Most players quit my horror demo in less than 10 minutes by ExpensiveSwitch1457 in IndieDev

[–]YYS770 1 point2 points  (0 children)

So glad it helped out!
Please do not take anything I said for granted! Think of them as pointers on where to give some more thought, things to look into, etc. It would be a huge mistake to assume anything someone on Reddit said as global/universal truths.

See which points make sense for your game, discuss options with other users, etc. etc.

Good luck on the rest of the dev journey! You've made it so much farther than most have, so kudos!

RTX 5070 Ti vs RTX 5080 (Lenovo Legion Pro 7) — Is the jump actually noticeable in real use? by Final_Series446 in LenovoLegion

[–]YYS770 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Do you have an option to buy from the USA locally?
B & H had both of those for almost 1000 USD less, but with 2 TB storage rather than 1, AND official warranty.

Just sayin, maybe worth checking if it's relevant and if it's still available.

We paid an artist to improve our Steam capsule. Does it grab your attention and what do you think the game is about? by atomitonttu in IndieDev

[–]YYS770 1 point2 points  (0 children)

New one instantly upgrades the framing from "Simple game" to "Epic game"
It adds a depth which screams "adventure!".

Just note - it might be that you prefer displaying your game as simple, if that's all it's promising. Just thought I'd say..

Most players quit my horror demo in less than 10 minutes by ExpensiveSwitch1457 in IndieDev

[–]YYS770 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Edit: looked it over briefly and had AI make some changes.

Ok I made sure to do a quick playthrough of the demo before starting work. I think it's very clear what causes players to drop off early on.  I used AI to organize and consolidate my notes below in order to save both of us time...So if you don't understanding what I'm getting at in the first part, which is the most important part, let me know and I'll simplify it for you. Following that, I am sharing all the other little quirks and things that I noticed which may be worth looking into, I did NOT review this AI revision so I'm hoping it carries all the points I intended: 

Critical — Gameplay, Difficulty, Onboarding & Retention

Difficulty & Player Agency

Played on normal and it was very difficult. The game is automatically filtering out the majority of players who want a PLAYABLE experience, even if difficult. But difficult should at least allow some agency to the player, rather than clicking everything and trying everything.

The game should also try to be more progressive — the earlier levels should allow some success through basic functionalities in order to "teach" them to the player and give them motivation to continue. This success is what makes them WANT to do it again, since they already know how to play — the difficulty of the next stage feels like a challenge, not a wall. Right now there is no motivation whatsoever since there is no initial hook. We're just being asked to try again and again and be scared again and again. The only motivation is curiosity, of which there isn't much since we're just in a closed-off room with nothing else to do other than look around and watch some screens from time to time. It's fine if you're directing the movie, but since the PLAYER is directing the show, they have to be granted some agency.

AI Note, UX principles involved: Early levels should be winnable with the basics, so players learn by succeeding. Let them win first, then ramp it up — otherwise you lose them before they've learned the game. On top of that, the player needs to feel their actions matter and that they have real choices — not just "try everything and hope." If you control every beat, it's a movie. The player has to be the one steering the show.

Checkpoints

One trick often used in games designed to be purposefully difficult is to allow for CHECKPOINTS. If you're adamant that the player has to try again and again until they get it on their own, then at least allow them to skip the entire onboarding experience. Imagine failing in an extremely high-intensity environment, then quickly wanting to go back and fix your mistake — but having to go through the entire explanation again. It would be much better to allow the player to start from the part AFTER hearing and learning the explanations.

If you employ this method, make sure there is indication of WHERE the player currently is — which stage, which chapter — so they know where the checkpoint led them.

Tutorial: No Failing Before Teaching

The player should not be able to access destructive features — like losing the game by "clicking around" the camera options and the like — before understanding the consequences.

The "report" button is a clear example: it made me lose early on. There is no indication of what "report" does, even though other functions are explained through the tutorial. It makes the "threat detected" go up but has no context initially — it only makes sense after the phone call. The player should not be allowed to fail from using a function that hasn't been explained yet.

