Week 10 – Playtest Day

Overview

Week 10 was all about preparing for and running Playtest Day. This was one of the most important weeks for the project, as it gave us a chance to test a much more complete version of the level and collect both observational and analytics-based data. Alongside getting the build ready, we also prepared the survey, observation sheets, hosting plan, and data-recording setup to make sure the playtests would be as useful as possible.

Weekly Focus

Prepare the build and materials for Playtest Day
Run Playtest Day and collect useful data
Test new systems and updated level content

Progress Update

Tech

Prepared the build for Playtest Day by adding everything the team wanted to test
Implemented the firecracker system, including aiming, throwing, explosion behavior, mist removal, pickup, shrine refill, and related effects
Integrated analytics and custom events for player position, deaths, ability usage, shrine activations, enemy state changes, and session events
Added player ID and time display for tracking playtest data
Fixed small bugs before the event
Ran into an analytics cap issue during Playtest Day and had to hot fix it between testers

Art

Added the lantern enemy model into the game
Added the player character model with textures into the game
Updated player animations for the new character model
Updated the entire Section 1 with actual environmental assets, including buildings, ground materials, and trees
Updated mist visual rendering

Sound

Added more audio work, including passive guard sounds, adaptive music intensity, mist bottle sound, and fire extinguishing sound

Design & Production

Prepared the internal question set for Playtest Day to define what the team wanted to learn
Created a new player survey for Playtest Day
Created a host observation form for teammates to record playtest sessions
Hosted a rehearsal playtest during the admitted student visiting day to verify the data collection and recording pipeline
Added the entire Section 2, so the map became complete
Settled the lantern enemy behavior design and added it to the level
Updated Section 1 to improve navigation
Successfully ran Playtest Day and collected feedback for the build

Notes

This week was a major milestone for the project because we were able to test a much more complete version of the game in a structured way. The preparation work around analytics, surveys, observation sheets, and hosting helped us collect better data than before, while the updated build let us test both the improved first section and the new second section. At the same time, we still had doubts about the lantern enemy and the new firecracker system, which also showed us what still needed closer evaluation after the event.