Playtests are a central part of any game development process. You might have a great idea for a game, but it’s not worth much before you see how people interact with it. You want to figure out as soon as possible if your core mechanics are fun and whether or not your initial idea is worth developing further. That’s why playtests are crucial in making a game actually good.
Since the beginning of our development process we have agreed on testing as much as possible. We always want to make sure that we are heading in a direction we are happy with. However, testing is time and resource intensive, as our game is geared towards player groups and it requires both digital and physical elements to run. Testing as much as possible is therefore not necessarily easy – but it is definitely worth the effort. When I see how people interact with our spaceship (even if it is still located in our spare room at the office), it is both utterly rewarding and immensely informative, as it tells us which parts of our designs are working and where we still have more work to do.
For the last couple of months we have had groups come test our game every two weeks and the closer we get to our launch date, the more frequently we are going to run tests. So far the tests have revealed many important details (both big and small) that have helped us redesign and refine our game to make gameplay more fun and intuitive. The further we get in the development process, the more we can focus on fine tuning the experience and the details it’s made of. We get to add new layers every time we test, as we bring in the work of our different departments; digital gameplay, physical interfaces, light, sound and spatial design.
Our commitment to testing will help us create the best possible experience for you. Every test brings us closer to a finished game and a truly exciting and immersive space adventure. We can’t wait to share what we have created!
