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BEYOND THE UNIVERSE: DEV DOCUMENT

- Game was tested by family members. Recruited by pitching the game and asking if they'd like to take part in the production.

- Game was play tested at home on a big table.

- The team wanted to focus on issues regarding pacing, the trap spaces, and the strategy. We also wanted to focus on the overall fun factor of the game i.e. interest.

- Questions asked were:

1: What you enjoyed the most?

2: What you hated?

3: Any rules that you would change?

4: Is the pacing too slow, too fast, or just fine?

5: Any extra ideas that you would like to add/take away from the game?

- The questions allowed for free-form answers based upon the opinions and wide range of possible answers.

- I expected these questions to be a couple minutes, when in actuality the testers took their time and offered well thought out answers that took around 15- 20 minutes.

- The team learned more of the flaws of the trap and wire spaces and different ways to incorporate them into the game. We also learned to consider adding more spaces that a team can move together i.e. more like 5 instead of 3. The play test was very valuable. The play test definitely helped in deciding how to move forward in the overall development of the game. In the next play test, the team decided to try again with the trap and broken wire spaces and focus on adjusting the number of spaces a team can move in one turn.

Beyond the Universe, Test 2, Comrade Gaming, May 1st, 2015, Version 0.5

Who play tested the game? How did you recruit them?

My four best friends who came home from college play tested. I asked them to playtest it and they said sure.

Where did you playtest your game?

In my home.

Testing Focus

What game play issues did the team want to focus on?

We wanted to focus mainly on if the game could be played fairly and smoothly. In doing that, we needed to make sure that the instructions were clear and concise.

Questionnaire

The questions were mostly free-form and aren't expected to take more than a few minutes.

What Happened

I tested the game with four people, two per team. I explained the rules to them and decided to test our previous idea of allowing them to place their trap cards anywhere on the board that they wanted (out of sight of the opposing team). This is where the problem started. Team 1 was the Jedos and Team 2 were the Aliens. The problem arose when Team 2 staggered their two trap cards around the board, but Team 1 placed both of the cards at the very beginning of the board with a one space gap between the two. Team 1 then played an all-moves-on-one style where they moved one Jedo 3 turns every time. By the time the Jedo was halfway through the board, the Aliens had gotten through the second trap. At this point the remaining Jedo sprung forward and attacked the one Alien who was attempting to rush as well. He did this three times, killing the moving Alien. At this point the 2nd Alien was still back at the start, and the 1st Jedo was resuming moving across the board while the 2nd Jedo stayed back and fought the alien as it moved.

Needless to say, the Jedos won. By a lot.

What did you learn?

I learned a good bit about the balance in the game. The team who starts has the advantages because they are able to place their trap cards first and plan around the fact that they know their opponents are going to be hindered.

Player Opinions

All of the players agreed that the game was absurdly one sided if one team got a good (and unfair, as they put it) start. They suggested some changes that I had contemplated as I watched them play.

What Needs to be Changed

A lot of things need to be changed before this is well refined game. First, the board needs to be much bigger and more diverse. By that I mean we need to incorporate different paths for the players to take. The paths however will intersect frequently. The traps will also be set at random by the game itself (based on a dice roll or some other random factor).

The characters themselves also need to be reworked in term of attacks and damage taken. It should be harder to kill them and there should be a penalty for attacking such as the attacker cannot attack again for two turns. Besides attack and defense, the Aliens should start farther back and be given some sort of movement bonus over the Jedos.  

Beyond the Universe, Test 3, Comrade Gaming, 2 May 2015, Version .05

- Game was play tested by friends. Recruited by asking if they wanted to take part in the development of my final project game.

- Game was play tested at a meeting location.

- The team wanted to focus on, now, the wire and trap spaces as well as the pacing and the overall movement of the game. Of course, we also wanted to see the reactions of the players to rate the overall fun factor - or if the fun was lost in the movement.

- The questions asked are as follows:

1: What you enjoyed the most?

2: What you hated?

3: Any rules that you would change?

4: Is the pacing too slow, too fast, or just fine?

5: Any extra ideas that you would like to add/take away from the game?

- The questions are still free form, allowing the players to make their opinions and open-minded answers without restricting them. I expected (in result to my last play test) to take 15-20 minutes, while in actuality it lasted about 10-15 minutes.

- Our team learned from this playtest more about "mixing up" the traps and wire spaces. We also learned that in order to decide who goes first, do something like a dice roll or added team ages, so the team with the highest age would go first. The team found that the pacing "depends on [the players]" in a way and where they placed the traps and broken wire spaces. The playtest was certainly valuable in learning more about the game's flaws from a new perspective. In the next playtest, we plan to adjust how the starting team is decided as well as consider the placement of the trap and wire spaces.

