CAGD 270 Mega Man v2 Feedback

This is the feedback post for version two of my mega man level. This level was limited to only using the basic attack, only having enemies from mega man 1 and mega man 6, and only using destructible blocks, quicksand, falling blocks, and key doors. The first version of my level was successful, but I still noted the feedback I received and made a handful of improvements. I had several people playtest version two of the level, and here is what I found during the playtest. 

For version two of my level, I made several overall changes. The main one was adding large health orbs at every checkpoint. I also introduced key doors. I added one door with the key in the same screen early on in the level to introduce the concept, and then at the middle of the level where the key is a few screens away. This shows the player that sometimes they have to search for the key. Since the player is ascending, the player sees the door first, so they know immediately that they need a key and where they need to bring it back to. Once they climb higher and find it, they don’t feel lost because they already know where the door is.

There were also some smaller changes I made throughout the level for quality of life improvements. In the early section, I made some platforms bigger or closer together. In the midsection, I reorganized some enemy placements to make it easier to get in and out of secret areas. This area also got some simpler platforming and one of the tougher rooms was made easier. The later sections of the level remained mostly unchanged, with some extra tiles to make it easier to backtrack through screens to reload them without bumping into enemies.

I had several people playtest my improved level. Most of the changes were subtle, but players noted how the overall flow of the level was greatly improved. No players died at all, which is desirable for an introduction level. Players were still challenged to approach encounters in a thoughtful manner, and some faced setbacks like falling down or losing health, but the quicksand and new health pickups ensured that these were easily recoverable and non-punishing. I think that my level is very successful as an introduction to these mechanics.

Also unlike last time, no players got stuck anywhere, even on sections that proved troublesome. 

There was only one flaw, which was that some checkpoint areas had small cracks players could fall through. I intended these to just be for decoration, but in this case I think gameplay is more important, and adding an extra tile or to would be beneficial. Still, only one person had trouble with these.

I agree with the players that most of the improvements I made had much to do with the overall flow of the level. Players progressed through sections where everything functioned as expected, and didn’t get caught on awkward geometry or enemy placement. They didn’t struggle with where to go, what to do, or what the outcome of actions would be. These elements are critical to the flow of gameplay, and make for a very satisfying introductory level.