Category: Uncategorized

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Post thoughts on Calvin Ball

I have never read Calvin and Hobbes. When I say that, people often think less of me. It’s a comic strip from, like, twenty years ago. 

Any way. I can’t imagine the inventor of Calvin and Hobbes knew that Robert Morris University would offer a Game Design Studio class – let alone two iterations of it. That being said, a game like Calvin Ball is a perfectly approachable way of asking the hard-to-approach question of “What’s a rule, really?”

I don’t think this game is a game to be played more than once. I know that’s part of the “rules”. But even in practice, one game of Calvin Ball is enough to remind you of any established game that you could play to pass whatever time you were passing by playing Calvin Ball.

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Thoughts on McDonalds Game & Monopoly

I personally really enjoyed the mcdonalds game. I like that it is fast paced and over-simplified in terms of running a business. I found it was really easy to be successful because I have played a lot of resource management games in the past. But overall it was a good satirical game and I think it got it’s point across effectively.

Monopoly was another story; I don’t like Monopoly in the first place, but it was a fun twist to have conditional rules that were different for everyone playing. It didn’t really have any specific purpose, aside from a social commentary of how marginalized groups could feel in the economy. So overall I would say that the added rules made Monopoly more fun, but not that much. lol

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Guide To Game Design: Part 4 Questions

  1. What is the difference between a working and display prototype?

Working Prototypes are mechanically functional, designed for use by play testers to get the game’s mechanics refined and prepared for the final version.

Display Prototypes are more polished, finished versions of the prototype designed to give an idea of what the finished product might look like.

  • A good working prototype needs to be as mechanically complete as possible. This means that it needs to be able to test anything that is an intrinsic mechanic of the game accurately. If A working prototype for a card game uses cards that represent 3/5 of the main mechanics that will be introduced, then the remaining 2 won’t be adequately tested. Working prototypes should also be easy to iterate quickly, so that any changes can be made and re tested without too much extra work on the part of the developer.

2. What makes for a good prototype according to dale Yu?

Strong first impressions are a good way to get players interested in your game. Additionally, make sure that the rules are concise and the mechanics are as well balanced as you can get them. When players are testing a game, they don’t want it to feel bad, even if they don’t particularly like the game. If it does, it’s an indication that perhaps the rules or mechanics haven’t been implemented correctly. The construction of the game should make a lasting impression, so that when your playtesters finish, they can look back on the game fondly and tell others about the experience.

3. What advice from Richard Levy will help you Pitch your game?

The most important thing is to be prepared to talk about everything. You may be blindsided by a question you weren’t expecting or that you hadn’t considered, so it is important to practice and to know what you are talking about without a reference.

Talk to others in the industry if you can so that you can gain more information about what to expect.

Look and act presentably. You are selling yourself, not just your product.

Make sure to accept failure with grace. Just because you were told no now, that doesnt mean that you wont be given another chance later on.

Make sure you control your emotions. Not everyone is good at giving criticism, just as not many are good at receiving it, so it is important to be prepared to accept many forms of critique.

Keep your expectations realistic. Pitching a game is tough, and you’re likely to have some competition, so remember that you can always try again and you can always try somewhere else.

Submit multiple ideas

Be wary of who you go to for advertising. If you do, check them out to make sure they’re reputable

Get your prototype as close to the final product as you can.

3a.Where might you pitch your game?

As a TTRPG, my game is dominated by the dungeons and dragons trademark. I would potentially do well going to one of Wizard’s of the coast’s competitors, like games workshop, or perhaps an underdog, like Schell games in Pittsburgh, who may want to break into a new market. The late summer or late spring would be good times to pitch these projects as this is when players are soon to be more free to engage with the product due to Christmas or summer vacation.

4. What do Publishers Look for in a game?

Fun, Player interaction, How quickly the game can be set up and played, Strategy, Themes and Immersion, Solid Rules, Well developed mechanics, Innovative components, Easily Manufactured components, the correct target market, a good title, the ability to make expansions, translations, ease of demonstration, and possibly collectibility.