Beyond the Universe, Comrade Gaming, Test 4, v.05 May 3, 2015

Playtest Participants:

Mother and Father

Playtest Location:

Parents Home

Testing Focus:

The general flow and pacing of the game overall, rule clarity

1: What you enjoyed the most?

2: What you disliked?

3: Any rules that you would change?

4: Is the pacing too slow, too fast, or just fine?

5: Any extra ideas that you would like to add/take away from the game?

Results

The general consensus was that the rules were a bit confusing to understand. The idea tossed around was mostly that they needed to either be simplified or explained better in the rulebook. The board itself was also deemed to be a little on the small side for all the various things that were able to happen. The players felt that it was over too quickly and that they weren’t really able to utilize all the features laid out in the rules.

Beyond the Universe, Comrade Gaming, Test 5 v.05 May 3, 2015

Playtest Participants:

Friends, Zach and Bryan

Playtesting Location:

Zach’s apartment

Testing Focus:

The usability of the traps and rules.  

1: What you enjoyed the most?

2: What you disliked?

3: Any rules that you would change?

4: Is the pacing too slow, too fast, or just fine?

5: Any extra ideas that you would like to add/take away from the game?

After the game was over, the players felt that the traps were unbalanced. The ability to place them anywhere was a bit too simple and lead to long portions of the game spent waiting. Right at the start players were able to just stop al movement for a long period of time if they used all their traps. This made it a slog and really just not fun to play. Along with the issue of the traps, the rules were again deemed a bit confusing to understand at first. Decided to make more revisions so that the rules were more user friendly.  

Development Documentation

The very first version of the game was started on April 21, 2015. It was originally conceived as a board game called Beyond the Universe with a space strategy theme. The original idea for the goal was to either destroy the enemy team through combat, or to be the first to reach the starships bridge to launch the enemy team out of the airlocks. The v.05 rules were also started.  

The following week was spent mostly polishing the rules and deciding on the final concept of the game, which ended up being a strategy game to reach the end of the board first while stopping the enemy team. The team decided to stick with the theme of space, where the teams are Aliens vs Jedos, which are our version of astronauts / space marines.

The next meeting we had was to further discus the rules and ready the board and game pieces for outside playtesting. We printed out prototype placeholder game pieces to be used, which were just pictures of LEGO aliens and astronauts. The prototype board was created using cardboard from the supply closet with the details drawn on with a sharpie marker. After this we began our playtests.  

The week after we got together again to compare playtesting notes. It was decided that the game board needed to be bigger, as well as quite an overhaul of the original rules. We then started the final v1.0 rulebook based on the data we gathered through our playtests. Originally, players could lay traps wherever they wanted, but in the playtests we discovered this lead to some terrible balancing issues. We decided to have the traps be static placements on the board that players have to cross and draw a card to see if the trap is activated or not. The end goal option to just eliminate the enemy team was scrapped, as it lead to games ending far too quickly. With these rule revisions, we proceeded to remake the final game board. We decided to give it three paths which intersect with each other twice on each path. The paths are now color coordinated to make it visually easier to distinguish which path the player’s piece is on. Certain grid spots are now where the traps are activated. Cards drawn on these spots are now what determines if the trap is activated or not. The final player game pieces were made this week as well. This is the final version of the game that will be presented.    

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BEYOND THE UNIVERSE: GAME MANUAL

Pieces

-Gameboard

-Jedos and Alien Pieces

-Trap Cards

SETUP:

- Divide the number of players into 2 EQUAL teams. One for JEDOS and one for ALIENS

- Place JEDOS and ALIEN pieces at the "CARGO HOLD" on the game board.

- To decide who goes first, the team with the highest number of added ages goes first.

- Defeated JEDOS or ALIENS are sent back to the start of the game board.

GAMEPLAY:

- Players move on a 1-3 space basis. No more than 2 spaces TOTAL to their game pieces.

- If players arrive on the same space as their opponent, a battle of dice must take place.

- + Best of 3 dice rolls

- + Each player has 3 "hits" until their player is considered defeated.

- +I.E.: If an ALIEN loses 3 separate "best-of-3" battles, it is defeated and thus eliminated.

- JEDOS are unable to move past a broken wire space. JEDO player must stop upon

encountering this space, even if not landing on it directly.

- ALIENS are unable to move past a trap or "lazer mine" space. ALIEN must stop upon

encountering this space, even if not landing on it directly.

HOW TO WIN:

- Be the first to get to the control panel [BRIDGE] on the board.

