Reviewed notes from playtests and meetings from builds 8-10 to assess which aspects of the design work well, which do not, and what areas can be experimented with. Death Player can manually restart at last bubble but loses some points Player will automatically restart at last bubble and loses some points if he comes in …
Monthly Archive: October 2011
Oct
29
Playtest Feedback 10/28 – Build #10
Playtesters: 7 (2M, 5F) Written Notes What would you want your goal to be in this game? Collect all gems Collect different types of objects maybe. Getting points for executing complex wall bounces to get gems To get more green gems Collect as many things as possible Maybe a sanctuary from the dangers of the …
Oct
28
Weekly Newsletter #9 – October 28, 2011
(VIEW AS PDF) UPDATES Emergent Goals and Experimental Levels: This week, team seAker continued trying out different approaches to the physics-based exploration style of play, creating various levels and testing them to find out what players want to do. Overwhelmingly, players have most enjoyed using angles to create “trick shots,” and so the design focus …
Oct
28
Playtest Feedback 10/27 – Build #9
Prioritized Next Steps for Build #10 Remove: time from end of level score Add: in-game score (gems = 500 pts each, bounces 100x points each) that updates as each point is collected Update: score is based on gems collected and in-game points only Add: Bounce multiplier for score (first: 100, second: 200, third: 300, etc) …
Oct
25
Playtest Feedback 10/21 – Build #8
Gem collection should feed back into something that is inherently obvious Is it a valid goal to scour level and collect gems? How can the game be more like Spyro in that regard? There seems to be a want for some sort of safety net/supporting mechanic (undo button, checkpoints, less punishing fail state, secondary shrimp …
Oct
21
Weekly Newsletter #8 – October 21, 2011
(VIEW AS PDF) UPDATES “We’re Halfway There” The semester is at its midpoint, and with Halves Presentations coming up on Monday, team seAker is beginning to generate levels centered around the core gameplay mechanic of “underwater billiards.” The core interaction consists of “slingshotting” between bubbles, which serve as nodes, using bank shots to make use …
Oct
16
Weekly Newsletter #7 – October 14, 2011
(VIEW AS PDF) UPDATES Physics, Scrolling, Whirlpools: Continuing in the direction established before quarters, seAker’s design has been iterated upon, and now features a scrolling game space in which the player flicks the shrimp character from one whirlpool to the next, with the goal of reaching the level’s end. Physics have been implemented to make …
Oct
10
Weekly Newsletter #6 – October 7, 2011
(VIEW AS PDF) UPDATES Quarter Semester Presentations, Moving Forward The team has been moving forward with the new direction determined last week, expanding on the prototype and adding new features. The player can move freely and move in small circles to drop bombs. The behavior of the predator has been tweaked and now feels more …