What I learned from this Jam [LD52]

You can read this post in here too, with less eye hurt inducing font:

https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/52/elonkorjuu-the-life-harvesting-game/what-...

Make whole game tutorial

Our last game Dung Roller got feedback that it was hard to understand. Well it is game about walking behind to ladybug, then walking to some weird orange bug. Repeat. What there is to understand?

https://codingduck.itch.io/casinodungroller

Well, a lot. Where to stand and how long, at what order, what feedback means you have got information you need, why does table disappear, that holes are hazards, that you can fall of the cliff, that brown bug does nothing, what timer means, why does level roll. All this to understand while trying to avoid mosquitoes.

So yeah, we did not left much time for player to understand the game before we expected them to be able to play it.

With Elonkorjuu we went as far in opposite direction as we could. 

There is nothing more in Elonkorjuu than tutorials after tutorials. Game ends where game normally would just start and fun begin. But as there is no text, no lame "press x to jump" -dialogue; it is still enjoyable experience. We just throw player in level and let them figure it all out. Though in very specific order and in very specific scenarios. There is never two new things introduced in level and every now and then there is level with combination of previously learned mechanics that gives player some time to rest and just kill victims.

This format works very well for game jam I think. Idea does not overstay it's welcome, good portion of players will get through the game, and only few will notice that they were cheated. Game does hold your hand, it also wipes your butt, brings you food and provides roof over your head. It just does not do this in usual helicopter parenting way of modern AAA-studios.

Blind runs are best feedback

Let's face it, no one is going to put enough time to your game to truly understand it through and through. Also no one but you knows what your game is trying to achieve. So listening verbal feedback is most useful when you use it only to spot potential flaws, not use it as a source for fixes. And even then it might be just feedback giver missing something essential.

But then it comes to this kind of feedback I find superior:

We had joy of getting multiple playthrough videos of our game. In addition I also play tested game on friends with different gaming experiences. Tell them nothing, no extra info no one else would get, and watch them stumble through your game. You will come back enlightened.

Some things I gathered there and possible fixes:

1. Some people won't get mentally past the time limit (disguised as draining blood bag). They will just go stupid mode and never learn game mechanics/learn them very slowly and get frustrated. >> Accessibility option to stop blood draining

2. Most people struggle to understand light = hurt at first. Well it is novelty feature, and you are expected to die once or twice. But we got some bug reports about it and I saw people die on first light tile way more times I would have expected. I think true issue is that we don't have adequate feedback for taking damage. There is only sound que, and even that can get drowned by music. Also deaf people never got any feedback about they taking damage. >> Implement damage flash

3. Everyone understands dash. They will get to edge, look back once and then just go for it. At this point of game they probably have also noticed that death sets you back only few seconds, so they are more free to experiment.

4. Dash itself is wonky. We knew this, it was last minute bug fixes that made it worse. Let's move on.

5. It's too easy to kill yellow enemies first time you encounter them. You don't have to learn how they work, let alone how their movement works (Grandpa turns always right, grandma turns 180 degrees around). Result is struggle on following levels and rage quits. Well, it was last level I made half a hour before deadline, so it is not exactly well polished. >> Do better next time

6. Everybody finds level 10 (9.txt) easier than me. I don't know, even those who otherwise can barely play the game beats me on it. >> Scrap that level and never let anyone know it existed to keep face.

7. Game is too long. We calculated it will take about 5 to 10 minutes to beat the game by inexperienced player. Instead it takes 15-25+. This is bit too much, annoyance grows on last levels and barely anyone can concentrate anymore. >> We will implement shorter episodes (about 7 levels) in post jam.

 Everybody is illiterate

...when it comes to playing jam games. So putting your controls in main menu is next to no use.

Yeah I understand this phenomenon, I'm not either too invested of playing something I have never heard of. Usually I just hop in without reading anything. Then I struggle and swear and go back to itch page to get control list.

 So put your controls in game. 

Make them big, make them understandable. Put only essentials in first level, everything else is too much and player will skip them. Then less important ones like mute music and sensitivity options could go to second or third level. Give them only when player have got their first impression they are so badly after. Then they have calmed down and can read again.

-Rysky