Overview
Berry Blessings is an Arduino joystick-controlled p5.js game where a duck must collect 10 berries to unlock a magical portal to the real world. Once the player reaches the portal, an Arduino-powered robot is meant to activate and move toward a fairy setup, creating a double world experience.
After receiving feedback that the previous storyline was too abstract and difficult to understand, I redesigned the narrative to be more intuitive and enjoyable. The new version provides a clear goal which is collecting berries to unlock a portal and eventually a satisfying real-world reward.
Two users participated in a no-instruction playtest of the p5.js portion of the game.
What Worked Well
-
Joystick Controls: Users figured out joystick movement after some experimentation. Movement felt smooth once they adjusted to it.
-
Berry Counter: The on-screen “Berries: X / 10” counter gave clear feedback and helped users understand progression.
-
Visual Design: The duck animations, bright environment, and sign reading “Collect 10 berries to pass” helped anchor the gameplay and made objectives more understandable.
-
Revised Storyline: The updated goal and real-life payoff made the experience feel more engaging and easier to follow.
Challenges & Observations
-
Joystick Direction Mapping: Both users were initially confused by which way the duck would move relative to joystick direction.
Planned fix: Add visual direction indicators (e.g. arrows or compass).
-
Robot Frustration (During Earlier Testing): Friends testing the robot portion before the Arduino broke reported frustration with its slow, unstable movement.
Plan: Replace with a more reliable wheeled robot for smoother performance.
-
Duck Centering Bug: One user pointed out that the duck appeared too far from the center when changing directions.
Fix: Adjusted duck positioning to remain centered during direction changes.
-
Hardware Damage: The Arduino Uno was accidentally damaged due to adjusting connections while powered on, so it could not be used during this round of user testing.
Fixes & Next Steps
Already Implemented:
-
Rewrote the story to improve clarity and engagement.
-
Added a sign by the portal to explain the berry objective.
-
Included a working berry counter.
-
Fixed duck position offset when changing directions.
In Progress:
-
Sourcing a new Arduino Uno to replace the damaged one.
-
Planning to switch to a wheeled robot for improved reliability.
-
Will add visual joystick direction indicators to help users orient themselves.
I will post an update before next class once the hardware is replaced and re-integrated.