Author: mahst125

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Part 4 Questions – Madison Hurst

  • Question Set 1
    • What is the difference between a “working” and a “display” prototype?
  • – The difference between working and display prototype is working is for playtesters or potential publishers to play. Meanwhile display is when the game pieces are fully finished and only intended for distributors and chain buyers. Both meaning is a prototype that is advance copy of that game.

  • What is required of a working prototype, and what might cause one to fail?
  • – The working prototype needs to be clear and playable. Many publishers don’t worry about the aesthetic appeal of the game during a prototype. Game maker must update other components of his game if he makes alterations to other aspects of it. Do not send untested playing cards. Sometimes having no illustration or design on the playtest cards is better because it leaves it up to the players imagination when in working prototype. Making sure all the rules makes sense and do not add any extra handwritten notes. Makes it hard to read and ruins the game. The passage discusses that prototype must include everything in order to play the game, not include anything that hasn’t been tested prior, focus on gameplay, and must be legible.

  • What makes for a good prototype according to Dale Yu?
  • – Dale Yu explains that overall appearance of a game is crucial because if it is clean and well made then it demonstrates that a lot of time has been spent on this project. Making sure that everything is organized and looks put together is very important. Yu talks about having different baggies for game pieces and a card sleeve so your cards are not everywhere. The rules MUST be eligible. You have to put yourself in players shoes when writing the rules so because this is their first time reading the instructions for this game. Makes sure you are adding any extra rules or clarifications just in case the players are struggling to understand.

  • What advice from Richard Levy will help you pitch your game?
  • – Some advice that Richard Levy said will help with pitching my game is making sure your are prepared. Meaning, do your homework on the company you are pitching to, and understand the market. In your pitch, you are selling you and your game. First impressions are crucial and can mean everything if you can get the buyer to like you. Switch your mindset on rejection. Many games that have been rejected, have been reworked and became a successful game. Have a healthy ego, this can kill your chances of your game working. Sometimes ego can be the reason your game got rejected. Sell your game when buyers are interested, if they don’t seem to care and not attentive then it’s not going to work more than likely. Submit your prototype to multiple companies.

  • Where might you pitch your game?-
  • I might pitch my game to new game companies but as I become more well know I want to aim to pitch to Cardinal Games, Mattel, Hasbro, Magnetic Poetry, INC. etc.

  • What do publishers look for in a game?
  • – Publishers look for game makers that truly care about their work and want to be professional. You must prove that you are willing to follow instructions, and meet deadlines. They look for your proposal to be neat and organized which means there is no inaccurate information or errors before they throw it into the mail to be looked at. They look for the player interactions, least amount of set up time, cool theme, seeing strategies happen, immersive, solid mechanics and rules, compatiable with other products, good target market, and a really well done title name.

  • What makes a good set of Rules?
  • – What makes a good set of rules is having a overview, components or materials of the game, setup, gameplay or what the player does on their turn, card types, winning/losing, examples of how to play, and credits.

  • Question Set 2
    • Describe the best game you’ve made this semester in 200 words? Follow Michelle Nephew’s advice.
    • – The best game I have made this semester is the Alleyway Pharmacy because I think it could be a really fun and interesting game after some minor tweaks and revisions. The nephew discussed the production of a game and who the game maker collaborates with to ensure that there are no errors or flaws in the game. Moreover, there would be an artist who would come in and create the design layout for the game, determining what would best fit it. I think my game cards in the Alleyway Pharmacy are not just a still of something, but make the player really look at the cards. Many of the cards are double entendres, and an obvious symbolization of that category is. Furthermore, I think some changes that could happen based off of Nephew’s advice is that the design piece must be interactive and understandable. I think my game can be reworked and create a warning advisory at the beginning of the rules saying what the game is and the age range its intended for. I think that would clear up anything the player may see on the cards and be aware that it is for adults. Lastly, Michelle talks about the sketches and print of the cards must be eligible and comprehensible. I think the Alleyway Pharmacy completes that, and my cards are the standard card size for games. 
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The Jammers! rules

The Jammers!

Madison Hurst

Objective

Make the most valuable jam recipes by combining various fruits and spices before the deck runs out!