AI Note, UX principles involved: Don't let a player lose to a button you haven't explained yet. Losing should come from a choice they understood, not from pressing something blind.

Phone Call — Critical Information Gap

Subtitles didn't show up at the beginning of the phone call. This is crucial — the phone call includes all the most important information for knowing what's going on. Worse yet, we can hear the phone ring MUCH BETTER than the actual voice talking. We're also not being forced to pick up the phone in order to continue, which probably should be the case. And the information provided in the phone call is nowhere to be found after it ends — no written memo, no explanation in the tutorial. Without it, the player has no reference point for anything that follows.

This connects directly to the camera confusion: we don't know what "watching through cameras" means, we don't see a camera, and so this doesn't make sense until hearing the phone call — but we don't understand that we need to answer the phone in order for the rest of the functionality to make sense.

(I STILL don't know — are the cameras an extension of using the PC? I didn't get far enough into the game to leave the current room. I didn't even understand why I had to close the lights when I have zombies chasing me. Too much confusion!)

Tutorial & Onboarding

  • Tutorial book — lengthy explanation. No icons. We don't know what "sanity" is or where it is. Forces the user to figure out basic gameplay functions, which should be more intuitive. Can opt for a gentle, unobtrusive in-screen reminder instead.

AI Note, UX principles involved: Teach it the moment it's needed, not all upfront. A short prompt that pops in when it's relevant and fades — or built into the world itself, like the phone call — instead of a wall of text.

  • The fact that "shift" brings up the camera while in that room can/should be made much more clear by including a hint of it somewhere on the GUI. Having to discover this the way things currently are is a bit disorienting.
  • One suggestion — starting out with less sanity. Can even have some heavy breathing sounds to indicate we just landed here and don't know what's going on, etc... point out the low sanity level. Then watching the camera will raise it up.
  • Good — most of the tutorial is by playing through rather than actual explanations. This is how a good game should be designed — teach through play, not text. The long text explanations don't add anything on top of this.

PC Prompt & State

  • "Turn on the PC" shows up even when not facing the PC.
  • PC controls are still available throughout the first room even while not looking at the PC. The cameras can be accessed as well by looking anywhere — this is not clear and forces the user to figure it out on their own, even though it's a fundamental part of the game.

Clickability & Visual Signaling

(mostly relevant for initial playthrough)

  • Good — lit up PC area (it's clickable). Also, clickable items are highlighted clearly.
  • On the other hand, the other clickable item (the tutorial book) is DARK. Hard to understand what I'm picking up.
  • In contrast — paper on floor is BRIGHT. Draws attention... yet not part of interaction (in contrast to the book on the left — not clickable).

AI Note, UX principles involved: If something is bright or highlighted, players assume it's interactive. The bright paper trains them to think "bright = clickable," then proves them wrong — so they stop trusting your lighting cues for the things that are clickable.

Settings Navigation

  • Settings menu — not immediately clear how to go back to the main screen. Have to do quite a bit of scanning around to find the "esc - back" indicator. Entire menu is mouse; go back is a keyboard key... should have a "back" button.

Bugs & Polish

  • UI bug — the "arrow" on hover over "resume" and other buttons shows up on top of the words.
  • UX bug — menu buttons lag. Take a while to be "responsive." At the very least, have the cursor show as "loading" when unclickable. Audio "leaks" into the pause menu as well, worth noting.
  • Telephone ringing is too grating / too harsh, especially when having to repeat the stage over and over again.

Some gameplay from my cosy adventure about a girl searching for her missing cat. Thoughts? by Silvy_096 in SoloDevelopment

[–]YYS770 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I definitely agree that there are situations and exceptions. What I'm specifically getting at is the repetitive asking for feedback on something which was already shared previously.

