analog game gdd_revised
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GAME DESIGN DOCUMENT DINO RUN: THE BOARD GAME
NAME STUDENT ID
MARZIE ZANIS 108034
DIANA WEE 107990
VANESSA LU 102585
GOH WAN YEE 102270
MUHAMMAD HAFIZ 104934
Analog Game Theory [T231]
Understanding Test 2
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Title Page------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2
1.1 Introduction to Dino * Run
1.2 Copyright Information
1.3 Overview of our remake of the game
2. Set Up----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5 - 7
2.1 Setup Procedure
3. Documentation----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8 - 35
3.1 Ideation Process------------------------------------------------------------ 8
3.2 Iterations
3.2.1 Iteration Process One------------------------------- 8 - 10
3.2.2 Iteration Process Two------------------------------ 11
3.2.3 Iteration Process Three---------------------------- 12 - 14
3.2.4 Iteration Process Four------------------------------ 15
3.2.5 Iteration Process Five------------------------------- 16 - 18
3.2.6 Iteration Process Six--------------------------------- 19 - 22
3.2.7 Iteration Process Seven----------------------------- 23 - 29
3.3 Final Game Confirmation------------------------------------------------- 30 - 32
3.4 Overall Playtest Results for all the Iterations------------------------ 33 - 35
4. Game Overview--------------------------------------------------------------------------- 36
4.1 Game Concept
4.2 Asset List
4.3 Target Audience and Rationale
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5. Gameplay and Mechanics--------------------------------------------------------------- 37 – 40
5.1 Gameplay
5.1.1 Objectives
5.1.2 Play flow
5.2 Mechanics
5.2.1 Movement
5.2.2 Objects
5.2.3 Actions
6. Management---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 41 - 42
7. Playtest Results ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 43
7.1 Feedback from Playtesters
8. Appendix--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 44
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1. DINO * RUN
1.1 AN INTRODUCTION TO DINO * RUN
1.2 COPYRIGHT INFORMATION
Game was originally an independent flash game created by PixelJam.
GAME OBJECTIVE
Game involves player controlling a Dino in a side-scrolling landscape escaping the impeding ‘doomsday’ which would kill the player ultimately.
GAMEPLAY
Players only use the basic keys [arrows keys] to control the Dino while collecting eggs and devouring bones to advance the dino’s evolution.
1.3 OUR TAKE
Inspired by the digital game: Dino * Run
Name of Board Game: DinoRun: The Board Game
To create a board game based on the idea and concept of the orignal game while modifying certain gameplay elements and gameplay mechanics.
Game rules are tweaked so that the game can be played on an analog board. Several changes were made to the game to make it more challenging and exciting.
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2 SET UP
2.1 SET UP PROCEDURE
Every player gets to choose which token they want to use to represent them on the game board.
Players should also ready a 6 sided die to roll in order to determine who would start first.
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A 5 by 5 board should be placed on the table where the game is to be played.
On the 5 by 5 board, alphabet cards should be placed on each grid, filling up all the grids.
“Step” and “Action” cards are shuffled and placed at the bottom right of the game board. So that players can draw whenever needed.
“Step” and “Action” cards are shuffled together into a deck.
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The excess alphabet cards should be kept in a pouch and randomly drawn to replace the empty spots in the grid.
These eggs are pasted at the back of some of the alphabet cards, labelling the cards with additional bonus score multiplier.
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3 DOCUMENTATION
3.1 IDEATION PROCESS (INSPIRATION)
The core mechanic of the digital version of Dino Run involves the player controlling a Dino running away from the impeding ‘doomsday’. During which, the player can collect eggs and bones to advance the dinosaur’s evolution.
From the gameplay concept of Dino Run, we modified the game so that the digital game can be transformed into a board game.
3.2.1 ITERATION ONE
Considering the core mechanics, we transcribe the digital game into an Analog game. The Analog game is then made with subtle changes so as to not deviate too far from the original game.
Changes included:
- Player Movement
- Time Limit to complete game
- Board includes 60 steps
(Refer to the next page for the prototype board game)
‘Doomsday’ (Meteors)
Dinosaur which players control
Eggs players can collect to receive 1 DNA for every 8 eggs collected
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PICTURE REFERENCES
Game Board (Consisting of 1 to 60 steps)
Player-controlled dinosaur (Player Piece)
Number cards and special cards are used to determine the number of steps a player takes and also special cards to determine how player ‘jumps’ over obstacles.