Materials Needed

  1. Strawberry cards
  2. Blueberry cards
  3. Peach cards
  4. Vanilla spice cards
  5. Mint cards
  6. Basil cards
  7. Ginger cards
  8. Special action cards 
  9. Paper and pencil (to keep track of points)

Setup

  1. Shuffle all the deck of cards 
  2. Deal 5 cards to each player
  3. Place the remaining deck in the center of the table (this will be the draw pile) 
  4. Right next to the draw pile will be the discard pile
  5. The person who was last to eat a piece of fruit recently will go first! (if you can remember the tallest will go)
  6. The turns will go clockwise 

Play overview

  1. A players turn will consist of three phases (draw phase, action phase, and cleanup phase

Turn Order

Draw Phase:

  • Draw 1 card from the draw pile

 Action Phase:

  • Choose one of the following actions:
  1. Combine 1–3 Fruit Cards plus 1 Spice Card to create a Jam Recipe
  • Place the recipe face-up in front of you
  • Score it immediately (you can make only two recipes per turn)
  1. Trade ingredients
  • Trade up to 2 cards with another player
  • Both players must agree to the trade (cannot trade a full ingredient)
  1. Action card
  • Play an action card then discard it 
  1. Complete recipe
  • If you have a Recipe Card and the required combo in hand (e.g., “Blueberry bliss” needs blueberry  + vanilla), you may play it for bonus points.
  • Recipe Cards stay in front of you for final scoring.

Cleanup phase:

  • Discard down to 7 cards if over.
  • End your turn.
  • Play passes clockwise.

Outside your turn:

  • Counter Trade: Offer a trade before another player finalizes theirs (only once per round)
  • Jam Bonus: When someone makes a jam with your favorite fruit, you may reveal the same fruit card from your hand to gain +1 point

End of game or round:

  • A Round ends when all players have taken one turn.
  • The Game ends immediately when the Draw Deck runs out and every player has had the same number of turns.

Then, each player adds up their points from completed recipes and any bonuses.

Recipe Key:

  • Strawberry jam (strawberry + cinnamon) 3 points
  • Blueberry bliss (blueberry +vanilla) 3 points
  • Peach sunrise (peach + ginger) 4 points
  • Mixed berry (strawberry + blueberry + mint) 6 points
  • Perry jam (strawberry + peach + basil) 6 points
  • Tri preserve (strawberry + peach + blueberry + any spice) 10 points 
  • Berry sweet (two fruits + cinnamon) 5 points 
  • Earthy herb (any fruit + basil) 4 points 

Action Cards:

  • Bunny attack: choose a player and they have to discard one fruit
  • Farmers market: draw two cards next turn instead of 1 
  • Fruit poacher: steal 1 random card from another players hand
  • Another man’s trash, is another man’s treasure: swap one fruit from your hand with one from the discard pile
  • Jam Packed: make two recipes this turn if you have the cards for it

Win/Lose

The player with the most total points wins and becomes the Master Preserver.

Tiebreakers:

  1. Most completed recipes
  2. Most spices used overall
  3. If still tied, both share the victory as co JAMMERS!!

How to get bonus points

  • Add one point to your recipe if it includes blueberry in it!
  • Strawberry counts as +2 more points  if you add cinnamon with it

*AI was used to help organize the instructions

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Game Testing – Tokinado

Was it fun?

  • The game was pretty fun, and I enjoyed the design of the game. I thought it was super pretty, and fit the vibe of the game. It was super engaging while not difficult to understand. It was easy to talk to other players and still focus on the game.

What were the player interactions?

  • The player interactions was not being able to be on the same space as another player. Players were going against each other by getting as many points as possible, and having to deal with managing the amount of tokens they had.

How long did it take to learn?

  • The game took about 20 or so minutes to learn. At first, it was a little hard to understand and was a lot to digest since there was a lot of card decks and moving pieces. After we starting to get the game, it became more fluid. Players were making better decisions on their turn as we progressed.

What was the most frustrating moment or aspect of what you just played?

  • The most frustrating part of Tokinado was not being able to collect tokens or coins as easily. I felt that I didn’t completely understand the coin collection rules, and was giving away my tokens and never gaining any.

What was your favorite moment or aspect of what you just played?

  • My favorite moment was being able to move my colored circle piece up on the number spaces. Or having the ability to get to the restaurant stage, and picking out your meal. I really loved the theme of the game as well. I enjoyed how you were backpacking across Japan, and thought the concept was extremely cool.

