below:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"341\" src=\"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/echotrio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/image-1024x341.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-200\" style=\"width:1904px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/echotrio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/image-1024x341.png 1024w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/echotrio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/image-300x100.png 300w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/echotrio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/image-768x256.png 768w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/echotrio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/image-1536x511.png 1536w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/echotrio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/image-2048x682.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>We will also put efforts on the following: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Experience Completion:<\/strong> Athena currently lacks a fully developed personality, and there is insufficient background information. More interjections may be needed, and most importantly, dialogue rules should be established so that when prompts are tested or adjusted, designers can determine whether the results are correct.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Pipeline &amp; Collaboration:<\/strong> The pipeline and collaboration between designers and programmers have been formally established. Team members can now share and adjust work in the same space while clearly understanding each other\u2019s responsibilities.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What&#8217;s next<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>After the playtest, we gathered the feedback and held an internal meeting to prioritize improvements before half. For now, our focus is on completeness rather than polish. We also plan to showcase a live demo by half.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Demo Reel Introduction This week, we conducted our first public playtest. As we shift our design approach, instead of trying to perfect the design on paper, we decided to show our demo early and gather user feedback to guide the next steps. We\u2019re glad to see that the playtest was effective. The main feedback we [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":170,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-196","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dev-blog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/echotrio\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/196","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/echotrio\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/echotrio\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/echotrio\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/echotrio\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=196"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/echotrio\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/196\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":201,"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/echotrio\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/196\/revisions\/201"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/echotrio\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/170"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/echotrio\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=196"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/echotrio\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=196"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/echotrio\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=196"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}