Game Board steps mimic the original Dino-Run game. Whereby, player has to complete the game as fast as possible while avoiding certain obstacles.
Player piece to resemble Dino in Dino-Run
Number cards used for player movement
Special cards consisting of wild cards to determine how player ‘jumps’ over obstacles
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‘Obstacles’ and eggs are shown to mimic what is present in the digital game. ‘Runners’ (small purple dinos) are made to hinder player movement. While coloured eggs when collected, gives players points.
Point system for the first prototype game
PLAYTEST RESULTS
(Play test done with people in the class)
1. Players rushing through to complete level instead of collecting eggs (making eggs redundant)
2. Finishing the game is the player’s first priority
3. Time limit given is too long
4. Scoring system not as important as it should be
‘Runners’ are meant to obstruct player’s path as players would have to use 3 steps just to get over 1 spiky. Thus, slowing down their pace. Killing one runner would reward the player with points
Eggs comes in 3 colours, red, yellow, green, each representing different amount of points given when collected
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3.2.2 ITERATION TWO
Still sticking to the original game play concept, we have added more features and also changed some to the game to make the game play slightly more challenging and engaging.
Changes included:
- Addition of various cards
- Players given options at various points of the game
- Some game rules changed
Playable Cards Added
Number Cards
Acts as a die – Used for player to determine number of steps to move
Special Cards
Aids players in jumping over Spiky Dinosaurs
Skip Cards
Moves 1 step forward
PLAYTEST RESULTS
(Play test done with people in the class)
1. Rules too complicated
2. Players still rushing through to win the game
3. Bonuses are again redundant.
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3.2.3 ITERATION THREE
After observing the play testing previously, several changes were then made to the game. More elements were included, almost changing the game completely. Various elements were included deviating the game from its original core mechanics.
Changes Included:
- Inclusion of treasure chests
- Reduction in time allowed to complete the game
- Spinning marker added to calculate jump probability
- More action cards added
- Multiplayer element included (Up to 4 players)
Purpose of each change:
Inclusion of treasure chests
Each treasure chests contains special cards that can aid the player in several ways - Random cards to be drawn by player when they open a treasure chest
o Time increment cards (+5/10/20/30 seconds) o Point bonus (5k, 2k, 1k) o Sprint boost (+ 5/2/1 step(s))
Reduction of time to complete game; Reduced time forces players to complete game faster and also, collect power-ups and
rewards for additional time. This discourages players from choosing to rush through the whole level
Multiplayer element included; Makes game more enjoyable and allows people to compete with each other Spinning marker added for jumps; Jumps are now random whereby players spin a spinning marker to determine if they manage to get over road blocks. On the spinning top, percentage chance would be included, and depending on the players luck, it would be determined if they manage to get over the road blocks. Red zone on spinner allows player to make a jump Blue zone on spinner does not allow player to jump, meaning they have to stay put on where they are standing
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Inclusion of Action Cards; Players get to sabotage other players using action cards, (Jump, block, run) Run - Block – Block other players slowing them down, preventing them from progressing Jump – Jump over Spikys and the ‘Block’ cards placed by other player
PICTURE REFERENCE
Board revised, but from steps 1 to 60, with players landing on step 61 as the winning
player.
New player pieces. Also, more pieces are included so that more people can play it
together
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Treasure chests added whereby player can choose if they want to open them to get rewards
New playing cards were added on top of the already in use movement cards
PLAYTEST RESULTS
(Play test done with people in the class)
1. Players who start first would have an advantage to winning the game.
2. Game rules not clear enough whereby players do not understand the purpose of each egg, power up, etc
3. Some action cards are confusing. For instance ‘Run’ & ‘Jump’ card.
4. An additional NPC dinosaur confuses players more.
5. Game duration considered too long as there are many power cards that add time.
Probability spinner players would use to determine whether they make the jump across the spikys
Movement cards players use to determine steps to take.
New action cards for players to use and strategize against other players for their advantage
Bonuses that can be obtained from treasure chests
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3.2.4 ITERATION FOUR
Not much change made. Most of the games play mechanics from version 3.2.3 are retained except several minor changes.
Changes made:
- Board size increased from 60 steps to 70 steps
- Cards included are Movement cards, Action cards, Treasure cards
- ‘Doomsday’ effect omitted
Purpose of each change:
- Board size increment
- Duration of game prolonged
- Increased playtime
- Longer playtime so that people would have a longer time to think how they would want to make the move.
