Version 2: Player Feedback
For the second test I had three testers playing the game. Two of them started alone at different times while the third player would join in later for the sake of re-creating a power gap with a similar gap in time investment to the previous test.
Next I gathered all three players and (manually) loaded the gold and items of the first two players in order to start a session with all three of them. And the game carried off from there.
Next I gathered all three players and (manually) loaded the gold and items of the first two players in order to start a session with all three of them. And the game carried off from there.
Due to the increase in difficulty in this version, players were reacting in a different manner than before. They paid more attention to the benefits of being in a group and progressed together whenever possible.
In the previous sessions where the players were alone, they were buying whatever items they could afford to buy from the market. This time however, they devised a strategy where player 1 would focus on buying as much health as possible as he had the most health of the three, while player 2 and player 3 focused on power upgrades.
This allowed the big health pool of player 1 to take more hits and buy time while the others used their big attacks.
Another interesting change in behavior that I noticed was the inclusion of player 3 (The Weak Player). Due to the increased base stats, player 3 - while still weaker than the others, was still considered worth inviting, even though the group would have to share the gold rewards 3-way.
In the previous sessions where the players were alone, they were buying whatever items they could afford to buy from the market. This time however, they devised a strategy where player 1 would focus on buying as much health as possible as he had the most health of the three, while player 2 and player 3 focused on power upgrades.
This allowed the big health pool of player 1 to take more hits and buy time while the others used their big attacks.
Another interesting change in behavior that I noticed was the inclusion of player 3 (The Weak Player). Due to the increased base stats, player 3 - while still weaker than the others, was still considered worth inviting, even though the group would have to share the gold rewards 3-way.
Important Points & Feedback Summary
- While players did find a bit more challenge in the game, it still seemed rather fake due to the fact that there still wasn't a turn limit. If players wished to, they could repeatedly beat one enemy in a zone and return to town until they safely buy all the items.
- Taking some of the control away from players however did increase motivation to work together as was planned.
- The weak player was no longer frustrated for being a meaningless existence in the game now that the power gap is significantly smaller. The other players did not mind inviting him as he was an asset to the team regardless of having just started playing.
- Since the quantity of powerful items in the market was increased, players did not complain about having to share limited resources.
- Players still commented that there are far too little meaningful choices and ways to interact with other players - however this was to be expected as I tried to keep the game as simple as possible.
Conclusion
Overall I am satisfied to see the positive impact that the changes had on people fun as most feedback turned out to be what I was expecting.Unfortunately the game itself would need a lot of changes to actually be fun to play, but it has served its purpose in trying to replicate the actions of players in a (very small scale) MMORPG.
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