{"id":191,"date":"2025-04-23T18:59:27","date_gmt":"2025-04-23T18:59:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/stringers\/?p=191"},"modified":"2025-04-23T18:59:27","modified_gmt":"2025-04-23T18:59:27","slug":"week-13","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/stringers\/week-13\/","title":{"rendered":"Week 13"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull has-contrast-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-7d4e143acf2ca93552c83713b38c2d68 has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-4 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30)\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignwide is-content-justification-space-between is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-3 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-2 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\"><div class=\"is-default-size wp-block-site-logo\"><a href=\"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/stringers\/\" class=\"custom-logo-link\" rel=\"home\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2389\" height=\"994\" src=\"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/stringers\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Screenshot-2025-02-14-163003.png\" class=\"custom-logo\" alt=\"STRINGERS\" srcset=\"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/stringers\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Screenshot-2025-02-14-163003.png 2389w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/stringers\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Screenshot-2025-02-14-163003-300x125.png 300w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/stringers\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Screenshot-2025-02-14-163003-1024x426.png 1024w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/stringers\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Screenshot-2025-02-14-163003-768x320.png 768w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/stringers\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Screenshot-2025-02-14-163003-1536x639.png 1536w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/stringers\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Screenshot-2025-02-14-163003-2048x852.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2389px) 100vw, 2389px\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-1 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\"><h1 class=\"has-link-color wp-elements-d6202aa7d337f2ce08aedc8ed261a84e wp-block-site-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/stringers\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"home\">STRINGERS<\/a><\/h1>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-site-tagline has-small-font-size\"> &#8211; An ETC Project website<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<nav class=\"has-small-font-size is-responsive items-justified-right wp-block-navigation is-content-justification-right is-layout-flex wp-container-core-navigation-is-layout-1 wp-block-navigation-is-layout-flex\" aria-label=\"Navigation\" \n\t\t data-wp-interactive=\"core\/navigation\" data-wp-context='{\"overlayOpenedBy\":{\"click\":false,\"hover\":false,\"focus\":false},\"type\":\"overlay\",\"roleAttribute\":\"\",\"ariaLabel\":\"Menu\"}'><button aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-label=\"Open menu\" class=\"wp-block-navigation__responsive-container-open \" \n\t\t\t\tdata-wp-on-async--click=\"actions.openMenuOnClick\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-wp-on--keydown=\"actions.handleMenuKeydown\"\n\t\t\t><svg width=\"24\" height=\"24\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><rect x=\"4\" y=\"7.5\" width=\"16\" height=\"1.5\" \/><rect x=\"4\" y=\"15\" width=\"16\" height=\"1.5\" \/><\/svg><\/button>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-navigation__responsive-container  \"  id=\"modal-1\" \n\t\t\t\tdata-wp-class--has-modal-open=\"state.isMenuOpen\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-wp-class--is-menu-open=\"state.isMenuOpen\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-wp-watch=\"callbacks.initMenu\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-wp-on--keydown=\"actions.handleMenuKeydown\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-wp-on-async--focusout=\"actions.handleMenuFocusout\"\n\t\t\t\ttabindex=\"-1\"\n\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-navigation__responsive-close\" tabindex=\"-1\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-navigation__responsive-dialog\" \n\t\t\t\tdata-wp-bind--aria-modal=\"state.ariaModal\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-wp-bind--aria-label=\"state.ariaLabel\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-wp-bind--role=\"state.roleAttribute\"\n\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button aria-label=\"Close menu\" class=\"wp-block-navigation__responsive-container-close\" \n\t\t\t\tdata-wp-on-async--click=\"actions.closeMenuOnClick\"\n\t\t\t><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"m13.06 12 6.47-6.47-1.06-1.06L12 10.94 5.53 4.47 4.47 5.53 10.94 12l-6.47 6.47 1.06 1.06L12 13.06l6.47 6.47 1.06-1.06L13.06 12Z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-navigation__responsive-container-content\" \n\t\t\t\tdata-wp-watch=\"callbacks.focusFirstElement\"\n\t\t\t id=\"modal-1-content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul class=\"wp-block-navigation__container has-small-font-size is-responsive items-justified-right wp-block-navigation has-small-font-size\"><ul class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-page-list\"><li class=\"wp-block-pages-list__item wp-block-navigation-item open-on-hover-click\"><a class=\"wp-block-pages-list__item__link wp-block-navigation-item__content\" href=\"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/stringers\/9-2\/\">About<\/a><\/li><li class=\"wp-block-pages-list__item wp-block-navigation-item open-on-hover-click\"><a class=\"wp-block-pages-list__item__link wp-block-navigation-item__content\" href=\"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/stringers\/blog-posts\/\">Blog Posts<\/a><\/li><li class=\"wp-block-pages-list__item wp-block-navigation-item open-on-hover-click\"><a class=\"wp-block-pages-list__item__link wp-block-navigation-item__content\" href=\"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/stringers\/sample-page\/\">Contact Us<\/a><\/li><li class=\"wp-block-pages-list__item wp-block-navigation-item open-on-hover-click\"><a class=\"wp-block-pages-list__item__link wp-block-navigation-item__content\" href=\"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/stringers\/media\/\">Media<\/a><\/li><li class=\"wp-block-pages-list__item wp-block-navigation-item open-on-hover-click\"><a class=\"wp-block-pages-list__item__link wp-block-navigation-item__content\" href=\"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/stringers\/our-team\/\">Our Team<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div><\/nav><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Tech Development<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>We finalized the tutorial to wrap Up the game, fixing in-game small bugs, playtesting with the data collection the gives a sample for our client to review, and also as a reference of data collection sample.