Class Time

During class we discussed the mechanics of the game. The hardest part of the day came from the actual strategy. We wanted to make sure everyone in the game was not just going into random storage units and hoping they get what they wanted (which was how it was originally done). However, we decided to have stages or levels of difficulty or chance. The higher numbered storage units would have more items, which gives you a higher chance of getting something you really want (you have a list of items that you can get [if you do not get it you will not be penalized]). We also determined a list of high, medium, and easy pointed items, as well as character cards that show what those specific characters need. With the character cards we made sure to include items that other characters need as well to make the game more competitive. At the end of class, we all decided on who does what (Matt would do the cards, I would do the game board, Amanda and Jess would do the action cards). 

We also ran into a problem when it came to player income (which we determined would be used to move to each different unit). However, we did have a suggestion that suggested that any player could bid on any unit (given they have enough money). Our group also determined that we should have a trade bin where players can dump cards and pick through what is in that bin. Additionally, we were trying to come up with action cards where players can trade with each other if they wanted to (further mechanics will be discussed). 

Continuing our game

This week we made some compelling improvements to our game. We added something to our game in order to make it more interactive. We feel that interactive games are more exciting and compelling for participants. Therefore we decided to add the option of all participants being able to bid on a "unit". One aspect that we are still struggling to decide on is how are participants able to sufficiently gain clues on what items are in each unit. So far the ways to develop clues on what is in each unit are to either land on the unit first or to discover clues through picking up action cards. One thing I suggested was to segment each group of units through regions instead of by risk and reward. My teammate Jess and I bickered over this topic, however decided that our solution to this problem would be done through play testing. Another aspect we added to the game was each participant would start out with a character card, the character card helps a player determine what items will help them gain more points. We still are struggling to find what way would be best to end the game. As of right now it will be when a player reaches a certain amount of points, but that is subject to change through play testing. One thing I am excited about is that the more comfortable our group becomes with each other, the easier it is to brain storm. I look forward to continue to develop the game Bidding Wars with my group!

A New Start

     This week in class students gave a brief oral presentation of the board game they created, and each person voted based on which game they believed they would enjoy working on most. There were plenty of great games to choose from, and everyone seemed eager to begin working on a new game with a fresh set of ideas. After hearing everyone's proposals and writing down our top three, we had to wait to find out which we were assigned to. Finally we were told which games we would be working on, and it seemed like most students were happy with where they ended up.
     Moments later we met with out new group members, and took a few minutes to introduce ourselves to one another. The game we had all been assigned, Bidding Wars, was created by our group member Matt, so he took a few minutes to go into greater detail about the game and some other thoughts and ideas he had been developing. He also suggested that it would be helpful for everyone to read his actual proposal, so he will be sending that to all of the group members as well. We exchanged emails and phone numbers with one another to be sure proper contact can be made between the group, and every member is excited and ready to work!

The Final Product

          After all the time and effort we put into creating our best game, it was coming down to perfecting a few of the final touches. Francis and Amanda L. had done an amazing job touching up our game cards, and emailed them to me and Ahmed so that we could bring everything to be laminated. We went on Sunday October 13th, to be sure we allowed enough time for everything to be finished by Thursday. I drove Ahmed and myself to FedEx (Kinkos) and everything we needed was on Ahmed's USB. When we began explaining what we needed to be done, the employees told us that we should put as many cards as possible on one page to save us money, however neither Ahmed or I had photo shop on our computer, so we hit a dilemma. We called Amanda and asked if it would be possible for her to set up each page according to the employee's directions, and she happily did so. The next day when she had finished that she emailed everything to me and Ahmed again and we attempted Kinkos for the second time. Everything went smoothly, for the most part, aside from the shocking price we received. Since we had so many cards that were both fronts and backs, as well as printing and laminating to be done, we had come to a total of $180.00. Unhappily we agreed to the cost, and awaited the call saying everything was complete.
          The next morning I received a call saying there was an issue with our request. The employee had apparently forgot to mention that because our cards needed to be hand cut, it was $1 per card. With a total of 300 cards, I said no way! I argued that the original price of $180.00 was said to have included that request, but the employee claimed that was an error. Later that day I went to pick up the cards, which were still uncut and in full sheets of paper. I brought everything home with me, and after speaking with my group I volunteered to cut out all of the cards myself, and they would handle the game box. In the end, our game came together beautifully, but the work involved was rather tedious. We appreciated all of the feedback and criticism that we received from the professional gamers, and really enjoyed the opportunity to watch others play our final game!!

Finishing Touches

Even though not everyone could make it to the group meeting outside of class this past week, we each came prepared to class with what we had assigned each other. We had a complete rough draft version of Grimoire ready for the class to play test. Because only Francis stayed at our table to as questions to the student play testers, the rest of my group and I did not get to see how our game played. Luckily at the end of class, we got to meet up and discuss what Francis had observed all class. Sadly, we still had a lot of problems to fix. The game was still moving too slowly, so we decided to lower the cost of challenge cards. Also, we had added some lower cost spell cards which we thought would come in handy at the beginning of the game, but as it turned out, no one wanted to waste their time on them. Another huge item on our list of things to do is to perfect the physical appearance of the cards before next class.

We split up the workload as evenly as possible. We put Francis in charge of designing the character pictures and also coming up with quotes for the cards. Once he finished that, he sent me the designs and I created the cards in photoshop. I recently emailed the finished cards to Ahmed and Amanda A. who will be driving to go get them laminated. Also, one of them is going to be in charge of creating the game box. Hopefully everything goes well with laminating and we have a finished game by Thursday's class.

Pushing Through the Snags

     We went home after class last week with a ton to think about. Our game's core mechanics worked well enough, but we found there were a few fundamental issues with the game's cards that hampered enjoyment. They weren't major issues, and for the most part, they only affected the early game. While mid to late, it started to pick up and became more enjoyable, no one was really liking just how slow paced the start was, and so we went home thinking of ways to pick up the pace, such as maybe lowering the cost of Tier Three Time or adding a few more low cost spells so people can buy cheap and attack earlier on. We resolved to think of more issues and possible answers to them during our next meeting, giving ourselves time away from it to recharge and just think about it on our own time.

     Skip ahead a few days to the day we scheduled the team meeting and we get a text from a group mate. Regrettably, a family emergency has rendered her unavailable to join the meeting today. My first thought, however, wasn't on the project, but on her. What's going on? Is she ok? Thoughts like that whirled around my head when another text comes in. One of worry over what has happened. It got me thinking, we only knew each other for about three and a half weeks or so, yet already our first thoughts were more about each other rather than just the project. It helped me see just how close-knit we became in such a short time as we worked tirelessly on the game. Occasionally, we would butt heads or joke around, but we really did care for each other. By the end of the meeting, we accomplished our set goals for the day, handed out our individual assignments, and sent our team meeting notes to our missing friend. In the end, we all had our part to play, but if there were any missteps along the way, we'll pull each other through, as a team should. As friends should.

As we progressively move through the curriculum of our class out group flow and work have improved. Our game design and platform continue to evolve and experience modifications which each class and meeting of our group ideas. In the last class after solidifying the ideas if the core mechanics of our deck building game Grimoire we begin to look at the essential features and special functions of the game. We have tweeted and passed through the formal stage with some ease and now we collaboratively decide the features of the cards. We unanimously decide the amount of cards needed for each category of our game(10 spell cards, 60 time cards etc,). It became clear to us the direction of design for our cards that we were willing to take based on the previous cards we hae design each on out own and brought to class. After careful thought we motioned to meet again during the week to finally out our creative card ideas on paper for the initial game test next class and on behalf of my group we are excited to see the results!!!