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The idea of incorporating player feedback into the game design process has strong intuitive appeal. Rather than just guessing what players want, why not ask them directly? In fact, while the theory may be simple, the practice of gathering authentic, balanced, and actionable feedback can be quite challenging. How do you test a game when its still rough and incomplete? How do you get play testers to tell you what they think, not what they think you want to hear? Most importantly: how do you stay true to your personal vision while still being open to external opinions? On Episode 45 of Vertical Slice we’re exploring these questions and more as we learn how to make player feedback a productive part of the design process.
Show Notes
- Fortnite and Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds are heading to mobile. We’re skeptical; the mobile form factor just doesn’t seem like a good match for these shooters. Fortnite’s decision to enable cross-play between mobile, PC, and console players is particularly puzzling.
- Four months after Star Wars Battlefront II’s controversial launch, EA is restoring microtransactions to the game. Notably: the revised microtransaction system will now offer cosmetic items only.
- Capcom’s MegaMan boss character contests, which date back to MegaMan 2 in 1988, are notable early examples of incorporating fan feedback into a game design.
- Once more we find ourselves referring to Nick Popovich’s superb GDC talk on the design of Slime Rancher. Nick’s unusually brave approach to playtesting is one any game designer should consider deeply.
- Schell Games’ Definitive Guide to Playtest Questions is a great primer on how to ask productive, open-ended questions of your players.