Destructathon101! - NB:SA Public Demo wrap-up.

Destructathon101! 2019.

If you missed it! We held the first public demo for Nation Breakers: Steam Arena on October 5th. Generously hosted by the amazing supportive lads and ladies at Escape Portal gaming center, Perth.

The purpose of the event was to show off the core game loop, have groups of random people playing unassisted and to gather feedback. We had two stations set up with large TV screens, hosting 4 players each. Running a build only a few days old that we knew was safe from any last minute changes. Thanks to the venue, above the stations we had two more large screens showing our teaser trailer on repeat and some recorded non-edited game-play on the other.

For the first few hours we allowed mixed groups to play a round or two of our "First to Five" mode, where players pick a character and each vote for one of the three current arena themes. The game then took the votes and with some mathematical magic, chose an arena theme before throwing them into a round. Each player aimed to be the first to gather 5 points in order to win the match trophy while avoiding the environmental hazards and their opponents. Needing three match trophy's to win a round, the rounds spanned anyway between 3-9 matches with 4 players.

Player Feedback.

Once players had finished their round we invited them to sign up for a tournament we were running later that day as well as filling out some feedback forms. The most positive takeaway was that everyone learned the game quickly and had a lot of high energy fun. Even players who couldn't match the skill of their friends still left us with the impression that they enjoyed their time despite losing. Everyone was asked to leave us with their best and worst experience in the game as well as any suggested changes. Thankfully the negative points were very sparse and were more suggestive of small design choices.

How did the game make you feel?

"Fast paced, lots of fun." "Very epic, it made me feel awesome." "Fun, Engaging, Entertaining." "Very fun and fun for competitive players"

Tournament time!

Players who registered for the tournament where called up to compete for a chance to have their name in the games final credits and each round winner also walked away with a character art poster. It was great seeing people firing up into a competitive mode with no real push, each match ended with energetic displays of either loss or success, fueling the energy in the room up to the end of the round. Each round champion was pitted against each other until we had a team of 4 masters left, competing for the final prize. It was a long round with the players matched skills keeping them in check; the first four matches ended with four different trophy winners!

Wrap up!

This was overall positive and encouraging experience. We couldn't be more grateful to the team at Escape Portal for giving us the space. Thank you to all who attended! Although this was for testing purposes, we hope we can make Destructathon101! a returning event that brings our steam-bot community together in the future.

Zach & Damien Coded Clay Interactive.

If you're in Western Australia, or just swinging through be sure to check out this great gaming venue - https://www.escapeportal.com.au/