Prototype Questionnaire responses

I received about 15 questionnaires back from both peers and other friends and family. The following results categorise these results, as well as listing many of the aspects they had written down (for questions 2 and 7)

Question 1) Do you think the prototype was fun?

Positive response, most people thought that the prototype was fun, in fact some went so far as to say they found it addictive, and claimed to have played it for half an hour or more in some cases.

Yes: 13

No: 2

Question 2) What do you think made it fun?

Many people said that, the simplicity of the game, coupled with how difficult it was due to the random nature of the AI behaviour and an element of chance on the laser shots made the game “addictive”. Majority also said that they felt that the ship felt good to control, and that certain addition parts (detached camera and auto-pilot mode) made the game more interesting, especially as they tried to figure out ways of using them. They also said the destructible terrain was a fun aspect, and made the game feel more “dynamic”

Question 3) Do you think the game worked mechanically?

A perfect response, everyone said they felt that the game worked from a mechanical standpoint, with little to no issues with control mechanisms or gameplay.

Yes: 15

No: 0

Question 4) Did you find the control system easy to use?

Some who hadn’t played a game like this before took a while to get used to it, and that impacted their initial playing of the game, but the response afterwards was good. One respondent said that he felt the ships was “too responsive”.

Yes: 12

No: 3

Question 5) Did you feel the AI was too rigid?

A lot of people didn’t think the AI was too rigid, despite it having only a basic routine. However, some said that they did feel the AI was a bit rigid, but that it actually didn’t impact gameplay too much because of the manoeuvring advantage they have on the player. They felt that the AI’s relative stupidity allowed them to outsmart it, and that was an enjoyable aspect for some of them.

Yes: 5

No: 10

Question 6) Do you think the game was balanced?

Many people thought the game was “hard but fair”. Despite the random nature of the shots in earlier versions of the prototype, they didn’t feel that it unbalanced the game. Some, however, did feel that the random aspect made the game feel as if it was completely luck based, and that took away from their enjoyment partially.

Yes: 12

No: 3

Question 7) What aspects, if any, do you think could do with improving?

A lot of people mentioned how the AI could be difficult to find, and that some of the time was simply spent flying around the obstacles to find them, and then just making strafing runs to try and destroy them before they themselves were destroyed. They suggested having targeting reticules on the side of the screen, like in many other games in this genre. Someone else suggested an audio cue, where they would constantly make a noise (an engine noise for example) so you can pinpoint where they are relative to your position.

Another thing mentioned by one person was that the controls on the ship where too precise. The game takes the exact value of where the mouse is and interprets it as a set of transforms for the ship to perform, based on the distance from the centre of the screen as well as the angle from that central point. Because of this, the ship can move very quickly as it turns, potentially disorientating the player and causing them to “lose their bearings”.

Question 8) Do you think that it could work as a core mechanic in a game?

The response from this and the next question were very encouraging. All of the respondents said they felt that it could easily be used as a core mechanic, and that it should be used as a core mechanic, as they felt it would make the game more fun, and it was something which was expected of the genre.

Yes: 15

No: 0

Question 9) Do you think that it could function as a game in its own right?

The response from this was very encouraging as well. A lot of people commented that it wouldn’t work as is as a game, as there is nothing after defeating the enemies, but that if the idea were fleshed out, even if this was the centralised, core mechanic of the game, it could become a standalone title. That led me to believe that the prototype was a success.

Yes: 9

No: 6