3D Level 1 Ver. 2 Feedback

3D Level 1 Ver. 2 Feedback

What went right?
I felt this playtest went better than the last. Mainly because I fixed some of the more pressing issues of the last playtest. Pressing issues being the spitters that didn't spit acid, which I've swapped with regular chompers. I also added a better mechanism for opening the doors. Instead of just the pressure plate (and the secret switch), I added another door that leads to the pressure plate. It can only be opened if the player defeats the three chompers in the surrounding area. It took a while to figure out how to properly program it and I'm glad I got it to finally work. Lastly, instead of trying to add a "portal" that teleports the player to another level, I just added dialogue (infobox)  at the end of the level to let the players know that they reached the goal or the end. 

new door mechanism

opens after defeating all surrounding enemies

What went wrong?
There weren't any strong apparent problems with my level. The feedback I received was that it was fitting for an introductory level and that the goals and objectives were clear. Many thought the "defeat enemies to open door" mechanic was cool and that it strongly enforced the combat mechanic on the player instead of letting the player get away without really using the combat mechanics. However, one playtester noted that having the secret switch would debuff that. Thus the secret switch is not really necessary in the introduction level even if it was pretty cool (I like secrets and easter eggs what can I say). 

Were the challenges presented appropriately to the skill level of the player?
Since there weren't blatant changes from the previous level/playtest, the challenges were the same. And yes, they were appropriately set for a tutorial level. In fact, I'd say the challenges are more enforced on the player with the new door mechanism I add. This was necessary to teach the player combat mechanics. The enemies are not difficult of course, 1 hit kills for all of them. And since the spitters did not work properly, I swapped them out for regular chompers. Which is a shame, but it is still fitting for an introductory level in my opinion. 

Was the critical path obvious?
The map hasn't changed from the first version. I did add more obstacles, but the path is still very linear. Thus the critical path should be straightforward and easy to follow, which I felt was important or better for a tutorial level. 

more obstacles

How would you improve?
I wouldn't know what else to improve on aside from trying to fix the problems I had in version 1 instead of switch most of the problems out for the second version. I would like to add more mechanics but I'm not a strong programmer and it would not be appropriate to throw too much at the player for the first level. 

How was the overall flow?
Overall, I'm glad many playtesters enjoyed my level. It was a bit short but it taught the mechanics that the players need to know well. The path to follow was linear and obvious so playtesters did not get lost and felt confused about what they had to do or where they had to go. 

3D Level Feedback

3D Level 1 Feedback

What went right?
The level of difficulty for the map was appropriate for an intro level. The players/playtesters thought that the length was good and that its critical path was obvious (expected of a tutorial map). The map worked as it was supposed to save for some aspects that were supposed to end the level and some transitions that didn't seem to work. That could be touched on more in another section. 

What went wrong?
The things that went wrong with the level did not interfere with the level itself. Or rather the main aspects of the game. One of the things that didn't work was the enemies introduced at the end that spit acid, however, the acid didn't appear/spawn at times (most of the time). I didn't find a solid fix for it when trying to look through forums online. Another aspect that didn't work was the transition that happens when you finished the level. Upon crossing the door, the player was supposed to teleport to the "level finished" scene. However, it didn't work and I also haven't found a solid fix for it either. 

Were the challenges presented appropriately to the skill level of the player?
For a tutorial level, the challenges were fairly easy. The level itself was supposed to teach the player more of the mechanical skills such as jumping, platforming, and basic combat. The level started off with easy platforming, jumping onto moving platforms and onto other parts of the level. There were boxes that introduced the player to combat before sending out the real enemies. The enemies for this level were fairly easy. Their detection radius was shortened as well as their "hp".  

Was the critical path obvious?
The critical path was pretty obvious, the map itself is linear as the player crossed and platformed through "open-air". The players know where they were going since there aren't any walls or solid corners. 

How would you improve?
The improvements I could make are switching aspects that don't work to other options. Such as the enemies, I could just switch the spitters to the chompers since the chompers would be more likely to do damage to the player. As for the transition aspect, which did not affect any gameplay or the flow as it supposes to appear at the end. I could have problem-solved harder. 

How was the overall flow?
Overall the flow was solid. For an intro level, it hit the requirements and did present an appropriate challenge to the player.

MegaMan Level 2 Feedback

Megaman Level 2 Feedback

What went right?
This map did get a better response compared to the first level. Improvement always comes from feedback. The length was way better this time, not too long and not too short. The map itself wasn't too linear as well. The challenge presented to the players was a good amount though there were mixed results. 

Were the challenges presented appropriately to the skill level of the player?

The enemies and puzzles presented to the player were of a decent skill level. Players did not find the level too challenging nor was it easy. It was a middle ground in terms of skill. Basically, there weren't too many enemies and very few puzzles.

Was the critical path obvious?
I want to say the map was pretty straightforward but players did get lost a few times. Some rooms looked like it had multiple options on where to go and the players only ran into a wall. Some times the players got lost on which direction to go overall. Perhaps my level design itself needs more work but my options are limited to the resources given to you in the Megaman Maker.

What went wrong?
Compared to the first level, this level was definitely better. Though it wasn't the best of course. There were still problems with my level. One is the design choices. In the first couple of rooms, the player had trouble finding the ladder that takes them further into the level. The problem was that the green color of the ladder mixed too well with the background color. It was intentional and my intent was to make it a sort-of "hide and seek" puzzle. However, the result was not favorable. Another flaw is the map path. Players got lost in the map and had trouble with the flow. A couple of players felt like the pacing was a bit quick and hard to follow. Lastly, there was the flaw of knowing the items and abilities. I forgot that changing abilities could be done on the S key thus I added a lot of useless ability items scattered through the level. I misread the ability of the arrow and did not know the player could stand on it as well. It sort of made some puzzles useless or not as challenging as I expected. 

confusing path

How would you improve?
The things I would work on is knowing the abilities more. I need to read on the abilities and try them out more as well as knowing the default set of abilities given to the player. I will also need to be more careful of level design and making sure the player isn't too confused by the level while also having freedom and choice within the level. Overall, these are things that could be improved if I had taken more time with making the level and making sure everything flowed well. 

How was the overall flow?
The flow depended on the player mainly. Some players felt the level was great and played smoothly. Others thought it was confusing at times and got lost in certain locations. Few thought it went too fast and that they could not grasp what was happening. Though overall, the challenge of the level was appropriate. It depends on how the player plays to follow the level's flow.  

green on green is bad