4a. What makes a good set of rules?

A good set of rules should include some of, if not all of, the following:

Overview: A hook for your players

Components: A description of the things needed

Setup: Describe how to set up the game

Gameplay: Define how a turn will progress and how the game can be moved forward

Piece types: Describe how the pieces of your game behave and what they do

Endgame and Winning: How does the game end? How do you win?

Example: It’s a good idea to have examples of play in the rules to make them easier to understand

Credits: You should make sure to give the names of those who worked on the game somewhere

5.

Soul is a TTRPG set in a cyber-fantasy world. Players create their characters, gather their gear from an assortment of technologically advanced weapons and armor, and set out across earth to explore the world and discover the secrets that await.

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I’m Cookin’ Rule Book

Objective

The objective of I’m Cookin’ is to finish cooking a three course meal before your friends do so that you can host dinner. Do this by gathering all the ingredients you need for your meals and “cooking” the recipes once you have all the ingredients.

Required Materials

  • Recipe Cards
  • Ingredient Cards
  • Pantry Sheet
  • Refrigerator/Freezer Sheet

Setup

Start by shuffling all of the recipe and ingredient cards and placing them face down on the table. Next separate the recipe cards by the course number on the back, shuffle and place each number into it’s own separate pile. Next each player will get a refrigerator and pantry sheet to keep track of the ingredients they would like to keep.

Pantry sheets hold 5 ingredients that do not need refrigerated and refrigerator sheets hold 5 ingredients that either need refrigerated or frozen. Where the ingredient goes is indicated on the card. Sometimes, there are “flex” card that can go either place.

Flip face up the first recipe cards from the top of each course deck and place them in front of their respective decks.

Next deal each player 3 random ingredient cards, and keep these in your hand.

The player who has most recently done dishes goes first.

Playing the Game

On your turn you may perform 3 actions as elaborated below.

Action 1

When starting your turn you may first choose a recipe from the 3 facing up that you would like to try and cook. If none of the recipes appeal to you, you may pass on choosing a recipe. If you choose a recipe, you are the only player allowed to cook that food. If you pick a recipe be sure to replace it with a new recipe card face up from the pile.

If you do not want to pick a recipe you may place food in your pantry/refrigerator from your hand. The order in which you place your food in the pantry doesn’t matter. You also don’t have to place food in your pantry HOWEVER the max hand size is 3, so that also means you can’t draw any new cards before your next action.

Action 2

After deciding which food to keep, draw ingredient cards until you have 3 ingredients in your hand. You may only ever have 3 ingredients in your hand.

You can then ask any players if they would like to trade any ingredients they have for something you have. The ingredient traded must be from your hand and not from your pantry. You may also donate ingredients to players and draw again to have 3 ingredients in your hand.

DONATION RECEIVER: If you decide to receive a donation, you must place that ingredient directly into your pantry/refrigerator. Players must agree to accept the donation.

If no one is interested in a trade or donation, proceed to the third turn action.

Action 3

At the end of your turn you can cook a recipe. You may only cook a recipe that you have already chosen and with ingredients you have placed in your pantry/refrigerator, NOT FROM YOUR HAND.

If you cook a recipe flip the card face down to reveal the course you have completed on the back (ex. “Buffalo Chicken Dip” card back, “Course 1 Appetizer”) and keep that card. Discard the ingredients you used to cook into the discard pile.

Ending the Game

I’m Cookin’ ends when a player has cooked all 3 courses first.

OTHER RULES

Expired Food

You can not over-fill your pantry and fridge. If you want to cook a recipe, but have no room for the final ingredient in your fridge/pantry you must discard a food from the shelf and replace it with the new ingredient. Choose your foods wisely.

Hand Rules

You can only ever have 3 ingredients in your hand at one time, as well as what you have stored in your pantry/fridge.

