CGT Week 10: Testing and Polishing

26/04/21

Performance

After everything was in place, it was time for a solid week of testing and polishing. One of the unfortunate things to be found when testing was that the game performed below par in places, when operating on an Oculus Rift 2. The first thing I did to help resolve this was to remove all unnecessary effects that might cause slowdown, this included some particle effects and shaders that were highly detailed. While this made some difference, the game still slowed down in certain areas. Examining it in more detail using Unreal did not make it any clearer. Simulating the game on my PC showed a very steady and high frame rate of 110-120 fps.

This puzzled me for a period time, as the level itself has a very simple layout and geometry, with no huge effects being carried out. I have come to the unfortunate conclusion that the problem lies with the Oculus device itself, the hardware of which I have no control over. This is regrettable, because if I had more time, then I would have explored other options when playing the game on a VR headset. However, as it stands now, the game will have to be played at a somewhat unstable frame rate. The game does perform well for most of the time it is played, but the unstable frame rate is noticeable in places, which can disorientate certain players due to the game being in VR. As referred to in previous weeks, I hope that my other accessibility options, such as being able to play the game entirely while sitting down, will make players who suffer from motion sickness, slightly more comfortable when playing the game.

Polishing

Tighter Controls

I decided in the end to make the game entirely playable with exclusive use of a more traditional control scheme. Not only does this make players feel more at home when playing the game, I found through testing that, overall, this was the better option in comparison to Unreal's default method of movement. I played around with multiple values for the Look Rate of the camera being controlled with the right control stick, and I believe that I found a reasonable sense of motion that keeps the chances of experiencing motion sickness to a minimum.

Sound Effects

Every interactable object in the game has a sound effect associated with it. I felt like this was important, even during this early development phase, as it provides useful feedback to the players whenever they accomplish something.

Lighting

The picture above shows the final look of the lighting. To make it less claustrophobic for certain players, key objects, such as chests and artefacts, give off a soft glow. The entire level also has a soft light running through the top of it to make it slightly more obvious to the players where they are located and where they have to go to progress. The game itself is still very dark with the torch being the only way for players to traverse the level successfully, but these additions were made to make the players feel less confused about where to go overall, as experienced by my test subjects who tested the game.

Feedback from Testers

Due to the ongoing COVD-19 pandemic, my list of test subjects that I was able to observe was limited. Luckily I was able to enlist two of my housemates (test subjects) to play test the game for me. Fortunately, they were the ideal type of test subjects that I needed, as one is very familiar with VR games, while the other is not familiar. I asked both of them to play through the level one time each, after which they provided me with their initial thoughts on the experience. Then I answered any questions that they had about the game, before letting them play through the level for a second time. After that point, I asked them to complete a questionnaire, and the corresponding findings are outlined below.

Mutual Feedback

Both test subjects enjoyed the dark atmosphere that I was able to create and thought the lighting had the right balance of being mysterious and creepy, while also knowing where they were most of the time. They also thought the mechanics were cool and wished there was more to explore, as they enjoyed using them so much. Both test subjects were slightly irritated by the performance at certain points, however, they were able to deal with the performance after getting used to it, although both obviously wished that the performance would have been better. The controls for both of them felt intuitive and clear, with each button being assigned appropriately and any corresponding movement feeling natural. Interestingly, both test subjects were tricked by the second chest trap, which was surprising, as I was fully expected the veteran VR user not to be deceived by it, and this delighted me. Finally, both test subjects let out an audible "Aha!" whenever they ended the level, as they were pleased with how far they had progressed and they were allowed to finally nab the treasure that first alluded and tricked them.

Both test subjects were dissatisfied with the use of the Riseboard. They felt it was too finnicky and didn't always work reliably. Because of this, I made the unfortunate decision to scrap it out right and replace it with a simple elevator. The elevator still gives the feeling to the player that they have conquered their misstep, as they still rise up out from the depths they had fallen into. It is just a shame that I had to scrap a mechanic that I discovered through testing, as I thought it could be a neat way to turn a bug into something more fleshed out and interesting.

Overall, both test subjects felt like the level was enhanced by being in VR and they thought the moments of falling or elevating were used particularly well to give a sense of feeling immersed.

VR Veteran Feedback

Test subject 1 decided to stand up while playing the game to make the experience as immersive as possible, while also allowing for a more flexible play style as he could reach for objects further than being in a sitting position. I was able to view the test subject's point of view by streaming the Oculus device to a browser and the first thing I noticed was that this test subject was meticulous when exploring and viewing objects. The test subject checked every room and played around with each interactable object multiple times before progressing, as he wanted to see the full extent of what each object could do. As he progressed, there was never an occasion when the test subject needed further clarification on what had to be done in a certain room or the purpose behind certain objects, which delighted me. It did so, because while I designed each mechanic to be as beginner friendly as possible, I still wanted some depth to be there, as well as not making it immediately obvious what the players needed to do in order to complete an objective. Once the test subject was finished the level, I took note of the fact that they never died in this VR world and had a pretty smooth journey overall.

After the level was completed, I asked for improvements or further additions that could be added if more time was given. While the test subject enjoyed the dark atmosphere overall, he thought more horror elements could have been added. This included creepier and less predictable enemies in less obvious locations. While I agree that these types of enemies would be considered and developed further if this level was to be turned into a complete game, I told him that one of the main goals of this project was for the level to be as beginner friendly as possible, due to VR not being fully market ready yet. The level was designed to allow people, of any or no experience of VR, to be as comfortable as possible, which he thought to be appropriate.

VR Novice Feedback

Due to test subject 2 having a lack of experience in VR, he decided to sit down the entire time while playing. I was initially worried that he would struggle with certain parts of the level because of this, and halfway through the first playthrough, a problem was found. The platform, which held the first set of cubes used with the nearby floor switch, was too high and awkward for him to reach. After I asked him to take his time and try to reach it while standing up, the rest of the level went fairly smooth. Before his second playthrough, I changed this platform to be lower to accommodate players who wish to sit down as their preferred method of play. Throughout the level, I noticed, in comparison to test subject 1, that test subject 2 did not explore nearly as much. He was very set in his goals to complete the level and did not go out of his way to find secrets or optional areas. I asked about this whenever he finished playing and he stated that he was afraid of being punished again after the first instance of it. After explaining to him that the level was not that harsh, his second playthrough was more thorough, examining each room for the optional chests. On realising that not all players would want to take the plunge to find hidden secrets, this was when I decided to make key objects to be always lit to entice players to approach them more often. This test subject also died three times in the VR world during his first playthrough, and twice more during his second playthrough. He did not seem to be that frustrated whenever this happened, as the checkpoints are very close to areas in which players can die in the VR world.

Similar to test subject 1, after the level was completed, I asked for improvements or further additions that could be added if more time was given. One thing that he requested was to allow more time in good lighting to get used to the controls before venturing into the dark. Even though I feel this would affect the atmosphere that I wanted to establish from the very beginning, I do understand his criticism and would like to experiment with some sort of middle ground of the two ideas, if given the extra time. He also wished there were more checkpoints for progression, rather than strictly for players’ deaths, so he could easily take breaks more frequently. Due to the level itself being too short for me to consider this at the moment, if I was to advance this project by having more than one level, then this feedback from test subject 2 would be considered for future endeavours.