Game Prototype – Academic Integrity

This was my first prototype for class! I wanted to challenge the use of AI and how Media Art students viewed it. As a simple fill-in-the-blanks game, it made players attempt to identify what was and wasn’t AI! For more information, read below!

Rules:

AI Cards: (different art styles were used to confuse players!)

Topic Cards:

The Answer Key: (No Peaking!)

This game was incredibly difficult to make, with having to hand sort through Adobe Firefly and the various versions of the prompts it created for me. It was also a challenge to source artists who were not AI on Adobe Stock!

Game Prototype – A Box for my Trinkets

I have SO MANY Trinkets. I know many others can agree that cute little trinkets are so fun to collect and display! But, I need a box for them! In this game, players have two cards they pull from the start, a special trinket card, that gives the player a specific description of a trinket they must find or receive to win, as well as a Trinket Types card that gives a loose description of the types of trinkets they have to collect to win! Players must fulfill both cards to win the game! Read more below for more information!

Though the original rule set has been lost in my process of moving, I will do my best to recreate what the rules were.

RULES:

1.) Each Player will grab on “box” (2-4 players) and place the box in front of them. These boxes are meant to be for the players eyes only!

2.) A large bag full of trinkets will be in the middle of the play area, and two stacks of cards, one red and one blue will be alongside the bag.

3.) Starting with the oldest player, they will grab one red and one blue card from their respective piles. Reading them silently and keeping the content of the cards secret until the end of the game.

4.) The oldest player will then grab ONE trinket without looking. Being careful to keep the trinket hidden and place it into a slot in their box. The player whose turn it is after the oldest starts the game can decide to grab a trinket from the bag or take the trinket of the player who just took a turn. This rule applies to all players after this.

5.) This cycle continues until someone fulfills their card’s requirements, at this time, the player who believes they have correctly fulfilled the card will show the card to the other players who decide if that player wins or not. If the player wins, the game is over. If the player doesn’t win, the game continues, and that player must choose one new card to replace either the red or the blue card.

Example of what the prototype boxes looked like: (I forgot these when I originally prototyped the game in class, so players had to use cups)

These were the red and blue cards:

Inside my bag of trinkets used during playtesting:

Though this game was fun to make and playtest and everyone enjoyed it. It is more of a collectors game and has many small sensitive parts to the game pieces. Professor Ames did say I could make a concept of a really nice set of boxes to come with the game, and make players provide their trinkets and topic cards but playtesting in a classroom with just four boxes and blank cards isn’t much to test. I do not believe this game will return for Game Design 2. 🙁 But I loved making it!

Game Prototype – Stick with the Flock (Returning from 4D!)

Stick with the Flock is a game I created in 4D last semester! it is loosely based on the card game, “heard mentality” except players are meant to focus on learning about other players and maintaining their flock of cute little ducklings. But it has a twist! players can become a “Stubborn Swan” and play the game backwards! Read more below for details!

RULES: (I actually revised it on 12/10/24)

Game Pieces:

Game Pieces in more detail: (Considering this was my final version for 4D I made it fancy!)

Detail on Question Cards:

I think doing a final version of this game I was really proud of from 4D, and applying what I have learned and experienced can really help it feel put together! I do plan to have this game make a comeback, as players did not get to try this final version in class!

Sorry I forgot to post this but this is our thoughts we wrote down for the Skater Skirmish Prototypes 1-4

The rules and mechanics we really did not have to change at all because it was perfect. The only thing we decided to change was the board itself. We obviously had a few ideas that we could incorporate but it made the game a little bit too complicated. The biggest debate was to either make the player have attempts or a time base system to do their tricks each turn. The time one gave way to many chances to do it, while the attempts forced the game to be more competitive. We did however decide to remove a rule which I don’t I don’t remember the name of. The point of it is that if you successfully complete a trick you can continue to go up the ladder until you complete a difficulty card from every color. The player then gets bonus points from doing it. We had to remove it because an experienced player could win the game within one round. Regardless I’m happy how everything turned out though.

My best game

I would have loved to continue with my game because it was fun and enjoyable to make. The only problem though is that there were more cons than pros. Regardless of it being fun, my friends and family found way too many loopholes throughout the game. Unfortunately decided to scrap the game and go a different route for my final. Me and my group mates decided to make a finger board game that involves a point system for completing tricks. I honestly thought it was a very unique idea that I have not seen before. We all agreed immediately that we would do this for our final. It turned out great in my opinion. We want to potentially make a sequel somehow next semester maybe regarding certain signature tricks that involve specific skaters. Big one being Tony Hawk obviously. I loved the game I made but this game was by far the best one for all of us.

Gallery Grippers

I like that you have the option to play in a group or solo. Only heist game I’ve seen out in general that I actually like. I’ve seen games like this at stores and it just doesn’t look interesting. However in this case I feel like it is done very well and again I like that you can play it solo as well. Some of the other games I’ve seen or played you can’t get strikes or caught. In this case you can. You can get caught and lose your money. I’m excited to see how the final board will turn out after laser cutting it. 

Manor of the Dammed

I think it’s really cool that every game is different, with the time and building the board itself. I think it’s really thought out and put together very well. Not sure why but it makes me think of D and D a little bit, which is not a bad thing. 

Toss Salad

I like the idea of using action cards to get the ingredients to make a salad. I agree though with the action cards, I feel like people mainly focused on the chaos versus the actual point of the game. Regardless though I like how everything came out, especially the design of the cards. 

Court of Champions

I like that it’s a trivia game based on one subject. The improvements made from the original prototype to the new board is very good. It’s cool that you put in the time to 3D print everything instead of buying them online. 

Garden Glory

I like the point system. Love the design of the cards, it’s very simple but clean. Want to see how the new greenhouse spaces work. I love how she took notes from photosynthesis and applied it to her own. 

Anansi Web of tricks Third Playtest: Final Observations and Adjustments

Third Playtest: Final Observations and Adjustments

Feedback:

The third playtest demonstrated the near-final state of Anansi’s Web of Tricks, showcasing its refined mechanics and balanced gameplay. The reception was overwhelmingly positive, with only a few minor insights to consider:

1. Dynamic Interaction:

• Players praised the high level of interaction throughout the game. Mischief Cards and character abilities encouraged strategic thinking and constant engagement between players.

• The combination of sabotage, strategic defense, and adaptability made every round unpredictable and exciting.

2. Replayability:

• Testers highlighted the game’s replay value due to the variety of character abilities and Mischief Card effects. No two games felt alike, which encouraged players to experiment with different strategies across multiple sessions.

3. Balanced Abilities:

• Adjustments made during the second playtest to balance character abilities were well-received. Players felt that no single character was overpowered and that every ability had clear strengths and weaknesses.

• For example:

Anansi’s card swap was impactful without feeling unfair due to its once-per-round limitation.

Fari the Hyena’s laugh mechanic now provided a consistent and enjoyable disruption to opponents, adding humor to the gameplay.

4. Reduced Downtime:

• The streamlined Mischief Card rules significantly reduced delays during play. Targeted effects (e.g., Steal or Wild Distractions) resolved quickly, allowing the game to maintain a steady pace.

Notes from Testing Across Age Groups:

1. Learning Curve:

• Younger players (ages 10-15) adapted quickly to the mechanics, especially the use of character abilities. The thematic connection between characters and their powers resonated strongly with this group.

• Older players (ages 25+) took longer to grasp the concept of character abilities, often defaulting to playing Number Cards or Mischief Cards during their first few rounds. However, after 1-2 games, this group also began to incorporate abilities into their strategies effectively.

2. Time to Learn:

• On average, it took 2 games for individuals to fully understand the interplay between card types, Mischief effects, and character abilities. Afterward, players found the game intuitive and engaging.

3. Group Dynamics:

• Testers noted that the game excelled in creating lively, competitive group dynamics. The mix of strategy and chaos kept all players invested, even when they weren’t in the lead.

Evelyn: Tasty Travel Review

Overall, unique and interesting concept that is easy to understand. Here is some feedback to consider:

Something I would change about this game would be the path. Consider theming– latitude/longitude lines? Airplane flight paths? Also maybe bigger path with more stops? Maybe cooking tiles? Also, if you start in certain locations, you have a significant advantage

In general, we got in a pickle with ingredient possession. How do you reset? Cooking Pot? Ingredient limit in the hand?

Side quests/Objectives? Like in ticket to ride, having other objective cards that have point assignments. With the cards, consider matching the ingredient illustrations on the recipe cards

Vary the point value for the recipes.

I love the idea of a market.

Review on Zoomies (Beck)

What was the most fruatrating moment or aspect of what you just played? The game wasn’t frustrating a all.

What was your favorite moment or aspect of what you just played? I love that each of the cats habe their own capabilites.

Was there anything you wanted to do that you couldn’t? I know Beck mentioned building an actual thing for the cats to climb up on, I would love to see that.

If you has a magic wand to wave, and you could change, add, or remove anything from the experience, what would it be? I would add more aspects that you can do when you roll an odd number other than just get a treat.

What should be improved with the next version? There needs to be more variety in the cards.

Descibe the game in 3 words?  Fun, risky, creative

Garden Sabtoge Review (Amber)

What was the most fruatrating moment or aspect of what you just played? The most frustring part was when we knew we were doing something wrong at first but we couldn’t figure out how exactly the game was to be played

What was your favorite moment or aspect of what you just played? I loved the ending and how the person who completes 5 objectives doesn’t necessarily win. You have to count each of your points on your onjective card at the of the game, person with the most points wins.

Was there anything you wanted to do that you couldn’t? I dont belive so.

If you has a magic wand to wave, and you could change, add, or remove anything from the experience, what would it be? I would love the Pestide to be something physical or like a card that you have to get, cause right now it’s too easy to remove the bad bugs.

What should be improved with the next version? There should be some form of reminder card as to what your three actions can be per turn.

Descibe the game in 3 words? Fun, adorable, creative