CAGD 270

3D Maze Game 2 Feedback:

Posted: May 9, 2018

Alicia Hill’s Map:

What went right?

• Players said that it felt like a forest.
• Multiple paths was a nice choice for the player.
• Players liked the multiple paths through the level.
• Players completed the level.
• It is properly jungle themed and the jumps are pretty good.
• The level functioned as intended.
• Players said the path, the jumping, and overall the level was pretty good. 
• The pickups lead the players in the right direction.

Forest Path:

What went wrong?

• The level definitely has a lag issue here and there.
• There wasn't a lot of challenging platforming.
• There were some difficulties in one of the branch ramps where the player controller would pull one way or the other.
• Sometimes it got hard turning on the tree tops and when players would look at all the models in game it would lag. 
• On the branch path up the tree, the players physics are weird so players fell off a couple times, but it was no problem.
• There were some iffy ramps that did not operate very well. 
• A play tester said that they felt like there were too many pickups and not enough enemies. 
• The play tester easily got through the level without dying and by avoiding all of the enemies.

Branch Path:

How might you improve your map next time?

• Take out a lot of the sneaky grass area. Everytime the players look in that direction, it causes the game to lag.
• Add more enemies up in the trees, so that there is still something to watch out for while players are up there.
• Work on trying to reduce the lag in the level.
• Overall, adding more robots in the level.
• The lag in the level is caused by the Sneak Areas, so removing them might fix the lag.
• Players suggested to remove some level geometry to get a steady frame rate and to make less upward jumps that get the players stuck on the jumps.
• Reduce pickups but not all of them as they help lead the players. 
• Increase chances of dying by adding a death floor/boundary in the level. 
• A player suggested to Include a Checkpoint by that point of dying so they don’t restart the level from the beginning.
• The play testers overall said that the level could be a bit longer to increase playtime.

Sneak Area:

Were the challenges presented appropriate to the introductory nature of the level?

• There were mixed reviews on whether the level was hard enough.
• Some play testers said yes the level was hard enough in difficulty.
• A play tester said yes, the challenges were appropriate.
• Another play tester said yes it was a pretty hard level.
• A play tester said that yes it was a difficult level.
• While other play testers said no that the level was easy or medium in difficulty.
• A play tester said the challenges were not really hard and that the level felt more medium than hard.
• While another play tester said that it felt more like a easy medium level. 
• The play tester never felt threatened by the enemies since they rarely saw them in the level.
• A play tester felt mixed on the level difficulty and said that it was a tad difficult, but it could definitely use more difficulty than what it has now.

End of Level View:

Was the critical path obvious?

• A play tester said it was more of a guess of where to go and that they ended up just randomly finding the path up into the trees.
• While another play tester said that the critical path was quite obvious.
• Another play tester said that besides the pickups to collect that led the player, they didn't really know where they were supposed to go.
• A play tester said that yes the pickups lead them in the right direction.
• A player said that it was obvious where they were supposed to go.
• Overall the players felt that the critical path was obvious when they followed the collectible items.

Tree Top View:

How was the overall flow?

• A player said the overall flow is pretty good and that the robots helped increase the challenge in order for them to stay with the flow.
• Another play tester said that the overall flow is pretty good although there were some moments where the controller would get caught on some object and that would hurt the flow a bit.
• A player said that the overall flow is alright, but the laggy frame rate was difficult to get over. 
• Another player said  that they weren’t stopped much except for the felled tree segment where they fell down once and needed to go all the way back to get back up. 
• There is also a spot where a leap of faith is required, the player suggested that I remove it.
• Overall the players said the overall flow was good with a few minor adjustments needed.

Leap of Faith:

Were there circulation elements?

• There are circulation elements of corridor-like path with trees and open areas.
• A play tester said that there are paths, that once they were found would lead them in the correct general direction.
• Another player said that there were ramps of sorts made out of tree trunks.
• A play tester said yes there were circulation elements that led them through various parts of the level naturally.
• Another player said that the environment was well built, and that they liked the circulation element of how they climbed up the tree to get to the top of the level.

Tree Top Path:

Was it obvious where players we supposed to go?

• A play tester said that it was obvious where to go as they never got lost while playing.
• Another player said that for the most part, they knew that if they followed the path it would take them where they needed to be.
• A player said that it was quite obvious of where to go.
• All of the play testers said that it was obvious of where they were supposed to go, except one.
• A play tester said no it wasn’t obvious on where to go, but it isn’t a bad thing to them as it fit the theme of a jungle.

