There’s probably no such a thing as too much playtesting, but there’s eventually a point where you have to draw the line and decide that the game is as good as you envisioned.
For me, this is usually when playtesters no longer raise new design or balance issues (though there may be existing design issues that you are aware of but for various reasons are left unresolved), or especially when they mention the game is fun and intuitive. Every playtester is different though, so this confirmation only comes up when this feedback is very consistent from consecutive playtests.
I’m happy to say that Usolli has gone through some intensive playtesting in the last couple of weeks in order to tighten up the rules. During the playtests, the fun factor (or similar expected highs) has been consistently highlighted, which means the game is in a great state.
Here are also some observations and insights I’ve gained from playtesting in general:
1. (Teenage) Girls vs Boys.
The most surprising (for me) is that teenage girls are extremely competitive! I’ve observed simultaneous groups of boys and girls playing: the girls are generally very chatty, excited and extremely competitive about winning. The boys are generally very quiet and reserved, and sometimes one of them would even disengage completely. Generally but not always being the caveat here.
Also, if you ask the girls what’s fun about the game, the winner will almost immediately say “because I won!”.
2. Good art is critical.
The first thing people see is the art. This isn’t a problem if you’re testing with designers who expect the game to be broken and barebones, but it’s a different story when testing with the general public who are expecting to have a somewhat good time. Good art promises that at least there’s eye candy to look at. It also enhances the overall experience, as the art is a consistent positive remark from playtesters. It also sets the mood: one playtester remarked that the art felt serious which for them felt suitable given the theme.
3. Less reading, more playing.
Almost everyone dislikes reading lengthy rulebooks. It’s one of board game’s biggest hurdles as it’s the main entry fee before you can enjoy the ride. From a previous design, I discovered that players greatly enjoyed being able to start playing before they finish the rulebook (ie where it explicitly says “stop reading – you can start playing now!”). This was part of the reason to split the rules into two – Basic and Advanced Modes (the other reason was to allow different age groups to play). In Usolli, you can start playing immediately after you read the Basic rules, and if you want more depth, you can read the Advanced rules which layer ontop of stuff you already know. Plus, if there was only one level of complexity, you have to frontload all the rules in one go, which can be too much for a lot of people.
4. The minimum age is now 10 years old.
I really wanted to get the minimum age to 8 years old (as that would be the age many youngesters would start learning about Islamic prayer), but it’s been challenging to get enough playtesters at this age group and I never got a satisfying ruleset that I think would be playable for an 8 year old and fun enough for their parent to play with at the same time. I do know that tweens and teens have feedbacked that the rules are very easy once you learn them, so I think this is the right decision.
5. Your game won’t appeal to everyone.
Although Usolli is marketed as a family game, it has two general audiences: parents who want a fun screen-free way to engage with their kids, and competitive players who want to demonstrate their strategic prowess. Basic and Advanced Modes mirror these audiences.
Within these audiences, there are other preferences like:
- an extremely accurate version of Islamic prayer
- more education-centric content.
- ways to minus points.
- rewarding ways to plan ahead and have highly efficient turns.
- minimal luck or variance.
- being able to ‘attack’ or otherwise negatively interact with another player (commonly known as “take that”).
- valid multiple paths to victory … and more!
Basically, every playtester will want the game changed to their particular needs. So you need to decide how much of that should go in your game and balance it against your vision of how it should be.
That’s the theory anyway!
Summary
Playtesting is worth its weight in gold: I’ve gained a ton of invaluable feedback that have elevated the game beyond what I could do by myself.
Although the game is temporarily locked down to get a manufacturing sample ready, there’s always room for improvement. I’m still playtesting whenever I can to get new feedback, especially from players who have never played it before. Who knows, maybe an exciting new Mode could come out of it?