Was there anything you wanted to do that you couldn’t?

  • I really wanted to add my coin collection, and I couldn’t or didn’t know how to. I was trying to figure out the system of the game, but with the limited time we had it was harder to grasp.

If you had a magic wand to wave, and you could change, add, or remove anything

from the experience, what would it be?

  • I would change how the coin collection would go. Maybe add a feature of coin collection or easier ways to get more coins.

Is this a game you would play again? Yes _____ No ______ Why

  • Yes, I would play this game again. I love the style of the game and the adventure it gives the players. I enjoyed playing the game and I liked the style that the last player or player behind everyone went.

Analyze the game using the 3 act structure.

  • the first act is reading the instructions and understanding the objective of the game. Each player is figuring out what their character does and how their turns work. The second act of the game is when the instructions are figured out and the rhythm of the game is found. In this act, players are thinking out their next moves and intentionally placing their pieces on spaces they think will be beneficial. The third act is when points are being rounded up and players are coming to the end of the board. We did not get to this stage since class ended.

What are the collaborative and or competitive aspects of the game?

  • The collaborative aspect of the game was picking a meal out of the card deck that another player picked up. The competitive side of was managing your coins and choosing spaces that another player may have wanted or getting their first.

What is the game’s metaphor and which of the game’s mechanics standout?

  • The games mechanics is game pieces, the board itself, and card decks. The mechanics helped players figure out where to go and what to do. For instance, whatever you landed on had a certain color which decided what deck to choose from. The games’ metaphor was

Describe the game in 3 sentences or in the form of a haiku.

  • Travelers hiking
  • Sea to Sky to feel alive
  • Japan waits ahead
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Part 3 Question Set

  • Question Set 1
    • what is the difference between a game designer and a game developer? – The difference between a game designer and game developer is the game designer creates the mechanics for the game and figures out rules and development of the game. The designer creates the finished Skelton of the game which is then sent to a game developer who makes the game more marketable. The whole point of a game developer is make the game better. In part 3, they refer to game designer as the author and a game developer as the book editor (game editor to make it better). A game developer has the power to change a designers mechanic if it will lead to the game to be more efficient and fun.
    • what commonly occurs during the game development process?
  • – What commonly occurs in game development process is initial play testing, rules, blind play testing, and titles/theming. In initial play testing the designers main focus to see the game from a “newbie” perspective. They are trying to figure out the major flaws in the game and fix the flow of it. This stage is where the game maker sees how much they can simplify the rules in order to avoid the players having an automatic bad experience with the game. Rules come into play where it helps the mechanics of the game flow better and more comprehensible. They are supposed to be eye catching to the player and make it easy for them to understand the game. The rules are acting as a communicator and a reference for the users. Blind testing is when the game is polished enough for a group of people to pick up the game and be able to fully grasp the game and play it. The maker is taking notes of what needs to be tweaked. Finally, there is titles and theming which is theme that the game is revolved around. For example, Dominion is a deck building game. The game has a story or theme behind it. We talked briefly about my last prototype theme and why its ok to play it (talked about Breaking Bad and the crossing the boarders game).
    • what are the challenges of balancing a game?
    • – The challenges of balancing a game is ensuring that no action is completely unjust or unfair. There must be different ways to combat a negative action and making sure a positive action is too much. For example, adding a time restraint in your game or adding difficult cards in the deck will help with balancing the easier/hard parts of the game. The second challenge is balancing the game with the idea of cost. No card should be unfair or too overpowered. Peterson highlights that the card can be used in the game but must be developed extremely well.
    • what should every player of your game believe? why?
    • – Every player of a game should believe that they are able to win. No player should feel that they don’t have an opportunity to win right off the bat, and if so that’s where there is a problem in the format of the game or in the rules. Peterson highlights that this is VERY important in when designing a game. When a player loses interest in losing then the game is over in their head, and you have no longer engaged this user. Not giving the user an opportunity to feel confident in winning is the moment the game lost its engagement.
    • how can you avoid stealing players fun?
    • – You can avoid stealing players fun by getting players to interact with each other. Peterson believes that the players should be able to choose who the winner is. This gives each player the opportunity to be more engaged in the game and feel more control over how the game ends.
    • what 10 maxims should you follow when writing rules?
    • Use no intermediary terminology: “Call things what it is.” Avoid made up names or labels of people (call people, people or dice, dice).
    • Use real words: make rules easy to understand and they must be consistent throughout the game
    • Make no more work than necessary: don’t overcomplicate the mechanics and rules of the game. Cut out all the rules that make it harder to learn or uneccesscary to learn
    • Add flavor (but not too much): Be aware of how much flavor you can add to your game, and make sure its the right amount (not too much, not too little)
    • Make your text no smarter than your reader: make it easy to read the rules, players are more willing to play a game that is easier than confusing.
    • Discard rules that cannot be written: Remove a rule if it is too complicated or complex to write. You may want to write the rules because you like how it goes with the game, but for the players sake it has to be able to explain.
    • Take a breath: if text is getting complex and long, break it up
    • Go easy on the eyes: rules must be readable
    • Play test your final version: look over your rules in a final playtesting and make sure everything is easy to understand.
    • Fix it in the FAQ: Make clarifications
  • Question Set 2
    • how has play testing changed your game?
    • – Play testing has changed my game because it allowed me to see the speed of the game and come up with different actions or rules to improve the game. Playtesting highlights all of the issues in your game that you didn’t think of when preparing it. So, playing the game and taking notes allows you to make changes to the game so its is better.
    • who from class would you like to play test your next game or version 2 of your first game?
    • – I would like to play test with a different group of people and have one person from the group prior to join and see the alterations of the game. I think having one person from the first testing will allow feedback to me, and see what they liked/disliked in the first testing and the second.
    • who is the audience for your game?
    • – The audience that my game is for is high school and up. I think especially my second prototype game was more rated and not kid friendly. I am aiming to target the audience that is interested in a GTA ish world or enjoy that kind of games.
    • who should play test your game outside of class?
    • – My soccer friends are really excited to play test my games outside of class. They have been constantly asking me to bring it over when I have the time.

