With the release of Moving Out just a long day (you can grab a demo to play now if you can't wait) I thought we would talk about our way of playing. It may seem like a simple part of the development process but starting from scratch and making a focus on it will help to create Moving Out in many ways for the better.
Throughout 2019 we made 150 different play sessions with friends, neighbors and fans, which is more than 120hrs of recorded games. Excludes a thousand + hands-on sessions at various gaming events like PAX.
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What started out as an easy way to share experiments between various studios in Melbourne, Sydney, DevM in Sweden and Team17 in the UK, has been transformed into a major QA component of the game as well as level editing capabilities. It also led to the decision to include “Help Mode” in that game which is a major factor in game access.
How did we find the right players?
This was the greatest challenge. Finding "new" players but later in finding players who can come back to play multiplayer to overcome challenging levels. We set up regular play times using Calendar and tried to fill 2-4 times a week. We have reserved this Tuesday and Thursday to allow time to update the game based on feedback from the previous session.
We abused local sports schools and then Facebook groups in various forums. With the provision of unchanged gameplay and candy we were able to get enough willing participants. I think we passed about 200 bags of sweets. So if you want to do this make sure you have a candy budget 🙂
Below is a typical "stream" of testers. The rest have been consumed by the party.
Here's my kid watching some of the other players that weekend. During our testing period we needed groups of four that could come in many times. The group we found on Facebook group can only do weekends.
In addition, we have Team17 providing their own user reviews for their in-house design team, various departments and local “fresh meat” inspectors.
Keeping it “simple”
The process was: P.L.A.Y (Playtest -> Read -> Action -> verifY) I just did that for a blog post but I love it so we can pretend we have this patent all the time.
We captured gameplay and recorded the players via webcam using XSplit. That way we were able to see and hear what they were saying and reacting while playing.
One big point was to have the building numbers visible in the game. So any captured screenshots and screenshots can be tied directly to a specific site!
We will then upload these videos to YouTube and share with the wider team. With a breakthrough in development between Melbourne's core development team, Jan from DevM in Sweden, Team17 in the UK and myself in Sydney, Youtube was the fastest way to share files.
We will be going through each and every playthrough test. So one video can be viewed multiple times across the entire studio.
At QA it was easy to identify the problem, to put it in perspective and to file a support ticket. This ticket will consist of a video of an active tip or screenshot from the video. In our first game Death Square, we sit in sessions and try to spot a bug and have to write notes right away. While filming the gamemages of the game we didn't catch players. This made it difficult to understand that the player had only gameplay problems.
I personally watch videos back at 1.5x speed that saved me hours of time vs sitting in a room. This has led to the weird feeling that when I watch it come back at 1x speed everyone seems to be talking a little. I've done this so much that I can't watch YouTube at regular speeds: /
For level designers they could see and hear how players approached each level. Were they doing what we expected? They would have approached this level in new ways we did not expect. We note the tendency between the various playbacks of how players play with objects.
A simple example in the first version of the "manager" dialog is: "The client did not break their properties." What is labeled as ironic lines really don't want you to break their stuff. The problem we have found is that players take this thing for granted. So we added the line “Just to play! They were paying for moving insurance. Beat all you want! ”It’s subtle but sets the tone of the game. We seek Players accept chaos and have fun breaking things. We've probably overlooked that with the dump line in the conversation.
The recording players also allowed us to see if the jokes were crossing and had the sound of people laughing and yelling at each other your The game is really uplifting in a weird way. So if there is something worth the effort on your own.
Navigate to the gray area of the game design
For anything that is not a clear bug we would explain it to Google Doc and do weekly reviews as a group. We will then create a ticket if it needs to be done or ignored. Game design is a process where often there is no right or wrong answer. So chatting, sometimes a granular user experiences things, and everyone with a video to refer to is a smooth process.
Impact on level designs
Passes by Dave and Brodie who lead the build of the game:
Getting people to play the game in front of you allows for some quick support and validation of ideas. This can be as simple as & # 39; do players skip levels the way we expect? & # 39; Or & # 39; have they tried any unintended / unexpected goals? & # 39 ;. This allowed us to feel more confident about our ideas and to be less creative.