End of Level:

3D Maze Game 1 Feedback:

Posted: April 30, 2018

Alicia Hill’s Map:

What went right?

• The level worked and they could see the entire level from the top spawn point.
• The level was easy to finish.
• The level design looked really good.
• The level is able to be completed.
• The level was very clear, detailed, and manageable.
• Players found it to be an interesting level and liked the vertical movement. 
• Play testers after the camera issue was fixed found the level to be really good. 
• The path of the game lead the players to the end of the level for sure.
• Players commented on the good symmetry of the level and the liked the border wall around the lower half of the level.

3D_Level Walls:

What went wrong?

*In the beginning of the play test there was a camera issue that caused the player controller movement to be inverted. This issue has been fixed.*

• The player controller movement was inverted as they couldn't turn around.
• The players movement controls were horrible.
• The controls were really weird. 
• There was nothing to stop the players from just jumping from the top down to the finish area.
• The player controller is very difficult to use.
• Falling off from the ledge in the spawn point down to the bottom of the level ended the game.
• A player found that the way the level is laid out vertically has the issue where it is easier to sequence break the level and finish the level in five seconds. 
• As this play tester finished the level in five seconds by dropping down from the spawn platform to the middle platform and then falling down the edge of the middle platform down to the top of the taxi that signaled the end of the level. 
• A play tester found that there was not much risk to the game, such as falling and what not, where if you do fall, you ultimately defeat the level because then you can just run to the end. 
• A player commented that they couldn't see the first set of ramps down after the stairs.

3D_Level_ First Ramp:

How might you improve your map next time?

• A play tester noted that the stairs have the worst collisions for the player model and that they would suggest avoiding using them in the level.
• A suggestion is to make it so there are set locations that a player can go through at each level so they can't just fall to the end and end the game.
• A player suggested to put walls or blockers so that if they fall they don’t land at the bottom of the level.
• A suggestion was to add more walls and floors so they can get an idea of where they are at in the level.
• A player suggested to incorporate a way to by cut off from the end goal, so the players can’t cheat and fall off the platforms to the bottom of the level where the end of the level is.
• Another suggestion was to invert the level and have the players go from the bottom of the level to the top of the level.
• A player suggested to make the level move more laterally, as the level is essentially a vertical drop over and over.
• A suggestion is to make it so that the player falling off of the ledge doesn't end the game.
• A play tester suggested programming in triggers such as the death floor of the bottom floor so when players fall and land on it they respawn back to the beginning of the level.
• A suggestion for this play tester is to add a sign with a downward pointing arrow as this might help make the critical path more obvious.

3D_Level Goal:

Were the challenges presented appropriate to the introductory nature of the level?

• Yes, the level was pretty easy.
• Yes, the challenges presented were appropriate.
• A player found that the level is an appropriate level for a tutorial.
• Overall the play testers found that the level was easy in terms of challenges that were appropriate for an introductory level. 

3D_Level Black Block:

• Play testers stopped moving and tried to jump over the black block as their first impressions was that it was a gap and that they could not walk over it.

Was the critical path obvious?

• Yes, the critical path was obvious.
• A player said that it was obvious where they were supposed to go.
• Another player said somewhat, as there were times where it was difficult to see in which direction they were to go in.
• A player said that it difficult to see based on the strange player controller, but after getting used to the controls they were able to find the critical path.
• Another play tester said that the path wasn't entirely obvious since there were multiple branches, but in general they knew where to go.
• A player found the critical path to be pretty obvious, as they let the level take them to where they needed to be.
• Another play tester found it to be fairly obvious that they’re supposed to head down after a few seconds of looking around. 

3D_Level Colored Blocks:

• I added color to these block so that it would attract the play testers attention.

How was the overall flow?

• The overall flow is good.
• The flow was fine. As the flow wasn't too easy and the player was able to tell where the different areas were at.
• The flow was good and felt nice.
• A player said that once they got the hang of the movement, the flow was very good.
• The players were not pulled out of the game.
• A play tester found that the flow was good, but they felt that there was never a break in the flow.
• The flow was pretty good, the only issue would be fixing the camera right now since it can be hard viewing where to go
• A player found the flow to be smooth.

3d_Level Science Building:

Were there circulation elements?

