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Examining Game Navigation Systems

HOGWARTS LEGACY

Context

3 days after its local release in the Netherlands, I dove into the world of Hogwarts Legacy. As an amateur gamer that has left a trail of unfinished games in her wake, I wanted to see this one through to honour my childhood nostalgia.

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I proceeded to spend the following 2 weeks running around the castle, constantly backtracking, and unable to navigate to quest locations in a reasonable amount of time. Experienced gamers may be able to adapt to different approaches to navigation, but games like Hogwarts Legacy are more likely to attract amateurs or non-gamers (such as myself) that are merely fans of specific fictional worlds. It seemed to me that the best navigation experience should cater to both experienced and inexperienced gamers.

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At this point, I was alone in my experience, and I needed more data to find out the nature and extent of this issue.

Method

IDEAL

Invite participants (ranging in experience level) to play Hogwarts Legacy for an hour from the start, making sure they have not played the game before.

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During this hour, participants encounter a series of quests (built into the game) and are tasked with travelling to the specified location of each quest.

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Use the following methods:

  • Think-aloud protocol

  • Task completion success rate and time

  • Follow-up interview using data from think-aloud protocol

I turned to Reddit (r/HarryPotterGame) and searched for threads pertaining to “Hogwarts Legacy” and “map”. This revealed 14 user threads that discussed navigation in the game. All comments were extracted and compiled, and I used affinity mapping to categorise them.

ACTUAL

Findings

1

Turn off the minimap!

  • The minimap is not optimally designed to support navigation

    • Difficult to tell where and what level you, a room, or a quest are on

    • Difficult to orient yourself because it rotates with you

  • The minimap takes away challenge and interferes with exploration​ and immersion

Wait, don't turn it off yet!

2

  • The other ways to navigate are not much better than the minimap

    • The main (large) map does not support fine-grained navigation

    • The charmed compass does not work outside the castle

  • Points out side quests, collectibles and markers

    • These may otherwise be missed

    • Supports those who are quest-focused​​

hogwarts legacy mini map 1.jpg

"Why does my mini-map show there's a floo flame, but there clearly isn't a floo flame?"​

We can do that?

3

Screenshot 2024-11-01 002933.png

  • Unaware that you can customize the heads-up display (and turn off the minimap)

  • Unaware that you can activate the charmed compass as an alternative navigation aid

hogwarts legacy main map 1.jpg

The main map indicates the general path towards a quest location, but it is hard to decipher exactly where to go

Screenshot 2024-11-01 003458.png

The charmed compass does not show a bird's eye view of your path, but takes the guesswork out of which way to go at the moment

Key Takeaways + Next Steps

What did we learn?

  • Navigation had a significant impact on the user experience

  • The minimap had a lot of issues

    • Participants agreed that the minimap did not support navigation

    • Some also said that it made navigation too easy

    • Others said it also interfered with the exploration and immersion that is characteristic of open-world games

  • In general, participants were unaware of other features that could have helped

  • Those with poor memory/navigation skills, or focused on quest completion and collecting in-game rewards would still benefit from some type of navigation support

Users suggested...

  • Either upgrade the main map, or create a new map (that combines the best features of the main- and minimap)

  • Promote the charmed compass as a navigation aid for within the castle

  • Include the four-point spell (from Harry Potter) at a later point in the game for navigation outside the castle

  • Show users how to modify their game experience

NEXT STEPS:

  • Devise features/modifications to address users' needs

  • Categorise these fixes in terms of feasibility, time investment, and potential impact on user experience

  • Select and implement fix(es) and test with real gamers

Users seemed to differ in terms of...

  • Experience level

  • Motivation: quest completion vs. exploration

  • Motivation: challenge vs. having fun

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All of these (and more) appear to factor into navigation preferences. 

NEXT STEP: Identify and develop user personas

Reflections

Secondary data, such as anonymous user comments on online forums can be surprisingly insightful, especially when lacking resources to conduct full-blown studies​.

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Despite this, it will be necessary to conduct usability testing with real users in the next stage - secondary data can only get you so far.

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There is something to be said about collecting primary data from users - you have more control over what you want to get out of it.

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There is the problem that people who post online usually do because they have a complaint - this means we don't hear from the people for whom navigation was a non-issue.

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I would've liked to develop a solid strategy for acquiring secondary data - this would've resulted in much more comprehensive data.

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