Playtest Goal

After the official playtest day on Saturday, March 29th, we tested our game with many guests of various ages. Most of them were unfamiliar with our game and were all naïve guests who had not played it before.

Our plan was to test Level 1 and Level 2, starting with the default speed. If players successfully completed a level, we proceeded to gather feedback through a survey designed to collect both qualitative and quantitative data.

Quantitative data included participants’ ages and the number of playthroughs it took to pass each level. Qualitative data focused on perceived difficulty, track length feel for each level, and aspects that felt challenging or easy. Additionally, we gathered quantitative feedback about playthrough experiences, clarity of player goals, and overall gameplay experience.

Feedback: 

In short, Level 1 offers a reasonable difficulty that works well as an introductory stage, allowing players to get familiar with navigating using their head. However, some players noted that it still takes time to fully adjust.

Level 2 proved to be more challenging than we expected, at both the default and fast speeds. This difficulty aligns with our client’s goal of making the game highly replayable.

For the mechanics, the idea of eating planets and shooting them out to destroy meteors adds a fun and engaging element to the game, but it’s somewhat challenging for players to grasp on their first try. In contrast, staying on track and reaching the end are much easier to understand. This feedback highlights the need for a clear tutorial, as players are expecting guidance.

Additionally, we asked players about their experience playing the game over a longer duration, since our client envisions a gameplay experience lasting more than 20 minutes. From an ethical standpoint, considering physical comfort is essential. The good news is that over 50% of participants did not feel uncomfortable. However, we observed that older players tend to experience neck discomfort more easily.

Lastly, since we invited various people to play our game, we discovered that having a beard or wearing glasses can significantly interfere with mouth and eye detection. We will make sure to inform our clients about this, helping them clarify the requirements for players who can provide reliable data, while also isolating these external interferences.

Iteration:

A pre-game playground that incorporates all mechanics that might be used (eating planets, shooting meteors, shrinking the body to pass narrow roads, blinking to dash) and helps players get familiar with navigating using their head. In the playground, each mechanic is introduced one by one, starting with getting over small turns, then dynamic turns, and eventually teaching each expression-driven skill.

We want to make this a tutorial where players learn by actively playing, with the assistance of UI instructions and each time focusing on a single technique. We do not expect players to fully master or memorize everything but to gain at least a basic understanding.

This approach also helps improve our game’s data collection by filtering out accidental deaths caused by unfamiliarity with the controls (e.g., the amount of head tilting or opening the mouth).