This covers some feedback I got from more playtests on a refined version of my 3D Unity level. I fixed some core issues with this level that originally misled players. Here I'll show the fixes I made and whether or not they improved the player experience. I used two new playtesters and one of the old playtesters for my feedback.
First I added some walls around the level. I didn't have any issues originally with players falling out of bounds, but when I did it I noticed a fatal glitch that wouldn't allow the player to respawn properly, so now I know that cannot happen. I could've done invisible walls, but if this level were to be filled up with assets described on my asset list (a jungle scenery) I Think the surrounding walls would be made of something, rather than being invisible. They would likely be leaves and trees.
This challenge requires players to jump from the right tower to that blue button. In the first version of the level the left tower had no platform protruding from the side, in this build I added that platform.
This shows a critical fix, the player had to jump from this platform to the blue button. Originally the lowered platform wasn't there. While it was still possible to make the jump, this puzzle was difficult for too many players. This proved it was more difficult than I intended for it to be, so I added this platform to hint at jumping to the button. This showed me how not only is it required from the level designer to build levels that are fun and challenging, but it's also important to build levels that guide the player just enough to show them along. Dropping players without any help at all can be a dangerous thing to do, and while it may work sometimes, with platformers like this, it can be helpful to help the player along in small ways.
This was another small issue previously, I used switches to activate one large, overarching puzzle. I taught the player that the switches applied to that elevator. I broke this when I used a switch to also power this moving platform. That was confusing for players, so I changed the switch out with a button. I noticed how levels can build expectations for players, even when we don't intend that. I had to keep this in mind as it led to some confusion for the players. I can avoid this simply by keeping in mind the perspective of the players and the patterns we, as level designers, subject them to.
This shows I eventually got the checkpoint indicators working, these were important for players and left way less confusion for them.
Overall the players enjoyed the level more. The one player who had played the older version said it wasn't much more interesting than before, but the first time he played the level he remembers it was fun and interesting. The other two players reported the same things and gave little negative feedback for the level. This either was unhelpful feedback, or a sign my level was looking much better. All of the players reported liking the second half of the level better than the puzzle section. The level starts with a puzzle area, which is slow and requires players to explore the space. The second section is far more linear which meant it was far more fast paced. These were jumping challenges and players had a good amount of challenge with them. I enjoyed watching these parts because players tended to fall once or twice, but never too many times. This is exactly as I intended for the challenge to be.
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