Rollin Poe evaluates the Transition into Transistor
The Scope Affective Evaluation of a Video Game Opening
The first impression of a video game can make or break the experience. With more games than ever vying for our attention, if players are left cold and confused then it is all too easy for them to move on to a new game. Transistor is Supergiant Games's second release and was met with rightful acclaim. The complex narrative, innovative gameplay systems, and artistic stylings, however, can make it difficult for new players. I undertook an affective evaluation of the first 20-30 minutes of Transisitor to understand high and low points, and provide possible design solutions.
Time: June, 2020
Status: Complete
A Couple Key Aspects
- Affective evaluation of an award winning video game
- Transcribing and coding participant comments from think aloud and cued debrief recall techniques
- Produce achieveable design solutions backed by data
Setting The Stage
Background
Transistor is an isometric real-time and turn-based sci-fi RPG with stunning visuals, haunting music, and near constant narration. Starting in medias res you as a player are left to piece together the story and systems of the world. The opaque narrative and complex combat system has the potential to draw some players in and leave others out in the cold.
To better understand these high and low points, I undertook an affective evaluation of the opening scenes of Transistor. Through carefully examining what worked and what did not, I could then proceed to make usability suggestions to smooth out the pain points and better serve the goal of player retention and engagement.
Level 1 Methods
Methodology
- Gameplay: Particpants with no prior experience played the opening 20-30 minutes of Transisitor, commenting on their experiences as they saw fit
- IMI Questionnaire: After the play session, an IMI questionnaire was given which would later be used to assess feelings of competence, enjoyment, and control among others
- Cued Debrief Recall: Soon after playing, myself and the participant watched back the gameplay session. During this time participants were asked to ennumerate on their affective experiences. Follow-up questions and/or prompting was done as needed.
- Affective Coding: Transcripts from the cued debrief recall and gameplay session were generated and coded for affect (Enjoyment, confusion, frustration, etc.) and valence (positive, negative, neutral). These codings were later verified with an inter-rater reliability score.
Level 2 Key Findings
Negative Health
Two of the three participants expressed confusion over the health system in game. This confusion largely stemmed from not knowing what their player character's health was. One participant in particular never realized where the in game GUI displayed health until watching back their play session, going so far as to say:
"If I die, I die"
Negative Control
It is completely normal for new players to need to come to grips with the controls of a new game, especially one with such an innovative combat system. However, all users felt some frustration over their control. For example, one participant did not realize they could undo planned actions, believing they were locked into a sequence. Another did not realize they could aim their shot manually, instead of relying on imprecise character positioning. Interestingly, both of these mechanics are taught yet players did not learn from the current tutorial system.
Positive Intrigue
All players commented very positively on the art direction of the game. Early sections of world building such as voting on weather via in-game terminals or viewing in-game posters generated questions about the narrative that they were eager to find answers to. One participant explained, "those little motifs... are what really got me hooked on the plot."
Possible Design Suggestions
Hey Red, Watch out. You're hurt.
For a game that has an omnipresent narrator, one who reacts to the player's actions, it would be trivial to include an additional line of dialogue calling the player's attention to their health bar when they took damage. This should also be pared with a visual highlighting of the GUI element to increase the likelihood the player with take notice of their health.
Create Opprotunities to Engage with the mechanics
None of the three participants used the manual aim feature despite two making mention that they were struggling with lining up their shots. Two of the three only found the rewind function by stumbling upon it. As with the health example above, part of this comes down to Transistor failing to be clear in its messaging about how and when to use its mechanics. Setting up a situation where it is clearly advantageous to aim and use a long range attack, then making explicit mention of how to do so would alleviate player frustration.
Continue To Allow For Multilpe Access Points
Transistor does a good job at creating many hooks to pull the player into the game world. Each player will find the portions that they most connect with, be that the striking visuals, intriguing glances into a bigger world, story teases from the narrator, the deep and complex combat system, or any number of other touch points. Having a wealth of options for players to engage with helps ensure a that a wider audience will find something to connect with, ultimately meaning a larger number of satisfied players who will see the game to completion.
What is The Main Takeaway
By undertaking an affective evaluation, I was better able to undertand the emotional high points and usability low points. From that, approprite design suggestions can be made. Transistor is rightfully regarded as a masterclass in artistic design an innovative gameplay. But with those bold strides forward, Supergiant Games would be smart to remember that their players need to be able to understand the core mechanics and vital information. Mystery and intrigue are laudable goals, but not at the expense of player comprehension. If players are lost during the introductory sections because they cannot pull the required information from the UI, then mystery will forever be unsolved. In the end, form should follow function, especially in a medium as interactive as video games. With a few minor additions to improve communication, many areas of player frustration can be avoided.