• Yes, there were circulation elements of mostly stairs.
• A player found that there was just open space and some stairs/ramps. There weren't that many walls to tell whether there was supposed to be hallways in the level.
• A play tester said yes, as there were areas where it opened up and gave the player room to move around.
• Yes, the players went around in a curvy path through different obstacles in the level.
• A player found no circulation elements in the level. 
• Yes, there were circulation elements in the level.
• Even though there were no pathways or corridors, the level still too me where I needed to go.
• A play tester says definitely, as there are several paths down that funneled the players into one path.

3D_Level Starting Point:

Was it obvious where players we supposed to go?

• Yes, it was completely obvious where the players were supposed to go.
• A play tester said no because they couldn’t see the goal until the very end of the level.
• Yes, the players knew that they needed to move down and follow the path.
• A player mentioned that yes it was obvious where to go, but it felt odd having to travel downward since going up is usually the way to get through the level.
• A play tester said that the lack of being able to see below the player made the yellow taxi basically invisible until they landed on the house’s roof. 

2D Maze Game 1 Version 2 Feedback

Posted: April 12, 2018

Alicia Hill’s Map:

What went right?

• The level was easy to navigate through. 
• The majority of playtesters completed the level with all of the coins.
• The level was pretty good at letting the player get all the coins.
• The play testers went through the level with little issue.
• The play testers liked how the maze gave them multiple options on where to go and paths to take.
• A play tester liked the use of the objects that made it feel like a Western Town.
• The players felt that the overall movements in the game were smooth as the player did not struggle to go diagonally in the maze.
• Player liked the open areas in the maze.
• The players liked the placement of the blockers and how the blockers were invisible on the maze game.
• Good placement of the elements in the maze.

What went wrong?

• Some of the blockers seemed off as several play testers went through a few of them with the player character. 
• Players didn’t like how some of the objects were cut off at the top of the map.
• Some of the blockers were inconsistent with the fences around the lake with being able to go though some parts while not being able to go through other parts.
• Some parts of the level was deceptive like where the player can go to the edge of the water but can’t go in the water.
• There are more coins in the level then is needed.
• The coins felt misleading as they led players away from the critical path. 
• The coin placement was weird as they led the player in the right direction and also in the wrong direction so it made the players not trust the coins.

Invisible Coin in Bottom Right of Image:

How might you improve your map next time?

• A player suggested adjusting the layer the player shows up on in relation to the blocker objects in the map, as well as, for aesthetic purposes, fix the layer the exit is placed as it is on top of the church a bit.
• Move the coin that is on the right side of the fence on the map so the camera fog doesn’t obscure it until the play tester is right on top of it.
• Making the blockers consistent around the fence surrounding the lake.
• Block off the water completely.
• Clean up the blockers as some blockers overlap each other.

Were the challenges presented appropriate to the introductory nature of the level?

• The challenges presented were appropriate.
• The challenges were appropriate and liked the use of the water.
• Yes, the challenges were easy enough for a beginner level.
• The challenges were appropriate.

Player can Walk Through Fence:

Was the critical path obvious?

• The critical path was not obvious as it is really not supposed to, being a maze and all. 
• The critical path was not obvious as the paths branched out with dead ends.
• No, the critical path was not obvious as it is a maze.
• Yes, the critical path was obvious as the player can starts off at the top left and ends at the bottom right.
• The critical path was also pretty easy to find.

How was the overall flow?

• The overall flow was pretty good. It wasn’t too hard, but not too easy to find the path either. 
• Nice overall flow of open areas and dead ends.
• Pretty good with a mixture of open and tight areas. The tight areas weren’t too tight that the player struggled to go through it.
• The flow worked as there was nothing to take players out except the water issue.
• The flow was good in the maze as the player did not get lost.

The Garden Coin:

Were there circulation elements?

• The circulation elements in the level were hallways and corridors.
• The turns reflected corridors and the long straight paths represented the hallways.
• A few corridors and hallways with open areas.
• The road paths functioned as hallways.
• Corridors were the circulation elements as the player wasn’t misdirected too much as there were dead ends as it is a maze.
• Was it obvious where players we supposed to go?
• Not really, considering it is a maze.
• As a maze it is not obvious where to go.
• Yes, it was obvious where to go.
• The maze didn’t require too much effort, but it made the player think on where to go in the maze.

Layout of Maze:

2D Maze Game Level 1 Feedback

Posted: April 2, 2018

Alicia Hill’s Map:

What went right?

