User Play Testing
The evaluation analysis of the user testing aims to obtain suggestions and find a way to improve the user experience. Specifically, through analyzing either qualitative or quantitive data, we can recognize issues that are prone to our neglect. We also could have a deeper comprehension of user requirements. It plays an important role in improving the game experience and refining the game design.
From the results, we find some useful information to inform our design.
- 1) What were your first impressions of the game?
User 1: N/A
User 2: It was cute I really like the main character
User 3: I didn't know what was going on.
User 4: The game seemed like an interesting concept. Reminds me of the flash games I used to play in primary school.
User 5: The game was enjoyable and encouraged you to continue playing.
User 6: The title screen is very aesthetic but the size of the start buttons seemed quite disproportioned.
User 7: The game features a fun design and creative concept with the virus thing escaping.
With regards to the first impression, most of the participants think that the concept of the game is creative, the aesthetic style is appropriate, and the entire game is enjoyable. However, when it comes to the specific aspects of the game, people have some different perspectives. For example, a participant prompts that the size and the position of the start button are not very recognizable. Specifically, compared with the size of the title “RUNTIME”, the start button is not prominent enough. There are several ways to improve the menu design. It is easy to emphasize the start button through changing the color slightly. Additionally, increasing the size of the button can make it more proportional on the screen. Considering the limited time, team 1 can make improvements to this section for further design. Another participant felt a little confused when he first saw the game, but this did not affect his success in completing the game.
- 2) What do you think about the title screen (e.g. music and screen aesthetic) ?
User 1: the music was kinda catchy, I think the character could stand out more from the background though like maybe he could be a little bigger or something.
User 2: Title screen feels very casual. It's a nice feeling.
User 3: The music was nostalgic (reminded me of retro game music). Screen aesthetic was ok; a little basic.
User 4: The main theme was a little annoying since it's so repetitive, but the screen aesthetic is cool.
User 5: The title screen appeared to work in the way it was designed. the aesthetic and music were in keeping with the game.
User 6: The music doesn't seem dark enough to fit the games intentions. The screen aesthetic is nice though, however it doesn't seem the character head (red) contrasts nicely with colours of the background.
User 7: The title screen is aesthetic and looks digital and futuristic, which aligns with the game concept. The music is kinda funky so that's cool.
Regarding the game title screen, most of the participants are satisfied with the overall aesthetic style. They also think the background music is catchy. However, only one participant thinks the music is not dark enough to match the theme. It fits the style of science fiction but does not create an atmosphere of horror. He also thinks the color contrast between the character and the background is not intense enough. Therefore, we can use a darker background color to distinguish the foreground from the background. Another participant thinks the main theme is so repetitive. Everyone has a different feeling about the specific music, so we consider continuing to use that music as background music.
- 3) How would you describe the diffculty of the game? ?
User 1: it was not very hard
User 2: Game isn't easy as the map is quite small compared to how far the player jumps or collides with platforms.
User 3: Pretty ok when I got the hang of the controls and how to move around.
User 4: Very easy game.
User 5: moderate difficulty
User 6: This is hard to judge given I only got to play the one level. The level 4 that I did play was relatively easy and quite short.
User 7: Not very difficult, the player can avoid the whole terrain by jumping over everything.
- 4) Any suggestion to make to game match the difficulty that you desired?
User 1: add more levels
User 2: Change the collision hitbox with the player, and a more controlled jump. Increase speed of the void that approaches.
User 3: Longer game with more powerups/debuffs.
User 4: Make bad guy faster, more jumps/harder to access platforms.
User 5: Separate the 3rd or 4th obstacle where you have to jump backward as the opening was slightly too narrow to jump through in time
User 6: It needs more elements to make it a proper game such as a longer level, other entities, added difficulty in the map construction, and a faster moving void to add more of a threat to the player.
User 7: Extend the game map and include dynamic enemies to provide more difficult obstacles.
Most people think that this game is not very difficult and easy to get started. A user state that the inappropriate distance and height of the platforms in the map design make it too difficult to manipulate the characters. He thinks changing the collision hitbox of the player could help address this problem. Team 2 can also consider widening the spacing to avoid colliding with the upper platform so that the characters cannot jump to the higher platform. Furthermore, users provide many suggestions on the difficulty of the game. Some participants think making the characters move faster, adding more debuffs, adding dynamic enemies, adding more levels, and the like to adjust the difficulty of the game.
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5) How would you rate the game ?
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6) Reasoning behind the rating ?
User 1: reminded me of cool math games
User 2: Mainly because of the bugs i.e. random 'running into a wall'
User 3: It was an ok game but could be improved with more aesthetics and more time.
User 4: Game felt familiar, but in a nostalgic way. Fairly basic game though.
User 5: The game was enjoyable for a period of time but would get boring after a while
User 6: It is lacking.
User 7: It's pretty good, I think it would have been cool to add more complex obstacles.
Furthermore, the average score given to the game by all users is 5.71/10. A user who scores 4 said the reason for this score is that he encounters some bugs in game playing such as random entry into the wall, which reduces the game experience. Another user who scores three thinks the game still needs a lot of improvements and is not complete enough. Additionally, some users have expressed similar views. A user thinks the game could be better to improve the aesthetic style and the game experience. Two users think it should increase the content of the game such as adding complex obstacles to make it more interesting, otherwise, it is easy to feel bored. Due to time constraints, we will consider improving the game in this direction if we have the opportunity.
- 7)What are your opinions on the game’s visual aesthetic?
