3D Level V1 Feedback

 Bryan Hodoyan, Christian Scanlan, Fernando Uribe-Hernandez, Heath Brough, Jonathan Villaloboz, and Pablo Flores Moran playtested my game. Something that went right with my playtest is that my level was fairly uninhibited by any gameplay-ruining bugs or components that took the player out of the experience. The level itself had a fitting difficulty–it was fairly straightforward, and all of the obstacles which the player encountered were focused on introducing the mechanics to the player rather than the challenge of the gameplay. However, there were many things that I noticed that should have been fixed, and there are also many many things that I personally want to improve upon in the next version of this level.

One of the points of feedback I was given in the playtesting session was that my level was easy to escape the bounds of. I agree with this assessment–it did not seem as if it was particularly difficult to find a way to get on top of the walls of the level, and avoid entire sections of the level altogether. To rectify this issue, I plan on simply raising the scale of the walls, or replacing the walls with taller walls. 

Another point that I noticed needed improvement was the lack of UI text. This was actually not for a lack of effort–I spent a lot of time trying to implement the feature and it simply would not allow me to display text on the screen, for whatever reason. I would like to implement text in the future so that there is more clarity for the players and also so that I am able to display a winning message.

One of the components that I personally wanted to improve for my level was the overall length of it. I did not realize that you could make the plane larger, so I kept my level fairly confined in a small area. I plan on using a couple of different strategies in order to improve the length of the level and add more interesting interactions. One of the components I am going to add is more maze-like obstacles. In testing Heath’s level, he had a maze that felt very fun to explore, and not all too difficult as it was a tutorial level. I want to add a maze to my level so that there is more of an exploratory aspect to the level.

Another component I wanted to add was more platforming, and parkour obstacles. There is only really one section of the level that incorporates platforming. At the end of the level, there is a moving platform that is activated by a pressure plate, and the player must get on the platform to reach the other side. However, I want to add more obstacles that challenge and teach the player to be able to jump across multiple obstacles. I think it will not be a particularly difficult thing to implement. An additional part that would add a lot to the level would be adding more verticality to the level. The level is fairly flat, except for a spiral staircase at the beginning of the level to reach a switch. I want to add more verticality in the form of the aforementioned additional platforming.

Lastly, although not a very major change, I would like to add some basic material textures to the level. I think that even really simple textures such as a dark gray for the environment and using certain colors as indicators would add a great deal to the experience of the level. I would also like to add breakable blocks to introduce the idea to the player and get them accustomed to all aspects of the gameplay.