- + In order to succeed, BOTH Players of the team must be on the finish, if one player from each team is on the BRIDGE space, have a best of five dice battle. Loser gets sent back to their teammate's current space.

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BEYOND THE UNIVERSE 

Progress from start to finish of final game board design

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Beyond the Universe Playtests (2 of 5)

1: What you enjoyed the most?

2:What you hated?

3:Any rules that you would change?

4:Is the pacing too slow, too fast, or just fine?

5:Any extra ideas that you would like to add/take away from the game?

Playtest 1: 

1: "I really like the idea. Like, it's a cool concept, but I think it needs to be worked. I like how you have multiple players but each playing as a team. It's fun."

2: "I think the [broken] wires and the trap spaces should be randomized. Instead of being permanent on the board, they should change each game. Like find a way to randomize them so that it's not always the same, because then the game will always be the same."

3: "Again, I would change the traps and wires spaces. Mix it up a bit. I would also change how you pick who goes first. A dice roll would help - or something. I know you're not supposed to use dice, but maybe figure something else out. And the whole dividing the number of spaces to your team is a good idea, but maybe more than 3. Try 5 next time? Maybe?"

4: "The pacing kinda depends on us [the players]. I mean the spaces themselves [broken wires and traps] stop us from moving, but that was our/our enemies' fault." (( Noted that the pacing seems ok, but with more spaces going off in other directions, the aliens and the Jedos could choose their own path and not run into each other if they didn't want to.))

5: "More spaces for sure. It's technically a one way street that just curves around the ship. I agree that you should add more spaces and routes so if you don't want to, you really don't have to fight. The way it is now almost makes you fight whether you like it or not."

Overall, I think the general play of the game is alright. We need to add some alternative routes and talk about how the broken wires and trap spaces will work, or change the rules for them. In the final version, the board should be physically bigger to allow for more spaces and play-room. Also, find a way to better judge how far a player can move in one turn. Overview: GOOD. Just some kinks in the play through.

Playtest 2: 

1: The overall gameplay is fun in the battles and race. Being able to win two different ways gives it an interesting need to defeat your opponent while also trying to survive long enough to reach the end. Kind of a star wars theme.

2: The decision to let the players place their own trap and wire spaces may not be the best. Found that players either place them at the direct beginning or right before the end. Instead of strategy, it became a full out "keep them in place" game.

3: Don't let the players choose where the spaces go. Find a way to keep it random, but not so that the players know. Maybe have them move throughout the game or just make them defined from the beginning. The spaces just take away from the fun.

4: The pacing is fine, it's just the spaces that stop the flow, which i guess is the point. The movement of only 3 moves for the whole team is a little slow. Maybe bump up the number of spaces the team can move. Maybe try 3 to each piece instead of team?

5: Any other way to battle? Or does it have to rely on chance of the die roll? Maybe integrating the traps or wires as a part of the battle would be cool. Or even just making "battle cards" or something. Anything to make it more exciting than based off of chance.

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Beyond The Universe: Rules and Writeup

SETUP:

-  Divide the number of players into 2 EQUAL teams. One for JEDOS and one for ALIENS

-  Each team decides where to place their appropriate trap spaces.

-  + JEDOS decide where to place the "trap" spaces

-  + ALIENS decide where to place the "broken wire" spaces

-  Place JEDOS and ALIEN pieces at the "START" on the game board.

-  To decide who goes first, the team with the highest number of added ages goes first.

-  Defeated JEDOS or ALIENS are eliminated from the game and can not be used once defeated

nor revived. 

GAMEPLAY:

-  Players move on a 1-3 space basis. No more than 2 spaces TOTAL to their game pieces.

-  If players arrive on the same space as their opponent, a battle of dice must take place.

-  + Best of 3 dice rolls

-  + Each player has 3 "hits" until their player is considered defeated.

-  +I.E.: If an ALIEN loses 3 separate "best-of-3" battles, it is defeated and thus eliminated.

-  JEDOS are unable to move past a broken wire space. JEDO player must stop upon

encountering this space, even if not landing on it directly.

-  ALIENS are unable to move past a trap or "lazer mine" space. ALIEN must stop upon

encountering this space, even if not landing on it directly. 

HOW TO WIN:

-  Be the first to get to the control panel [FINISH SPACE] on the board.

-  + In order to succeed, BOTH Players of the team must be on the finish, unless team mate is

defeated.

-  OR -

-  Be the first to survive the game.

-  + If JEDOS defeat each of the ALIEN players, the JEDOS automatically win by default.

-  + If ALIENS defeat each of the JEDOS players, the ALIENS automatically win by default.