• The level functions and everything works in the level.
• The play testers felt that the maze was a good size.
• Players liked the open space at the top and bottom of the level.
• Play testers found the map to be simple for a beginners level.
• A play tester found that the level was appropriate for the controls we had.
• Players liked the simple S-shaped level.
• Play testers could find my way through the level easily.
• Play testers found that nothing was poorly placed.
• The path was clear and play testers knew where to go.

What went wrong?

• Playtesters noticed an invisible wall in the middle of the level on the top of the church.
• Play testers did not like that there was only one path.
• The players felt that they were just following the path for now.
• One play tester felt that he didn’t get to explore the map to its fullest. Right as he finished the level he noticed that there was a little area off to the right side of the goal.
• Besides the invisible wall the play testers worked well with everything else in the level.
• Play testers felt that the level didn’t have any maze elements in the level with diverging paths and dead ends.
• One play tester noted the repetition of the fence element.
• Play testers felt that the level doesn't give players much choice of what to do as there is only one path to follow and no branching paths.

How might you improve your map next time?

• The play testers suggested to lower the amount of the coins in the level as there were too many coins in the level especially at the beginning of the level.
• Play testers wanted more paths for the players to take to improve the level.
• The play testers noted that as of now the players gets all of the coins always as there is only one path to go.
• A play tester wanted more paths so players can explore more areas even if it is a dead end.
• Another play tester suggested less coins in the beginning of the level so it is more rewarding that the players found the coins. 
• Getting rid of the invisible wall so it does not hinder the play testers movements in the level.
• Add a second path so the players have more options of where to go.
• Make the level more larger and more paths so players can get lost in them.
• Move the goal as the player can see the goal at the bottom of the level before the coins on the right side of the church.

Were the challenges presented appropriate to the introductory nature of the level?

• The play testers felt the level was appropriate for the beginning level to learn the guy’s movement controls.
• A player felt that for a beginning level the challenge level was fine.
• The players felt that the challenges on the level were appropriate for the beginning level.
• Overall there was consensus that the challenges presented were appropriate.

Was the critical path obvious?

• The players felt that the path was overall fairly simple, and very linear. 
• There is only path to go so yes the path was obvious. 
• A play tester noted that the coins led you straight through the level.
• There was a critical path and the player could only take one path and the coins lead them to the end of the level.
• Yes, but there wasn’t any specific challenges for the player in regard to pathwise as there was only the critical path to take.

How was the overall flow?

• The players felt the overflow flow was pretty easy and had a good flow.
• The players found the flow was fine except for the invisible wall in the level.
• A play tester noted that there was a big open area the player starts off in and they are given space to explore at the beginning but then they just follow the corridors around until the end of the level.
• There was a constant flow as the player followed the path.
• A play tester said that there was nothing that took the player out of the flow and the level was easy and quick so there was no time to get into the level and nothing to frustrate the player out of the flow.
• The flow worked as there was nothing to bug or to take the players out of the flow. 

Were there circulation elements?

• One hallway circulation element as the level felt like a hallway to the play testers.
• There were no stairs or side paths as the level is linear.
• Yes there were turns as circulation elements in the level.
• A play tester said that the backwards S-Level shaped level is a circulation element.

Was it obvious where players we supposed to go?

• Yes, the level was linear in design so the players knew where to go.
• Play testers said yes it was obvious where to go by following the coins.
• The level guided the players on where to go.
• There was only one path so it was obvious to the play testers on where to go.

DnD Map 2 version 2 Tiered Feedback

Posted: March 12, 2018

Alicia Hill’s Map:

The play testers chose to be a Warrior and Ranger.

What went right?

• The play testers liked how the maps are connected in a story with the beginning level starting at the Washington Monument going to the Octagon House in Washington for the intermediate level and finally ending at the White House to defeat the President of the United States.
• The players liked how they are playing as the aliens and that the enemies are different types of humans.
• The Warrior play tester liked the shape of the level and the different path options.
• The play testers liked how they had the option to investigate the rooms on the second floor without having to be forced to.
• The Warrior play tester liked the door at the beginning of the level needing three lock picks to open it, while the Ranger play tester did not like the door.

What went wrong?

