WAR review in under 300 words.

WAR is fun. In fact, its the most fun I've had in an MMO since SWG pre CU/NGE. Now I can't comment on the end game content – yet – but I can say a lot about the first 3 tiers (ranks 1-30). I've taken 4 classes up through rank 3 and enjoyed all four of them. Every class has its own unique play style, and above all they're all fun. If you like PvP (RvR), WAR is for you. Starting at level 1 you have access to WAR's scenarios – RvR battles you can join from any part of the world simply by the press of a button. Public quests encourage new cooperativeness and keep battles take RvR to a whole new playing field. The world of Warhammer is immense and plagued with unending lore (thats a good thing). The UI is simple and familiar, though I'd like to see more mods out there. Graphics are not super realistic and ground breaking, but it is stylized – like WoW – so it is, indeed, beautiful. Tied of WoW? Pick this game up. Love PvP? Give it a try. Never played an MMO? WAR makes it as easy as possible to start.

Games don't always release to millions on day 1. Warcraft took 4 years to reach their 12 million, and though WAR might not be the great WoW killer, it certainly holds its own. With a great launch, constant updates (I mean who gives out 2 new classes within the first 3 months for free?). Mythic knows what theyre doing, and with a little time, this could be one of the greats. I'd urge anyone interested to play. Bottom line: its fun. Isn't that why we play games in the first place?

Written Spring 2007


Vanguard: Saga of Heroes
First Impressions

With gaming giants like World of Warcraft and Everquest II looming over the massively multiplayer online role playing game (referred from here on out as MMOs) genre, it may seem as though no other contender could make its mark. Out of the dust, however, comes Vanguard: Saga of Heroes. From the mind of Brad McQuaid, one of the original creators of Everquest, the first of the third generation of MMOs has arrived. As with most games of any genre, and most certainly for MMOs including Vanguard, first impressions are key: they show their players exactly what they are getting in to in the first moments of gameplay. Vanguard shines a new – and quite overdue – light upon the genre in its opening levels and first impressions are in nearly every category, without exaggeration, some of the best the genre has ever seen.
As with all MMOs, Vanguard opens with character creation. The menus here are straightforward and quite easy to navigate. One click of the mouse and selection begins. Vanguard boasts nineteen different races and fifteen classes – the most of any MMO to date. Each race has its own detailed history, lore, and bonuses, which makes every character feel entirely unique. From here a server is selected and character customization begins. Vanguard shines in this department, with an unprecedented sixty physical characteristics to edit and create including brow size, nose flare, eye tilt, and many, many more. There are “quite literally millions of different customization features that guarantee [a player] will never run across another character in the game that looks identical” (Brydges). Vanguard starts off on the right foot – beautifully modeled and endlessly customizable characters to fill a world befitting their fates.

Once a character is complete, it is time to enter the world of Telon. A large page is immediately displayed that explains the history and lore of the chosen character and beyond this reside a few pop-up windows which explain the basic controls. Most is self explanatory, using the ever familiar “wsad” keys, but for a player new to the genre, these blurbs are of upmost importance. The player now finds himself in a small city, a conflict, or in some other fantastical situation – each race having a very unique starting zone. This is much more fulfilling than most MMOs, which simply plop you down and tell you “go!” An ever familiar quest giver, marked with a floating shield, explains your current situation and gives you a basic quest. This is where Vanguard truly shines. Unlike most opening quests in other MMOs, Vanguard makes its players truly feel as though they are actually having an impact on the game world. There are no “kill x boars and bring back x hides” in these ever important opening quests. They instead range from having a character talk to and inspire a group of soldiers, to finding a hidden treasure chest, and to purifying a lake of its evil essences. There are a few scattered “kill x” quests, but they are – surprisingly – formidable foes, unlike other games that start their players off with rats, boars, and bumble bees (Everquest, World of Warcraft, and Final Fantasy XI, respectively). Moving from quest to quest, the player begins to learn more about his world and its turmoil. Story here is incredibly impressive, and adds tons of content and role playability. Quests are often linked and add snippets of story after each leg is completed. These are very unique and compelling, as well as different. One opening, level three quest has a player find an enemy’s secret plans. In the next leg, the player causes a distraction in the enemy’s encampment. The player then fights his way through a small dungeon, and lastly, the final quest has the player recover a poison that’s been tainting a Wood Elves’ lake – referring back to multiple quests prior to this chain. Unlike nearly every other game in the genre, Vanguard gives its players what they want early on: fun quests, a feeling of importance, incredible lore, and even dungeons – something other games only have for mid to high level players. By level seven, a Kojan Human will have completed one large, group based dungeon. By level eleven, a Kojan Raki will have participated in two solo dungeons and two group dungeons – one of which has literally hours of content to complete. Vanguard immediately starts a player in a fun, engaging, and unique environment, with tons of content and a variety of playing styles. Promise of more enjoyment, which most certainly follows, makes the player only crave more and more of Vanguard’s offerings. Vanguard’s content and game play certainly leaves its players with a grand impression of what is to follow.

