Cohort 5 has just completed the fourth round (out of five) in our rapid prototyping class. This round we had two constraints. We had to work with an intellectual property (IP) and we had to use indirect control. Below is my team's post mortem for this round.
What Went Right
Indirect Control
Our goal for this round was indirect control and we met that goal. We were always aware of this goal and worked to design the game using indirect control. It turned out to be a bigger challenge then we initially thought. Our indirect control planning only took us so far. It was only through constant testing using different people and observing what they actually did that we were able to figure out what actually worked.
Pipeline
We established a solid asset pipeline early. Everyone knew what they were responsible for and keep the team abreast throughout development. The team worked together to make sure everyone knew how to use the tools relating to their assigned assets, sharing what we learned along the way.
Communication
As a team, we worked together to build a solid line of communication. We only had a few meetings and we kept them short and to the point. Each team member always knew what each person was working on and who to talk to if they needed information, assets or encounter a problem.
What Went Wrong
Overly Complex Puzzle
We designed a puzzle that was more complex then it needed to be. Our puzzle used the vertical space in our mall environment and many of our testers simply did not think or realize to use that vertical space. As a result, it was difficult to communicate how the player was supposed to complete the puzzle.
Complex Controls
Our controls were complicated and confusing. While we made sure our controls for movement were natural, our controls for grappling and defusing the bomb were confusing. We worked to address the learning curve by exposing the player to the controls only once they were needed and kept them readily available. Unfortunately, this wasn't wasn’t enough. In retrospective, we should have spent more time finding a control scheme that was simple and felt natural.
Got Ahead of Ourselves
We worked hard to have a good showing at interim but lost momentum afterwards. We were able to get ahead of schedule and as a result, we unintentionally slowed momentum for a few days. The momentum picked back up toward the end of the second week once we realized what had happened but it took some time to ramp back up. We should have maintained the momentum by pushing each other. It would have allowed us extra time to polish the game and fix a few issues we simply did not get a chance to address.
Closing Thoughts
Despite hitting a few bumps along the way, the team worked well together and we met our assigned goal. We were able to use indirect control to predict what a brand new player was going to do at a few key points in our game. We build a solid asset pipeline along with establishing and maintaining communication between the team members. Unfortunately one of the main aspects of the game, our bomb puzzle, was more difficult then we intended due in part to confusing controls. Not to mention the fact that the puzzle itself ended up being too complicated for the average player. Overall, Batman: Maniac Mall was great learning experience and a blast to develop.
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