Prompt 2: The central challenge of the raining apples is the speed of the yellow apples. Their speed is much faster than the red apples' speed. The first time I played this game, I lost the game before I could react to the information on the screen. I think the first challenge of this game is its brief tutorial. I could not understand anything unless I click the run game button. But then the game immediately starts. After I lose my first game, I could get some information from the screen that I lose. I see the lives and scores then I understand that catching the apples to the basket can get scores and missed apples will reduce the lives. However, at this time, I do not know the meaning represented by the lives because I cannot see the yellow apple icon after I lose the game. So, I think the lives means red apples and yellow apples. Then, in my second game, I tried to catch all the apples but failed because the speed of the yellow apples is too fast. Then, I realize that the lives only count the yellow apples. The third time I finally complete the game by only focusing on the yellow apples. From my experience of playing, the main obstacles or thwarting are simple tutorials and the fast yellow apples. But the designer designs this game easy to win. The helping design is missing red apples won't let you lose. The player could easily find the best way to solve this game which is focusing on the yellow apples only.
There are several challenging components within this game that push the player towards losing. The first is the speed and randomness of the falling apples. It does seem that certain player movement have been anticipated, as there will be an apple or multiple apples falling slowly, the player moves their basket to that point to catch the apple, and then need to move quickly as another apple comes falling down at a much quicker speed. Another element of this game that created an additional layer of challenge was the photo in the background, as the playing field had apples in the background which created little contrast between the falling apples. The game offered feedback, warning you as you neared closer to losing, by way of the apple counter at the bottom, which was a nice touch. It also offered feedback from the other perspective, in that you were awarded points for catching apples. There are not necessarily enemies in this game. You are only trying to collect positive things, rather than avoid negative things. Perhaps adding negative things falling from the sky, especially if there was another level for the player to move onto, would create even more challenge within this game. Another challenge, if this game incorporated some sort of level structure/moving onto a new level if you collect X numbers of apples, would be reducing the numbers of lives that the player starts with. Overall, this game did feel as it was working against the player to push them towards losing at certain points, but the "points" counter also incentivized the player to keep trying again at the game and trying to collect more apples with each round of play.
1. The central uncertainty in the game is all in the apples. The location that they fall from, their speed, and the timing of their fall is all uncertain. Which of these factors are random versus algorithmic I am not sure; but regardless, while playing they are all uncertain to the player. These uncertainties can make the difficulty of each playthrough extremely variable. Sometimes I was able to gain points easily, and other times right at the start I would need to deal with two apples simultaneously on opposite sides of the screen and it seemed impossible. I do think that in some instances a player can just get unlucky and have to lose a life because it would be impossible to put the basket in two places. But in others, choosing the correct strategy is essential. I personally found that going for the fastest apple first is nearly always the best way to go, even if it is much farther away than a slower apple, because it is easier to quickly move over to the slower apple after. These moments are very hard to perceive because it looks like the closer apple will hit the ground first every time, but this is rarely the case. Also, learning that the apples hitting the side of the basket are caught as well was helpful. That allowed me to catch some apples at the last second after dealing with a faster apple. Without this feature, the amount of situations where a life must be sacrificed would increase.
Comments
Log in with itch.io to leave a comment.
Prompt 2: The central challenge of the raining apples is the speed of the yellow apples. Their speed is much faster than the red apples' speed. The first time I played this game, I lost the game before I could react to the information on the screen. I think the first challenge of this game is its brief tutorial. I could not understand anything unless I click the run game button. But then the game immediately starts. After I lose my first game, I could get some information from the screen that I lose. I see the lives and scores then I understand that catching the apples to the basket can get scores and missed apples will reduce the lives. However, at this time, I do not know the meaning represented by the lives because I cannot see the yellow apple icon after I lose the game. So, I think the lives means red apples and yellow apples. Then, in my second game, I tried to catch all the apples but failed because the speed of the yellow apples is too fast. Then, I realize that the lives only count the yellow apples. The third time I finally complete the game by only focusing on the yellow apples. From my experience of playing, the main obstacles or thwarting are simple tutorials and the fast yellow apples. But the designer designs this game easy to win. The helping design is missing red apples won't let you lose. The player could easily find the best way to solve this game which is focusing on the yellow apples only.
There are several challenging components within this game that push the player towards losing. The first is the speed and randomness of the falling apples. It does seem that certain player movement have been anticipated, as there will be an apple or multiple apples falling slowly, the player moves their basket to that point to catch the apple, and then need to move quickly as another apple comes falling down at a much quicker speed. Another element of this game that created an additional layer of challenge was the photo in the background, as the playing field had apples in the background which created little contrast between the falling apples. The game offered feedback, warning you as you neared closer to losing, by way of the apple counter at the bottom, which was a nice touch. It also offered feedback from the other perspective, in that you were awarded points for catching apples. There are not necessarily enemies in this game. You are only trying to collect positive things, rather than avoid negative things. Perhaps adding negative things falling from the sky, especially if there was another level for the player to move onto, would create even more challenge within this game. Another challenge, if this game incorporated some sort of level structure/moving onto a new level if you collect X numbers of apples, would be reducing the numbers of lives that the player starts with. Overall, this game did feel as it was working against the player to push them towards losing at certain points, but the "points" counter also incentivized the player to keep trying again at the game and trying to collect more apples with each round of play.
1. The central uncertainty in the game is all in the apples. The location that they fall from, their speed, and the timing of their fall is all uncertain. Which of these factors are random versus algorithmic I am not sure; but regardless, while playing they are all uncertain to the player. These uncertainties can make the difficulty of each playthrough extremely variable. Sometimes I was able to gain points easily, and other times right at the start I would need to deal with two apples simultaneously on opposite sides of the screen and it seemed impossible. I do think that in some instances a player can just get unlucky and have to lose a life because it would be impossible to put the basket in two places. But in others, choosing the correct strategy is essential. I personally found that going for the fastest apple first is nearly always the best way to go, even if it is much farther away than a slower apple, because it is easier to quickly move over to the slower apple after. These moments are very hard to perceive because it looks like the closer apple will hit the ground first every time, but this is rarely the case. Also, learning that the apples hitting the side of the basket are caught as well was helpful. That allowed me to catch some apples at the last second after dealing with a faster apple. Without this feature, the amount of situations where a life must be sacrificed would increase.