The MVP should be a litmus test for scope and primary mechanic.
If your game won't be fun until "all the features" are implemented, then we can likely assume your game won't be fun at all. If your primary mechanic is not compelling, then we can likewise assume that the fully featured game won't be compelling, or the primary mechanic may get sidelined for something more interesting to the player.
We decided that our MVP should include a switch that can be operated, and a timer. At its core, the gameplay will be clicking switches in a race against time. This made conceptualizing our MVP fairly straightforward.
When we play-tested our MVP, it was incomplete. The timer had not been incorporated into the shared scene, and while the switches could be interacted with, they did nothing. There was no win or lose condition. There was no tutorial, and no real direction as to what to do. It was minimum. Was it viable?
Looking at the player feedback from play-testers, it seems like the answer was YES. When we asked the question "How do the switches feel? How satisfying was it to flick the switch?" the answers all seemed to give a nod to the fact that the switches did indeed feel good.
For nearly every recorded response, the game was definitively not intuitive. This is fair criticism because, honestly, there's nothing to do. We didn't even restart the scene between play-testers because there was no point! We hope that the Alpha build and better level design will make the player's goals clear.
In retrospect, I would judge the MVP as a failed game, but a good test session for a primary mechanic. We can walk away knowing that the tactile feel of a virtual switch can be satisfactorily implemented when the animation and sound effects meet expectations. We also have our work cut out for us. In-game visual feedback, alerts, and step-by-step tutorials will be instrumental to the player experience. Otherwise, we run the risk of throwing a player into a box with a bunch of switches and walk out of the room. As much fun as flicking switches randomly could be, it could never become a proper game without some more feedback loops.
If your game won't be fun until "all the features" are implemented, then we can likely assume your game won't be fun at all. If your primary mechanic is not compelling, then we can likewise assume that the fully featured game won't be compelling, or the primary mechanic may get sidelined for something more interesting to the player.
We decided that our MVP should include a switch that can be operated, and a timer. At its core, the gameplay will be clicking switches in a race against time. This made conceptualizing our MVP fairly straightforward.
When we play-tested our MVP, it was incomplete. The timer had not been incorporated into the shared scene, and while the switches could be interacted with, they did nothing. There was no win or lose condition. There was no tutorial, and no real direction as to what to do. It was minimum. Was it viable?
Looking at the player feedback from play-testers, it seems like the answer was YES. When we asked the question "How do the switches feel? How satisfying was it to flick the switch?" the answers all seemed to give a nod to the fact that the switches did indeed feel good.
The sound and the actual flip feels and sounds great. Definitely satisfying
The sound feedback is good, it made flicking the switches interesting. Some more visual feedback would be good too.
For an MVP the switches give very good tactile and sonic feedback. I wish that there was no refresh rate so I could just play with the switches! But I'm sure the refresh time is by design.The players complained that there was no purpose to the switches, but also pointed out that they wished they could operate them without the arbitrary two-second delay. OK, we'll take that! (Yes, the delay was by design, but it was indeed too long.) The sound effect was critical to the success of the switch. I am sure without the sound and switch animation, there would have been nothing redeeming about the action.
For nearly every recorded response, the game was definitively not intuitive. This is fair criticism because, honestly, there's nothing to do. We didn't even restart the scene between play-testers because there was no point! We hope that the Alpha build and better level design will make the player's goals clear.
In retrospect, I would judge the MVP as a failed game, but a good test session for a primary mechanic. We can walk away knowing that the tactile feel of a virtual switch can be satisfactorily implemented when the animation and sound effects meet expectations. We also have our work cut out for us. In-game visual feedback, alerts, and step-by-step tutorials will be instrumental to the player experience. Otherwise, we run the risk of throwing a player into a box with a bunch of switches and walk out of the room. As much fun as flicking switches randomly could be, it could never become a proper game without some more feedback loops.
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