After a relaxing Fall Break last week, Team Top T.I.E.R returned ready to work on our experience.

One of the biggest updates this week was a change to our narrative. We returned to our original idea of a train heist, but with a twist: players will audition to join an outlaw gang in a hideout filled with props and tasks related to the heist.

The story begins with Jo welcoming the guests into the saloon and explaining the job before putting them through their first trial: handling dynamite. Before they can prove themselves, Saul arrives and turns the audition into a competition. He challenges the guests in a test of strength and a quick-draw duel, cheating to defeat one of the volunteers. Jo starts questioning whether he needs humans on his team at all. However, things take a dangerous turn when Saul photographs the heist plan and threatens everyone with dynamite. A guest eventually activates it, and Jo pushes Saul into a closet just before it explodes. With the threat gone, Jo thanks the guests and finally welcomes them to the team.

This updated narrative helped us make decisions about the experience and set design. We started working on the pipes and drapes for the set, placed placeholders for the floor, and designed a vest for the robot.

We also made progress on the robot’s character design. We decided to add LED lights to its mask that change color based on its emotions. For example, red would indicate that Snake Eye Saul is angry, while green would represent happiness. We also explored adding eyebrows controlled by small servos to show different expressions, such as happiness, sadness, and anger. This involved setting up a simple microcontroller system and discussing the placement of the LEDs, servos, speakers, and Arduino components. Coordinating these elements is important so that the people working on the robot, costume, and electronics can bring the character together.

On Thursday, we had our weekly instructors’ meeting, where we shared our progress and discussed the in-person faculty feedback from our half-playthroughs. We also discussed our concerns and were reminded to prioritize tasks as we approach our playtest next Saturday.

On Friday, we attended Mike’s Playtest to Refine workshop, which focused on defining clear player experience goals and understanding what guests feel, think, and do during an experience. We learned about observing player behavior, collecting feedback through interviews and short surveys, and using hints to help players without taking away their agency. The workshop also helped us understand how to structure our upcoming playtest and what to look for when observing participants.

By the end of the week, we had conducted two playtests: one with Carl and another with a first-year student. We tried out our updated narrative, and both players seemed to respond positively to it. Their feedback gave us an encouraging starting point as we continue refining the experience.

Next week will be a busy one as we prepare for Saturday’s playtest. We will focus on finalizing the narrative, set design, costumes, and props while continuing to develop the robot’s mask, LEDs, and servo-controlled eyebrows. There is still a lot to do, but we are excited to bring everything together and see how players experience our Wild West world!