• Both play testers were consistently doing only one damage to the boss even when they added a six to their attack stats.
• The Ranger play tester had to use the baseball and steroid items to raise his attack to defeat the boss.
• The Ranger play tester did not like the door at the beginning of the level needing three lock picks to open. 
• The Ranger play tester wanted the door at the beginning of the level to be unopenable as they said: if the items are given out at random, then what are the chances of someone getting three lock picks on this level?

Beginning Level Map:

How might you improve your map next time?

• The play testers suggested I say the door at the beginning of the level appears to be locked before giving the players the option to go left or right.
• As the play testers felt that it didn’t feel right to lead the players on that they can go right when in reality there is a locked door there.
• Both play testers felt that the health and stats of the boss were too high.
• I will lower the health of the boss from fifty to twenty-five.
• The play testers suggest that I choose a higher defense or health and not to have both for the boss as that will make him too overpowering. 
• The play testers felt that the Warrior’s defense was too high as the Warrior blocked every enemy attack, but the boss attack.

Were enemies appropriate to the player "level"?

• The play testers felt that the human enemies felt right for the story of the level of the players being the aliens and the humans being the enemies.
• The play testers said the human enemies are relatively consistent in terms of stats, difficulty, and flow except for the boss that they felt was tedious to defeat.
• The play testers defeated in total: one Average Joe, one Nerd, one Scientist, one Soldier, one CIA, one Secret Service, and one boss enemy on the level. 
• In terms of the player score system the players received 57 points. 
• The Warrior play tester received 21 points and the Ranger play tester received 36 points.

Advanced Level Map:

Were there appropriate teaching mechanisms for new items?

• The play testers felt that the beginning level introduced how to pick up and use the beginner items.
• The play testers received more powerful and number of items in the intermediate compared to the beginner level. 
• The play testers felt that I should tell the players that they will get more items in this level and the advanced level so they do not feel the need to keep their current items.

Were the challenges presented appropriate to the skill level of the player?

• The players felt that the enemies were appropriate in relation to the level being intermediate.
• The Vice President boss they felt was to overpowered and that I need to lower his stats as his current stats are too challenging for the level.
• The play testers notice an increase in the stats of both the players and the enemies from the beginner level.

Was the critical path obvious?

• The play testers said that the critical path was not as obvious on the first floor of the level as compared to the second floor of the level. 
• The critical path was obvious to the players on the second level as all of the paths met at the same endpoint the staircase back to the first level.

Beginning Player Stats:

How was the overall flow?

• The play testers felt that the flow of enemies was good as the level started with a Tier One enemy and in the middle there were Tier Two enemies and the level ended with a Boss Tier enemy.
• At the beginning of the level there was a Tier One Average Joe enemy.
• From there I added a Tier One Nerd enemy with a Tier Two Scientist enemy.
• After that I did all Tier Two Soldier, CIA, and Secret Service enemies to raise the difficulty.
• The level ended with the Boss Tier the Vice President boss being defeated.

Were there circulation elements?

• The circulation elements were corridors, hallways, and stairs in the level.
• The play testers felt that the circulation patterns were semi-linear as even though the players moved up and down two different floors the path from the first floor to the second floor and vice versa was one path.
• The play testers felt the level was semi-linear was because there were a lot of optional and different side paths, hallways, and rooms on the second floor for the players to explore, defeat enemies, and to collect items.

Intermediate Player Stats:

Was it obvious where players we supposed to go?

• The play testers felt that even though there were multiple side paths all of the side paths led them to the main path.
• The players followed the main path through corridors, hallways, and stairs and took some optional paths and rooms that led them back onto the main linear path to the bosses room.

How was the process of working on a Level Design Team?

• The process of working on a Level Design Team was a collaborative team effort.
• Our team met during class and discussed the aspects of our game.
• We discussed to make our game have a story that connects all of our game levels in a cohesive manner.
• We also discussed the location of our game, the stats of the players, enemies, and bosses.
• We settled on the number and type of items that the players can receive in all of our levels.
• Our team also after settling on the levels basic aspects like items, stats, and enemies we then went off on our to work on creating concept art, annotated maps, and then to create our levels.
• We worked together as a team in class and we also did our own separate assignments at home.
• There were no issues we encountered as a team as we all did our assignments on time and we all came to class for the play testing.

Advanced Player Stats:

DnDMap Map 2 Feedback

Posted: February 28, 2018

Alicia Hill’s Map:

The play testers chose to be a Warrior and Rogue.

What went right?

