We’re back with another devlog, and this one’s all about finding the balance between Dungeonologist’s original vision and what our players actually need. After our third sprint, we conducted another playtest, and the feedback gave us a lot to think about. While we’re thrilled with how much players enjoyed the characters, dialogue, and art (a big win!), we also discovered some usability issues that highlighted areas where we need to adapt our design.

Lessons Learned

Usability Challenges

Here are some of the key pain points players faced during the playtest:

• Accessing the Inventory: Players struggled to figure out how to open the sliding door to the inventory. To address this, we’ll add a sliding animation along with tutorial arrows that draw attention to the mechanic.
• Interacting with Objects: Players didn’t always know when certain objects, like the ladle, were interactable. We’re introducing mouse hover highlights for all interactable objects to make this clearer.
• Tool Functionality: Tools like the magnifying glass left some players scratching their heads. We’re adding tooltips that explain each tool’s purpose when hovered over.
• Feature Unlocks: Some players didn’t notice when new features became available. To fix this, we’re implementing notification arrows to highlight new unlocks and encourage exploration.
• Tutorial Guidance: During the tutorial quest, players had trouble understanding the mechanics without explicit instructions. We’re adding arrows and prompts to walk them through using each feature for the first time.
• Research Task Puzzles: The puzzles were a little too cryptic for some players, so we’ll be implementing a hint system to help those who get stuck without diminishing the challenge for others.

Where We Went Wrong

We originally took inspiration from point-and-click puzzle games for our UI design, assuming players would intuitively explore and figure things out on their own. While this approach worked in theory, it wasn’t as user-friendly as we’d hoped, and it highlighted a bigger tension: balancing our original vision with player expectations.

Refocusing and Re-scoping

We had to make a tough call this sprint: instead of adding new content, we’re refocusing on polishing what’s already there.

• No New Content: This means shelving plans for new quests, expeditions, and enclosures to dedicate our time to improving user experience.
• Streamlining the Narrative: Originally, the codex was supposed to reflect Gertrude’s realistic research notes, gradually updated by the player. However, this approach confused players, so we’re reworking the codex to make it more accessible.

Sometimes, sacrificing part of your vision is necessary to ensure the game is fun and enjoyable for players. It’s a balancing act, but we’re confident these changes will make Dungeonologist shine.

Next Steps

Here’s what’s on the agenda for the next sprint:

1. Implement Usability Fixes: Focus on tutorial guidance, visual cues, and accessibility improvements.
2. Revamp the Codex: Make research notes clearer and easier to follow.
3. Polish Existing Mechanics: Refine interactions and improve puzzle design with the hint system.

Stay tuned for more updates as we keep polishing and perfecting Dungeonologist! 

Until next time,

The Dungeonologist Team