Another standout technology that was born with user testing was the casting. In one play, players try to shove a photocopy along the veranda. At this stage, we only allow users to throw small things, but these testers have opened up to us the idea that we can try to throw together! By working collaboratively to install big ticket items and uninstall at the right time, we can allow players to toss high-quality items in the colonies, pools and fully loaded trucks. This simple idea changed the game very quickly!
Lesson: We wanted to make a contribution to the examiners and allow for consistent assessment across multiple offices that has led to the development of teaching at the beginning of the examination process. This meant that every tester had the same introductory experience and could compare the times to make better informed decisions.
Now refer me to John, the producer of the game:
Influence on Productivity
Sometimes the flood of user data was great. We were working on mechanics that we hadn't finished yet or installed in the game that morning and didn't fully understand the designers. It has been difficult to maintain focus and priority throughout the process. For example, our numbered numbered response document containing notes or issues in the bullet points form lasts more than 260 pages!
User testing repeated that we were on the right track and that the game was a lot of fun when played by two or more players. Seeing users working together, talking to each other and laughing was very encouraging. It also emphasized that one player needs more work and is moving forward to add some visual functionality to the assistive mode such as & # 39; Light 2P items & # 39; s and a new way of playing called & # 39; Dual Mov Mode & # 39; s where one player can control 2 movers in one control. Bring your ambidexterity and hemispheric reigns in equal measure!
As a developer you always deal with bugs and problems that need fixing. Most of the time these are the ones that can reproduce. Fortunately for us we have a mountain of user video surveys. One of such problems we encountered with hikers who were unable to complete the distance because the box that could be moved seemed to disappear. There was no truck, and it wasn't coming. A re-examination of the video shows that the box failed to appear after being thrown into the water because another physics item was placed in the original box location. This has resulted in us developing a participatory system including ui as soon as something blocks something from entering the game world.
As a result of user testing allowed us to keep the game stable, playable and without serious bugs in development not because highlighted the issues that exist in the game but there has been some much-needed buildup for many users to come and play the game over the next day or so.
Impact on Art?
Jon, artistic director of Moving Out says "One of the great benefits of multi-user testing is that we have been able to see when certain visual aids are not illuminated so that players can read quickly and separately. The player is able to cut visual audio and understand the gameplay space below is very important.
An important thing we learned as a direct result of user testing was that adding the same color to the entire wall and floor treatment of the room, made it impossible to see it as a separate space due to the added cohesion – but also built in vocabulary that players could use to interact with each other. Spaces sound more interactive and players were able to shout out that they cleared the & # 39; purple room & # 39; for example, leading to a better collaboration tool. "
The overall impact on the game
The biggest impact on the game is outside of the well-crafted game "Help Mode" of the game.
We were on the road where it was difficult to make a game. Do we simplify the game or do we remove some of the obstacles that players always adhere to? Through playtesting sessions you can see people getting trapped but also having fun. Areas where players often fail, they learn and the second or third attempt failed. But some players are also frustrated. These were perfectly dressed players who just got stuck and you can see their frustration. What about players with less skill or less patience?
We wanted to submit the release of FUN not Frustration.
The solution was to help. We were able to offer a variety of functionality of the game to allow players to use the game to suit their needs. With Help Mode you can increase levels on time, eliminate risk, simplify things, remove them as they are added to the truck and skip the level if you fail. Broad play does not only inform what operations we should be allowed to perform and that it was the right idea. It has become a focus of accessibility for us lately as we realize that this can help many people enjoy the game.
Now the game is over it's fun to look back on how much the game has improved since the first game.
If you are a game developer we encourage you to record as many playlists as possible. It is effective and the time it takes to set up is saved many times. And if you're a player, reach out to your local developers to see if they need someone who can help them play their game and eat their candy.
We hope hundreds of paid gaming sessions and everyone enjoys the game. We have a free demo to try with a small sample of 50 levels available in the game.
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