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Beyond The Universe Writeup

Game: Beyond the Universe

Game Concept:

This game is set aboard a derelict spaceship where a team of astronauts, called Jedos, attempts to regain control while a team of Aliens attempts to stop them. The Jedos must avoid collapsed walkways and Alien attacks, while the Aliens can use the ships disrepair to their advantage. The Jedos can sabotage tunnels in an attempt to stop the Aliens advance. The Aliens can move freely through the areas that the Jedos cannot cross. Players race around the board, first to the control room wins!

Rules:

The board is in the shape of a space ship

Team 1 are the Jedos

Team 2 are the Aliens

4-6 Players, teams must be even

If Jedos and aliens land on the same space, a dice roll must be initiated to see who wins the battle.

This battle will be determined by a best of three dice roll

Players move on a 1-3 space basis, no more than 3 spaces per turn

Jedos are unable to move past a “broken wires” space, while an Alien is free to proceed.

Aliens are unable to move forward after a Jedo places a “lazer mine” on a space

Game ends when one team reaches the control room OR when there is only one team left standing

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Final Project Game Seedlings! (2 of 5 - Group)

Game 1: Beyond the Universe

Board game looks like a spaceship

Team 1 are the Jedos

Team 2 are the aliens

Players up to 4-6 (must have even teams)

Players race around the board - first to the end (the main control hub) win!

If Jedos and aliens land on the same space, a die must be rolled to determine if the alien was SLAYED or the JEDO was defeated!

Jedo/Alien is defeated/slain if they lose 2/3 dice roll battles.

Game ends when a team reaches the end or there is only one team left

Players move based upon 1-3 movement choice. No more than 3 spaces allowed for a single alien/Jedo

Jedo is unable to move if passing "broken wires" space whereas Aliens move up one extra space.

Aliens are unable to move if passing "lazer point" space whereas Jedos move up one extra space.

Game 2:  Adventure to Paradise

Game board designed to imitate pieces of the jungle, ruins, and the desert.

Players must take on the different landscapes to reach the end goal : PARADISE

Each landscape presents a different challenge for the players.

Jungle: Every "jungle cat" space knocks you back one space

Ruins: If landed on the "cursed treasure" space, you will automatically lose your next opponent battle, no matter which landscape the battle takes place.

Desert: Every "quick sand" space stops your player in their tracks. Can only move forward on the next turn.

Players move based upon a 1-3 movement choice.

NO MORE THAN 3 spaces can each player move

Players can choose to stay put

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Trivia Map! - Tabletop & Mobile

"Trivia Map"

Multicolored spaced board game.

Roll dice to move forward

Depending on the color of the space you land on is the type of trivia question you are asked

Blue: Movies

Red: Events / Current Events (mobile)

Green: Science/ History

Yellow: Music / Pop Culture (mobile)

(MOBILE) Special Space: Surprising space to offer bonus points, turns, move numbers, etc.

Answer Correct: Move forward 1 space of the number you originally rolled

Answer INCorrect: Move backwards 1 space of the number you originally rolled

The game is won once a player gets to the "FINISH" space at the end of the board.

MOBILE ADAPTATION:

Board itself takes up the boarder/ full screen of phone

Double tap to roll dice

Personalized picture icon as representation of players

Trivia current events and pop culture update via internet

Notifications when a player takes their turn.

Up to 4 total players connected to a single game

2 VS 2 "battles" for trivia or challenges

In-game chat room to boast and intimidate your foes!

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Don’t Starve, Jeff Agala

Don't Starve, Jeff Agala

From a bewildered child to a studying art student, the magic of animation for games and movies has always been a skill I've longed to master. Although names like Disney and Pixar stand out as the highest animators and character creators of our time, there are other, though smaller, development teams that have proved their worth through their own artistic successes. One of the most inspirational of these teams is Klei Entertainment, lead by creative director, Jeffrey Agala.

Jeff Agala, as head of the creative team at Klei, created the main concept art, character models, and animations that are featured in the 2013 horror-survival game, Don't Starve. In his original conceptual sketches of the main character, Wilson, and the environments that would be interacted with, the models and objects seemed to be too light hearted to fulfill the "horror-survival" theme of the game. Jeff notes that they had "changed [the concepts] to be a bit more creepy" in order to better suit the feeling they were trying to portray in their game. While working with the development of the game, Agala and the team made it their main goal to focus not only on the gameplay, but on the aesthetics and themes of the game. When then faced with the too cartoonish look of the characters, Jeff turned to the work of famous director Tim Burton for inspiration. Like Burton's work, Jeff Agala adjusted his characters to match a more "dark and supernatural yet cartoonish art style". In the main trailer for the game, Jeff made a point to animate the 2D

character Wilson to look like a sketchy, paper cut-out. This allowed the animation to keep the sharp sketchiness of the drawing style while still acting fluidly with the rest of the dark environment.

