** HYPOTHESIS **
Can players follow implicit instructions or do they prefer to experiment and figure things out on their own?
** DESIGN **
A sword and a bunny, the bunny duplicates. The player must kill the bunny before it duplicates to infinity.
** PLAYTEST NOTES **
- one grabbed sword and immediately killed bunny, second playthrough saw duplication faster and decided to prevent again, third playthtough decided to see what happens
- When saw the sword, knew immediately that there was only one way this was going to go, but wanted to see what happens with the bunny first, then saw them duplicate and by the time he tried to fix the problem, it was already too late. Bunnies were cute, didn't want to kill them, but knew he would have to (bittersweet dread of having to kill the bunnies but it quickly changed to fearing for own life, felt even worse killing after finding the animation). The duplication was very funny. Obscure instructions, player enjoys discovering what to do, being told what to do feels like cog in machine executing commands, whereas obscure instructions allows player to feel like they figured it out on their own even if it's obvious, gives feeling of puzzle solving! Suggestion, bunnies should already be runnning or once there's a few, or they feel like statues, if they run it makes them cuter and "harder to kill".
- felt cute and happy at first with the bunny, fully distracted. Seeing the sword, made worried that she had to kill, but the more they duplicated the more she got worried. So through multiple playthroughs, she understood the right thing to do was to kill the bunnies, or they would threaten her own life. Player also enjoys implicit instructions, like solving puzzle, understands what needs to be done, greater sense of accomplishment when figured out on her own.
- offers replayability which is nice
** FOLLOW UP NOTES **
- suggestion, make this into a maze so that bunny is first thing you see, this will allow player to explore, no pressure and no distress, then second room offer the sword as they continue. Bunny will begin to replicate in that room, player will not necessarily know and will continue ahead to find another suspicious bunny that also beginns to replicate, if the player backtraccks to see first bunny, will see that they duplicate but it's already too late --> doom player on first playthrough, they have to replay to figure out the solution to not dying --> essentially don't give the answer right away
- playtesters 2 and 3 did not want to kill right away, it seems like if players get distracted by the bunny first, the window to save themselves disappears very quickly!
** FUTURE OF THE GAME **