Cards added;
Movement cards – Allows player to choose how many steps they want to move
Action Cards –
Treasure Cards - Time extension, + steps, block card
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3.2.5 ITERATION FIVE
Major changes were made to the game. Game play was also changed. Game starts to show resemblance to scrabble.
Target audience: 10 years old and above
Changes made:
- Board size changed to 6 by 12, 72 grids in total. Grid format instead of pathway format previously
- Game made into a word game
- Game consists of alphabets placed on the grids (3 sets of alphabets)
- Game play differs largely from original Dino-run
Main Objective:
- To create words as fast as they can. Game is point based, not about how fast the player can finish the game
Sub-Objectives:
- Player has to get from 1 end of the board to another end
- While collecting alphabets around them to form words
- Words created must be those found in an English dictionary (Minimum of 3 letters)
- The longer the word, the more points given
Power cards functions:
‘Destroy’ – Able to destroy the last path of their opponent (Letter cards will be replaced, unrevealed)
‘Trade’ – Trade an alphabet from the opponent
‘Steal’ – Steal a word from the opponent
*DESTROY/DEMOLISH CARDS’ LETTERS ARE TO RETURN TO THE DECK ONCE MOVED.
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GAMEPLAY
1. Player to roll a die to see who would start first. And also, determining which point of the board to start from.
2. Landing on a point would allow the player to flip over the alphabet cards around them.
3. Players are required to form pathways with the given ‘path cards’ to reach the other end.
4. Players are required to use the ‘path cards’ given to form a path. Maximum number of path cards a player can hold would be 7. After 1 card is used, player is to draw another one.
5. For every ‘path card’ that is placed, players are allowed to flip over surrounding alphabet cards
6. Players are allowed to change their path in their next turn
7. Players are allowed to overlap their existing path with a new path card
8. Players are required to form at least 3 words if not they would lose the game
PICTURE REFERENCE
New rectangular board added with 72 grids, whereby players need to make it to the end of the board.
Game board with grids drawn into them.
‘Path Cards’ used by players to form paths to reach the other end.
Alphabet cards overturned in the game board whereby players need to pass through them and turn over cards to reveal alphabets
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‘Path Cards’ whereby players use to form their path to get to the other end
Alphabet cards are used by players to form words. 3 sets of 26 alphabets. With a total of 78 cards.
Path cards have different routes drawn on them so that different paths can be formed
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3.2.6 ITERATION SIX
Looking back at our previous game at the various iteration process 3, 4 and 5, we decided to trying combining the game play into one game and try it out!
We kept the original Dino-Run race to the end, but also included a new element which involves the players collecting alphabets to form words so that they would be allowed to complete the game.
This game involves players placing 1 alphabet card on each step. For every step, there would be 1 alphabet card, whereby players can collect after they have landed on the step.
GAMEPLAY
Multiplayer game of up to 4 players
1) A player would roll a die determining the amount of steps he/she can take
2) For the first 10 steps the player lands on, they are not allowed to collect any alphabets. They are only allowed to do so after the first 10 steps.
3) Landing on a step allows players to collect the card.
4) The minimum number of letters to form a word would be 4. Anything below 4 would result in the player not allowed to complete the game, and they would have to go back to the start again.
5) First player to finish the course together with a properly formed word that exist wins the game.
# Game requires players to plan the amount of steps they want to take if they want to form longer words. Also, planning allows the player to have a chance to decide on what letter they want.
Game Rules:
1) Player allowed to have 5 step cards in hand
2) Player allowed to draw additional cards based on the number of step card they put down
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PLAYTEST RESULTS
Problems in game Proposed solutions
Arrangement of alphabets. Alphabets arrangement not ideal as letters are randomly placed which can be hard to get certain letters
Alphabets arranged according to vowels
Numbers on step cards too big, making players move several steps, ending game quickly with few letters gathered
Steps card number reduced to smaller numbers so that players would not rush through the game and miss letters they want
Difficulty forming words Give players free will to form any word they want with the minimum of 4 letters
Possible power ups that can be added:
- ‘Steal card’ (Steal another players card)
- Treasure (Free letter card whereby players can determine what letter they want)
- Egg (Similar effect as treasure, allows player to determine what alphabet they want)
- Swap (Allows player to swap a letter with another player of their choice)
#Action Cards are randomly drawn together with the number steps deck
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2ND
Observations made during play testing
PLAYTEST RESULTS
- Players who have good power cards have the upper advantage
- Players are given more choices when they are planning their moves
Questions the play testers were asked:
1) What do you think about the game?