You can only get rid of ingredient cards through:

  1. Placing them in your pantry/fridge
  2. Trading with a player
  3. Donating to a player
  4. Freeing space in your pantry/fridge by cooking a recipe

The only waste should come from over-filling your pantry or fridge, or by cooking recipes.

If all ingredient cards get used, reshuffle the discard pile.

Cookin’ A Recipe

Cooking a recipe requires the ingredients listed on the card. You may only cook from your pantry/fridge ingredients. You may add extra ingredients to a recipe (in order to empty more of your pantry/fridge), but the majority of the players must agree that they would still eat your meal with the added ingredient.

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Card Games

1. Apples to apples scenario-based game, but with you and your pals fill in the scenarios with inside jokes and familiar settings

2. Solitaire-esque game based on one of those hilarious sorting algorithms that makes the funny sound (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPRA0W1kECg)

It just takes up time, butI like the idea of becoming a logic gate

3. Poker with all 7s and three 8s 

4. A game where you use basic algebra functions to get the closest to another number pulled from the deck

5. Card cut like this:

  ______________

|         |            |         |

|                                |

|______|_______|   

 One hangs from the ceiling and you have to hook them to each other without it collapsing

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Week 4 Games

Dominion – 8/10

I didn’t get to play much of this game. What I did get to play was pretty fun, though. And I can only see it getting funner. That’s rare for this class; a game that gets more fun the longer you play it. I’d love to play through it again with some of the more expensive and destructive cards in play. I think it’s the perfect blend of logic, luck and awesome destructive powers.

Takenoko – 4/10

Not much to like about this game outside of the figurines. I’m not totally sure the guy who made it even tried playing it. Realistically, you could end the game in, like, six turns. I wish I would’ve. I understand games are a product of surplus and leisure and there really isn’t a need for any game ever, but this one definitely doesn’t need to exist.

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Kobold Game Questions pt. 2

  • (1.1) If the game revolves around being the size of a nanometer, I would include a mechanic that lets you change your size. This could be done with a dice roll that determines how many powers of ten you can change your size (up or down). This change in size allows you to access things on the new scales that you need to collect in order to win.
  • (1.2) I am making games that I would play with my friends on game night.
  • (1.3) I have several close friends who would play test a game I make, and several acquaintances that invite me to their game nights that I could probably convince to play test as well.
  • (2.1) Does ‘refer to the rules’ mean at any time you have ever played the game? Or does it mean games where you already know the rules or the rules are intuitive enough to not need them? No one needs to know the rules for simple games like tag or Jenga in order to just play them.
  • (3.1) My gateway game was Set. I played this as a kid and loved it (still love it) so much that I remembered it 15-odd years later when I had my own money to buy games. I enjoy introducing my friends to it because they either get it and love it and want to play again, or they hate it and never want to play again but ‘maybe we could try something else?’.
  • (5) Luck and strategy are integral parts of a game that make it interesting. You have to have some degree of luck to create a possibility for everyone to win. This could be rolling the die, drawing a card, or randomly choosing a character card in Pandemic because you liked the colors, not because you read what each character does. Strategy also makes a game fun. This can be choosing which Jenga bricks to pick so you have the best chance of not knocking the tower over/making it extra hard for your friends, or it could be in actually reading the character cards for Pandemic and choosing the characters you think will help you ‘solve’ the game.
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What Makes a Good Game?

1.) I think every game should have an objective, as well as a captivating experience that engages the users/players. In one of my favorite board games monopoly, it can get very intense and competitive, regardless of who you play with. That is the type of experience I love and enjoy to play in.

2.) As far as board games, I don’t play too many too often to be honest. However, I like to indulge in a lot of video games such as call of duty and rocket league.

3.) You could definitely apply the three act structure to call of duty. The first act or the setup could be the pregame lobby and the interactions before dropping in to the warzone, which could be climax number 1. Then Act 2 or the confrontation could be the fights or confrontations you have with other players throughout the game. And act 3 or the resolution could be the end scene with the word “victory” across the screen, finishing with the airlift out of the warzone with the winning team in the helicopter.