When first experiencing the work created by Jeff Agala and Klei Entertainment, I was captured by the artistic style and story within the game Don't Starve. Although the game itself does not exactly invoke terror, I found myself still weary as I entered this world of survival. Upon examination of the game's development, I discovered exactly where this feeling may be coming from. As a child, I enjoyed many of Tim Burton's films whether they were meant for children or were considered more graphic. Growing up, like many in my generation, the name Burton itself brings to mind feelings of uneasiness and mild horror in association with the dark artistic style the director had put into each of his films. Agala, in pulling from Tim Burton's influence, is able to not only bring the dark style into Don't Starve, but also awaken the subconscious memories of Burton's work in the minds of those who are familiar with the style. In turn, when viewing Jeff Agala's work in Don't Starve, I felt the same weariness as I had as a child witnessing the creations of Tim Burton - a psychological aid to automatically invoke horror into the audience without having to spend much more time in making the game itself horror-based. With the artistic style and horror aesthetic of the art, the game is able to focus on the "survival" aspect - creating a balance between horror, survival, and enjoyment all at once within Don't Starve.

Jeffrey Agala's ability to create amazing images and animation while invoking subconscious terror through a particular artistic style has sparked a certain inspiration for me. Like any artist, I

strive that my audience will not only view my art, but also experience a reaction to it. Within games and stories, the amount of immersion can make or break the entire experience, a balance that Jeff is able to prove through his development in Don't Starve. In working on the game Jeff realizes the need for a horror aesthetic to aid in the game's overall feeling of weariness. Instead of effecting the gameplay with needless jumpscares or unnecessary graphics that may sacrifice immersion, Jeff instead turns to the artistic style of another director to unveil how a certain style can effect the audience's entire perspective on the game. This ability to strategically plan the style of a game or animation to fit within a certain genre while staying true to the original idea is an admirable trait. Unlike other animators or game artists, especially within the horror genre, Jeff Agala keeps his work simple, never seeking to confuse the player/audience with dark shadows or complex designs. Agala is able to stay true to his original, simple designs for the characters and environment while only changing the style of which they are displayed to effect the reaction(s) of his audience. This allows for immersive horror and simulated need for survival although the entirety of the game is still a cartoonish style. It is this skill set that Jeffrey Agala possesses to create a reaction in his audience that I strive to achieve one day. Through studying his work and the developments he makes to his own work at Klei Entertainment, and why, I am able to better understand how in making small changes to an original piece can enhance the entirety of the project and the audience's experience.

JEFFREY AGALA:

http://www.kleientertainment.com/about/ http://jeffagala.tumblr.com/ (( Original Don't Stave Concepts Found...) http://jeffagala.tumblr.com/page/7

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“TANK”: Animation Concentration Project

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Before/After pics of “TANK”: Animation Concentration project 

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Concepts:

CHARACTER:

Project "A"

Locate and destroy her original creator, Dr. Jay Buccanan, while surpassing the imperfections that led to her "birth"

A is the first successful human created and able for cellular manipulation. After an accident during her debut, A develops a consciousness. With her new mindset, she learns of Dr. Jays' plan to use her controlled cells to manipulate and weaponize the cells to transfer worldwide through his next creations. A sets out to defeat Dr. Jay before his plan is put into action while also battling the imperfections that led to her own creation.

Mostly mute. A learns fast due to her genetic creation, but when in the process of learning information she tends to break her perfect posture and tilt or lean. Pre-consciousness, A's genetic and biological design insisted upon her muscle's perfect posture and movements. Post-consciousness, this form in her posture, walk, and fighting remain stiff due to muscle memory, but as the game develops she loosens up and becomes more "natural". Despite her genetic upbringing, A's body is as fragile as a normal human's - in danger of sickness, injury, or death.

A is the player's character seen through a 3rd person perspective. Because of the emotional and mental effectiveness of the story, A acts as a sort of connector between the game's emotions and the player - the 3rd person perspective acting as a sympathy/empathy producer.

A's fighting technique is perfected, yet ridged. Her idle stance becomes more leaned and more natural over game-time. A, again, retains her past muscle memory but with her new consciousness she will loosen up and act more natural. She has normal human strength and agility, yet can climb and act more stealthily than the average human.

A is a female with an average-athletic body type. Her hair is short due to her recent "birth" and parted down the middle to expose her face. She wears a one- piece body suit for easy and flowing movements that is connected by a triangle badge on her left chest/shoulder to also protect her "heart".

