Artun

Post-mortem for Final Project

Originially our game was something completely different in the beginning as we started off with rotatable game boards. There were 3 holes on each board that revealed a secret combo everytime the board was rotated by a player. We liked the idea and spend a quite a bit of a time trying to figure out how to incorporate that into a game but we just couldn’t. It was not a very flexible card board. So we decided to use it’s squares and halls as a starting point and decided our game was going to be a race to the finish.

5 goals that went off without a hinch 

-race to the finish

-integration of the rocks, we thought alot about it but in the end we simply used them to block and placed them randomly. It’s an improtant part of the game play.

-We wanted to make it a race to the finish and the layout of the board was very useful in that as it had had three different levels. We’d not be able to do this if it was a smaller or a single board.

Goals that failed

- We originally wanted only two players racing and tackling each other by dropping rocks but it’d be too chaotic so we decided not to go with that

Yup that’s pretty much it. It was a really fun class and I’m probably going to be taking your next class too. 

Blog #4 Today I Shone

I did. Even though the music was pretty irritating, I got through the game without looking at the hints. I thought it was pretty engaging, it didn’t take me long to figure out how to play it and I was curious to see what would happen next and kept on unlocking things. I really enjoyed it. 

I think the use of contrasting words really helped it stand out from the crowd. And also the poetic style really helped out.

Other designers have problems with the game not having any failure state, where in fact Corvus agrues that a game doesn’t need to have a risk of failure in order for it to be good. I disagree. No, actually now I rethought it, I agree. I was going to say ‘Well then you’d have to write new poems and storylines every few weeks” but that’s basically what games are usually about when there’s no losing factor to them, you just follow the storyline as it progresses and when there’s no more story to tell, you just go hop on a bus and go ape poo (what?) on civilians ( I play too much GTA ) 

I think it’s still a gray area, because I am now reconsidering my answer because killing civilians is really fun. 

Two main mechanics would be it’s verbal poetriness and it’s encouragement to the player to explore. 

If we applied this technique to our games, the problem I see arising is me never getting my diploma, or get an incomplete from this class. 

Postmortem Blog Assignment #4

It took me a little while getting caught up with the game concept first because I had never played the game before and I missed the first class of the quarter. But one of the main problems we faced was figuring out how to apply an effective physicalness to the game other than throwing cards in to a box. The idea was to get the cards in to the box and trying to stay in the game as long as possible. It was an original idea but wasn’t really practical since at our first test play of the game lasted way shorter than what we expected because no one was able to make it in the box and each round someone got eliminated. The problem was the box and the weird strategy or the lack of thereof. 

So we decided to get rid of the box and replace it with a rectangular area on the table and whoever landed their cards on the opponents area, which we called the hitbox, would cause damage or would be able to use their special cards. 

We were required to make use of every card in the game in one way or another and that’s when we faced other problems; we had way too many cards now and it kind of seemed like it was going to interfere with the game flow like how too many magical powers can ruin an otherwise awesome game experience. After an hour or two’s pondering we came up with a system that was rather strategic; we kept all the main and necessary special cards in the game play while replacing the extras for marking the collection territory of the special cards, this way, we didn’t have to illustrate it and made use of every card in the game successfully. 

After that was all downhill, backstory, layout of the game and actual production and the game play both of which went pretty smooth. 

The Fiddly Bits - Blog Assignment #3

Our game has pretty simple mechanics (rules) to it. You draw a card, play a card, and well, throw a card. Our game bits would be cards (each has a number and a role and a total of 21 hits to the enemy wins you the game.)

Game state, being every information that the game has at any given time, is limited to the players, as they cannot see what the enemy has in their hand or what is in each teams’ deck. 

Making it clearer would interfere with the game flow so I don’t think it would be a practical thing to do as the hidden cards make up the strategy and luck perspectives to the game. For example, there are combo cards in the game that can block, heal or reflect the damage that is or can be done by the enemy, and players can choose to play it or keep it for the next round, which adds up to the game play drastically. 

Setup:

Each team has their own deck and each player is dealt a certain number of cards. They can only play and see their own and their allies’ hands. We have an area on which the thrown cards should land in order for the cards to take effect. 

Victory:

21 hits to the enemy wins you the game.

Progression:

It is a turn based RPG game. Rock,Paper,Scissors determines who goes first. Players throw cards and try to land it on the opponents hit box.

Game View:

Players will see their allies’ cards, their own damage received cards, special cards, as well as the opponent’s damage and special cards. 

Dynamic would be a race to the end, as both teams are trying to reach a fixed number before the other team. 

Goal is to make it to 21 points before the other team, or get out of their location alive taking the storlyline into perspective.

Theme is about getting out of the unfortunate trap alive before getting killed, even if it means the demise of their best friends. Survival instinct and anger fueled by betrayal. Heck,It could even make a better movie than Hollywood flicks. 

Yes.

Blog Assignment #2

• Which of the listed cores does your game most easily fit? Explain which and in what way. (it’s okay if it’s more that one).

Out of the listed cores in the text, our game fits best into the “Survival” category. Considering the point of the game, which is to be the last one standing alive, with enough cards in hand, it suits best into this category. 

• Which is your game least like? Again, which and in what way.

Trading, in my opinion, is what our game is least like. There is no kinds of negotiation between the players, nor is there any interaction other than the sheer will to beat one another; the goal is to survive in anyway possible.

• How could you, with changing at the most 2 rules, convert your current core into it’s direct opposite?

One of the teams could use the reflection card as a trade card and the opponent would have to give up the highest card they have to the other team. Another way of doing this could be just using the block card as a trading card for the team that is attacking, and they could either block the last hit they received or get to pick any card from the opponents “Health Gained’ place holders. 

• How do you think that would affect play? Take us through a few fictitious rounds.

I think if we did alter it the way I just described it would change the mood of the game, it would be much more of a strategy game than it already is. But the only problem with this is that it would be too complicated to play and the players might be overwhelmed with the quantity of the rules. 

• Which of these core structures is generally your favorite?

Our latest version we came up with today is my favorite so far.