Combat, adventuring, and the game’s user interface (UI) are fairly standard as far as MMOs are concerned, with a few exceptions that make Vanguard a third generation MMO. Adventuring is standard: a player completes quests, fights, and raids in order to gain experience. What differs here from your run-of-the-mill online game are the other two “spheres,” as they are called in Vanguard. Vanguard has three separate adventuring spheres, which a character will be introduced to in the first few hours of playing: crafting, diplomacy, and adventuring. A player will have three different levels, one for each sphere. This allows any player to specialize in whatever sphere, or combination of spheres, he desires. Adventures will take combative quests, crafters will fill “work orders” for themselves or as crafting quests, and diplomats will participate in a never-before-seen card game within Vanguard that handles diplomatic battles between diplomats and their adversaries. Combat, as the main sphere of focus, fits in with the online niche. A character auto attacks a foe and mixes in specialized, learnable abilities to keep combat interesting, strategic, and enjoyable. The addition of what Vanguard calls “chained” and “responsive” attacks is what makes combat so thrilling and unique. Above a character’s hot-bar (a bar located at the bottom of the screen that displays a character’s special abilities) a set of chainable and responsive abilities waits to be used. Certain attacks, abilities, and counters will allow a player to respond with these specials. Like Final Fantasy XI’s chains, chain and responsive attacks can be linked with fellow group mates to deal upmost damage or cause status effects. These abilities are made available early on in a character’s life, between levels six and eight, so they are able to get a taste of things to come. The game’s UI, which is also quite standard and comparable to World of Warcraft’s, is unique in that it is entirely customizable. This allows a player to maximize their gameplay by creating a UI that suits themselves, much like Everquest II. All this, made available in the first few levels of a character’s career, only adds to the yearning and addictive qualities that make an MMO not only desirable, but successful. So many options and ways to play the game leave the player with a solid outlook on how the game will play out.

Graphically speaking, Vanguard is simply breathtaking. The first scenes a character beholds reveal what Vanguard is all about and leave the player with the impression the game clearly portrays: Vanguard is simply stunning. The “detailed enemy skins and environmental effects such as snow and rain round off this game as being graphically enjoyable and addictive.” With the ability to see five kilometers in all directions, the chance to visit European, Middle Eastern, and Asian inspired landscapes, and the prospect of truly being able to go to whatever landmark you see makes Vanguard not only impressive, but allows it to stand out from the last-gen games. From textures to models, Vanguard stands out as one of the best looking MMOs on the market or soon coming to the market. From the moment a player logs in, he will behold the beauty Vanguard displays.

First impressions are crucial. In a world of subscription games, first impressions are doubly as important. Vanguard not only reaches out to players, but once they begin to experience what Vanguard has to offer, they will be drawn in to stay. From the graphical beauty to the multiple play styles, to the opening quests and stories, Vanguard leaves a powerful impression on its players, making them yearn for more. What IGN calls an “evolutionary” game, Vanguard is able to leave a positive impression on its audience and has achieved an amazing stance in its first few hours of gameplay (Patrizio). With “quests that are usually more than FedEx adventures, and a combat engine that adds several layers to what [the MMO market has seen] so far... it's incredibly hard not to recommend Vanguard”(Fisher). Vanguard gives its players a strong excuse to subscribe and truly lives up to its motto of “set yourself free.”

Lost and Found

So I went through ever computer artist's worst nightmare. Both hard drives crashed. At the same time. Go figure. Anyways, my entire portfolio is gone. Unfortunately, I had several blog posts that I simply hadn't put up yet stored on those hard drives, so they're lost for good; save for a few posts on CRIMSON SEAS, which I'll put up later.

In the mean time, here's some game reviews I wrote up!


