TeamTopHat Development Update 7 - Revamping Old/Existing Features

Hey everyone! Welcome back to a new TeamTopHat development update and in today's update, we will go over some of the revamps we have made to existing rooms, as well as some new rooms and finally, some notable stability and bug fixes.

Revamped Main Hall:

One of the biggest changes we have implemented was the redesign of the Main Hall section, which acts as a starting point as well as a hub that is connected to each of the levels. The new design fixes some spacing issues as well as make everything very symmetrical, furthermore we implemented new materials which look much more realistic and gritty. To add onto this further, we wanted more variety of textures and colours instead of just the main red and brown, and added beige coloured patterns across the ceiling. Lastly, the layout was also changed by a significant amount, accounting for the new symmetrical design and blind spots we had in the old version.

Overall the changes to the Main Hall were very positive and made traversing the scene much more interesting and explorable, while some work is still needed to make the scene feel full with furniture, we are satisfied with how it turned it.

Revamped Power Room:

Another room revamp we developed was the Power Room, the original look of this room was very basic, bland and was the product of the old greybox version, as such we deemed it necessary to make changes as soon as possible. The changes we made will accurately display the look of old Victorian piping and power rooms, all of which we used references for to create it as accurate as possible.

New Hallway Sections:

Another change added was the inclusion of new hallways that links the scenes between the Main Hall and Library, as well as the Main Hall to the Theatre Room. This was a big improvement as the old designs were wood boards, with the new design having similar wall textures to the Living Room and Main Hall, as well as featuring windows in which the moonlight would shine into.

Changes to Library Platforms:

One piece of feedback that was common throughout the testing session, was the issues that people had with the library platforms, as testers found themselves struggling with the speed of the platforms, as well as the player control. As this was 1/5 of the playable levels, we had to make the changes as quick as we could, in which we did and ended up improving the experience overall. The next step is to add ladders that will act as checkpoints in case the player ever fell down.

Lighting & Game Optimization Fixes:

Lastly, we tinkered some bugs involving the lighting, as well as game optimization fixes to make the game run much more smoother and more atmospheric. This is a change that will consistently get updated with the inclusion of new features, levels and assets.

Conclusion:

Overall, development is still in continuation, but getting to a point where we are almost at completion, the goal is to complete what is being developed as well as improving old features and scenes to reflect the newer designs.

TeamTopHat Development Update 6 - Gathering Feedback & Test Data

Hello all! Welcome back to another TeamTopHat development blog and we will be talking about the test data we have gather during the external testing session, as well as further development milestones that are mentioning.

External Testing Session:

The external testing session went very well and we managed to gather tons of data and feedback that we can use to improve the game and fix any issues. We ended up with around 20 responses by the end of the day, with a chance for more responses in the coming days. Using this data, we can organize this within a list and pick out key statistics or topics that are common.

More internal testing will be conducted over the coming weeks as we reach closer to the end of our project deadline, and we will update you if any breakthroughs occur!

Player Path Analytics Results:

During the testing session, we implemented a player path tracker that allowed us to see which players travelled where and whether everyone had a similar path, or a different route each time. The results were very surprising and told us where players usually go towards as soon as they enter the room.

Theatre Room Implementation:

The Theatre Room that we have been talking about throughout the blogs is now complete, along with the mechanics! For this design we wanted to still continue to follow the Victorian style but make it more grander in looks through the inclusion of gold carvings.

The Theatre room will also feature a small scaled boss in the form of trials that the player has to complete in order to break the seals on the jar and finish the game. 3 trials will be playable and are currently in greybox phase, however we still included both the Theatre Room and Trial levels in the test build, as the mechanics were done and more test data on those mechanics would be very useful to have.

Dungeon Maze Room:

Progress on the new revamped dungeon maze room is still underway, with assets being developed for them and mechanics being solidified. This will be updated and stated on the blog as more changes are made.

Conclusion:

We are currently in the midpoint of development, with more changes being implemented as we speak, we thank you following the development of Mad Mansion and look forward to more updates!

TeamTopHat Development Update 5 - New Progression System

Welcome back to another TeamTopHat development update and in todays post, we will be talking about a new progression system we implemented to help better the flow of the game, as well as our dive into gathering data and a plan for a new level!

New Progression System:

A big change we made to the game was the implementation of a new level progression system. The old design was fairly straightforward in which you would gain a key after completing each room, these keys would be used on the doors leading to the next level. The new progression system follows a similar flow, in which you complete a level, gain a statue item and insert that onto the statue, which will point you to the next level and open the door.

You may be confused on where the statue came from and how it relates to the game progression. Each level contains one statue piece, i.e. a cane, hand monocle and hat, once getting that statue piece, you would insert that into the missing slot on the statue and progression continues. The reason for this change was due to how simple the progression of grabbing a key and using it on the next room is as it has done many times before, we also wanted it to closely match the tone and story that we were presenting.

Dungeon Maze Level Production:

We are working on the next major level, which will serve as revamp of an existing level with more interesting puzzles and an improvement to aesthetics. The change was due in part to the original level not being fully developed and was planned for months, now that we are working on this, we will ensure to provide a fun experience and update more on it's progress! Furthermore, our dedicated asset artist will be providing us his talent and working on an asset pack for this level.

Added More Story:

We have added more story elements to the game through the use of environments, game flow and the inclusion of more story notes that can be found throughout the game. This will give more insight into the story of our Protagonist, the Mansion and the current set of events that are being transpired.

System Analytics Testing:

Lastly, we have delved a bit into showcasing data using the Unity Game Engine's toolset and plug-ins. If all goes well to plan we will be able to collect tons of data on player movement and what areas people are attracted to the most. This will help us determine if all players perform the same player pathing or if each experience is different. Overall this looks very promising and will provide more updates to this as development continues.

Upcoming External Testing Session:

In the upcoming weeks, we will be conducting an external testing session for more test data and feedback. This will be done with volunteers who have consented to testing our game and providing feedback, as well as our peers joining in on the playtesting. We are excited to see people's feedback on our game and will provide more updates once the testing session has occurred.

Conclusion:

Thank you for your continued support and expect another development blog within the coming weeks!