• The play testers liked how the map is situated so there is a upper and lower level of the map connected by two staircases.
• Players liked how I did not reveal the whole level through the play testing. I only showed the level in increments as the players progressed and entered the hallways or rooms.
• The play testers liked how the level is organized so that they can collect items as they travel through the level.

What went wrong?

• There was a time issue as one of the play tester’s map took forty-five minutes to play test.
• There was fifteen minutes to play test my map so the players were not able to finish the entire level.
• The players were not able to defeat all of the enemies on the level.
• The play testers felt that the main thing that went wrong was not being able to go through the entire game system.

Play Tester Rolling a Die:

How might you improve your map next time?

• The players suggested that I put the Ghost Hoverboard item near the mid-level enemies on the bottom of the level so players can’t enter the bosses room without exploring the map.
• The players felt that there were too many corridors on the level.
• The play testers suggested that I cut off the top corridor that leads to the bosses room and instead have it lead down to the lower level so there is only one entrance to the bosses room.
• The players suggested I lower the stats of the boss and the alien enemies.

Were all rule mechanics covered in this introductory level?

• Yes, the players used the items they collected and then used them to defeat the alien enemies.
• The play testers did all of the core game mechanics by defeating an alien enemy, defeating the alien boss, collecting and using an item, and using the checkpoint system. 

Play Testers Looking at Rule Sheet:

Were there appropriate teaching mechanisms?

• Yes, as the items in the level have directions on how to use them they are self explanatory to the players.
• The alien enemies are repeated in the level so once the players meet an alien enemy they have the experience and knowledge of that enemy to defeat it again. 

Were the challenges presented appropriate to the introductory nature of the level?

• The challenges were appropriate for the introductory level as the players used all of the skills they collected on the enemies..
• However I will adjust the stats of the alien enemies on the level so there is a greater overall flow of the enemies. 

Was the critical path obvious?

• Yes, even though there were different paths the overall path was obvious to the players.

Play Testers Playing the Game:

How was the overall flow?

• The play testers did not defeat all of the enemies on the level.
• The play testers felt that the enemies they did defeat their stats were a bit too high compared to their own stats.
• The players suggested I adjust the flow of the enemies by adjusting the alien enemies stats.
• The players suggested I adjust the flow of the map by lowering the amount of corridors in the level.

Were there circulation elements?

• The circulation elements in the level were corridors and stairs.
• The circulation patterns of the level were semi-linear as the players chose where to go, but the level forced the players to go into the opening room, mid-enemies room, and the bosses room essentially bottleneck events.

Was it obvious where players we supposed to go?

• Yes, the players followed the corridors on the level that all led the play testers eventually to the bosses room. 

Alicia Hill's level used in the play test:

DnD Map 1 Version 2 Feedback

Posted: February 21, 2018

Alicia Hill’s Map:

The play testers chose to be a Mage and Ranger.

What went right?

• Players liked how I did not reveal the whole level through the play testing. I only showed the level in increments as the players progressed and entered the hallways or rooms.
• The play testers completed the level and defeated all of the enemies on the level.
• The players liked the varying room sizes and the hallway lengths of the level.

Play Tester Looking at Cards:

What went wrong?

• The players did not use or felt the need to use the guard skill on the level.
• The players felt  that the light skill didn’t have a real purpose on the level other than to light the darkened hallway.
• The players didn’t understand that they could use the light skill to temporarily blind the dragon.
• The players did not enter the room with columns adjacent from the dragon boss room.

Play Tester Rolling a Die:

How might you improve your map next time?

• The players suggested that I add a room or two in the darkened hallway so there is a purpose for going through the darkened hallway.
• Players suggested I increase the size or add an event in the two rooms down the hallway from the spider room so that there is a reason for the players to go in those rooms.
• I will add stairs to the level as the players felt that the level is too linear.

Play Testers Discussing Strategies:

Were all rule mechanics covered in this introductory level?

• No, the players did not use the guard skill in the level. 
• The players can use heal on each other as they get wounded on the map from the enemies.
• The players can use magic attack against the enemies or the switch at the beginning of the level.
• The players can also use the guard skill when they are defending from enemy attacks on the level.

Play Testers:

Were there appropriate teaching mechanisms?

• Yes, there were appropriate teaching mechanisms in the level.
• There were two trap pits for the players to use float or jump skill to get past.
• There is a locked door that the players must use the escape or lock skill on to get past it into the spider room. 
• There is a darkened hallway for the players to use the light skill on to see the path.

