Playtest session 2

I got to playtest the first level with 3 people in the tutorial. It was great to see people just pick it up and play - and some of them seemed to enjoy it!

Each playtest session lasted about 10mins including a chat at the end of it.

Playtester 1

• When Sophal was first sprayed b a farmer, he froze thinking he had been killed, but realised quickly enough that he was still alive and that this wasn't an end event
• Only clicked on the fruit once or twice at first before flying on
• Forgot what the star was or did, but flew straight for it
• Killed a tree, but didn't seem worried about it
• Lost both lives - bombed by running out of energy and hitting a bird
• Went back at the end to read the instructions and I think would have played again!
• During the chat afterwards, he mentioned that he was getting bored as it was a bit too easy and he wasn't sure how or when he got to advance to the next level. He also suggested that the game instructions be included in the start page for easy reference (he didn't seem to be aware he could access them during game play). He also didn't seem to get the purpose of the stink bomb and thought that the birds were too easy to avoid

Playtester 2

• "where's my energy??"
• Accidentally set off all bombs at the start by pressing the z key instead of the space bar
• Noticed that their health ran down quickly - they did fly around a lot, but wasn't sure if they also got hit by pesticide
• Said it was an easy and flowing game. She said she had fun!
• Wanted faster arriving stink bombs and more of them!
  
• Thought that the farmers killed you. Said they should drain less energy
• Liked the sounds

Playtester 3

• After reading the instructions said they didn't really get it, but that they'd give it a go
• Quickly got trapped between birds and got killed
• Didn't drain the apples - just clicked on them once and moved on. A passer-by actually pointed out to them they needed to drain them
• Didn't' fly around much, jut worked on tree by tree
• Liked the music
• Suggested a visual/picture instruction sheet at the start
• Seemed confused re if the stinkbomb hit the bird or not
• Couldn't see information that said to sit and drain the apple
• Said a spider enemy would be good (had heard me discussing this with playtester 1!) Thought that the stink bomb would work well on these
• Wanted the stink bombs to last longer so they could set them up when they heard a bird coming to catch them
  

Observer notes:

• It was interesting to see three different playing styles - playtester 2 flew quite quickly and ran out of health quickly - maybe too quickly, but then maybe they'd learn to slow down and eat more on another go at the game? Playtester 1 flew slowly and also ran out of health, but I think that was because he got hit by the farmer spray and didn't realise
• All players took a few goes to get the hang of the stink bomb. I think one way the first round can be made more interesting is to add more of them in for the player - i will give them a chance to master how to use them, so later, when things start getting a bit harder, they will know how to deploy them
• The first level is very easy - the concept of food conservation isn't really coming through. I think in later stages, food needs to be scarcer as well as enemies increasing. I also think by adding a timer, the increase in drama/pressure as well as an indication of only needing to survive a bit longer might keep the player engaged
• The controls seemed to be picked up easily and people used them quite instinctively. The rules and instructions also seemed clear enough, but perhaps with more visuals, they will b more interesting and easier to understand
• As I should know, players need feedback for actions - I did build in a lot of sound feedback but missed one - when you get hit by the spray and lose health, I think i need to build in a cough and/or a flashing bug to let them know
• Play testers and people watching all seemed to really enjoy the sounds and music! I think that made a huge difference to the drama and feel of the game

To do list from this

• I need to add in cheat keys as per Yusuf's suggestion to make my testing much easier to tweak (that's a handy suggestion!)
• Increase the appearance of bonus oranges in the first level and decrease as the levels go on
• Consider increasing the longevity of the stink bomb as the availability decreases
  
• Make a visual instruction page
• Create a timer/countdown. Maybe only have it appear in the last 30secs of the game?
• Include the F1 help access info on the start page
• Feedback for pesticide hit - flashing or temporary blue sprite (if I make it blue gas?) and/or cough?
• More feedback re bird hit - maybe include in the sprite?