After each playtesting session, we aimed to resolve as many bugs as possible to ensure a smooth and enjoyable experience for the player. This meant bringing in people from outside our group to play the game. To make sure every issue was noticed, we closely observed the first few sessions while giving little to no guidance on what to do next.
On top of this, since we could only see what the player sharing their screen was experiencing, I created a feedback form for them to fill out. The questions were designed to gather data about their experience and, more specifically, to collect opinions on how we could improve the game further. This was especially important because our goal with Truffle Up is to present it at the Develop:Brighton conference during the summer, if we get the opportunity.
The form included 16 questions; below are the most relevant ones along with the answers:
The pie chart above shows that, out of the 10 players who playtested the game, only half identified as puzzle-platformer players.
This is especially relevant given that the overall experience with the game was still positive, even among those less familiar with the genre.
Unfortunately, most players still encountered some unintended bugs, which we were unable to resolve due to the tight deadline.
However, the best part was seeing playtesters offer helpful suggestions for features that Truffle Up could integrate moving forward.