There seems to be a trend in the video game industry in which more and more games are based off of existing properties. Games such as Neverwinter Nights and Baldur’s Gate are based off of the Dungeons and Dragons pen-and-paper role playing game, and others such as the 007 series, the Lord of the Rings series, and Star Wars series are based off of their respective movie titles. As of late, the movie industry has borrowed from the game scene with movies such as Silent Hill, Resident Evil, Doom, Final Fantasy, and Tomb Raider, but with little financial success. Rarely, however, have interactive video games been translated into successful non-digital formats. With Upper Deck Entertainment’s and Blizzard’s new World of Warcraft trading card game, a new change is on the horizon. This refreshing new medium of the massively popular role playing game turned card game successfully demonstrates how a video game can take form in a non-digital medium. The “WoW” card game clearly takes the best of a video game and turns it into a brand new genre of card games.
World of Warcraft is about a character, a digital “you,” that inhabits the world of Azeroth. How could a card game possibly emulate the immense world and character possibilities that an MMO provides? Well, it starts with the character, to be precise. The nine classes that are available for play in the MMO appear in the trading card game (TCG) in both the menacing horde and do-good alliance factions, creating eighteen possible character choices. These characters are represented by character cards, which in turn represent the player himself. Each player fields one character, and the game revolves around that character’s success and downfalls within the card game. Each character is characterized by his race, faction, class, specialization (example: Shadow Priest vs. Holy Priest), profession (tailoring, enchanting, etc.), health points, and special abilities. These are all taken directly from the digital World of Warcraft and truly give its players a sense of inhabiting the same world. Although these characters are not customizable as they are in the digital game, there are multiple variants of each class, race, and faction, which allows for a large number of choices. Within the game, characters can and will equip items, weapons, and armor – all taken directly from the online game – which will allow for more freedom when it comes to character customization. The game revolves entirely around the player’s character, ending when one character successfully kills his opponent’s.
As with most MMORPGs, World of Warcraft focuses strongly on the completion of quests. As such, quests cards create the foundation of play in the TCG. These cards are identified with the all-too-familiar exclamation point and allow the player to do a myriad of things. These cards form the basic points, referred to as “resources” that are exhausted (used) to play ally cards, purchase weapons, and perform special abilities – much like the “energy” cards from Pokémon or “mana” from Magic: the Gathering. These cards also allow the player to complete a quest, which can have multiple outcomes: from drawing a card to resurrecting a fallen comrade. This gives the player incentive to do more than mindless killing, much like the purpose of an in-game quest: a break from the endless grinding current generation MMOs are known for. In the MMO Warcraft, quests generally focus of player versus environment (PVE) aspects and have the player collecting, killing, or otherwise interacting with his environment. In the TCG, this has changed and typically involves a player spending the previously mentioned resources to achieve the quest’s outcome. While the questing system has been dumbed down in the TCG, it never the less incorporates a key factor from the MMO into the new TCG format.
Combat provides the basic foundation of game play for players in World of Warcraft, with the player participating in either player versus player (PVP) or PVE combat. In the TCG’s main phase of play, the “action phase,” players participate in a blend of the two aforementioned modes of combat whilst boosting their ranks, playing ability cards, completing quests, and adding weapons to their hero’s arsenal. Instead of a player fighting against either a fellow player or a vast number of non-player characters, the Warcraft TCG introduces the “ally” card. This style of combat has been seen in TCGs for ages, mimicking Magic: the Gathering’s “summons” and “creatures.” What is new here is how combat takes place and is resolved. As the overall goal of the game is to defeat your opponent’s character, the player will play ally cards to attack his adversary and reduce his health to zero. The opponent will in turn play allies to protect his hero and fight his opponent’s. Combat here begins to take a step away from the traditional TCG and makes a new stride in the genre by quite literally following the online game’s example. Combat is dealt with on a one-on-one basis, and instead of an attacker