Likewise to previous testing sessions, I had sat down with testers and interviewed them while they were playing the game. My questions were:
- Does the new yoke feel better to hold?
- Is the amount of tilt required to move the player too steep?
- Should this be adjusted?
- Overall, is it fun to play the game with the yoke?
- Is the addition of the ammo count a good idea?
- Does it make the game too difficult?
- Does it add a nice challenge to the game?
- The secret word is now randomly selected, what do you think of that?
- Are the words too hard to guess?
- Does the random word selection make the game more fun?
Summary of feedback
The yoke
Overall, users were happy that the yoke handle didn't fall apart. However, they found it annoying when the handle kept coming off the base.I had received mixed opinions about how the yoke felt when people held it. Some liked the new, compact design because it felt sturdy when holding it, whereas, others liked the old design because it was much bigger and it had a much more novelty feel to it.
In regards to the amount of tilt required to move the player, everyone said that it was perfect. Last time players had to rotate the yoke to a steep angle in order to move the player. This became tedious for them. This time, people were happy with the amount of tilt because it required less effort to rotate the yoke handle.
Ammo count
I had received a general consensus regarding the addition of the ammo count. Everyone said they loved the feature because it added a slight challenge to the game - this was my reason for adding it. One user also remarked that it adds a layer of strategy, because now the player has to conserve their ammo and therefore they must be careful of shooting the right things.A funny observation I had made was that some users actually shot the ammo boxes and they were surprised that their ammo didn't refill. Some had realised this and so they didn't make that mistake again, but I had to tell one person explicitly.
Random words
When asked about the random word selection, users agreed that it was a much-needed feature. For them, it was a pleasant surprise when they realised the word this time is different. They commented that the random word selection makes the game much more fun as opposed to each play-through being mundane with the same hard-coded word.Reflection
Overall, I was happy with the testing session for the final prototype. It went much smoother than before, but it wasn't completely flawless.I did have some issues with the yoke again, but this time they weren't as severe as before. When users were playing, sometimes the yoke handle would come off the base. This wasn't too much of a big deal because it was easily fixed by reattaching the handle back onto the joint.
An annoying issue was sometimes the player pressing the button to shoot would not register. I had tracked down what the problem was and it ended up being the connection between the button's wire and the MakeyMakey's ground. Although it was connected (using the alligator) clip, the connection wasn't reliable. This was very difficult to fix because I had no idea why the current wouldn't travel along the connection. A workaround (which only worked occasionally) was to hold and squeeze the alligator clip hoping that the current would travel through.
Apart from the above technical difficulties, the testing session was great since I had received quality feedback. Also, the yoke handle didn't fall apart like last time, so my efforts in rebuilding the yoke paid off mostly well.