Play Testers Playing the Level:

Were the challenges presented appropriate to the introductory nature of the level?

• The challenges were appropriate for the introductory/tutorial level as the players learned all of the skills.
• However as the players did not use the guard skill in this level tutorial I will raise the difficulty of the level so the players will need to use the guard skill in the level.

Was the critical path obvious?

• Yes, as the level is very linear in design.
• The players always knew where to go on the level at all times as all of the hallways and corridors lead the players on the same one path to the same ending. 

Level During Play Testing:

How was the overall flow?

• The players liked the overflow flow of the enemies. F Starting with weaker enemies in the beginning to a stronger enemy in the middle to a super strong enemy at the end. 
• The overall flow was smooth as the level went from large, medium, and small room sizes to short and long narrow hallways and corridors.

Were there circulation elements?

• The circulation elements in the level were hallways and corridors.
• The circulation patterns were an open area at the beginning with three goblins, leading to a narrow corridor that leads to the spider room, with two rooms leading to the darkened hallway, and then to the dragon boss chamber. 
• There were no stairs or side paths as the level is linear.

Was it obvious where players we supposed to go?

• Yes, the level was linear in design and so the players followed the hallways and corridors that led the players to the end of the level. 

Alicia Hill's level used in the play test:

Simple DnDMap Feedback

Posted: February 12, 2018


Alicia Hill’s Map:

The play testers chose to be a Mage and Ranger.

Six characters pins used in play test: 

What went right?

• Players using the light skill in the darkened hallway was a good way to introduce the light skill.
• The spider getting lost in the darkened hallway was a good event as otherwise it would have fallen into the trap pit at the end of the hallway.
• The players found the level to be a nice expansive map full of stuff, and so to them adding items into the map will make it even more fun.

Dice used in the play test: 

What went wrong?

• The light skill the players used to blind the dragon boss is too exploitable as the dragon can’t attack while blinded. The players suggested having a drawback or cooldown time of the light skill in combat.
• The players suggested to have a trap of some sort in the room adjacent to the dragon’s, to restrict the players freedom of movement.
• The players suggested to move the entrance of the darkened hallway so the players move around more in the spider‘s room as they currently only move 2 spaces and then are in the darkened hallway.

The Ranger card used in the play test: 

How might you improve your map next time?

• Have the dragon boss attack with a weak magic fireball and to lower the dragon’s defense stats as the players felt the defense stat at four is too high.
• The map is too linear. So I will add side corridors, paths, or rooms so players don’t move in a straight path.
• I will add a trap to the room adjacent to the dragon’s room to restrict the player’s movement.
• I will move the darkened corridor entrance to the spider’s room away so that the players will need to move around and engage more in the spider’s room before moving on to the darkened corridor. 
• I will add a cool down time to the light skill when the players are engaged in combat or in a fight.

The Warrior card used in the play test: 

Were all rule mechanics covered in this introductory level?

• Yes, the map had puzzles or scenarios in the level where the players had to use all skills sets available to them.  

The Rogue card used in the play test: 

Were there appropriate teaching mechanisms?

• Yes, there were appropriate teaching mechanisms as at the beginning of the level the players encountered a switch and a trap pit that they had to overcome by either using the jump or float skill or use magic attack against the switch and again the players encountered the trap pit at the end of the map.

The Mage card used in the play test: 

Were the challenges presented appropriate to the introductory/tutorial nature of the level?

• The challenges were appropriate for the introductory/tutorial level as it covered all the skills that the players used in the level.

The Heal card used in the play test: 

Was the critical path obvious? 

• The players knew where to go on the level at all times as the level is linear with one path. 

The Light card used in the play test: 

How was the overall flow?

• The overall flow was smooth that went from an open beginning area to a narrowed focused linear corridors that led through the small spider room  back into a narrow darkened corridor and then into the large dragon boss chamber.

The Float card used in the play test: 

Were there circulation elements?

• The circulation patterns were an open area at the beginning with three goblins, leading to a narrow corridor that leads to the spider room and the dragon boss chamber. There were no stairs or side paths as the level is linear.

The Magic Attack card used in the play test: 

Was it obvious where players we supposed to go?

• Yes, the corridors were narrow and with the level being linear in structure the corridors led straight to the dragon boss chamber, so the players knew where to go.

Alicia Hill's level used in the play test: