4.1 Evaluation of Success Criteria

Mechanics

Criterion	Description	When was it achieved
1	There should be functioning collision detection implemented into the game.	2.2.1 Cycle 1 - Player and Boundaries
2	User perspective should closely follow the game character across the level. Implementing the side scrolling view to relate to retro style games.	2.2.3 Cycle 3 - Jumping and Movement
3	The game enemies should track the player's character and attack it automatically once it is within range. The Twines will have a much longer range than the Grunts, since the Grunts will be stuck moving in between boundaries and the Twines will be stationary.	2.2.5 Cycle 5 - Grunts 2.2.9 Cycle 9 - Twines
4	The character should be able to move around the map, their actions controlled by the User's keystrokes.	2.2.2 Cycle 2 - Movement

Criterion 1 - Partially Met

Collision detection was a key component of my game. Without it, my game wouldn't function properly. I am pleased that the detection was implemented with little to no issues. This would need to be checked in every future development to make sure that there are no escape points from the levels. However, in my survey there were a couple of small bugs flagged up concerning collision issues in specific places in the levels.

Criterion 2 - Completely Met

The user perspective was also a crucial part of the game. It gave the player an 'in the moment' point of view and added to their experience. I believe that this feature should be kept through all future developments.

Criterion 3 - Completely Met

Obviously, the enemies will need to continue to track the player's character through the levels. This makes it more difficult for the player to win the game. In the future, I would increase the firing speed for the Twines. Thus putting more pressure on the player to complete the level and dodge the bullets.

Criterion 4 - Completely Met

Movement is key to my game, removing it would make it pointless. This would definitely be kept constant for all future developments.

Design and Aesthetics

Criterion	Description	When was it achieved
5	A total of 2 levels, both with contrasting environments. The first will have a tropical environment and the second will have a desert tundra style environment. Each level should have a clear design and structure, allowing the User to clearly understand the objective.	2.2.4 Cycle 4 - First Level 2.2.7 Cycle 7 - Second Level
6	Bright, vivd colours should be used to create an emphasis on important game factors.	3.2 Usability Testing
7	The game opponents should be sufficiently animated and designed so that they are distinguishable from eachother and the player's character.	3.2 Usability Testing
8	The game should include a fully functioning health bar to inform the User of their character's health level.	Unfortunately, there was not enough time for this feature to be added to the game. However, due to this I adapted my game so that enemies and spikes kill the player in one hit. This also made the game more fast paced.

Criterion 5 - Completely Met

I think that Criterion 5 was clearly surpassed by my game. Both of the levels showcased contrasting environments and had different difficulty levels. I also believe that the game objective was clear since in my survey, the game objective was rated 'very obvious'. In future levels, I would add some puzzle levels, in which the objective wouldn't be so clear to the player and they would have to work out how to complete them.

Criterion 6 - Completely Met

Criterion 6 is linked to number 5. I made sure to focus on highly contrasting colours to create different game appearances for each level. The colours consisted of a yellow and blue beach theme for the second level and then a brown and green jungle theme for the first. This is an aspect which I would like to keep through further development.

Criterion 7 - Completely Met

From my game survey, I collected responses about how the opponents stood out to the player. Ten of the eleven responses said that the Grunts and Twines stood out from the rest of the map. Clearly, Criterion 7 has been completed. During future development, I would like to add another enemy that would blend into the environment and be harder to see. This would make the game more challenging for the player.

Criterion 8 - Not Met

After further, future development, there would be different difficulty modes to the game. One mode would be 'Hard' and the other 'Easy'. In the 'Easy' mode, the opponents and spikes wouldn't kill you straight away but only remove a fraction of your health. Whereas in the 'Hard' mode, the opponents and spikes would kill you instantly as they do in the current version.

Game Performance and User Interface

Criterion	Description	When was it achieved
9	The game should run smoothly and should not crash too often.	3.2 Usability Testing
10	Easy-to-use game controls should be implemented to assist with the User's experience. Using common keybindings such as WASD.	2.2.2 Cycle 2 - Movement
11	Simple, easy-to-navigate game menu.	Unfortunately, there was not enough time for this feature to be added to the game. However, due to this I adapted my game so that it is easy to understand and runs repeatedly until the user wishes to quit.

Criterion 9 - Completely Met

In my survey, I asked the players if they experienced any crashes during gameplay. All of the results were unanimous and showed that there were no crashes or drops in performance while playing my game. For future development, I believe that this will still be a crucial aspect of the game and key in holding its entertainment value.

Criterion 10 - Completely Met

Criterion number 10 was a critical part of my project. It was key to balancing the 'pick up and play' element of my game. Hence, this was completed early on in 2.2.2 Cycle 2 - Movement. When I asked about the controls in my survey, the results were very positive and supported my choice to use 'WASD' keys. In the future, I would like to add special movement actions and use more common gaming keys such as the space bar, left shift, left ctrl and mouse buttons.

Criterion 11 - Not Met

Due to the complexity of my project, I was unable to find time to implement a menu for my game. Therefore, this criterion has not been met. In the future, the first step to my game would be to add a menu which contained the game, walkthrough and credits. I think that this would add to the overall fluidity and presentation of the game.

Non-functional Criteria

Criterion	Description	When was it achieved
12	The game should not include any content which will exceed a PEGI rating of 7.	3.2 Usability Testing
13	The game utilises an appropriate soundtrack which adds to the experience of the game.	3.2 Usability Testing
14	The game should mitigate boredom.	3.2 Usability Testing

Criterion 12

There has been no inappropriate content added to my game. Therefore, it should be suitable for the target audience. This was also checked in 3.2 Usability Testing. In the future, I would like to have pushed this game into the Pegi 12 region by adding some more 'realistic violence'. I believe that this would make the game more enjoyable for the users but would narrow the player base demographic.

Criterion 13

During my survey, I deduced that the soundtrack I selected for my game was 'catchy' therefore, this criterion has been met accordingly. From this conclusion, I believe that the track does add to the experience of the game in a positive manner. In further development, I would add different soundtracks to each level. These would correspond to the environment and reflect the stress level of the situation.

Criterion 14

From the survey completed in 3.2 Usability Testing, most of the players decided that they would indeed play the game multiple times. This shows that they find the game interesting, fun and entertaining. Consequently, I have met criterion number 14. In the future, I would add a leaderboard for completion times. This way, players will be encouraged to play over again to beat others and gain placement on the board.