4.) When designing a game, I usually start with a mechanic because it provides structure and clarity for the rest of the creative process.

5.) I don’t really know everyone else too well yet, so I would have to say I’m open to collaborating with anyone.

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Week 1 Reading Questions

What are the goals of Apple’s website? How does Apple’s website address the needs of a user who has just purchased their first MacBook?

The goals of Apple’s website is to sell their products, provide information to the consumer, and to maintain brand identity. They do this through the consistent use of font, color, and big and bright graphics that pull in the viewer. They present their product lineup with almost a “godlike” quality that puts their market above all others.

Apple addresses the needs of new users by providing links to support and ‘Learn More’ sections of the website near the top in the main menu bar or right near the name of the product on the screen, making it easy for anyone to find and navigate.

What are the functional specifications of your preferred social media’s home page? If you are not on social media what are the specs for google?

A functional spec of Instagram would be something along the lines of, “Only show unfollowed accounts to user if attention time, likes, and shares are growing 20% more than an average post.” What this means is that Instagram is using an algorithm in their system to make sure that all the followed content is shown to the user. However, IG wants to show new content to users if they think they will like it. They can use metric data from previous posts on a particular account and compare them to others to see if they should promote the post outside of the followers’ circle.

What are four architectural approaches to information design and organization? Find one example of each.

Hierarchal: Global Links nonprofit website

Matrix: Amazon or Ebay’s product listings

Organic: Wikipedia

Sequential: any checkout section of a commerce website (Best Buy)

What percentage of The Huffington Post index page is navigation, and what percentage is content? What about Google, Wikipedia, and Etsy?

Huff Post has a very index, navigation-heavy page when you land in the website. The only content available are the headlines and photos that go with the article. However, that changes once you decide what you want to read. Google, Wikipedia, and Etsy, however, while being very different kinds of websites, all have very content-heavy pages.

How does http://landor.com guide the readers’ eyes and focus their attention on what is important?

Initially it pulls the user in with the use of yellow as the main color on the page. Making everything one single color pulls the depth out of the photo and directs the eye to the text, which is the first thing they want the users to read and notice. The color is reintroduced after the header has been read and the rest of the browsing experience can begin.

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Thoughts on Interaction Design Chapters 3, 4, and 5

  • Understanding ethnography would give you the opportunity to observe the interactions between a user of a certain nationality or culture and the variances in interaction that another might possess. This would assist greatly in the planning of a banking website’s layout based on language variants of a site. Certain versions might require more or less explanation of features, as well as functions altogether.
  • While the purpose of a design may be reached, like all art, the work is never truly complete. However, often it will be considered, “accomplished,” in a sense once the goal or functional purpose of a design is reached. This is often specified by the interests of the person who commissioned the designer to pursue a goal.
  • As I sit currently, I use a device under the Microsoft branding. More specifically, it’s a laptop. Throughout my life, I have had three others, all running different Windows operating systems. The reason I find myself coming back to this so frequently is because their branding emphasizes affordability, user freedom, and a satisfying interface. Though they avoid the sleek minimalism of an Apple device, they make up for that in the amount of freedom allowed to be pursued with their operating system, as well as the affordability.

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WEEK 6 NEW MEDIA READING QUESTIONS

What information can ethnographic tools give you to improve the interactivity of an online banking website?

  • By using these tools, you can gain insight into the users daily life and how they interact with (in this case) technology. By observing how they navigate other websites and technology, you can determine what areas would be easier or harder for the user to navigate in an online banking website. In addition, by observing their daily life you can determine how important an online banking website would be and whether it would be continually used.

At what point is a design finished? What makes it a success? What is its purpose?

  • The purpose of design is to arrange elements (be it visual or experiential components) to suit a need or function. This means that each design’s purpose changes based on what needs to be accomplished. The design is never finished, rather it usually ends when a purpose is met or lack thereof. This means that there’s always another level or step you can take the design, however there are time constraints, limited money, and limited staff resulting in a design stopping. Whether it is a success or not depends on what the purpose for that design is. You can have the most boring  design, but if it fulfills the purpose then it is a success.

