Prototype version final – bar07
playtest name – Bar1860PT07-pc
playtest jam
I prepared some questions for this playtest to better understand the players’ experience and what they think about different parts of the game.
- Were there any moments during your play through when you felt confused, lost, or frustrated?
- Which part or mechanic of the game did you enjoy the most, and why?
- Which part of the game did you like the least? If you could, what would you remove or skip?
- Did you feel that the choices you made or the actions you took had a meaningful impact on the outcome of the game?
- What is one thing that you think is in greatest need of improvement?
After the jam, I also received some useful feedback.
1. Were there any moments during your playthrough when you felt confused, lost, or frustrated?
- There was no tutorial, so the instructions were unclear.
- I wasn’t sure where the story was going.
- The feedback from mixing drinks wasn’t clear enough.
- None.
- There were issues with going back to previous dialogue.
2. Which part or mechanic of the game did you enjoy the most, and why?
- Being able to add ingredients freely.
- Being able to go back and try different reactions.
- The drink-making process.
- The dialogue interactions were quite good.
- Getting feedback.
3. Which part of the game did you like the least? If you could, what would you remove or skip?
- Not being able to fill the cup completely with ice.
- None.
- None.
- Finding characters was complicated.
4. Did you feel that the choices you made or the actions you took had a meaningful impact on the outcome of the game?
- No, I didn’t feel that my choices had an impact.
- Yes, I could get different reactions.
- Yes, the responses were good.
5. What is one thing that you think is in greatest need of improvement?
- Write more story content.
- Make the bartending feel more interactive.
- None.
- Add memorable features to the character sprites.
Additional Suggestions
- Add a satisfaction meter and a secondary storyline, as well as an anger meter.
- Improve the feedback system for bartending.
I think all the feedback I received was useful and gave me some new ideas. However, with the limited time left, I couldn't make all the suggested changes. So I decided to focus on more visual improvements and UI interactions, making the changes easier for players to notice during gameplay.
UI interactions
This is my original UI design. Looking back at it, I realised that although the basic functions were working, there wasn’t much feedback when players interacted with the interface. For example, clicking buttons or performing actions didn’t cause many noticeable changes.
This is the first version of my updated UI design.
I felt that this version looked a bit top-heavy, and the overall layout didn’t feel very balanced. The buttons at the bottom were also too crowded, making the interface look a bit messy. I wasn’t happy with the result, so I decided to keep adjusting it.
This is the second version of my updated UI design.
This version was a little better than the previous one, but I still felt that the button layout was too crowded. So I continued adjusting the interface to make the action area clearer. I decided to move buttons such as “Mix Drink” and “Serve Drink” closer to the glass, so the controls would feel more grouped together and easier for players to use without having to keep looking around the bottom of the screen.
First version
This is the UI version I’m most satisfied with so far. The overall layout feels much more balanced than before, and the buttons are better positioned and easier to use. I think this version finally looks the way I wanted.
Final persentation
After making these improvements, my prototype development was coming to an end. I prepared my final pitch presentation to show.
Below are my PowerPoint slides and a playable version of the prototype.
As the Gameplay Demonstration Video and the game file cannot be uploaded directly, please click the button at the top of the page to download Bar1860PT-final and try the game.
Use of AI Tools
Google translate
Youdao translate
Chat GPT drawing, code debugging.