It's with all kinds of emotions that we announce that the open playtest has closed.
Despite knowing this is for the best and necessary for the game's goals, I still find it a little sad. We weren't quite sure what to expect when we decided to offer Villainville's alpha prototype in an open playtest, but the response has been SO positive and helpful!
From a development perspective, here are a few thoughts on what playtesting has done for our tiny development team:
Encouragement to keep going. Game development is a marathon and playtesters are the people cheering us devs on and passing out cups of water to keep us from falling on our face!
General metrics--like whether an NPC can be easily found or if players are don't enjoy them, and if the players are getting stuck on a confusing new mechanic
A spotlight on the bugs. If developing a game were a garden, players would be the friend who lifts a leaf and points out the squiggly bad kind of slug hiding on the underside. Gross? Yeah...but the garden will grow better once the slug is gone
Feedback to know what to grow. Often a small team does something silly and thinks it's a throwaway bit of nonsense...only to discover players love it. Without that feedback, the 'bit of nonsense' likely would have been cut
We are ever so grateful for the support we've received--and ask that anyone with any 'post mortem' playtest feedback post it here.
Please also take a moment to wishlist Villainville, and share our update/steam page! We're so close to making 1,000 wishlists (sitting at around 800) and would love to finish out the summer by hitting that number! Surely there's someone in your life who can relate to a bunch of misfit fairy tale outcasts, who're fighting for their chance at a happily ever after?
With the playtest closed we've put an embargo on ourselves from sharing certain images from game development before they're ready for the public eye. This means you'll have to take my word for it that the new night lantern--currently being tested internally--is super fun and epic! It's a cozy lamp the PC will use like a tool, which bobs along with them as they run around at night. it has a wee tiny light sprite inside, sitting cozy in her home, which the PC will feed from a glowing fruit they grow in their garden.
Working on it and creating all the pretty glowing night elements is bringing me all the joy. Here's to sharing it with you soon!