This was our first digital playtest. The game was in a state where you could play it, but rules and underlying logic had to be explained by one of us. Our playtester was a fellow classmate.
What went well:
- Liked that the cats had names, stats, and abilities that were coherent and created a personality.
- Laughed at cats!
- Was getting into the flow of balancing hunting, consumption, and training — saw the relationship.
- Had fun, in a “mathy” way.
- Enjoyed dragging cats around, thought they were cute
- Wondered what would happen if they left cats unbusy at home. Laughed when an at-home event caused two cats to bond and increase their Health stat. Made a comment about resting and mental health!
What went less well:
- There was a bug that disabled the player from recruiting new cats via battle. Did not get to fully experience loop because new cats were never added in this run.
- Confused about when the game ends, how to win, and what the overall goal was (besides never die)
- Confused about the “new day” button, and why pressing “new day resets everything and causes food consumption. Some rewording or tool tips could be used to solve this.
- Didn’t notice a new day had started. Didn’t notice food consumption. Thought the button reset their game.
- Had confusion about the “hunting” stat. Unclear naming/ UI indicators.
What we aim to change and why:
- Fix the bug, and allow player to accumulate cats.
- Implement map feature which drives progression though game, allowing players to see how to “win”
- Rethink our UI and metaphors, in order to help player understand the game.
- Think about ways to amplify the emerging values of friendship, health, rest, and communion that are created by… abilities (for example, cats getting stronger when hunting with friends,) events (cats becoming healthier if given free time) and other mechanics.
