We continued iterating on issues identified during previous playtests, focusing especially on the confusion and difficulty in the sneaking level.
Sneaking Level Iteration:
（The video appears shaky, but it was perfectly smooth in-game）
Challenges and Adjustments:
At this stage, the enemy AI behavior still feels unclear. Guards turn too abruptly and move unpredictably, which often results in sudden player deaths. This creates a strong sense of frustration and negative feedback, especially since players don’t feel like they can use breathing as a reliable way to overcome these challenges.
We also realized the level layout made it hard for players to tell whether they were being seen or where the safe zones were. As a result, the general anxiety of moving through the level overshadowed the subtle tension we wanted to create with shallow breathing mechanics.
To address these issues, we added a Pattern UI HUD in the bottom left corner of the screen to indicate the player’s real-time breathing state. In stealth sections, if the player breathes too heavily, a warning signal will appear—giving them a few seconds to adjust their breathing before alerting the guards. This change significantly improves players’ understanding of how breathing impacts gameplay and gives them more control over it, striking a better balance between challenge and fairness.
Wind Sensor Integration:
We took measurements with a caliper and wrote down a basic shell size. We then made a first prototype making sure there was enough walls in AutoDesk Fusion. Then we printed a basic prototype and iterated off of it with issues of the wind sensors location on the model. We kept iterating until we found more issues were solved having a basic stable platform to attach to the headset.
Future Plans:
After a playtest session with our instructor Dave, we’ve decided to further emphasize the role of breathing in the experience. Next week, we plan to:
- Remove or revise any mechanics or sequences that aren’t meaningfully connected to breathing
- Add more narrative and visual cues to strengthen the player’s sense of breath-driven interaction
We’re also preparing for Soft Opening by beginning to tie our individual levels together into a more cohesive and unified gameplay experience.