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Rules for The Alleyway Pharmacy

Madison Hurst

The AlleyWay Pharmacy

Idea: The Alleyway Pharmacy is a card game in which the players are drug dealers competing against other drug dealers where they have to collect various drugs to resell. The kick to it is, the drug dealers have to make sure whether the drugs they collected are real and not candy. If they are caught using candy (x amount of times) then they will go to jail (lose).

Objective: 

  • Players are rival dealers that are fighting for the same street block. They are competing to make the most profit by reselling drugs while avoiding fake ones (candy). To win, the player must be the first to reach the profit goal ($20,000) or by the last one that didn’t get busted. 

Materials needed:

  • Deck of cards:
  • Drug cards
  • Candy cards
  • Action cards
  • Profit tracker (score pad)
  • Busted disk trackers
  • Rules sheet
  • Your hand for your cards
  • Stash (faced down pile on the table)

Setup:

  • Shuffle cards into one deck which will become the draw pile
  • Each player will draw 3 cards that will be their starting hand 
  • Give each player 3 busted tokens
  • Have a space for the discard pile
  • Discuss what the profit goal will be for this game (default is $20,000)
  • The tallest player will go first

Insight:

  • Hand: these are the cards you can see and choose from (max. Card limit is 5)
  • Stash: cards you placed face down on the table (max card limit is 6)
  • Profit tracker: how much money you are at
  • Busted tokens: track how many times you had a candy drug (3=jail and you lost the game)

Turns:

  • Draw 1 card from the draw pile

You will then move into your action part of your turn:

  • You can choose one action play
  • Options:
  • Play a drug: place 1 card from your hand to you stash pile (face down)
  • Play an action: use it immediately (sneak, inspect, etc)
  • Slip a fake drug (sneak): Put a card from your hand (candy or real drug) to an opponents stash pile (face down) 
  • Pass (take no action)
  • Resell (You can resell if you think you have 3 of the same cards in your stash)
  • If you have all 3 of the same drug, then you will earn a profit based on the value of the drug type. After, you have collected your points you will discard this set

1 Candy drug:

If you have a 1 candy drug  in your stash during RESELL, then your resell fails (even if you have 3 of the same drug) and the player will take a penalty. 