2) Is there anything bad about the game?
3) What do you think is good about the game
4) Any suggestions for improvements or any implementation?
Breakdown of negative feedbacks and suggestions from playtesters
Playtest 1
Feedback Considerations
Game Ends too fast - Increase amount of steps
- Decrease the number of steps each player can take
Starting hand size too big (2 Cards can be placed at the same time)
- Decrease amount of cards they can put
- Decrease cards in hand
- Decrease the value of the steps
Game requires one to create a word just to finish the race
- No action taken (Purpose of the game)
Point system added. Whereby each letter holds
- Under consideration
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a number of points - (Point system for alphabets)
Playtest 2
Feedback Considerations
Leading player with power card can win the game easily
- How to balance the game in a way whereby players falling behind can catch up?
Rule that makes player return to starting point when a word is not formed is bad
- Would implementing the rules punish players to hard?
Game duration too short - Will extending the game duration put a pressure on player? Positive feedback loop?
Add hint of the ‘egg’ card so that players can roughly get an idea of what letter is needed
- Will giving a hint make the game too simple?
Placement of letters on each step not well done. Making formation of words harder
- How should the letters be arranged so that picking them out and forming words can be made simpler?
Feedback/Suggestions
- Include a way whereby players get an option to move around the board as and where they want. (Non-linear game/Free will)
- No board present, only alphabets arranged in a rectangle-like formation for players to play on
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- Every alphabet taken can be replaced
- Challenge to form more than one word
- Form more words for more points. Race to get as many points as possible
- Alphabet cards can have values/bonuses
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3.2.7 ITERATION SEVEN
There was a change in the game system whereby the game is changed into a word game consisting of alphabets placed in a 6 by 6 square formation. Players would play around the new game board, forming words as they go.
Multiplayer game of up to 4 players
A new word game was created, similar to that of boggle.
- Words can be formed with a minimum of 4 letters
- Only 5 steps card can be held at a time (Players to use step cards to make movement based on the amount of steps)
- Players are able to move upwards, downwards and sideways
- Alphabet cards are placed on a table, arranged in a 5 by 5 format with 35 cards in total
- For every alphabet taken, they would be replaced on the playing table
- Players given 15 minutes to get 30 points whereby the player getting 30 points would win.
- If not, players are to continue the game of up to 25 minutes whereby after 25 minutes, the game ends
- However, they are also challenged to get 30 points the fastest
- Egg system added to various cards act as score multiplier
Game ending criteria
- When there is no more alphabet cards in the deck
- Even though there is no more alphabet card in the deck, player can continue by using any of the alphabets left on the table
- Game ends when there are no more alphabets cards or, no more words can be formed.
Special Bonuses
- ‘Z and Q’ Players are able to change for other letters, adding 10points with a maximum of 2 letters
- Swap – Exchange a letter with another player
- Jump – Jump to any spot you want
- Steal – Steal an alphabet tile from another player
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- No-No – Cancels out previous actions
In addition to helping players score points easily, some alphabets are labelled with eggs which as a score multiplier.
Eggs colour and their multipliers
Red – x 4
Yellow – x3
Green – x2
For the game, the amount of each alphabet differs depending on how frequent the particular alphabet can be used in the English dictionary
The total number of alphabet cards is 100. Below would be a table breaking down the number of alphabet cards there are
Letter Number of cards
A 9
B 2
C 2
D 4
E 12
F 2
G 3
H 2
I 9
J 1
K 1
L 4
M 2
N 6
O 8
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P 2
Q 1
R 6
S 4
T 6
U 4
V 2
W 2
X 1
Y 2
Z 1
The total number of alphabet cards is 98, excluding 2 blank cards.
For each alphabet, a point is allocated to it. Having this point system would show how many points the player earns for using the alphabet.
Point System
The table below shows the amount of points a player can earn if they use the alphabet cards
Points Alphabets
0 Blank tiles
1 A, E, I, L, N, O, R, S, T
2 D, G
3 B, C, M, P
4 F, H, V, W, Y
5 K
8 J, X
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10 Q, Z
On some of the alphabet cards, they are labelled with eggs signifying that using that alphabet would give the player more points
Alphabet A E I L N O R S T U
Quantity 9 12 9 4 6 8 6 4 6 4
Quantity of Eggs
assigned 5 8 5 2 2 4 2 2 2 2
Below is the total number of eggs present according to their colours. Also, their score multiplier value is shown below.