User 1: It could be changed more as the jumping system isn't as controlled and feels clunky when the power ups are very close to each other. The background is nice but can cause minor headaches (level 3). Some levels do not map entirely, can see the white background when jumping to the very top platforms or extended maps don't have any background (level 1). Some jumps aren't possible to be made.
User 2: Big fan of the aesthetic. The techno/computer theme is cool.
User 3 : These are the best parts. The background maps look amazing, the character is pretty cool, despite losing detail in its size, and the void also looks great. The only issue is the lack of matching between the colours of the title/end screens and actual game display.
User 4 : so cute
User 5 : Character looks like a virus. The background is not really cohesive throughout the level.
User 6 : The desktop background was well designed and flowed well throughout the game
User 7 : The graphics look great, they align with the game theme and looks decently consistent within the game. The numerous fonts used are kinda different but not really noticeable.
The general consensus is positive when it comes to the game’s visual aesthetic. It is generally agreed that the game theme is consistent, with the character and the void looking aesthetically pleasing. Most of the responses only having some small issue with how the background isn’t laid out and doesn’t cover the entire map. Some participants played the unfinished maps so they are displeased about those too. After discussing with the studio, the background issue will be fixed by team 5 and the unfinished map will be finished by team 2. Team 5 said they are going to scale the background relative to the map size so it covers the entire map. Team2 said there are going to update the map to tiles and conduct various fixes to ensure the maps will be finished. These issues will be fixed within sprint four according to the other teams. So the aesthetic aspect should be fine in the final stage of the game.
- 8)What do you think of the player control? explain your reasoning?
User 1: Not that good as the jump just makes the play jump vertically, making the player feel like they havent moved horizontally at all. The running on the spot also ruins player experience.
User 2: Was confused at first, didn't realise WASD was used instead of arrow keys.
User 3 : An instructions screen stating that ASWD needs to be used would be nice. The movement is rather buggy where you can't move forward and jump at the same time, however the dynamic works nicely and it's nice to see animations go with it, although they are also rather buggy.
User 4 : I prefer the arrow keys, but okay
User 5 : Easy to get the hang of like a standard game system.
User 6 : The player control was effective, no noticeable bugs or lagging could be seen
User 7 : The player controls were fine, the jumping ability was a little too much and I could just jump across the entire screen. I think you could either decrease the jump or increase the map length.
Most of the response points to the user being confused about what keys to use for controls. The lack of movement instruction will be fixed by team5 after discussing, they would implement an image into the loading screen would tell the user to use the WASD keys for movement. The rest of the complaints are related to the jumping of the character and how the movement feels rather buggy, like running in place. Team 4, who handled the movement of the character has been informed and they said they will make some fixes to it. Other than those two issues, users are fine with the controls of the game
- 9)What do you think of the power up system? explain you reasoning.?
User 1:It's a good concept. More power-up systems could be used. Since the game is just a platformer game, where you are pretty much racing to the end and not getting caught by the void, the power-up system adds an extra layer of gameplay.
User 2: Didn't understand all the power ups and still don't. I know some slow you down and some speed you up but hard to tell which are which.
User 3 : You barely notice there is a power up system mainly because the icons seems so small and none of these power-ups are actually explained. In this level I tested, there were too many power-ups clustered together near the chart but besides these issues it's been implemented well.
User 4 : bit confusing, they could be a bit more clear
User 5 : Didn't really get to use it much.
User 6 : It added another level of interest to the game
User 7 : I didn't notice the power up effects, only the lock power up where you couldn't jump.
Most of the response think the power-up system is a good addition to the platformer that we have and adds another level of interest to the game. However, some users have trouble noticing the powerup, due to the size of the UI or how the UI is not clear enough. Team 2 has been informed about the design of the power-up design. Team 4 said they will add instructions about the power system to inform the player about them. These fixes if implemented should fix most issues users have with the power-up system.
- 10)What were your overall thoughts about the game?.?
User 1 : clunky movement
User 2 :Good game, felt familiar (but in a bit of a nostalgic way). Controls could be more clear though. And more obvious power-ups would improve the game.
User 3 :It's a very incomplete game with potential to be decent eventually.
User 4 : cute idea and nostalgic reminds me of the games I used to play on cool math games in school.
User 5 : Ok, but could be improved.
User 6 : The game was enjoyable and not noticeably buggy
User 7 : Pretty good.
Most user response shows that they are game is enjoyable to a certain extent. Of course, there are responses pointing at the seemingly incompleteness of the game. The game should feel complete once the fixes and polishes are implemented into the game. However, there are things that are limited by the given engine, such as the animation and the complexity of the map. Those things can only be improved to a certain extent. The animation relies on the frames, and the map cannot be too complex since decreases the game’s performance. In conclusion, the game is enjoyable to the majority of users and should be better once the game is polished, but limitations exist so the game may not meet some people’s expectations.
- 11)What kind of opinion would you would like to add that was not covered in the previous questions.?
User 1 : Scores screen isn't in the right spot at the end of the level even though it works normally going to score from title screen (Scaling, fix to screen?).
- Fullscreen windowed then returning back to smaller resolution windowed causes the game to not return to its original state i.e. the game is out of size to the smaller resolution.
- Animation is jagged while running with the screen. Animation is fine running on the spot.
- Background can be reduced in size, to reduce strain on eyes.
User 2 :n/a
User 3 :none
User 4 : N/A
User 5 :nothing
User 6 : The hover effects and animations were pretty and entertaining, which makes a very appealing and engaging user experience.
User 7 : n/a
These are just some extra things that people want to add to their responses. Most of them are just complaint about fixes that we should be doing for the game. These mistakes should be fixed at the end of the final sprint.