Penalty: Lose ½ of the profit or discard 1 random hand card

  • Discard the candy card after 

2 or more Candy drug:

If the player has 2 or more candy drugs in their stash during resell then resell fails, and collect 1 bust token. Discard all candy cards 

Check hand and stash number:

  • If you have more than 5 cards in your hand, discard extras
  • If you have more the 6 cards in your hand, discard extras

Out of turn options:

Players are able to play an action card during another players turn

  • Inspect: peek at only one card in a players stash
  • Steal: Force a player to reveal one of their stash cards 
  • Snitch: take one random card from an opponent’s hand 
  • Hideout: block a sabotage or inspection against you 

Win/Lose:

  • Be the first person to reach the profit goal
  • Be the last person standing, if the other opponents went to jail
  • Player is out of the game if they received 3 bust tokens

Card Meanings:

  • Inspect: peek at only one card in a players stash
  • Steal: Force a player to reveal one of their stash cards 
  • Snitch: take one random card from an opponent’s hand 
  • Hideout: block a sabotage or inspection against you 
  • Sneak: place 1 card from your hand to an opponent’s stash
  • Swap: trade 1 card from your stash with 1 from an opponent’s stash (face down)

Drug Values:

  • Weed set: $3,000 
  • Pill set: $5,000
  • Coke set: $7,000
  • Heroin set: $10,000
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Carcassonne Game review

Madison Hurst

Was it fun? I felt that Carcassonne was fairly good. I enjoyed the concept of placing the tiles to build a unique and creative map. I liked the simplicity of the mechanics but it was not the most engaging game. It was enjoyable at times but it took a long time to complete and there were lots of moments where not much was occurring.

What were the player interactions? The player interactions were based on chance, whether that was what tile you picked up or how people chose to place their tiles. You can’t really affect other players’ decisions but depending on how you play your tiles and meeples, it can impact how other players might choose to play. 

How long did it take to learn? It didn’t take too long to learn, the rules were very straight forward as well as the point system. 

What was the most frustrating moment or aspect of what you just played? I would say that the most frustrating part of the game was the length and scale. The winner was whoever had the most amount of points after all the tiles were played. This took up lots of space and time. Also the pieces were very easy to knock out of place, which could cause confusion because the flow of roads and buildings mattered. 

What was your favorite moment or aspect of what you just played? My favorite aspect of the game was that it was a simple game. There were set rules for how to play and how to keep score. There were a lot of moving parts but the simplicity made it easy to follow. 

Was there anything you wanted to do that you couldn’t? I wish that you could complete different structures without having to have all sides match. This would have a new strategy to the game because you could sabotage what other people are trying to create and how they have placed their meeples.

If you had a magic wand to wave, and you could change, add, or remove anything

from the experience, what would it be? I would add the ability to complete a structure or road without needing to match all sides. 

Is this a game you would play again? No, because in the long run it was not a very engaging game. There were fun parts of it but over all across the whole game there was not a lot that kept us players fully focused on the game. It was easy and flowed but not an entertaining pace. In the pandemic it was hard to learn but every turn there was something different that could throw players off or help us get closer to winning. 

Analyze the game using the 3 act structure. In the first act of the game we are just setting up the game and board, there were not many tiles on the table or points being scored. Just players setting up different avenues for where they might be able to gain points in the future. Players are also learning how to place their tiles and meeples to build connections and earn points. 

In the second act of the game players are creating more strategy when it comes in as players start to expand their tiles and start to earn points. The board is growing and more meeples are placed to hopefully gain points in the future. Players are more specific about where they are placing their tiles to help benefit themselves. 

In the third act players are incorporating farming and adding up their points. The board has become quite large with many different complete roads, monasteries, and castles. At the very end all tiles should have been played. 

What are the collaborative and or competitive aspects of the game? Carcassonne has a lot of competitive aspects but not many collaborative ones. The competitiveness comes from the players fighting to score the most points and “out meeple” other players to restrict them from gaining points. There is a little bit of collaboration between players because a player’s action can influence where someone else places their next tile.

What is the game’s metaphor and which of the game’s mechanics stand out? The game’s metaphor is about shaping and claiming the landscape. As if you are watching a countryside develop piece by piece. A mechanic that stood out to me was how unfinished tiles like half built roads and cities can still influence the game. This created different routes of strategy choosing between getting guaranteed points or to keep building for more points in the future.