First Ever Closed Playtest!

[p][/p][p]Hello,[/p][p]Last month, we held our very first closed playtest at our publisher’s office.[/p][p]It was a small but focused session to observe how players interact with Firearms Factory in a real environment. As a solo programmer, seeing people play something you’ve built from the ground up is both nerve-wracking and rewarding at the same time.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]We ran a short demo session that lasted around two hours. Here are some of the results from the post-session survey:[/p][p][/p][p]When asked about the Overall Experience:[/p]

• [p]8.3% rated it Excellent[/p]
• [p]83.3% rated it Good[/p]
• [p]~8.3% rated it Fair[/p]

[p][/p][p]When asked to rate the Game's Difficulty:[/p]

• [p]16.7% said Very Difficult[/p]
• [p]33.3% said Difficult[/p]
• [p]41.7% said Normal[/p]
• [p]8.3% said Easy[/p]

[p]My initial thought going into the playtest was that the game might be a bit too tough, but I was happy to see the difficulty is landing in a sweet spot for most players, just below "Difficult."[/p][p][/p][p]When asked to split their time between Firearm Manufacturing and Logistics:[/p]

• [p]16.7% focused mostly on production, 41.7% leaned slightly towards logistics, and the rest split between the two.[/p]

[p]This data is crucial as it suggests that the Logistics system is engaging players significantly, which is a key part of the Grand Strategy/Management DNA. I'll be keeping an eye on this balance, but it's clear players are getting deep into the distribution network :)[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]My Observations[/h2][p][/p][p]As a strategy game developer, I was particularly happy to see how stable the build performed. Encountering very few bugs during a closed test is always a relief especially for a solo programmer.[/p][p][/p][p]We began the session thinking the game might be too difficult, and my opinion didn’t change much afterward. Firearms Factory is meant to be challenging, and it seems like most testers agreed that its level of difficulty is part of its charm.[/p][p][/p][p]One common consensus we noted was an onboarding challenge for a few players. However, I remain confident that the current in-game guidance is mostly sufficient. A two hour demo session is never enough to master a deep strategy game, and it’s always a tightrope walk between hand holding and letting the player discover the challenge for themselves. This is something I’ll continue to fine tune, possibly adding more subtle ingame prompts.[/p][p][/p][p]Initially, I wasn’t sure if a single campaign would be enough for the Early Access launch, but now I’m convinced it will be. It seems one full campaign can easily offer 40+ hours of gameplay, depending on how efficiently you run your factory.[/p][p][/p][p] [/p][h2]What’s Next?[/h2][p][/p][p]I'm going to dive deep into the specific feedback from this playtest, focusing on quality of life improvements and bug fixes in parallel with the main dev roadmap.[/p][p][/p][p]I'm aiming to make the next sessions larger, bringing in players from both our Discord community and the wider Steam audience.[/p][p][/p][p]I also want to send a huge thank you to all my friends in the Discord community. Even though most of you couldn't be in this closed playtest, you've been a steady shoulder and a great company on this journey since I started developing the game. I really appreciate your constant support Firearms Factory when I was just 17 and am now celebrating turning 22; I know the wait has been long, and I want you to know I am just as eager. If not more so to finally release the game and deliver the solid, polished experience I all want.[/p][p][/p][p]Thank you all again for your enthusiasm and support! If you haven't already, please hit the Wishlist button and, even more importantly, the Follow button on our Steam page. Every single one helps this solo journey immensely thanks to our publisher for enabling this closed playtest and generously hosting us at their office![/p][p][/p][p]Sincerely,[/p][p]Barkın.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p]