Iterative prototype playtest answers

[sebchampoux]

Does the third person camera distance and sensitivity feel correct?

Yes, actually this prototype probably had the best controls amongst all the prototypes I've tested for this course. Nice job!

Does movement feel correct?

The movements worked well. I'll say just one thing regarding the movements (it's really nitpicking but I'll mention it anyways in case it could help). When firing the fireball, it launched in the direction towards which my character was facing, which makes sense. But, more often than not, PC games use the mouse to aim when the main character has the ability to launch a projectile, whereas here (because of the third person view) the fireball would often fire towards an "unexpected" direction (i.e. not in the direction I am looking at as a player, because I rarely looked towards the back of my avatar). Again, the current state of the mechanism makes sense because of the third person view, but it didn't feel intuitive to me in my short test. Not sure if something can be done about that though.

Are you able to use and re-use the fireball jutsu?

Yes, I was able to fire it multiple times.

Does the key sequence resemble what you may have seen in Naruto?

I can't say for sure, I have never watched Naruto. :\

Does this game mechanic work well with a mouse and keyboard?

Yes, the controls worked well, the keymapping was appropriate. Not really possible to fire a fireball whilst moving though. Because of the position of my fingers on the AWSD keys, it's a bit difficult to reach the numbers above whilst still pressing a movement key (especially the W key as my middle finger would be the one to reach for the numbers).

[CocoChao]

1. Does the third person camera distance and sensitivity feel correct? Yes. I had a nice view of the environment and I was able to see where the fireball bounces.

2. Does movement feel correct? The control keys felt intuitive, and the movement was very smooth. It was fascinating to see the fireballs bounce up the hill and the jumping mechanism looks very realistic.

3. Are you able to use and re-use the fireball jutsu? Yes. At first, I had difficulty figuring where to press the “1, 2, 3” keys, but then I had fun playing with that effect. I noticed that it could bounce up the hill and that I could also move the cube.

4. Does the key sequence resemble what you may have seen in Naruto? I never watched Naruto, but I know how the popular Naruto run looks like. Yes, the character looks like the real one.

5. Does this game mechanic work well with a mouse and keyboard? Yes. The controls worked well.

6. Are in game instructions clear? Yes. However, I thought you meant the number pad on the right at first, that confused me for a moment.

7. Is the current aesthetic of the game suitable? Although I would have preferred to interact with more objects with the Jutsu, I like the aesthetic. You can also some decoration inspired by the anime you are referring to.

8. Any visible bugs or anomalies found in the game? Not really, except the fact that the character is not affected by the explosion at all, even if it stands very close to it. I found it weird.

[PatrickChavez]

1. Does the third person camera distance and sensitivity feel correct? The only problem I had was whenever I would run forward (holding “W”) the camera would jitter and get very close to the player avatar. Everything else worked and looked fine for me.

2. Does movement feel correct? Aside from the camera quirk mentioned above, I felt that player movement felt adequate and in tune to the character's actions.

3. Are you able to use and re-use the fireball jutsu? Yes, no problems on that front.

4. Does the key sequence resemble what you may have seen in Naruto? Yes, I can imagine that holding down the right mouse button would trigger the “jutsu sound effect” and each press of the number keys would have a “hand motion” sound effect. The key sequence also reminds me of the “hand sign” mechanic seen in the Naruto Clash of Ninja Revolution games.

5. Does this game mechanic work well with a mouse and keyboard? I’d say it works rather well due to the game speed slowing down whenever the right mouse button is held; this gives players time to input a jutsu sequence without worrying too much about their surroundings.

6. Are in game instructions clear? Yes.

7. Is the current aesthetic of the game suitable? It fits the Naruto aesthetic from what I remember of it.

8. Any visible bugs or anomalies found in the game? Aside from the camera problem from question 1, there was nothing notable.

[LeVieuxSinge]

Does the third person camera distance and sensitivity feel correct?

Yes, very smooth and intuitive. Nicely done.

Does movement feel correct?