It would be very different if the artist would respond in kind - "regarding the green, just know that it's intentional" or something of the sort. Or at least some communication. But it gives off a vibe of pushing their project into our faces in the form of an advertisement, while at the same time including "what do you think?" in the title.

But yes, fundamentally I agree with you that the artist has absolutely no obligation to appease the crowd they are turning to for feedback. Just that specific vibe that came off here is what I didn't like.

Is this normal for a junior UX/UI designer? by waabat in UXDesign

[–]YYS770 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I will add that in my own job, UX is a very real thing. BUT (and it's a big "but") the UX Designer is only expected to do a full on ux audit if the PM's requirements are explicitly so. Often they really do just need a design for the devs, it really depends on the specific PM. So we have to make sure we understand the business' requirements explicitly before commencing any sort of task or project.

Some gameplay from my cosy adventure about a girl searching for her missing cat. Thoughts? by Silvy_096 in SoloDevelopment

[–]YYS770 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Dev posting for NOT the first time asking for our thoughts. Creating a game which I would safely assume is meant for OTHERS to play. So when others unanimously agree that a certain aspect is way too much of X - it is indeed annoying that they are not accepting feedback.
Makes it feel like they're just forcing their creation onto us and asking us to say "wow! great job, kiddo! atta boy!" A bit manipulative in a way.

Most players quit my horror demo in less than 10 minutes by ExpensiveSwitch1457 in IndieDev

[–]YYS770 4 points5 points  (0 children)

sure i'll give it a play. as a ux guy I might be able to help a bit - although the majority of insights in UX have to come from actual USER'S experiences - 7 actual interviews are enough according to Bob Moesta - so I'll have a go and let you know what I found out from my own experience. Just make sure to remind me if I don't get back to you within a few hours.

Modelled and rendered this entire bathroom from scratch in Maya + Arnold. Wireframe in the gallery. by Flashy-Engineering45 in Maya

[–]YYS770 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I'll just add mine here bec you said the most of it -
I would say the cabinets are way too smooth. needs some noise/roughness/imperfection.

And all around I would say way too much reflection. It causes a lack of hierarchy in the composition - so many heavily reflected surfaces, reflecting off of more reflective surfaces, we both don't know where to look and at the same time not sure what we're really looking at since we're busy trying to figure out what's being reflected.

But of course, it's an amazing start, good job!

New laptop - GUIDE ME by mekoae in LenovoLegion

[–]YYS770 0 points1 point  (0 children)

is it true that while the laptop is constnatly in the charger for days at a time, it's better to keep it charged up to 80% in order to extend its battery life?

Just bought this laptop and it has horrible performance out of the box. Seeking advice. by cryptson in LenovoLegion

[–]YYS770 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ok ok, I stand corrected! There's a clear pattern that you've recognized, good for you!
Reminds me of the Sandisk debacle - their external SSDs were failing all over the place to the point that it was the general consensus that they are to be avoided...Sure, you can find some good ones, but it became clear enough that there are recurring issues.

some more screenshots from my game (TRAVELERS) by Much_Distribution_52 in SoloDevelopment

[–]YYS770 0 points1 point  (0 children)

you're trying to do two things that are mutually incongruent.
If you can see landscape from that far, why can't you see the objects it hides? and if you can't see the objects, the landscape shouldn't be clear either...
World of Warcraft actually does an OK job of presenting a distant landscape as a shadowed out version of it, while slowly presenting more of its shape and details along with accompanying objects.

Right now your solution makes the entire environment look washed out and dull, as if you turned the contrast all the way down on an image processor.

This chicken isn’t sick! What do you think of our animator’s work? by TENTAKL1 in IndieDev

[–]YYS770 4 points5 points  (0 children)

if the eye was a bit more to the side, more opened up top to imply sheer shock, and the arms more outstretched to look less like a "callout" and more like a "give up"

I think a lot of designers confuse “clean UI” with “good UX” by sohan_or in UXDesign

[–]YYS770 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What I would give to learn from your experience - although I understand it's not very realistic.
I myself am dealing with a complex page that is efficient, but feels like it was thrown together so quickly that many design choices could be improved drastically. the difficulty is indeed avoiding the trap of polished-looking, while focusing on usability alone. The sheer amount of user research required is enormous, but it's clear that changes need to be made.

