Your game: Too easy, too difficult - how do you know?

[Diana Kennedy]

The most difficult thing I found in game making (a part of the pitfalls in programming and so on) is to figure out if the game is actually playable or not.
Maybe it's just me, because I never was a real big game player, but I don't have the feeling for the fact if my game is too easy or too difficult. The first level in my actual project is just finished. When I play it, I win every second game. There is a lot of randomness in, so that sometimes, it's just too many ennemies to reach the required killing score. But I by now KNOW what they do and what not.

I will probably know more after people have tested, but how do YOU know, whlie making your game, how to set dfficulty?

[The achievement]

I never really thought about that either. But my opinion on a harder game is just upping the enemies, lowering health, lower ammo, and stuff like that. thats just my opinion.

[Fuzzy]

Find 5 or so people to play it, and have then play it 10 times or so, at various times of the day. Tjis way they gain some proficiency at the game, and then you have them make suggestions as to improvements. After that, have them play some more.

You dont want to consider the first ten plays, because those are practice. What you want is a game that is tricky to play even as a experienced player.

You want to decide how often they should win. Perhaps 1 time out of five? It depends on how long the game takes to play. A short game should be harder.

You could add some stuff to the game to track how well they do, and write that to a text file.

[irblinx]

Totally agree with TFP, you really need other people to test your game. You are far too class to the mechanics to be able to play it impartially. Even when you've programmed in randomness, you know where and when that randomness comes into play.

I'm still at the early stages of a shoot-em-up and other members of the team talk about not managing to finish the mock level that I created, and yet I can complete it every time!

In addition to playability issues, having other people test the game will probably throw up bugs that you're never likely to see.

[Diana Kennedy]

Wel, then there is no way to figure it out, before I have a beta-version I can offer for testing. Well, I will do this, as soon as it is finished!

[Fuzzy]

I volunteer to test. Send me a private message when you need it tested.

[Diana Kennedy]

Thank you very much, Three Finger Pete!

I think we can test it when at least two levels are done. I work currently on level 2!