Dear Reader:
Moving Out dev blog shares a look at user testing
The devs behind Moving Out are back with yet another dev blog. Today they go over user testing, and how the process helped their team learn not only what needed to be tweaked, but what other features might make for a great inclusion. Check out a snippet from the blog below, then click over for the full piece.
Today we thought we’d talk about… YOU, the players! User testing is such a big part of what we do here at SMG that we try not to make a final call unless it’s passed the ‘people test’. It’s pretty great how many ideas have come from watching the playthroughs and we love being inspired by our players. With ideas being shared so organically, it’s a far cry from an isolated development experience!
One of the standout game mechanics that was born through user testing was the co-throw. In one of the playtests, the players tried to chuck a photocopier over the side of a balcony. At this stage, we’d only really let users throw smaller objects, but these testers opened us up to the idea that we could try a cooperative throw! By working together to swing big ticket items and releasing at just the right moment, we could allow players to throw hefty objects over balconies, pools and into fully loaded trucks. This simple idea changed the game so quickly!