Once the dialogue had been implemented, we began testing the level with the core questline. Benedict did the first round of playtesting with some key points of what we could change to improve the level. This information can be found on his blog here.
The key issue that needs fixing is the bean quest isn’t fun as the player is required to travel back to the start of the map to collect the beans. I have come up with some possible solutions to this problem.
- Keep the farm aesthetic next to the house but make it so that the beans have been harvested and are being transported in barrels. These barrels can then be placed around different areas of the map and will fit with the overarching narrative of the map.
- Move the farm area to one of the more blank clifftops and add a new route up there so you dont have to return to the beginning to get up there.
Idea number two creates a more dynamic movement around the map and also makes more sense envrionmentally since nothing is on the cliff on the left.
Placing the farm here will also give the player a reason to cross the bridge to see what is there.
I also sketched out a concept for idea number 2, which shows how the player could reach the cliff in a more engaging way.
To make it more interesting to get up there we could place a “bubbling volcano” type feature that blows the player upwards and onto the cliff. Note: this feature will only be added if we have time for it. As a back up plan we will place a ramp up to the ledge.
SketchbookMegan 