declaring all his attackers and a defender declaring defenders, the attacker actually declares a target. This simple and what appears to be a miniscule difference from traditional TCGs is what makes World of Warcraft’s so unique. In the online game a player chooses who he attacks, so why not in the TCG? Players can specify if they want their ally to attack the opposing hero or select one of his opponent’s allies. This then allows for certain allies to have special abilities, such as “protector,” which allows an ally to stand in and take damage from the declared defender. This represents in game classes such as paladins and warriors – known as “tanks,” as they often hold aggression (stealing a monster’s attention away from a lesser character) and are able to take the most damage – using their abilities to change the course of combat. Other specials such as “ferocity” and “elusive” allow for interesting twists and strategies to be utilized in the combat phase while borrowing more and more from the online game and making the TCG feel that much more like the MMO. Ability cards complete the action and combat phases by representing specialized attacks and skills that match your hero and his class. This is the primary influence a character card has over the game, as each specialized ability represents a character’s power: whether it be a healing spell or a magic attack. While this combat and action phase may mix a few of the online game’s characteristics, it still stays true to the game’s roots and values. It adds a new face to Warcraft while sticking with the qualities that make Warcraft Warcraft.
While the basic concepts are incredibly similar and allow the TCG player to really feel the MMO’s influence, what really sets this game apart is that extra mile the TCG travels to truly make the game feel like the world of Warcraft. Most every TCG pits players one-on-one: first one out loses. While World of Warcraft is solo friendly, much of the game is group-based. Two of the games major turn-ons are, in fact, its group dungeons and raids. The World of Warcraft TCG has introduced something never-before-seen in the TCG market to cater to these players and make the game even more like the online version: the raid deck. Onyxia’s Lair, the first of the Warcraft TCG’s raid decks, represents the stride this new TCG has already made in the industry. Based on the highly popular end-game raid of the same name, Onyxia’s Lair allows a group of players to join together, as a team, to fight through the dungeon – controlled by another player – and defeat the dragon Onyxia. The amount of detail and the similarities found between the MMO and TCG raids is almost frightening. During one play test (each player having never played the raid deck and only one having played the MMO’s raid) the MMO experienced player was able to give out advice as to strategies and how to go about defeating the dragon; his advice actually helped the team win, as the weaknesses and tiers the raid deck presented matched the MMO’s almost identically. One player even commented on how he felt the same anxiousness and excitement battling the card game’s Onyxia as he did when facing a raid online. Subtle characteristics of the cards further help to make this game feel like the online world, as cards so often directly represent items, characters, and abilities from the online game. During another play test, a player noticed an ability card titled “Wing Clip.” He immediately recognized the ability from the online game, and when combined with the card’s illustration of a Tauren fending off harpies, he actually recalled a point and place where he fought the same harpies using the same ability against his own Tauren hunter. To make the TCG and MMO stay up to date, the TCG will, and has, released new editions of the game. With the recent release of the MMO’s Burning Crusade expansion back, the TCG followed with its own expansion, Dark Portal – bringing the card game up to date and introducing the same two new races to the card game as were introduced to the MMO. These expansions will not only allow for new additions to the TCG, but will allow for the TCG to stay current with the MMO. With the promise of more expansions and new raid decks, the Warcraft TCG will always be right up with World of Warcraft.
Traditionally, one doesn’t see a digital property turned into a non-digital format. Trends are, in fact, usually quite the opposite, or all the different formats appear at once, such as the case with Yu-Gi-Oh! and Pokémon. The folks at Blizzard decided to give it a whirl, and made a game innovative and new while still sticking right with their roots. The amount of detail and the similarities the MMO and TCG share prove that not only is it possible to translate digital media into other forms of entertainment, but it set a new standard as to how well such a translation should appear. The World of Warcraft TCG is the World of Warcraft in the flesh: different medium, yes, but still the same, incredibly successful game.

