Huh. So today actually went pretty well. Of course, it’s unlikely to get truly impartial feedback from someone in test, but Rob, the guy that got sent over, did a great job of putting the prototypes through their paces, and giving me the kind of feedback I needed. Some problems popped up (some of which have already been fixed), and he gave me some more subjective feedback that I’ll be trying to incorporate over the next week or so. Documentation’s supposed to be done by the end of next week, and I think I’ll be good to go. Got a fistful of stuff to write up, but I think it’s well on its way.

I’m psyched, actually, because the more subjective feedback was good, and watching him play, it was clear to me that the potential I see in this system isn’t just in my head. It’s not Aura fun, but in part, because it’s not anywhere near complete. It’d be like if I made Aura in a text file with no sound, and then asked someone to play it, and see if they liked it or not. Not quite, I suppose, but it’s close to that – while the guts are there, a lot of the bells and whistles that’ll make the experience complete are simply missing, just because of the state the game’s currently in.

So, I’ve got proper feedback from a working prototype, a week and a half before the deadline, on a system that’s probably close to the most complete new system in the game, period, and something that I got working at the end of last week that could be really pretty cool when it’s done. Verification that the “fun” isn’t just in my head, by someone who’s actually had to spend more than four hours just playing with a woefully incomplete prototype.

How this all fits into the “big picture” is still a little amorphous, but it’s getting nailed down pretty quick. I’ve gotta say, I’m enjoying the process.