Week 12 - Game Testing

General Updates

In the week leading up to game testing I've made a number of advancements, including graphical, mechanical and more content generally.

As seen above I've started to design more sprites to better fit the environment, obviously there is more work to be done in this area but I'm happy with the results so far. 

I have also added a UI system to display a flashing title screen which will also explain the mechanic of the mini-game. (also a new font but that's pretty inconsequential). 

https://gfycat.com/majorwhimsicalduckbillplatypus

above is a transition after a mini-game is either solved or the time-limit runs out, I think this made the transitions a lot smoother throughout.

https://gfycat.com/tartweeklyarchaeopteryx

I've added a new mini-game I've called call home, mostly as a reference to E.T but I think it fits mechanically and the themes of Educating the Extraterrestrials. (You'll have to click on the link to see the gif, sorry)

Game Testing feedback

Before delving into the feedback of my game testing session here are the results from the survey given to the participants.

Graphical decisions:

Stability:

Puzzle Game play:

Bugs:

What are your thoughts on the current choice of mini-games?:

These are the percentages of answers given by the participants, whilst these are very helpful in giving insights into the strengths and weaknesses of any game what I really found helpful were the long worded answers, here are some I received.

• Graphics fits well, but concept art should keep consistent
• More documetation for what the player is doing
• Could be longer, or have an explanation for each one before they start

These suggestions are extremely helpful and I plan on addressing each in future updates.

Game Session Feedback

Whilst having players demo my game I received a number of different ways Educating the Extraterrestrials could be altered for improved results, including a number of unseen bugs.

• Popcorn mini-game win condition sometimes does not activate even when all the popcorn is eaten
• Telephone mini-game keypad sometimes duplicates numbers
• Telephone mini-game sometimes starts with an * already in the player's try
• Player and random number stay after the mini-game concludes
• The font being used is easy to mistake an asterisk for a plus
• It is unclear how the popcorn has to be ejected from the bowl in the popcorn mini-game
• A countdown can be overly time wasteful, a more visual approach could be better

Will Bruce (2021) Educating The Extraterrestrials.  (Accessed: 29 August 2021).