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Possessed: EOTA

Project Length

13 months

Pre-Alpha Release

May 2024

Role

Designer & Programmer

Game Engine

Unreal 5

Possessed: Enigma Of The Ancients aspires to be an ambitious open-world, story-driven RPG that blends strategic hack-and-slash gameplay with deep narrative design. Players will step into the role of a conflicted tribal warrior, tormented by visions of his fallen enemies, unsure whether they are ghosts or manifestations of his own guilt.

The game delves into the lifestyle of a Germanic tribe, striving to deliver an authentic and immersive medieval combat experience. Players must carefully prepare for battle, master the art of dark druid magic, and navigate a world where every decision can mean the difference between survival and demise.

Responsibilities

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  1. Built the entire game design document (GDD).

  2. Developed the Combat System.

  3. Conducted User Interviews and playtesting rounds.

  4. Designed and developed all the gameplay UI / HUD elements.

  5. Programmed all Enemy AI in the game and designed different behavior patterns for different enemy types.

  6. Built 2 prototype levels for a demo (Level Design)

    • Necromancer's Lair​

    • Broken Fort Vanguard

User Playtesting

As the game's developer and an avid gamer, I held a personal opinion on the existing gameplay when I finished prototyping.​

So, to holistically understand the pain points and find potential areas of improvement, I decided to conduct a pre-alpha test release with the prototype locally on May 1st, 2024. 

Pre-Alpha Launch.png

User Interviews

Six people playtested the prototype over a span of 2 weeks. I divided the group into 3 sections: 
#1 Two expert players in Soulslike/hardcore melee combat games.
#2 Three casual players who love story-driven games.
#3 One rookie or someone who doesn't play PC games much.
Below are some comments that I received.

Group 1 
"Combat feels slow and the player seems stuck in one play. You should add some ranged attacks as well."
"Enemies don't feel sentient enough. All of them have the same type of attacks and act like robots."

Group 2
"Doesn't feel immersive enough. Gameplay is addictive though."
"Prototype level is fine, but the player needs more options in weapons and playstyles imo."

Group 3
"Controls are hard to understand. Like.. I don't get when to tap which button. Enemies react well and grunt, which feels responsive."
 

Pain Points / Areas of Improvement / User feedback

The main pain points or areas of improvement I received as feedback from the playtesting round / pre-alpha test release:

1 / Combat gameplay Issues

  • Combat seem to be slow and clunky, even when the player is using a light/easy-to-wield weapon.

  • All attacks feel the same to use, even though they have different animations, which becomes boring.

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2 / Enemy AI Issues

  • Enemies don't care about their life. They should be more responsive in their behaviors.

  • Different types of enemies are required which should become one of the main core elements of the game, allowing player to strategize their actions.​

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3 / UI Design and Interaction System Issues

  • Controls are hard to understand

  • No prompts for different actions like Interact, PickUp, etc.

  • No prompts on the HUD for when the player has critical health, low stamina etc.

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Combat gameplay issues
Enemy AI issues
UI Design issues

Strategies for Improvement

Strategies for tackling the pain points I received as feedback from the playtesting round / pre-alpha test release:

1 / How to improve Combat System?

  • Combat seems to be slow 

    • Players must feel fluidity in combat. E.g. Load, Swing, Recoil speeds should be in the ratio of 2 : 3 : 1

    • Player character should move toward the target if the player's attack is missed.

    • When attacking in the right direction, the player character must move to close the gap between him and the target.

  • All attacks feel the same​​

    • Add a new variety of melee attacks - Charged Attack, Sprint Attack, etc.

    • Add ranged attacks - spells, throwables etc.

2 / How to improve Enemy AI System?
3 / How to improve User Interface/User Experience?

  • Controls are hard to understand

    • Add a small window showing key bindings for frequent actions
      (Player must be able to toggle it On/Off)

  • No prompts for player actions

    • Add prompts at points where the player can perform an action.​

  • Unresponsive HUD

    • Add post-process FX for different player modes :

      • Blood-shot FX on screen when on low health

      • Freeze FX on screen when player is freezing/in cold areas of the map

    • Add slow-motion FX when player is performing finishers​​

    • Add camera shakes when player is hit

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