A is to be viewed in 3rd person, mostly from the side or back. This relates to how she is to be this "public figure" to the world as the first created human (to be seen from the front), yet the past, tragic imperfections holds her, in her consciousness, from being that figure. A knows she is a product of past failures and would rather expose the evil of Dr. Jay and his plans than be a star of hope in the eyes of the human race.

This character is to be played throughout the entirety of the game. The player will play as Project A.

The character's name is, scientifically, PROJECT A. Simply, "A".*

*SPOILER: A changes her name, in acceptance to her human life, to Ambrose.

ENVIRONMENT:

Eerie feeling. The atmosphere of my game is not so much "dark", but shadowy. In a place where everything casts a looming shadow, it will look dark while also giving a feeling of claustrophobia. Mostly isolated, the only company to the player in this environment are the bugs, destroyed toys and dolls, and main "monsters" of the game. Even the monsters themselves act stealthily and without much noise. The sound of the environment includes the wind, clacking together toys, and the occasional monster growl or hiss.

The building this map takes place in was an old toy store/warehouse. After the infestation of "the monster", the building was shut down and the toys left to rot and decompose. In fear of releasing whatever-it-is in the building, it was left closed off to the rest of the world.

This map takes place in the fall of 1845. The store/warehouse itself is located just beyond the city of "Lourdes". ((similar to London, England. ))

The map takes the player through the warehouse as they are tormented by the monster and forced to face the horrific, decomposed dolls and "toys" of the 1800's. Some toys will suddenly move or play their own music, causing the player to lose sanity while the beast within the game will cause hallucinations through the use of mirrors and noise.

This map is meant to expose the player to the common human fear of "possessed" toys, isolation, and the ever-looming pretense of an unknown figure/beast. This map will play upon the player's curiosity, fears, and emotional stability as they move through the map and it's ever-changing, yet ever-dark scenery and "enemies".  

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COMBAT COMRADES

Combat Comrades

Overview

The premise of Combat Comrades is to fight your friends to the top, all for the glory of their Mother Land. Players will assume the role of a melee fighter, with the goal to knock their opponents off the map to score their country points. It is a fast paced 2D multiplayer arena brawler, with optional challenges and co-op scenarios.

Avatar Customization

Players will be able to fully customize their fighting avatar. Some of these customization options become available after players have performed certain in game feats and based on what faction they choose. The player’s avatar will be shown in the game lobby before each match. The different customizations will be able to indicate how many challenges have been completed and at what difficulty level. There are three different fighter types for players to choose:

Light – for quick strikes and fast movement, but is also easier to knock back

Medium – for all around average effectiveness

Heavy – for hard-hitting tank players, but is slow and cannot jump high

Game Winning Objective

The main objective for the players is to be the last fighter standing at the end of each round. The players achieve this by knocking their opponents off of the map, either into the side abyss or into various hazards around the maps. Occasionally throughout the round special items will spawn into the map. These items can be used to do additional damage to opponents.

Item Examples

Lazer Sword

Katana

Energy Ray

Saw Blade

Bomb

Challenge Mode

Challenges are small side missions that players have the option to complete for achievements and extra customization options. Some challenges must be tackled alone, while others can be done co-operatively.

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Space! New Rules, Fun Space!

Space!

Players: - 2 Teams - 2 people each. One person on each team controls the "Captain", the other controls the "Drones"

Objective: - Players' objective is to get their Captain and Drones to the Colony Station at the end of the game. Whoever has the most points at the end is the winner!

Teams / Units:

Players are in teams of 2, one Player controls the Mother ship and the other controls three drones with unique abilities.

The Player controlling the Mother ship has three movement and one ability this ability costs one movement to use and can be taken from left over movement or lessen movement on next turn by one.  The ability “Defend the mother ship” pulls all Active drones to the Mother ship to help defend an attack.

The player controlling the drones has three unique drones that share a movement/ability pool of 8 spaces but no drone can choose to travel more than 5 spaces from the Mother ship at any time.  All drone abilities can only be used from unused movement from the last turn.

The first drone is a Minesweeper with the ability to place and disarm mines, this costs one movement for each action and there is a limit of one mine per team at a time.

The second drone is a support drone with the ability to jump to the aid of an ally at the cost of one movement the support drone can move to an ally that is under attack, including a mine, to help them in combat.  If the support drone is within one space of the Mother ship it can aid anyone if it is more than one space from the Mother ship it can only move to help the Mother ship.  The support drones second ability is a rapid repair if it is disabled a player can spend 2 movement points to repair the support drone.

