Journal Wk10: Improv

Re: Journal Wk10: Improv

Taking D&D as an example, the improv principles would certainly apply here, since all would be essential to advance the story. Like improv, D&D is a imagination-based social game and requires the participation and commitment to the game from all players.

The game’s mechanics would certainly allow for a participant to be disruptive, but that would affect the aesthetics for the entire group, rendering the game unplayable in he short-term.

Since the game designer would not have much control over players’ actions, my opinion is that enforcement of the improv principles would be a task delegated to the players themselves.

Design Idea Wk10: Art game

Re: Design Idea Wk10: Art game

I would make a text game where a player, or players, receive a pool of random words and have to use them to form a coherent text, their choice of prose or poem.

Their works, along with the original pools of words, would be uploaded to a central site where others in the community could rank them or try to use the words themselves.

The anonymity of the system would take care of any self-consciousness issues, and players could freely practice in order to improve their works.

Journal Wk 9 — Interactive Fiction

Re: Journal Wk 9 – Interactive Fiction

I thought that the problem with these games was more related to the UI than the games themselves. I couldn’t do anything at all in Galatea and Aisle, as they didn’t understand anything I said. I could progress a little in Slouching Toward Bedlam, but soon I didn’t know what to do.

Facade was a lot easier for me to play. It understood everything I tried to say and I could actually get to the end. I think there’s a lot of replayability in this game and , since the UI doesn’t get in the way, I think it’s worth the time.

Design Idea Wk 9 — Fairytale

Re: Design Idea Wk 9 — Fairytale

My game is based on Jack and the Beanstalk, and also inspired by the film Wall Street, since greed plays an essential part in both stories.

The player controls Jack, who starts with a minimum amount that he needs to trade up at the stock market. He is made offers for stocks, but he doesn’t know the value of the stocks until after the trade; the only information available to him is the pitch from the salesman. Some of stocks will give Jack a profit, while others will make him lose money.

In the game, the stock market is a parallel to the giant of the original fable and it’s constantly trying to defeat Jack. Given that the market has a better probability of getting better trades, it’s unlikely that Jack would win.

This would make a difference from the moral of the fable, which insinuates that greed pays off.

Journal Wk8: Mafia

Re: Journal Wk8: Mafia

Although the mechanics are simple, the game incorporates a 7 of the 8 types of fun: drama (if using the narrator role), fantasy (for the role-playing), challenge (trying to read other players), social (the game needs a large group of players), discovery (the story and roles being unveiled), expression (again, if the narrator role is used), and submission (for the capacity of immersion).

The game’s main attraction seems to be the social aspect, however, and I think that might impact its aesthetics if played online. I feel that part of the fun is trying to read other players, and I’m not sure how to successfully implement that online. One could probably use web-cams, but they would still lose most of the body language.

Design Idea Wk8: A social game

Re:  Design Idea Wk8: A social game

My idea is based on the Prisoner’s Dilemma. You have a player as  a cop as a moderator, two robbers, and some innocents. Each player starts with 10 points. The robbers know each other roles. At the beginning of every round each player gets another 10 points and a new role.

The cop starts by sending a message to other players, asking for a confession. From there you have these scenarios:

A robber can confess or not. A confession includes accusing the partner.

An innocent can accuse two players he might suspect, or he might stay silent.

If both robbers confess, each loses 5 points.

If one robber confesses and the other stays silent, the one that confessed keeps their points and the accused loses 10 points.

If the innocent is right on their accusation, he gets 10 or 20 points, depending on how many accused he got right.

If the innocent only gets one accusation right, then the robber that wasn’t accused could “kill” the innocent and take 20 of their points.

If both robbers stay silent, and no one accuses them, they each get 10 points.

The game can be played for as many rounds as desired, or a limit could be set at the beginning of the game.