Egg Colour Number of eggs Score Multiplier
Red 6 X 4
Yellow 12 X 3
Green 16 X 2
Total eggs 34
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PICTURE REFERENCES
New arrangement for game whereby alphabet cards are arranged in a 5 by 5 format.
Step cards for players to use to determine the amount of steps they want to take
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A 6 sided die is used to determine which player starts first. With the player rolling the highest number starting first
Special cards players can use to their advantage
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After 1 round of play testing, these were the feedbacks collected.
- First player would have an advantage until a swap is made
- Problem comes with distribution of alphabets
- More flexibility in the tiles
- Takes 20-25 turns to end the game
- Allow trading of alphabet whereby players can choose when they want to trade off their alphabet for something better
- Point system added to each alphabet (Take point breakdown from scrabble)
*After all the iterations, we’ve decided to continue with Iteration 7 and improve the game based on that
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FINAL GAME CONFIRMATION
For the final game this is the final and confirmed game that we would be submitting
Components:
1) A 5 by 5 game board
2) 4 player tokens
3) Total of 100 cards with 98 labelled with alphabets and 2 blank cards
4) Several step cards labelled 1 to 5
5) Several action cards
6) A 6 sided die
7) Several padlocks to indicate that words have been locked on
8) An egg multiplier score rubrics
For the complete game rules, refer to the rulebook.
Below would be to pictorial reference of the components
The game board Game board with alphabet cards
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Extra alphabet cards to be stored in a bag and randomly drawn to replace those that are taken from the board
For each of the alphabet cards, a score is written on the top right hand corner so that players can count how many points they can get when they acquire the word
Coloured eggs are stuck to the back of some cards.
The table below shows which and how many alphabets have eggs stuck to them
Alphabet A E I L N O R S T U
Quantity 9 12 9 4 6 8 6 4 6 4
Quantity of Eggs
assigned 5 8 5 2 2 4 2 2 2 2
Score for each letter stated at the top right
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Step cards
These are movement cards players can use to denote how many steps they want to take on the board. Taking note that players can only move up, down, left, right, but not diagonally
Action Cards
Action cards are also included and in the table would be breakdown of the number of cards in a type of action card
Card type Swap Jump Steal No-No
Number of cards 4 4 2 2
Padlock icons players can use to show that they have already locked on the word. Preventing other players from stealing or swapping out the alphabets
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3.3 OVERALL PLAYTEST RESULTS FROM ALL THE ITERATIONS
Iteration 1 playtest results (Conducted on week 3)
Feedback/Observations Considerations/Proposed Solutions
Players rushing to complete course instead of stopping to collect eggs
What can we do to make players feel that collecting eggs are important?
Finishing the game is the player’s main priority
Time limit given to complete the game is too long
How would the player be affected when the time limit is reduced?
Does it force players to rush through more?
Players do not care about scoring more points
Is it possible to make players feel that they need to earn points?
How to make scoring points as important as completing the game?
Iteration 2 playtest results (Week 4)
Iteration 2 consists of writing rules for the game and making minor changes to the game
Feedback/Observations Considerations/Possible Solutions
Rules too long and complicated to understand
How can we make the rules easier to understand yet detailed for the audience?
Players still rushing to finish the game What possible changes can we make to make sure players do not rush through to complete the game, but also, stop to collect bonus?
Bonuses are redundant as players skip past them instead of collecting them
How and what changes can we change/add to the game to make sure
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bonuses aren’t ignored by players?
Should penalties be given to players who rush through instead of collecting bonuses?
Iteration 3 playtest results (Week 5)
Feedback/Observations Considerations/Possible Solutions
Players who start first have an advantage over the others by winning
How can we balance the game so that every player has a fair advantage?
Game rules not clear enough as players do not understand the purpose of some game objects
How should the game rules be changed or modified so that players can easily understand it?
The use of some action cards are confusing
Are some of the action cards even needed?
How do we make them more important and meaningful for player’s use
Additional NPC dinosaur which can be killed or ignored ends up confusing players
Is the NPC dinosaur useful?
Does it helps or hinders the player?