Frustration Part VI

And here is the final Frustration rule set.

Frustration

The goal in Frustration is to get to get the last seat on your flight. Each

player moves around the board while trying to hinder and obstruct other players from making it there first. Whoever makes it to their flight first wins!

Inventory:

53 cards: playing cards

Obstruction pieces: single colored glass beads

Game board

Player tokens: multi-colored glass beads

Rules

• This game is to be played with 3 to 5 players
• Players may designate a first player; play proceeds in clockwise order.” Players place their chosen token on the start and begin the game.
• Players shuffle the playing cards and place the deck next to the board.
• A player draws a playing card at the beginning of each of their turn and places it face up in a discard pile, which will be placed next to the unused playing card deck.
• Each card has a movement value and either an obstruction or a hindering move that the player must complete as follows:
• Move: This part of the card allows the player to move the amount of spaces indicated by the number on the card. Each player can only move forward or to the side; they cannot move backward or diagonally, nor may they move onto the same space more than once (no backtracking). Players may move through spaces occupied by other players; this counts as one space. . If a player ends his movement on an opposing player, the opposing player is moved backwards one space. This can trickle back and multiple players may move backwards as a result. A player must end their move when landing on an obstruct piece (see “Obstruction”).
• Hinder: This action is used in conjunction with the move action. The player must complete his movement prior to using this action. Players may hinder any other single player on the board other than themselves – this is defined by moving a player’s token backwards on the board the number of spaces that matches the number following “Hinder” on his drawn card. The player may move single opposing player in any direction, as long as the opposing player’s token is moved further away from the goal. Just like normal movement, the hindered token may not land on the same space more than once during the hindering move. In the event that there are obstructions left on the board during a hinder, and the player hindering desires to move the opposing player’s token onto an obstruction, the player moves to that space, ceases movement, and the obstruction is removed. If a player hinders a player and forces them to land on one or more players, they all are moved back in a follow-the-leader fashion, just like normal movement.
• Obstruction: This action, like hindering, is used in conjunction with the move action. Obstructions place a barrier piece (the single-colored glass beads) to block the flow of movement through the intended space, forcing a player to end his movement on the obstruction’s space if he attempts to move through or onto the obstruction. Obstruction pieces can be placed anywhere on the board – so long as the space is not occupied by a player, a previously placed obstruction piece, a car in the parking area, or the plane itself
• Everyone Move Back 5: Once drawn, this action forces every player to move backwards five spaces on the board. The player who drew the card must move first, followed by the other players in clockwise order. If there are obstructions completely blocking a player’s path then they stop on the obstruction. If the path is not completely blocked, players are forced to move around the obstruction.
• Switch with First: Once drawn, the holder of this card may switch their player with the player currently in first (this is determined by the player that is the least amount of spaces away from the plane). In the event that the player who drew this card is already first, nothing changes and the turn ends.
• Switch with Last: Once drawn, the holder of this card must switch their player with the player currently in last (this is determined by the player who is the most amount of spaces away from the plane). In the event that the player who drew this card is already last, nothing changes and the turn ends.

• When the deck is exhausted, the players shuffle the discard pile. This discard deck will be used as the new drawing deck, with a new discard pile next to it. Players will then resume the game.
• Exit Ramp: The exit ramp (shortcut) can only be used if a player lands exactly on the exit square. When a player lands on the exit ramp, immediately move them forward one space so that they are not blocking the exit square.
• Airport: The airport is distinguished by burgundy squares. A player in the parking area or exit ramp must make it completely to the farthest two entrance squares before entering the airport (a player may not move through a black line)
• Winning: The game is over when one player is declared the winner by getting the last seat on the flight. This is simply done by landing on the airplane space.

Frustration Part V

Today could easily have been the make it/break it day for our group: we play tested with a group that knew very little about games. It only took about 2 minutes to successfully explain the rules, and we took notes as rule questions came up, so we could make sure to address any uncertainties. The only change between today’s game and yesterday’s were the changing of the “switch spots” cards, which I mentioned in my last post, and a decision we made about the shortcut. We decided that when a player lands on the shortcut space, they are moved one space ahead, sealing them in on the shortcut so they aren’t so easily hindered out of it. The game played, once again, very similarly to our many previous tests. One player pulled ahead, but the other players ganged up on her until everyone caught up. The game was neck-and-neck, with the occasional happening of one player being much closer to the finish than the rest. There were a few questions regarding the obstructions and how to move through them, but it was easily answered.

When the players got to the parking section, we questioned our decision of forcing the player to park in order to progress. This presented a few problems:
1) When a player is hindered to the point in which they are moved out of the parking section, after having parked, do they have to park again?
2) What is in play to make the player choose one parking space over the other?
3) When you park in a space, what is to keep the other players from landing on the same place?
4) Can obstructions be placed on parking spaces?

We all agreed that the parking was a mechanic that didn’t really add anything or any enjoyment to the game. Because of this, we removed the parking rule. Players no longer needed to end a turn on a parking space, and could now move right through the parking lot. The parked cars that we originally for pure aesthetic were now turned into permanent obstructions, which players could not pass through.