Identify a product family you use regularly (can be anything from technology to consumables except for coffee). How has its branding affected your use, relationship and experience with the product? 

  • A product family I use regularly is apple. Apple is branded as a cohesive creative and prestigious brand and the more I use their products the more critical I become. When you promote things as grand and important as those topics, you have to really make sure that you fulfill those promises. However, the more I use apple the more disappointed I am at its lack of relationship with things outside itself, its need to squeeze every bit of money out of you, and its once prestigious reputation. 
  • In a way its ingenious to prevent communication with other technology brands as it encourages users to buy and equip all apple products. However, considering I’m not rich, I have and use a combination of brands which makes certain components just not work together. Even the smallest things end up becoming a pain, such as the iphone dangle headphone adapter. These things are NOT made to last, resulting in me having to buy a 10-15 dollar new one 2 or 3 times a year (or more). Considering how much of a money powerhouse the company is, it really didn’t seem necessary. Apple used to be seen as the graphic designer’s choice, and was often praised in many ways for being levels above other companies. However as time goes on, other companies are either catching up or outright outpacing apple, providing better and more features than apple. It puts it into perspective when you can not only pay less for other products, but also gain more features, connectability with other brands, as well as many other benefits
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The story of Bang!

Bang! is a social deduction game mixed with elements of resource management (your health) as well as other abilities and weapons you have to keep track of. Bang! immerses the players into its world of a spaghetti western, by the theming of all the actions and cards that you partake in, as well as the characters that you become. All of the actions from the primary means of damage; the bang! card, to other utility cards such as the beer card add to the western world that you become a part of. The greatest element I believe however is the addition of characters and their unique abilities. Not only are there a lot of different characters you can play (adding replayablility to the game), but combined with their abilities the immersion these characters add greatly enhance the game. For example in the one game we played, one of the players was El Gringo. This character conjured a western world in my mind as I inserted each character into my imaginative story. In addition, El Gringo dying at the beginning conveniently played into my expectation of who El Gringo is, and overall it became hard not to become immersed in the world of the game.

The acts of the game were pretty straight forward, however act 2 of the game tended to last the longest with act 3 either lasting equally as long or very short. To start, act 1 would be the beginning of the game as each player grows accustomed to their individual roles and characters they were assigned. Then begins act 2 which would progress until one of the characters, or the sheriff in particular was brought to 1 health. This meant that act 3 could last a long time if the players couldnt finish off the player with one health, or it could last a couple minutes as all it takes is a bang! card to finish someone off. Add in beer which can save you at the last second, as well as miss cards that can save you from dying, act 2 and act 3 are in constant flux and can constantly shift back and forth.

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The Story of Star Fluxx

The game starts pretty innocuously. There are five of us, each with a hand of three cards. There’s a draw pile in the middle, and the rules are simple. Draw a card, then play a card. With the first draw, we begin act one of our tale.

There’s not a lot of difficulty to playing Fluxx. It’s got one main rule: that the rules change depending on the cards at play. The goal of the game is also changed by the cards played. Each player takes a turn laying down cards, changing the game, changing the rules, and as we continue into act 2, things begin to heat up. Cards are exchanging hands, people get ever closer to completing the goal, only to have it ripped away as the goal changes, and still nobody knows when the game will end.

Act three comes almost before anyone even knows it. The end of the game, as eloquently put by Professor Ames, is only really visible to the one who sees victory in sight. At the end of our game, the goal was to get two of three different cards in play. One of those cards was slowly being rotated around the table, and I had the other in my hand. As the turn passed to me, I set the rule that would allow me to win, then played the card that would give me the victory, and after multiple rule changes like draw 4 cards or play 3, the game finally ended.

Star Fluxx is an interesting game where the rules are defined by the players, but even this game can be divided into a beginning, middle, and end, it’s just difficult to see where you are until it’s too late.