The final drone is a Scout drone it gets to move 2 spaces for each movement point expended and if it does not directly land on a mine it doesn’t set it off.  Also the Scout drone has a cloaking ability that costs one movement to activate and can only stay active if the scout doesn’t move.

Combat:

Combat is resolved through “Rock, Paper, Scissors” or an agreed upon alternative I.E. “Even-Odd,” “Thumb-War,” etc.

Combat occurs when two ships land on the same space as each other.  Drones and Mines only have one hit point, thus whoever wins the agreed upon game wins the combat and receives no penalty.  Note, Mines only activate once whether they win or lose the combat.  Due to multiple ships being able to engage in combat at a time and the fact that Mother ships have 2 hits points Combat scales according to how many total hit points a Team has on the space that combat is taking place, each player competes for their own units in combat.  If both Mother ships we in combat than the first player to win twice would win the combat.  If both players had all of their ships on the same space then one player would have to achieve 5 victories to win combat.  Whenever a player loses a round of combat they choose which unit takes the damage in the case there are multiple units on the same space.  If a drone loses combat it becomes disabled (Note disables ships are not considered active) for one round.  If a Mother ship loses combat is moves back 2 spaces.

Taking turns:

Players alternate who moves first each round.  Rounds are broken into two stages, drones move in the first stage and Mother ships move in the second.  The team that goes first is chosen through a quick round of combat.  The first team choses all that moves they want to make and marks them on the laminated movement board.  The second team then moves their drones on the regular board and the first team reveals where they moved their drones / placed mines (Note: if you moved your scout and immediately cloaked you don’t have to reveal where it is for either team).

During the second stage players move their Mother ships one after the other but the Mothers ships are always visible.  After the second stage combat takes place on any spaces where two or more opposing ships have landed.

If a drone or the mother ship attempts to pass a space with an enemy mine on it they must enter combat with the player that placed the mine during combat.

If a Mother ship hits a mine the damage stays until combat finishes in the following round.

All ships are repaired right before combat takes place.

Every round after the first alternate which players get to move first and second.

The Board:

The board is contains several different types of spaces.  The most common space is Open Space, these spaces have no special rules.  The final space is the Colony, once a ship lands at the colony it occupies the highest point space available and is out of the game.  There are two Space ports with strict no Combat rules.  There is one Asteroid field which stops the movement of any unit that lands on it.  If a player decides it wants to try and complete any action other than moving off of the Asteroid field it has a 50% chance of being hit by an Asteroid and must flip a coin to see if they are successful.  Upon successful coin toss they may complete one action including attacking an enemy ship or planting a mine.  If a player is attacked they do not need to flip a coin to fight.  If the player attempting to complete an action in the Asteroid field loses the flip their ship takes one point of damage.

Landing all of your ships on the Colony is the final objective and once all ships have landed scoring takes place to see who won.  The Mother ship is worth twice the value of the spot it occupies and each drone is worth one half the value rounded down for the spot it occupies.  Add up all the values and the player with the highest score wins the game.

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3 Game Ideas by Yours Truly

Game One: "Commuter"

Point and Click Survival Game

- "Commuter" is a pixel, point and click survival game in which you, the average joe, must make the crucial decisions and actions to prevent your entire train from disaster. This first person game challenges the player to spot the "odd man out" terrorist and the bomb he/she leaves behind. If the player is unable to point out the terrorist, or the bomb, in the time designated by the timer (unique to each level), the train will explode and the game is lost. The game is won if the player can locate on each level the disguised terrorists and the hidden bombs they place when exiting the train. The terrorists can be located through a flaw in their actions and disguises - as simple as a misplaced item to as challenging as a simple tap of the foot. If a player decides upon a character that happens not to be a terrorist, a "commuter", the timer will subtract 10 seconds from their overall remaining time.  A side effect of pointing out a "commuter" will also draw attention to the player and alert the terrorist(s) of your watchful eye. If 3 "commuters" are chosen before a terrorist or bomb, this will alert the terrorist(s) aboard and they will trigger the bombs, designating a "Game Over". Change your average life into one of patriotic heroism in this new game: "Commuter".

Game Two: "Sweet Dreams"

Horror based Survival Game

"Sweet Dreams" is a horror based game focused on immersing the player into the nightmare world. This first person perspective game follows the story of Chet, a workaholic who can never quite find the time to sleep. After beginning terrifying hallucinations of a ghostly woman, Chet begins taking medication to help himself sleep, but at what cost? Chet begins to have nightmares of the mystery woman who torments him in different ways in accordance to the seven deadly sins. Each night, the woman punishes him, revealing the sins he has committed in his past to achieve his place in the world now. The player must face, accept, and escape each level (sin) to proceed to the next one. The game can be won once the player surpasses each sin and uncovers the hidden truth behind Chet. Once the sins are revealed, the final level will test the player's acceptance or rejection of the character and any potential for redemption. The final level revels the final truth of Chet and the woman.

