KAELAN sIMPSON

What Went Right:

The melee mechanics were engaging

I was able to really polish the core mechanics in Ninja Raid.  The melee attacks were simple yet engaging.  The double jump flip attack was well integrated into the level design.  Playtesters often remarked how they felt skilled when double jumping to stealthily take out an enemy above them.  The flip made the character feel agile despite them being just a rectangle, it really sold the ninja aspect of the game.

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What Went Wrong:

The scoring system

The scoring system I implemented was meant to reward players for being extra stealthy.  While this system on a basic level was implemented, players never really understood how to get a higher score.  Playtesters who were aware of their score didn’t care about it.  I think the reason the scoring system failed was because there was no in the moment feedback on a players score.  I should of added pop ups and feedback each time the player took out an enemy.  Instead I just hid the scoring until the end of the round which discouraged players from engaging with it.

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What I Learned:

How to build mechanics around stealth 

The main thing I learned while developing Ninja Raid was how to build mechanics around the idea of stealth.  I learned to make attacks stronger and health weaker so that the stealth was the deciding factor.  The levels I created that encouraged players to take invasive stealth maneuvers that felt good.  I learned why the scoring system I created didn’t fit the stealth and understood what I could of done to fix that (see section above).