3D Level 1 v2 Feedback

Between version 1 and version 2, the level benefited a lot from adding the maze of trees and the infozones. The trees made the level even more immersive than before, and it kept players interested when going from one section of the level to the next. The story is much more clear and put together because of the infozones, and the untextured area makes much more sense to the player now. The issue with the temple doors was resolved, and all of them open now, which was a huge benefit to the aesthetics of the level.

The things that went right were:

• All of the temple doors opened when players got all the switches.

• Players enjoyed the maze that was added to the level, which made the level feel more full of gameplay than it originally was.

• Players couldn’t find a way to bypass obstacles in a way that was detrimental to the experience of the level.

• Players felt even more immersed than before after the maze was added.

• Players knew to use the temple as a vantage point to try to get an idea of where to go in the maze

  
  

The things that went wrong:

• The checkpoint in one section of the level respawns the player below the platform, causing the player to endlessly die in a loop.

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  Some of the spitters on a platform weren’t shooting at the player like they were supposed to. (right image)
  

• It was difficult to navigate the maze for some players.

• Players had no indication as to which switch inside the temple was the right one because there were no hints given.

  
  

Ways to improve:

• Move the checkpoint origin well above the platform to ensure the player will land on top of the platform.

• Fix the spitter settings so they don’t run away from the player instead of shooting the player.

• Make some of the tree tops be a bit different so that when the player has a vantage point from the temple, they have sort of a hint as to where to go.

• Make some sort of indication for which switch inside the temple is the correct switch.

The challenges presented were appropriate for a beginner level because the enemies weren’t very difficult. Some players struggled more with the platforming than others, but typically players did a section no more than three times before being able to reach the other side. One of the moving platforms could be slowed down a bit to help players with the timing of jumping on and off. (right image)

The critical path was clear to the players because they understood that each area had a switch. The switches were all visible from the top of the temple, which further helps indicate where the player needs to go. It could have been made more clear by adding some sort of indication in the trees so players who pay close attention will have a hint on how to get through the maze.

The overall flow of the level was better than before in some ways, but worse in others. The addition of the maze made the players feel immersed the whole time they played, instead of having a lot of empty space. However, the addition of the maze also added a bit of lighting issues where some of the objects were rendering in front of other objects, when the player was on the opposite side. It broke some of the flow because it misled players when in the maze and made it look like some parts of the maze were open when it was a dead end.

3D Level 1 v1 Feedback

 The story I created surrounding this level was you, the player, are going back in time to steal an ancient treasure that’s locked inside a temple in the jungle. The infozones were going to be the people running the operation talking to the player. There is one area in the level that is untextured, where the people would tell the player that the software is glitching, but they can’t fix it while the player is using it.

The things that went right were:

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  The temple was a captivating centerpiece that made players interested in starting the level

• Players thought that the trap doors inside the temple were cool

• Even though players died, they still enjoyed playing the level and didn’t get too frustrated

• Players felt like they were actually in a jungle
  

The things that went wrong:

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  The death volume was too high in one section of the level

• Not all of the temple doors would open when all the switches were pressed, even though it was part of the counter inspector

• Ellen kept tripping down the stairs

• Players were able to skip part of the level because the game boundary didn’t cover enough space.

• I ran out of time before I could add infozones and more level content

Ways to improve:

• Use different death volumes for each section of the level to ensure that players don’t die when they aren’t supposed to

• If I can’t fix the issue with the doors, I will only have one door for the temple

• To keep Ellen from tripping, I need to make new stairs with more steps

• Make the game boundary larger, or boarder the hills with lava so the player can’t get to it, to keep players from skipping part of the level

• Add everything I wanted to add originally to the next version, like the infozones and the maze

The challenges presented were appropriate for a beginner level. All players were able to complete the level without too much difficulty. Players usually died once or twice in one section, and then were able to easily get through the section without dying any more. I can still add more enemies to the level without increasing the difficulty because there’s enough open space in the level.

The critical path was clear because all players were able to figure out where the switches were. Players quickly understood that the first goal was to get inside the temple, even without including infozones. Players chose which section of the level they wanted to go to first, which didn’t impact the overall experience of the level at all. The path will be even more clear when the maze area is added, so players can address the section from one checkpoint to the next, instead of possibly missing one.

The overall flow was consistent for every player. No player felt too frustrated or too bored when playing the level. When players died, they didn’t get upset because the checkpoints saved everything they did after, and they were simply respawn points. The flow could have  been broken with less patient players when going between each section of the level, a

The circulation element were the stairs that led up to the temple doors, and the temple entrance. The entrance was made to be grand and intriguing, to make the players want to enter the temple, and not just because that’s the goal of the level. The entrance and stairs could have been made more grand with better materials, but they still drew players in.