Simple DnDMap v1 Feedback (2/14/21)

 The players that played my level was Madison Audley-Hinds and Alexander Britt. Madison chose the mage and Alexander chose the ranger. What went right was that both players enjoyed the level while also understanding what they had to do. They liked that the level was simple and didn’t overwhelm them; especially since it was a tutorial level. They were able to attack the enemy character with their attacks and use other actions based on their character’s stats and strengths. For example, Madison was able to try a heal spell and it was successful because of the mage’s magic stat. Alexander learned that he could use ranged attacks since the ranger can attack the enemy if they have a sight of view of the enemy. They learned how to move their character at the start of the level because there was a text box that let them know what movements they could take each turn. What went wrong was that not all attributes and skills were highlighted for the players to learn. That is an issue that I need to resolve as soon as possible and will greatly improve my level design. Even though the level was simple for the player, it was missing key elements to teach the player all the different tools they have in their arsenal. Another thing that went wrong was that not all characters were available for the player to choose from, and the players had only two to choose from. To improve my map, I need to add areas to my level that will teach the players how to utilize skills like jump, escape, and light. These components were lacking in the playthrough and need to be a part of the next playthrough. By implementing areas of the level where the player is required to use these skills, they will understand the importance of these aspects of the game. Also, I will need to add more options for the characters to choose from. This way, the player is given additional freedom to choose what character they want to play as. Also, this gives them the opportunity to replay the level with all the characters so that they can learn the strengths and weaknesses of each character. The challenges presented during the playthrough were appropriate to the tutorial nature of the level. While more enemies can give a better playthrough, the one enemy I used had ten HP and every other stat was one. I did this so that each player had a chance to use different attacks or functions during their turn. The ten HP allowed the engagement to last more than 1 turn and the low stat line made the enemy a low threat that wouldn’t overpower the learning players. The enemy would still be able to attack to show the players how a turn sequence would play out. The critical path was obvious because the starting room for the player had only one opening and the player was able to see it once the level started. Once they left the starting room, the next room would have a single enemy occupying the space. This is where the players would engage the enemy. The overall flow was straight to the point but lacking any excitement or information to help the players along the way. The level will have a much better flow if the level incorporates more rooms and a gradual rise in difficulty while also leading the player in the right direction to learn and feel confident in their abilities. Not all rule mechanics were taught to the player and the remaining ones need to be taught to the player in the next level.