Game duration too long as there are too many power cards that extends the game duration
Providing too much time is a negative feedback loop as it increases game time.
Is having too many cards that give players time useful?
Does it benefit the player?
# Iterations 4 and 5 were combined together to form Iteration 6. Refer to playtest results for Iteration 6.
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For iteration 6, 2 playtest sessions were conducted
Iteration 6 playtest results (Playtest Session 1)
Problems in game Considerations/Possible Solutions
Arrangement of alphabets. Alphabets arrangement not ideal as letters are randomly placed which can be hard to get certain letters
Alphabets arranged according to vowels
Numbers on step cards too big, making players move several steps, ending game quickly with few letters gathered
Steps card number reduced to smaller numbers so that players would not rush through the game and miss letters they want
Difficulty forming words Give players free will to form any word they want with the minimum of 4 letters
Iteration 6 playtest results (Playest Session 2)
Several feedbacks were collected from the playtesters and they are compiled below.
Feedbacks Considerations/Possible Solutions
2 step cards can be placed at a time, meaning number of steps player can take is big, allowing player to reach the end sooner.
If we were to change the number of cards players can place, how much will it affect the game?
Requirement that a word must be created to complete the game
Is this requirement too harsh?
Leading player with power card easily wins the game
How to balance the game so that leading players does not always have the upper hand?
Rule system whereby players who do not form a word needs to restart
Is this punishment too harsh for players?
Are there any other ways to penalized players without affecting their game progression?
Game duration too short Would extending the game duration be good?
Especially when a negative feedback
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loop is triggered?
Placement of letter makes word formation harder
How should the alphabets be arranged so that word formation would not be badly affected?
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4 GAME OVERVIEW
4.1 Game Concept
Dino Run Board game is the new remake of the digital Dino Run game whereby players experience a new game of word formation and at the same time; compete with each other to win the game.
4.2 Asset List
These are the components that would come together with the game
1) Game board
2) 4 Player tokens
3) Total of 100 cards labelled with alphabets and 2 blank cards
4) Step cards labelled with numbers 1 to 5
5) 4 types of action cards
6) A 6 sided die
7) Several pieces of padlocks
4.3 Target Audience and Rationale
The new remake of the game allows anyone of any age group to play the game together and have fun at the same time. Thus, age group consists of anyone 7 and up.
Rationale
A new word game can sometimes be quite challenging and thus, we decided not to restrict the age group so that anyone can join in the fun.
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5 GAMEPLAY AND MECHANICS
5.1 Gameplay
5.1.1 Objectives
Players are required to form English words while earning points at the same time
For the first 15 minutes, players are challenged to earn 30 points before the game duration extends to 25 minutes.
Beat all the other players by getting the most points from your word formation!
5.1.2 Decision Tree
In the game, alphabet placement is random and thus, players will have no idea on what alphabets would be placed next after one is taken from the spot.
Also, after laying down a step card, the player gets to draw another card from the deck and what card the player gets is random and is dependent on luck.
Depending on what cards the player has, he/she will have to plan their moves around the board in order to get the alphabets they want.
Refer to the next page for a mind-map representation of the decision tree
Our decision tree would be short because the game has a lot of randomness and chance with little decisions the player can make.
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DECISION TREE
Steps
Action Cards
Players choose the direction they want to move. Only directions they can move are up, down, left, right
Players need to use the step cards to denote the number of steps they want to move
Player chooses what alphabet he wants to collect by moving the in the direction they want given the number of steps they can take
Player can choose when they want to use the action cards
If the player uses the action card early, the opponent would have a lower chance of using the particular action card
Player style
Play Nice Play Hostile
Never use action cards unless needed or left with no choice
Uses action cards like jump to get to alphabets they want
Uses action cards like swap and steal
Waits for opponent to acquire a certain alphabet and use the steal or swap cards to acquire the alphabets
Check opponents partially formed words and guess what alphabets they need and in the process, try to take the alphabets they need. Sabotaging opponents
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5.2 Mechanics
5.2.1 Movement
Player tokens in the form of a Dinosaur are used for the game
Players have to manually move the token onto the grid they want to land on
Players make use of cards with numbers written on it to determine the number of steps they want to take
For every turn, the player gets to choose the amount of steps they want to take depending on the cards available in hand
After laying down a mo step card, players are to draw another card from the deck to replace the one they have just used
On the board, players are only allowed to move up, down and sideways, players are not allowed to move diagonally
Players are only allowed to move within the board.
