DnD Map 2 Feedback

 DND MAP 2 PLAYTEST


LOGAN VAN DYNE


Our second Dungeons and Dragons map was completely different from the first- With a new ruleset, mechanic system, and prompts to work with, we had to rebuild everything we’ve done and essentially start completely new for the level design, characters, enemies, bosses, and even new items. The prompt for our level was a prison break in the setting of a post apocalyptic alien invasion, and we had to incorporate checkpoints, item drops, and ensure that this level was a step up from the previous tutorial difficulty we had previously worked with.


We used annotated maps to lay out basic ideas for more complicated level design concepts, starting with the checkpoints. With the way I laid them out, they would be present before or after difficult encounters, however after playtesting, many of the enemies were either too weak or too strong. This makes the checkpoint system relatively useless until you get to the weak enemies, so a possible fix for this would be making all of the enemies more balanced, so it is overall more challenging throughout the entirety of the game, and not just specific instances. This would make the checkpoints more useful and practical, as they were only utilized once throughout the entire game, during the boss fight. 



As for the locations and difficulties of the enemies and bosses, many of the enemies presented to the players were too easy for the players to combat, such as the large group of four guards in the center room, or the first loot room with two guards. The players took little to no damage during these encounters, which led to a very stark difference in difficulty when they encountered the enemies that were tougher than expected, such as the first mech and the two bosses. To improve on this design in the future, the remainder of the enemies should be buffed to similar levels, the bosses should most likely be reduced from two enemies to one, and the player buffs given from the items they acquired should be increased to help combat against this.



The design of the level itself was intuitive for the players to find out what they were doing and where to go. The only thing they seemed to struggle with was the keys located around the map and where they should go. Perhaps a solution for this could be to color-code the keys and doors so that the players knew which keys were needed for which doors. The routes provided were easy to understand and the players had no difficulty finding the keys and the enemies, it was simply a matter of finding out whether a door needed a key or not, and where the key was. 



The circulation of the level spans through the main path presented in the level, which is outlined by checkpoints, locked doors, and hallways. By blocking off the ways players can go until they unlock the specific requirements to enter them, it allows the players to travel the way they need to in order to get the keys and defeat the enemies needed to progress. For what went right with the level design, the players had no difficulty traversing the level itself and figuring out where to go and how to get there. As for what went wrong, some of the enemies need stat adjustments, and the checkpoints / key systems could be altered to become more useful in future iterations. Overall, I would say that this was a good exercise to delve into level design further, and by adding new mechanics and gameplay elements for the designer to consider, it allows us to be more creative with our designs and the purposes that they may have. 

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