#10 - The First Playtest

My first play test went better than expected!  Because of the nature of puzzle games, there was no way of knowing if the puzzles and connections I was intending would even be considered by a player. Some proved to be spot on, while others needed adjustments. Others, especially the harder puzzles later on, were real stumpers. 

My wife likes to play my games when they are complete, and doesn’t really enjoy testin g mechanics with me piecemeal, and I don’t blame her one bit. I pretty much stared at her for 2 1/2 hours as she played, sometimes clarifying things, giving hints, or admitting mistakes in the design in real time. We ironed out some bad/unintended connections.  On ones she didn’t get right away, I asked her what she was thinking. What connections was she making, and what parts was she thinking of as the puzzle/intended direction of the game. 

When she made a guess, I would ask her why/what led her to that connection. Out of 25 puzzles, she got 10 incorrect. Some were understandable, some were poorly designed, and others were confusing/ not refined enough. There were many puzzles that she says she didn’t get, but admits others might get right away. 

It gave me a pretty good list of maybe five integral changes and five more minor changes. The next step is to make those changes, lay out the short story intro and rules, and see what the next player takes away from the experience.