The game moved a bit faster than our previous tests, only taking about 45 minutes, which was a pleasant surprise. The players literally ended the game with a back-to-back line one space away from the finish (see the picture below). They seemed to love this part, and the last 15 or so minutes of the game, because it was such a close call. They were frustrated, but were enjoying it: exactly what we were going for. When we asked if there were any changes they would like to be made, only one had a slight concern. This player pointed out that although the beginning of the game was fun, the second half was more enjoyable. When we talked about this in the open, we all, including the player with the point, came to the conclusion that as the game progresses, players get more and more sucked in and attached, making the game more enjoyable and more frustrating because of acts for or against the player’s piece. We decided to keep things as they were, as there were no out-right complaints, and that we concluded that the game becoming more enjoyable as the players play was simply due to the players getting sucked into the game – not because the first half is boring. The new cards worked well, as well, and the players got a kick out of the leader being moved to the back of the board more than once.

With the testing complete, we only needed to finish our designs and type a formal rules sheet. Once that’s done, I’ll be sure to post some images and the rules themselves.

Until next time
-Connor

Frustration Part IV

Today (Tuesday) we had our first play test with people outside of our group. I played along and took note on a game involving myself and four other game designers. The test could not have been better. The game played very similarly to the previous tests: the players were all very close and the winning player changed constantly. The players had a bit of trouble with the short cut and how to use it, but I was able to explain it so everyone did understand – but we now know to make sure and address it in our rules.

Some things I questioned during the testing were:
1. Does the “move back 5 spaces” card cause too much frustration?
2. Do the players feel the game progresses too slowly or too quickly?
3. How do the players feel about the close proximity of the players during most of the game?
4. What do the players think of the switching first place and last place cards?

The players had very positive feedback. They felt the “move back five spaces” card was a fun mechanic and agreed that 7 spaces would have been too much and the 5 fits well. All the players thought that the game progressed at a steady and even pace, and that it wasn’t too fast or too slow. Their feedback showed me that the progression of the game was frustrating in the way it was intended: your position in the game could change any minute, the players are each so close to each other, obstructions could have an enormous impact on the board, and a player’s fate isn’t always directly in his hand. The only change they said they would make involved the “switch first and last” cards. They felt experienced players could use the card to their advantage and strategically stay in last until the card is drawn, and they concluded that it would be unfair to new players to keep the cards. They also didn’t like the idea of the card not affecting the person who drew it, and that it was basically a “skip turn” card, which they found annoying.

The test concluded right around the hour mark, including set up, reflection, and instruction. I reported the good feedback to the rest of the group, and we decided to remedy the “switch first and last” card. These two cards would be replaced by two new cards: one had the player who draws the card switch places with the player in the lead, while the other had the drawer switch with the player furthest from the goal. As we found out in later testing, these new cards fit in great with the rest of the deck, and, most importantly, the players liked them.

Later on in the day we met again to begin designing the board, cards, and pieces, as well as write out the rules. We planned one more test before solidifying the game – this time, with non-gamers.

I’ll post the happenings in my next post.

Until then,
-Connor

Frustration Part III

Meeting three of our group really solidified our design. Over the night, we had a completed board with all the spaces and sections well laid out – the first true production prototype. The board was built taking into consideration the last day’s tests and what we thought would be an appropriately lengthy board.

When we first got together, we discussed the idea of adding a few special cards that could dramatically affect game play. This led to two new cards: one would move every player back 7 spaces and the other would force the player in the lead to switch places with the player furthest from the end. Another new idea, that radically changed the game, changed the rules concerning the obstruction places. Whereas they originally were permanent and could not fully block off a path, they were now the complete opposite. Obstructions could be placed on any space, even if they block off a path. Now, a player could actually land on an obstruction. When you come to an obstruction, you may move on top of it. Doing this would force you to end your movement on that place, but it would remove the obstruction from the board.

With our recent amendments, we drew up the cards and sat to play. Within a few minutes of beginning to play, we all decided that the first section (the road) was far too long. We cut out about 1/3 of the spaces and started the game over. For the most part, everything went smoothly. The new rules regarding the obstructions proved to be a very wise move. Where before a player couldn’t block a path, this game, full walls were constructed, making it, well, very frustrating – but not the bad kind. This created new strategies, such as blocking off spaces behind one’s self, screwing over the player in the “short cut” (which proved to make a very balanced game), or simply frustrating another player by hindering them for the hell of it. Progression was still slow, but it was steady. The new cards were a nice addition, as they could change the game on the fly. We did decide, however, that moving all the players back 7 spaces was too much, so we cut it back to 5 (which seemed to work much better).

We did find a way to end the game. At the end of the board were three spaces labeled 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd. These represented three different flights, and could frustrate the players who might have to move backwards to secure a place in the top 3. We tested the game a total of three times this day, and we’re very happy with our game’s direction. It was now ready for others to play, which I will comment on in my next post.