5.2.2 Objects
Rollin g a 6 sided die before the game starts to determine who starts the game first
Grid board where alphabet cards are placed in a 5 by 5 formation
Alphabet cards to be placed on grid board. However, after one alphabet is taken, they have to be replaced with another from the reserve
Blank Alphabet cards are also found in the alphabet cards deck. These blank cards can be placed on the grid board and when taken by a player, the player has a choice of what alphabet they want it to be (Commonly used to complete a word)
Alphabet cards which players collect to form words
Step cards players use to depict the number of steps they are taking
Action cards players can use to benefit themselves
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5.2.3 Actions
Action cards can also be drawn from the deck and players can use them to their advantage.
Steal – When the ‘steal’ card is used, the player in turn get to choose who and what alphabet they want to steal from another player. Taking note that they cannot steal a letter that has already been locked on.
No - No – When ‘No – No’ card is used; the card cancels out actions used by opponents. Taking for instance if an opponent wants to steal a card from him/her, the player can use the no-no card to prevent his/her card from being stolen
Jump – When the ‘Jump’ card is used, players can choose to jump onto any position they want on the grid. Can only be used on 1 turn
Swap – When the ‘Swap’ card is used, player using it can use it to swap for a letter another player has. Taking note that swapping cannot be done on letters that have already been locked on
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6 MANAGEMENT
The project was assigned on the 14th of November and from there, we started planning on what we wanted to do for our chosen game.
Week/Date Notes
3
7/10
Game was chosen and brainstormed on
Game was transformed from a digital game into an analog game.
Prototype game very similar to that of the digital game
4
28/10
Rules were written for the game
New rules were written for the game and game was playtested and observations were made to see if players understood what they needed to do and whether the new game system was effective
Game changed into a multiplayer game
5
5/11
Minor tweaks were made to the game
Several changes were added to the game whereby additional bonuses and action cards were added
6
14/11
Game balancing Came up with new gameplay mechanic.
Changed dino run’s race to the end game into word game
(Refer to iteration 5)
28/11
Iteration Further enhanced word game by adding in race to the end element
Done with players using the original dino run board and collecting alphabets on the way to the end, while forming words at the same time
(Refer to iteration 6)
5/12 Iteration Came up with new gameplay mechanic,
refer to iteration 7 for the gameplay mechanic
22/12 Game confirmation, New game rules
Confirmation that iteration 7 was being
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writing, documentation
used. Start writing the game rules
(Refer to iteration 7)
28/12 Gameplay demonstration video
Game was being played and recorded so that video commentary can be done
29/12
Final documentation and prepare game for submission; Final Playtest
Commentary to be recorded and final amendments to be made to the GDD and rulebook
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7 PLAYTEST RESULTS
7.1 Feedback from playtesters
For the playtest session, after the playtesters have played the game, they are requires to answer a few questions
Questions asked:
1) What do you think about the game? (Gameplay, engagement)
2) Do you have any difficulties during the game? (E.g. Forming words, getting the alphabets you want?)
3) Are the game mechanics, game system playable?
4) What can you suggest about improving the game?
Play testers replies to the questionnaire
Aspect Feedback
Thoughts about gameplay
Brain-cracking, requires one to think before making a move
Time pressure to score as much points as possible.
Difficulties player face
Difficulty forming words especially when an opponent acquires the letter you’re aiming for.
Some of the alphabets that are wanted are out of reach around the board. Player may not have the ‘jump’ action card to jump over or, the step cards’ value too low to get over
Game Mechanics Gameplay flow is smooth and players have the option of choosing how many steps they want to move
Suggestions for improvements Player tokens can be made to stand on their own because during the game, player has to keep picking up the tokens, which can sometimes be hard due to the
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flat surface
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8 APPENDIX
8.1 Playtest Results Tabulation and Observations
From the playtest results and observations, several things can be concluded.
Observations
1) With the time limit given, players would have to think fast to make a decision
2) Also with the time, players are pressured to think and decide fast to score points
3) Players would sometimes have difficulty getting to the alphabet they want on the board. This can be because they do not have the step card to make it there or the alphabet is too far away
Playtest Results Tabulation
From the playtest results, we can deduce several things
1) The game makes player think on their feet and also to strategize quickly and find ways to win their opponents
2) Also, players have to think when they should use the action cards if they want to win or make other players lose the game
END OF DOCUMENT