Testing Player Adaptation

Client Overview

Game Intro
Starting from Antiquity and advancing through five major eras up to the Industrial Revolution, players shape cities, manage resources, and navigate complex power struggles between rival factions.
The experience blends strategy, storytelling, and long-term progression making intuitive onboarding crucial to retain both casual and experienced players.
Business Requirements
The client aimed to evaluate how effectively new players adapt to the gameplay systems compared to experienced ones.
The goal was to identify:
- Whether the tutorial and pacing were equally understandable to both groups.
- If any mechanics or UI elements caused friction for first-time players.
How engagement levels evolved over the first two days of gameplay.
Playtest type
- Feedback Session

Engagement

We recruited 20 participants for this playtest:

10 players familiar with the strategy and city-building genre.
10 players with no prior experience in similar games.

Game Testing Solutions

Our testing process focused on observing player behavior and collecting targeted feedback through post-play questionnaires.

Tutorial clarity
Did players feel guided and confident in the early stages?
Progression pacing
Was the learning curve smooth and motivating?
Mechanic comprehension
Could players understand faction dynamics and resource systems without external help?

Business Impact / Benefits Delivered

The insights from this session helped the development team:

Fine-tune the difficulty curve
to better accommodate varying player skill levels.
Improve accessibility
by simplifying initial resource management and visual cues.
Adjust key mechanics
to create a smoother transition between eras.