Posted October 07, 2025 by SqueakB05
After last weeks playtest of Prototype 1, I gained a lot of insight into how players were interacting with the layout of the map and the overall controls. I realised there was a lot of problems in the first prototype, such as bad map layout and unclear routes to the end point of the prototype. Some players also mentioned things to do with the atmosphere and lighting of the level, some positive and some negative. There were a lot of things that needed to be fixed or modified to create a better experience for the player. I managed to fix most of the more minor problems but I feel that they make a big difference to the overall look and feel to of the prototype.
The first thing I decided to fix was the trees. During playtesting, I noticed that the first thing that most of the players did was ignore the path that I laid out, and walk straight through the trees, as the gaps between them were big enough for the player to fit through with ease. This resulted in many of the players getting lost and not being able to find their way to the end point of the prototype. This means a lot of the players avoided the parts of the route that created the most atmosphere, which isn't ideal as we're trying to create a horror game. I fixed this problem by adding more trees to fill in the gaps and also by adding some bushes to break up the environment a little bit and create a bit of variety. This also seemed to make the paths seem a little bit more defined and clearer.
The next problem I wanted to fix was the lighting. I noticed during the playtesting, that even if players followed the path, they still didn't seem to know where they were supposed to go, as the level felt a bit too dark and there wasn't any additional lighting to draw their attention in the right direction. I added some spot lights around to map to light up certain parts of the route and help guide players to the next section. I wanted to make it easier for the player to see where they're going without making the environment too bright and taking away from the atmosphere. I did this by keeping the light's intensity as low as possible while still making the object they're pointed at bright enough to see.
There were a lot of things I didn't get to add in this prototype, but I plan on adding them to the next one, such as sound effects and maybe stamina. There's also another few problems that I want to fix for the next prototype, like the overall layout of the map to make it clearer for the player where to go, while also giving them options for exploration, giving the player a sense of mild freedom. Hopefully I can add a few more features and fix any more problems that appear in the next playtest, in the third prototype.
Overall, last weeks playtest was very helpful in progressing our game and creating a fun and enjoyable experience for players. Seeing how players interacted with our game was very interesting and gave me a lot of insight into the different player types and how to cater to the different ways of playing our game.