General Gameplay and Tutorial Level User Testing
Teaching game mechanics to new players can sometimes be challenging if the game is poorly designed. The tutorial level aims to be helpful for introducing the game's background story as well as introducing game mechanics.
Tutorial levels and first impressions are very important when engaging and retaining players. Team 5 conducted user testing to gain insight to uncover potential areas that need improvement, along with positive points about gameplay.
The player will be tasked to complete start a new game, complete the tutorial level and at least Level 1 as well. After thorough interaction with the game, users will then share their thoughts on the general gameplay and the tutorial level for improvement and evaluation. Each user will be asked to provide qualitative and quantitative feedback by answering a questionnaire:
- What was your first impression of the game?
Quantitative Questions - Likert Scale (1-5):
- Was the tutorial level helpful for introducing and establishing the game?
- Do you think the gameplay was well implemented and functioned consistently?
- Were the visual elements aesthetically pleasing?
- Were the visual elements designed consistently?
Qualitative Questions - Extended Response:
- Were there any points of frustration or difficulty in the tutorial level?
- What did you like/dislike about the gameplay experience? What would you change?
- Do have any feedback about the visual appearance of the game?
- Are there any other aspects you would improve about the game?
When asked about first impressions, 4 out of 5 users generally enjoyed the plot of the game, with one user claiming they "did not even pickup on the Viking-space theme". All users mentioned that the player movements were not very smooth and "seemed a little clunky".
Users agreed that the tutorial level was helpful for introducing and establishing the game story. However, users were neutral towards the implementation and functionality of the game, neither liking or disliking the gameplay experience. This low score aligned with the feedback given in the first impression sections, as well as the qualitative feedback featured below.
Users were then prompted for feedback regarding the visual appearance of the game. Overall, users generally agreed that the visual elements were appealing and had a consistent design.
The second qualitative question, Were there any points of frustration or difficulty in the tutorial level?, gathered very consistent feedback across all users. 3 out of 5 users commented on the difficulty to understand the user interface featured at the top of the screen, as well as the confusion regarding the functionality of the buffs and debuffs. One user recommended filling some of the empty space on the tutorial level to feature more of the elements present in the following level.
Overall, the qualitative feedback gathered was not related to the design of the tutorial level, rather other aspects of the gameplay experience that could not be addressed in this sprint. Furthermore, when asked about general gameplay feedback, all users commented about the large number of partially implemented features which made the game quite complex, where these multiple features did not function as smoothly as expected. Unfortunately, this may have been due to a lack of collaboration and shared vision held between teams in the studio.
Regarding feedback about the visual appearance of the game, users believed the visual elements were overall well implemented and consistent, "featured a smooth finish" and were "cute". No issues arose from this question. When asked about other aspects to improve about the game, users did not provide any further feedback as it had already been covered in the prior questions.
To clear confusion and inform users of the buff and debuff functionality, an image briefly describing the buffs was displayed in the sky at the start of the tutorial level.
To better reflect the elements present in the game, more features were added to the empty space on the tutorial level. So, strategically placed rocks and platforms were added to provide variation to the gameplay experience of the tutorial level.