WEEK 12 | Ass2 Game Design Progress

The group meet up on Saturday to further tweak the game based on the results of the play test performed by Nathan with his family.  Nathan recorded three play test videos, all of which provided excellent feedback on our game.  We noticed that the play testers came up with some game play that had not even been imagined by the group.  Some of the key things that we noticed were:

• Players chose to gather rations in their immediate area before venturing out further onto the game board, thus conflict was not entered into until well into the game.  This lead to us creating a new rule stating that rations cannot be placed in the vicinity of the players bases. This has now been marked on the prototype.
• it was interesting to see how players used the new 'army men' game pieces in conflict - one player came up to another to attack them and then turned the pieces to face each other as if dueling.  Goes to show how simple aesthetics can help immerse the players.
• Players would not choose to land on the barracks if there were plenty of rations on the board, as well as entering into conflict.  During one play test, Nathan removed all the rations to see how game play would be affected.  It was decided that the amount of rations placed on the board had to be balance to the amount of rounds played by the players, so that players got desperate for rations and entered risky situations (such as combat and the barracks).  Less rations were required than the amount of rounds selected.  
• The players reactions depending on the length of game play was recorded.  It was found that 10 rounds provided players with a well rounded game experience.  5 was perhaps to short, with 20 being much to long. 
• What happens when there is a draw?
• What happens when are no more rations left on the board?

This is only a very short list of the things that we picked up from the play test.  Thanks to Nathan!

After seeing the Death Race game, we felt that we could add a few more aesthetics to the game board.  It was originally thought that we had to create a prototype which could be marketed later on, thus having such things would not be a good idea.  But we have decided to add some barbed wire and a tank to the outskirts of the city, to add a sense of entrapment, thus amplifying the survival story.

On Thursday, the group worked on the presentation and the concept document.  Individual tasks during the week are:

• Leonie - Concept doc, finding a tank to put on the game board
• Nathan - first 5mins of presentation, barbed wire
• Michael - prototype demo for the presentation, houses for the game board, with holes drilled in them.