((The game will consist of two endings depending on the player's choice. If the player, meaning Chet, accepts his sins and finds that  he has redeemed himself, the woman will be dragged into Hell, along with her helpers, the children. If the player finds Chet guilty of his sins, the woman and children will ascend into Paradise and forgive Chet, though still sending him to the underworld for his crimes.))

Game Three: "Wanted: Dead or Alive"

3D Open World, Action/Adventure

- "Wanted: Dead or Alive" is an open world, 3D Action/Adventure based game. This game, told in 3rd person, follows the adventures of "K", a female outlaw with an attitude. K, raised as an outlaw by her father, adventures through the world of Nova - a planet full of danger and abstract animals, to uncover hidden treasures. When her father goes missing, K must backtrack through the adventures she's had to locate her father and the legendary treasures they unearthed. This 3D open world game will challenge the player to make the right connections between it's inhabitants, including side quests, to help narrow down the location of K's father. Along the way, the player will encounter daring combat, quick escapes, and use their stealth to avoid the authorities. Each part of the world will contain a hint to the location of K's father as well as information about how her father became an outlaw in the first place. The game is "won" once the player locates K's father, faces the final level/boss, and makes a crucial decision that will challenge the player morally. Discover the world of Nova through K's life in "Wanted: Dead or Alive".

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Space! Post-Testing Responses

Post_Test_Game

1: What you enjoyed the most? 2:What you hated? 3:Any rules that you would change? 4:Is the pacing too slow, too fast, or just fine? 5:Any extra ideas that you would like to add/take away from the game?

1: Space seems to be enjoyable through the real life "battles" the players have with each other. In taking the player out of the game to play rock-paper-scissors with their real-life friend seems to be more enjoyable for the players.

2: The rules themselves are tricky to understand. Once the game is set and in motion, then the players understand. Consider writing the rules more clearly.

3: Perhaps the captain should not be able to bring his pawns across the board. This makes battles take longer and can act as an unfair advantage at points.

4: The pacing is fine. At some parts, like just moving, the pacing is appropriate for the players to get their pieces across the board; however, this is slowed down while allowing players to battle one another. The slowest part is figuring out the battles for the players.

5: More players would make the game more interesting and longer - as long as the board itself is bigger and easier to maneuver. But beware- adding more players may make the game run too long and may feel cramped on the board.

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Space! Formal Elements:

SpaceFormalElements

Space!

Players: - 2 Teams - 2 people each. One person on each team controls the "Captain", the other controls the "Drones"

Objective: - Players' objective is to get their Captain and Drones to the Colony Station at the end of the game. Whoever has the most points at the end is the winner!

Procedure

-  Players begin on the third space.

-  Players may use captain to "recall" drones unless captain or drones are already in the colony.

-  Players play "rock, paper, scissors" to determine victor in same-space battles.

-  Each round of turns, the front space tile goes to the back, circulating the game board. 

Rules:

-  "Captain" piece may move up to 3 spaces, The "Drones" may move up to a total of 7 spaces

either all for one or split between the 3.

-  "Rock, Paper, Scissors" Rules: ~ Captain VS Captain: play for 2/3 victory. Loser retreats 2 spaces ~ Captain VS Drone: play for 2/3 victory. Drone loss = lose next turn. Captain loss = retreat 2 spaces ~ Drone VS Drone: Play for 1 round victory. Loser loses next turn.

-  "Black Hole" space eliminates the covering game piece from the game. (Either Captain or

Drone.)

-  Captain receives 2X the points it lands on in the colony.

-  Drone receives 1/2 the points it lands on in the colony.

-  Space Station Spaces are "Safe Zones", free of any combat.

-  Asteroid Belt restricts movement for that turn

-  Colony has 8, numbered spaces - Combat happens after the last player has taken their turn for the round. Resources: - If threatened with combat, player may use any extra move spaces to move forward/backward to avoid confrontation.

Conflict: - Players must be the first to reach the Colony while surviving combat from opposing team or elimination from the board itself.

Boundaries: - Linear-board based game

-  The game takes place in Space.

-  The "Captain" and "Drone" ships are from the future.

Outcomes:

-  Player achieved victory over opposing team based upon the speed and outcome of points he/

she receives from the Colony.

-  Reward of a successful fleet of spaceships surviving daring combat and the dangers of space.