The movements are fine except when you have to do the combinations. I would prefer doing them with the number and because otherwise I always have to stop moving to enter the code.

Are you able to use and re-use the fireball jutsu?

Yes, without problems.

Does the key sequence resemble what you may have seen in Naruto?

I have not seen Naruto so I cannot tell.

Does this game mechanic work well with a mouse and keyboard?

Not really, gamepad would be better.

Are in game instructions clear?

Yes.

Is the current aesthetic of the game suitable?

It's well done for the time we had. Maybe change the box for a real dummy.

Any visible bugs or anomalies found in the game?

The feet of character when you run. Weird stuff happening doing there with the bones.

[LiliaIsABell]

1. Does the third person camera distance and sensitivity feel correct? I think the camera distance was good, however, the using the mouse was a bit strange, I found it moved a lot. I am not sure if it means it was too sensitive or not enough.

2. Does movement feel correct? Yes, the movement felt fine. However, whenever I press "up" the camera would sometimes go crazy.

3. Are you able to use and re-use the fireball jutsu? Yes. I was a little confused however since I wasn't sure how to aim. I first thought it was with the mouse but then realized that it aimed wherever the character was facing.

4. Does the key sequence resemble what you may have seen in Naruto Yes, though I did think it could be more interesting if the key sequence required more hand movement from the player. It could use letters and numbers, for example, "I, I, J, L, M, 8", or arrow keys.

5. Does this game mechanic work well with a mouse and keyboard? I think it does.

6. Are in game instructions clear? Yes, except I would have like to know how to aim. Also, I didn't know what toggle meant and was a little confused, but eventually I figured it out.

7. Is the current aesthetic of the game suitable? Yes, I believe so. It is pretty simple. Maybe the environment could be outside a dojo, but that maybe too much. I would have also liked some music.

8. Any visible bugs or anomalies found in the game? There was only something weird going on with the camera whenever I move forward. It kept closing in and out.

[AmaniMalti]

1. Does the third person camera distance and sensitivity feel correct? The distance was good but when I was moving forward I had a glitching effect. I don't know if it had to do with the sensitivity feel.. But it was nice.

2. Does movement feel correct? The movements are good and felt like they were so smooth and interesting.

3. Are you able to use and re-use the fireball jutsu? Yes.

4. Does the key sequence resemble what you may have seen in Naruto Yes, when the character is running and his hand goes to the back it really adds that Naruto ressemblance.

5. Does this game mechanic work well with a mouse and keyboard? Yes.

6. Are in game instructions clear? Yes.

7. Is the current aesthetic of the game suitable? Yes, I love the scene I would just add more sound effects to the game and maybe special effects when the character is about to throw a fire ball.

8. Any visible bugs or anomalies found in the game? Yes, there was a glitch when the character is moving forward.

[amandaclement]

Hey Charles, sorry I didn't get the chance to playtest your game live but here's some feedback:

1. Does the third person camera distance and sensitivity feel correct? The distance was good and the sensitivity felt a bit too high at first but I quickly got used to it so I think it's good as is.

2. Does movement feel correct? Yes, the movements felt very smooth. I think you did a great job with this!

3. Are you able to use and re-use the fireball jutsu? Yes, I didn't have any issues with this.

4. Does the key sequence resemble what you may have seen in Naruto? I've never played Naruto so I can't answer this one unfortunately.

5. Does this game mechanic work well with a mouse and keyboard? Overall yes, but I do find it a bit awkward to hit the number keys while moving forward. I wasn't too sure which finger to use to press 1 2 3 while my middle finger was pressing W. I don't have a good suggestion on how this could be fixed, and I also don't think it's a significant issue but it might be worth exploring different key options for firing.

6. Are in game instructions clear? Yes

7. Is the current aesthetic of the game suitable? Yes, but I think it could use some further development. Maybe just a few more elements in the environment and some background music/sound effects to add to the ambiance?

8. Any visible bugs or anomalies found in the game? I'm not sure whether it was intentional but I couldn't fire while moving. Besides that, everything worked smoothly.