case studies in mobile board game conversion

Case Studies in Modern Board

Game Conversion

Case Studies in Modern Board

Game ConversionMartin GriderMartin Grider

Outline: What is this?

Outline: What is this?

What are “modern” board games? & Why do we care?

Case Study: Carcassonne

Case Study: Ascension

Case Study: For The Win

UI/UX Concerns

Digital Enhancements

What are “modern” board games?

What are “modern” board games?

Board game industry ↑ 50% in last 10 years1

Hobby vs. Mainstream market segment (German Boardgames, or “Euro” games)

BoardGameGeek.com

Increasingly blurry line between video games and “Tabletop” games.

Why should you care?

Why should you care?

Existing IP commands a higher price point

Potential for cross-promotion IRL

Digital enhancements can improve tabletop game experiences. (More later.)

Easier to implement than traditional video games (!?)

Case Studies: Overview

Case Studies: Overview

Carcassonne - Often held up as the shining example of a digital board game conversion.

Ascension - Especially “polished” example of a mobile card game.

For The Win - Only included here because I did the iOS implementation.

Case Study: CarcassonneCase Study: Carcassonne

Tile laying game for 2-6 players


iOS features:

Local Play vs human or AI Players

Asynchronous and real-time Multiplayer

Solitaire variant

Tutorial / manual

Achievements / Leaderboards

Universal app


Digital enhancements:

Showing possible tile locations.

No downtime in asynchronous play.

Automatic scoring.

No setup.

iOS features: (look familiar?)


Asynchronous and real-time Multiplayer

Solitaire variant

Tutorial / manual

Achievements / Online Profile

Universal app



Case Study: For The WinCase Study: For The Win

iOS features:


Tutorial / Rules

Leaderboards

Missing features:

iPhone only

No online multiplayer

No Achievements



Common UI/UX Concerns


Q: Should you present the game as the physical game does?

Ideally, try to use the physical art from the original game. (Some don’t.)

Showing numbers. (counters, score tracks)

Some UI is simply undefined. New art is always needed.

Q: Assuming you want to, how do you represent physical objects to be manipulated on a touchscreen?

A: Drag vs Tap (Actually, both!)

A: False depth (importance of shadows)

A: Animate actions as they happen

A: Highlight actions when available



Common pitfalls:

Always animate the AI turns.

Clearly show whose turn it is.

All public information should be readily available.

Reduce clicks whenever possible. (Ideally load external data in the background.)



Suggestions for best presenting the multiplayer lobby.

Simplify, simplify, simplify. (As few screens as possible.)

It’s not a bad idea to use (or copy) an already existing UI. (Apple’s GameCenter, for example.)

Pick good defaults, and make sure “Start Game” is clearly identifiable.



Menial tasks can be eliminated.

Counting tiles remaining in the bag.

Remembering what someone did on their last turn.

Cumbersome scoring can be done instantly.

Less potential for cheating. (Or accidental rules mistakes.)



A game’s interesting choices can be brought into focus or made more apparent.

Carcassonne’s showing possible tile locations.

No downtime in asynchronous play.

No game setup.



Footnotes & SourcesFootnotes & Sources1. Estimated industry figures were 400MM for 2003, and over 800MM for 2008 according to PurplePawn. (PurplePawn.com)

Physical game images sourced from BoardGameGeek.com

Martin Grider ~ @livingtech ~ http://chesstris.com/

[email protected]

case studies in mobile board game conversion

Entertainment & Humor

case studies

ascensioncase study

carcassonnecase study

game setup

original game

thephysical game

board game industry

asynchronous play