Heres a few shots of our illustrious board and our testing attached.

Until then,
-Connor

Frustration Part II

Our second meeting established most of our ideas in the game. We were originally going to create a separate deck of cards for each stage in the game, but after some careful thought decided that that was an element that was redundant and unnecessary. Where we first thought we would represent different types of obstruction (such as the traffic jam), we decided to simplify it by reducing it to simply an “obstruction.” We created a deck of 50 cards, distributing 1-6 onto each card (your movement amount – like a card version of dice). We staggered the numbers like this:

1: 5 cards

2: 8 cards

3: 15 cards

4: 12 cards

5: 6 cards

6: 4 cards

This, as we found out during testing, was an extremely well balanced deck. We then split the deck 50/50 and added an “X” on 25 cards (obstruction) and an “H” (hinder) on the other 25. Lastly, 10 cards were given a star, representing a combo card. We had our basic rules ready to be tested:

Each player draws a hand of three cards prior to beginning the game. On a turn, a player first draws a single card. Secondly, the player selects a card and plays it. With each card, the player may do one of the following:

1. Use the number values on the card to move that many spaces.

2. Use the hinder part of the card (H) to move a player backwards half of the number value (rounded down – this we will actually put on the final cards, we were just too lazy to write them in on a prototype).

3. Use the obstruction part of the card (X) to place an obstruction, which no player may move through, on any space – so long as it never fully blocks a path.

4. If a combo card is drawn, you may use both parts of your card.

If the player uses the movement value of his card, he may move that number of spaces, but may not land on the same place more than once. If the player lands on a place with another player, the player who moved the piece moves the other player backwards. This does have a trickling effect, as this could force multiple players to move backwards. Whoever moves his piece to the end of the game board first, wins.

We added what looked like appropriately sized spaces on our board, and made our player pieces. We tested our game. About halfway through, we noticed that we rarely used the hinder or obstruction of our cards, unless it was on a combo card. As this was our primary mode of frustration, we knew this needed to be fixed. We stopped the game and made a few amendments. One of us had the idea to make cards with multiple obstruction pieces, so we did. We also decided to make all of the cards combo cards. Our last revision had the “H” of a car equal to the number on the card (as opposed to halving it). The hand of three cards was thrown out, and we decided the player would have to use the card he draws each turn.

Within 10 minutes we knew we had made some mistakes. Our pieces were all clumped together, only about 6 spaces away from the start and there were more spaces with obstructions that without. We ended the game. We instantly got rid of the multiple obstruction cards and returned the hindering value to half rounded down of the movement value.

We played that game again. Something we all noticed early on is that the players are always close to each other and the hindering and obstructions were actively changing the game and being quite useful to frustrate the other players. At first we were worried, but noticed that being so close to each other is in and of itself frustrating, as anyone could be the winner. We ended the game when we got to where our board had stopped, as we hadn’t decided what to do about multiple terminals in the game. We called it a night, but not until we discussed our feelings of the last game. First, it was way too long, especially in the road section which lasted at least 15 minutes by itself. And secondly, we felt overall that it wasn’t quite frustrating enough; so we would spend the next day thinking of how to add more frustration without changing too much of the game play. Getting rid of the hand of cards proved wise; this added another random element and something that could ultimately be frustrating – in a good way. Until next time,

-Connor

Frustration

So the group of us (me, Spencer, Caesar, Johnathan, and Nate) are going to make ourselves a board game. The aesthetic model we've chosen, and hope the players feel, is frustration. At our first meeting we threw out a few possible designs based on what things in our lives that we find frustrating. We came to an agreement on one major idea: getting on a plane at the airport. We quickly came to the decision that we would make a true board game, utilizing a board, player pieces, and cards. It didn't take long until we figured the board would represent a series of stages taken to get on your plane. The player would start in the car, on their way to the airport. The next stage is finding parking, followed by check-in, security, the tram, and the gates. Sticking with frustration, we wanted a key element of game play to allow each player to screw up his fellow players, thus making them frustrated. Players would do this by drawing 'hindering' cards, which would allow the player to 'hinder' the others. We threw out the ideas of traffic jams, security checks, car accidents, little kids at the airport, and a few others. With our general theme and idea ready, we planned on a day to meet to come up with a prototype and test it like nobody's business. Stay tuned for more.