Week Seven 3RD CLOUD Project Update

Much has happened over the past few weeks. 3RD CLOUD is now snowballing towards completion.

Paper Prototype Testing:

Drew and I were able to test the paper prototype on three individuals. We tried using the facilities supplied to us (use of a one way mirror, lots of open space); however, the one way mirror did not allow us to hear the user being tested. We also did not make use of the open space provided because our prototype was made in RPG maker and required a digital interface: my laptop.

If the digital prototype had failed, I had prepared a paper and pencil Role Playing Alternative using the Dungeons and Dragons 3.5 system. It would follow the same story, relatively the same combat system, and involve the same characters.

Paper Prototype Documentation:

I was in charge of documenting the experience of the user. I had the user fill out an eleven question survey about their experience with RPGs, their game experience in 3RD CLOUD and their thoughts and suggestions after they played our prototype.

The general consensus was that the game was not very intuitive on its own. Players were unsure where they should go and what to do unless myself or Drew began to guide them at some points. It was suggested that we have some kind of tutorial in the game but I think this is a great point for anyone in our team with graphical design experience to create a users manual.

Another problem we encountered was with interactivity. Players seemed to want to click everything that was around the room: coats, pictures, barrels, etc. They expected a result of some sorts even if a simple message popped up and said "this is a barrel." To solve this requires more programming than what we first expected but I am assured that the extra work would not be to strenuous.

Weekly Meeting Time:

We have finally hammered out a time in which to meet on a regular and scheduled basis for the team. We met last week on Tuesday at 2:00 PM until 4:00 PM. We found that this schedule worked for everyone in the team; however, I have meetings that start at 3:00 PM on Tuesdays. Because of this, Tuesdays meetings will go from 2:00 PM until 3:00 PM.

Next Weeks Objectives:

For next week, I am hoping to have a map of the first cloud completed along with the menu and player navigation through all the menus, both for combat and out of combat. I will also be doing any documentation that will be required over the next week.