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>UI Final refinement<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com\/docsz\/AD_4nXc-nqQiGFI4TXGxaqKIhZMqqK7vK8FssMxW1D1o3EEgCZnrmvznXW9lAQIEPlFZP-27PB-JknGbDqRHMQ3LXm3EeFwhxI95Kw9mn7VpKLWvlTe1bG94233oZGZDAMrIKAAiIJpfGg?key=x-gr6DbU9-kLk4LFWL0du69S\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com\/docsz\/AD_4nXdPbck_4QNzSJ8NfA0edlLBiA0D0ixIJthgQ_Atzrnebr8Xj-_3pliLd9GfKURHcXwFUb9ZMVuSgjdYulGZCelxXY95N4UChw2zhnfAzlhhr_8HJu0RNNO4ekpXM1kJeOQyt5gGQA?key=x-gr6DbU9-kLk4LFWL0du69S\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com\/docsz\/AD_4nXcqY_cGave9MrUn6xmZ_NnyqlveHiuQrIKHeV18k12hjLLrbRWZi2Fk1-wD8JiDUS4yXSxFsJscNm0MSD9c_DU83aXXJ59uRsbQG6jLRr-rpq2nw-XrEMJo4ZbiiCZMWZ2EE54fXQ?key=x-gr6DbU9-kLk4LFWL0du69S\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Problem:<\/strong> Difficulty Should Come from Design, Not Confusion<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With a designed level, another important aspect that influences difficulty is control. A game can be hard, but it shouldn\u2019t feel impossible due to missing information. We should provide the basic \u201ctools\u201d for players to overcome challenges and let their skill determine success. That\u2019s where a tutorial becomes necessary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Insight: Teach Just Enough, Not Too Much<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Confirming with our client, we expect our players to start the game with some basic understanding of how to control, for the sake of enhancing our game\u2019s data collection quality by filtering out accidental deaths caused by not knowing anything about the controls. However, over-instruction can backfire. We still expect players to fail\u2014due to slow reactions, misaligned expressions, or discomfort with this unique control settings.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The goal is to give an appropriate tutorial that helps players gain a basic understanding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Solution: Iterating the Tutorial Through Player Feedback<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We first introduced controls through UI-based text instructions. But playtests showed that plain text of facial expressions caused confusion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Take &#8220;mouth roll&#8221;\u2014a term from MediaPipe, it is hard to imagine. Then we tried to add themed emojis, but still, it was not clear&nbsp; how to perform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let\u2019s have more references\u2014rather than \u201cmouth roll,\u201d let\u2019s say it\u2019s a \u201cfold in lips.\u201d Still confusing? It is an expression \u201cthe expression you make when trying not to laugh.\u201d Lastly, if you&#8217;re still not sure what that is, hover over to see a real human image figure. This kind of off the entire art theme, although human img is most straightforward, we did not show it outside in order keep the game not off the theme<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To validate understanding, players must perform each expression correctly to proceed. This interactivity confirms that you got it right. Through these layered cues and iteration, he majority of players understood what each expression meant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A Safe Playground to Learn by Doing<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Once players understood <em>what<\/em> they could do, we wanted them to learn <em>when<\/em> to do it\u2014through play.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After completing instructions, players enter a <strong>tutorial playground<\/strong>. This space introduces every mechanic covered so far in the route setting. Starting with simple navigation and turns, moving to dynamic ones, and introducing each expression-driven skills one by one<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are no penalties here, just a space to build confidence and comfort with the system. No mastery,&nbsp; just enough familiarity to begin playing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Tech Development We finalized the tutorial to wrap Up the game, fixing in-game small bugs, playtesting with the data collection the gives a sample for our client to review, and also as a reference of data collection sample.&nbsp; UI Final refinement Problem: Difficulty Should Come from Design, Not Confusion With a designed level, another important [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-191","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/stringers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/191","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/stringers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/stringers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/stringers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/stringers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=191"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/stringers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/191\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":192,"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/stringers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/191\/revisions\/192"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/stringers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=191"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/stringers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=191"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/stringers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=191"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}