Borderlands 3 User Research: Old and new approaches in franchise testing | Jonathan Cohen
Channel: GRUX SIG
Date: 2021-05-25

Gearbox User Research tested Borderlands 3 using new methods in combination with best practices from over ten years of franchise research. Using a series of case-studies we illustrate how established and new approaches can generate insights that inform development.

Borderlands 3 added mantling and sliding to character movement. Traditional playtests helped reveal that these mechanics were not well-understood; developers added a mission that reinforced tutorials. Similarly, Borderlands 3 introduced changes in how the player-character’s Action Skill functioned; we observed that players had difficulty with the new system. Playtesting contributed to the iteration of tutorials that improved comprehension.

A case-study that highlighted the importance of teaching even veteran franchise players mechanics involved bird creatures in a boss fight. Players were unaware that these creatures could be attacked to gain a “Second Wind.” Developers crafted a moment where an ally shoots them to demonstrate, after which players began to imitate the action.

We innovated our approaches to answer an audio question regarding whether players could perceive the differences among gun sounds. Taking a page from signal detection work we conducted a study and learned that these sounds were distinguishable from one another in the absence of visuals. Borrowing from navigation research we conducted a study in the game’s hub map. Participants learned the layout of the hub by visiting locations, then completed tasks to reveal whether the layout led to confusion or errors.

Improvements to long-form testing had positive impacts on the narrative. Player interviews and discussions revealed that the primary antagonists were less prominent in the middle of the game. Changes derived from this feedback led to improvements in player engagement and narrative comprehension. Viewers should take away from this talk recommendation for how to integrate new approaches with existing methods to better inform development.

Speaker
Jonathan A. Cohen is the User Research Manager at Gearbox Publishing; he has a background in cognitive science and experimental psychology with over 19 years of laboratory research experience that he applies to games user testing at the studio. Outside of games research he enjoys movies, craft beer, tabletop RPGs and board games, and he looks forward to one day returning to in-person gaming with friends and colleagues.

About #gamesUR​ Conference
Games User Research focuses on players’ psychology and their behavior via techniques such as playtesting, analytics, expert analysis, and others. Game User Researchers aim to help game developers deliver players the best gaming experience possible.

The #gamesUR​ Conference is a biannual gathering of the world's top professionals in games user research. For more information visit www.gamesurconf.com.