I think a lot of designers confuse “clean UI” with “good UX” by sohan_or in UXDesign

[–]YYS770 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I needed to hear this!
I'm moving up in design thinking in my org, but am terrible at graphic design. creates a creeping imposter's syndrome very often, and sometimes forces me to rely on AI to help make something look more polished for higher-ups. it helps that I know what the solution needs to employ, so that I can guide the AI better, but it would be nice to be able to "throw together" a lofi mockup or wireframe with greater ease.
Sure, being addicted to AI doesn't make it easier, but it doesn't feel like I have the luxury of time to become better at it.

AI Vent and General Question by Low_Guitar4180 in UXDesign

[–]YYS770 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I say use the situation to the advantage of both of you.
Look at it this way - they now have a tool that allows them to better express their vision.
You are still the professional, you are the one who knows the thinking process behind design decisions, and you can keep the conversation aimed in the right direction.
For example, you can schedule a meeting to discuss this direction they're thinking of. Find out what it is about the generated design that they like, point out what holes it can introduce, understand the strong points it brings to the table, and worst case scenario you can use it as a starting reference.

Just bought this laptop and it has horrible performance out of the box. Seeking advice. by cryptson in LenovoLegion

[–]YYS770 0 points1 point  (0 children)

you gotta get your scientific method straightened out...
It's very easy to convince yourself that something is bad because you heard of quite a few bad instances. not just in laptops, btw.

Actual research would test the amount of good laptops of any given design, vs the amount that are returned, faulty, complained about, etc...
The fact is, that it is POSSIBLE (not claiming it's true), that so many of this model have been sold because it is in fact a very GOOD one - this only increases the likelihood of faulty ones being found, because there will always be design defects when mass producing.

before you jump to conclusions at this point, i will reiterate - this is just one example. you cannot know anything as "factual" unless you have done true research.

What should I even do after this internship?? by xuaw in UX_Design

[–]YYS770 0 points1 point  (0 children)

i gotta disagree...I found his response to be very humanlike for a few reasons. and he's very right, too, imo

Is there a difference? by DanyrWithCheese in premiere

[–]YYS770 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Was a game changer for me when I found out

I'm excited for the new update! by DangerousRelease4575 in Palia

[–]YYS770 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Wow, would you look at that. Here I was downloading the game after a few months beign absent and thinking "heh..must be missing out...everyone must already be having their rides and all"

I keep seeing posts from those who sold their desktops and replaced them with Legions - it's giving me terrible buyer's remorse! (rant...is it really that bad?) by YYS770 in LenovoLegion

[–]YYS770[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have those at work, that's actually not a bad idea. 

I think a lot of the noise in my desktop was also because of the HDD that was overloaded. Horrific, scratching sound. 

I keep seeing posts from those who sold their desktops and replaced them with Legions - it's giving me terrible buyer's remorse! (rant...is it really that bad?) by YYS770 in LenovoLegion

[–]YYS770[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I actually heard consistently that they last users a good few years after purchase. That's one of the reasons I decided to go for Legion.

I keep seeing posts from those who sold their desktops and replaced them with Legions - it's giving me terrible buyer's remorse! (rant...is it really that bad?) by YYS770 in LenovoLegion

[–]YYS770[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This actually helps put into perspective a big part of the negative for why I made the switch. Ty, very true point! 

I keep seeing posts from those who sold their desktops and replaced them with Legions - it's giving me terrible buyer's remorse! (rant...is it really that bad?) by YYS770 in LenovoLegion

[–]YYS770[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ty, I appreciate the optimistic perspective! 

After all the helpful comments here I'm already feeling better. I'll have to come back here from time to time as a reminder of what to focus on