Well, I guess this leaves our game in second place. It was really fun designing it. I also had a good time working with Scott. He is probably one of the best students in this promotion. Such a smart guy even being so young. He had the initial idea. We want to make a mixture between cards and board games. Something like Card Hunter which I think was a pretty functional game. I took ideas from Yu-Gi-Oh! and HearthStone to design the cards in general. While Scott used Magic The Gathering as the main reference. We also took some ideas from the games we played in class (specifically SmallWorld and Catan). The innovation supposes to be the movement and how the whole game will build above this mechanic. As you have to break through the battlefield until your opponent Heroe to kill them without forgetting to build your fortress to protect your own Heroe. The first step we took was made some sketches to try out by ourselves and see how it goes. As we really enjoy it Scott started to write down the rules while I was making the board (I really liked how looks in the end, by the way). Then, we started to making the cards and quickly found out what a real challenge achieve a fair balance really is. It is too easy to make a overpower card so the only way to avoid that is test our creations countless times. When we finally played with the whole set we found out our mistake with the board dimensions and the amount of charging manas (another key element). Scotts tried to solve most problems by adding more and more rules while I was really worried about it. Like Miyamoto says: the best solutions are those that solve more than one issue at the same time. In the end, we managed to come out with a couple of elegant solutions.
Although the game was fun to us I don't really know if Leo and Nate actually enjoy it. It indeed has too many rules. It is also, complex and requires concentration from the players but that doesn't mean it is as deep as should be. Either way, It has been one of my favorite all-time class because now I don't have any doubt: I want to be a video game designer.
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For me the winning game in our class. Simple and fun at the same time. Loved the pirates thematic and the aesthetic as a whole feel it that way. The just had to sail in circles until gathering enough gold to land in Tortuga Island (no references to Pirates of Caribbean around here). Simple as role 2 dice to move, see if your ship end in a gold square, event square (pick a card to see what happens), treasure hunting square (pretty much the same as the event but with gold) and pass across another ship to battle (with the possibility of stealth their gold). The fact that lots of events cards changed the direction of the ships what also happen if anybody throws a 7 add emotion to the game. Everybody was always excited and paying attention to what was happing on the board. We all wanted those 50 gold...
Although there were (as always) a few things to improve. Starting from the board itself seems awful they really should have painted it or at least put more effort in its appearance. Also, the game needs another mechanic different to roll the dice. Every event on the board was conditioned to random by those dices (from movement to how much gold you will stealth from your opponent). I felt they abuse of random mechanic and that why they only had a few dynamics. Besides this, I didn´t see any other big problem (maybe work a little more on event cards effects). In the end, I really like this game and I am sure my classmates too. Leo and Nikki game (I don't know the name of the other weird guy, sorry) was a good idea. They were obviously thinking in one of those party game like Nintendo used to make for Wii. The concept was built some kind of story starting with an archetype card (tragedy, joker, etc.) you have previously chosen (way too easy, It should definitely be random to push people away from their safe zone). Then everyone should answer questions (in turns and within a time limit) trying to follow their archetype and keeping their story with some sense. Finally, there this role "the reporter" who will ask the question and choose the best answer. In order to do that, there is a criterion which is just avoids contradicting your archetype. Sounds good here but there was a few problem in the practical. First, I don't know why the Super Hero thematic, they could use any other plot and the result would have been the same. The archetypes (as Scott said) were unbalanced, you could have pretty specific ones in opposition to others way too subjective. Also, the reporter role was dreadfully boring. The only thing you have to do in that round is read the question and choose whatever you like (nobody followed the criterion they just pick the funniest one). Although answer those question in a creative way was fun, after a few rounds start to feeling repetitive. The game needs more interactions between the players (more mechanics and dynamics as well) and more rules so the experience stops feeling vague (we never use the board for example). In conclusion, I think they had an interesting idea but they also could make it a lot better.
Heartstone is probably the most successful collective card video game ever made. Only 2 years after its launch the game already had 50 million active players and became one of the most popular in esports. But its formula has been proved before. The gameplay and main mechanics feel strongly similar to Magic The Gathering. Hearthstone never tries to hide this fact because Its knows how to upgrade and improve this old formula. The game brings the complex mechanics of Magic to a new public simplifying most of them. Everything feels simpler but no easier. Aesthetics: Following its heritage, the main aesthetic in Hearthstone is Competition because there is no game without an opponent (either IA or another person). As any collective cards game, we can build our decks and develop strategies the way we want so Expression is another important aesthetic. Related with this, finding new cards or ways to used is always very exciting about cards games and this one is not the exception so there is Discovery Aesthetic. Finally, as every action we do on the board (full of color and movement by the way) has an appropriate animation I would say that it has some of Sense Pleasure too. Dynamics: How the players choose to win the match, either drop their opponent 30 health points to 0 or making them run out of cards, would be the dynamics related to supporting Competition. Maybe the funniest dynamics of the whole game would be strategies. Each player may combine cards to create their unique way to play (strategies). Could be focused on attacking, making tokens or turtling, the important here is how this kind of dynamics support expression aesthetic. On the other hand, finding out what kind of cards are you facing or more important how your opponent combine them would be the main dynamics supporting Discovery. Finally, the board movement and animations that are triggered when we affect our opponent field would be dynamics related to Pleasure sense because they are only activated when we do several mechanics. Mechanics: As similar card battling game, we can invoke minions to attack our opponent life points or activate effect to destroy opponents minions. So pretty much everything we can do on the field would be mechanics supporting Competition aesthetic. Outside battles we can't do a lot more. The only way to earn new cards is buying booster packs. So this has to be the mechanic related to Discovery. If we are not playing we would be probably editing our deck. After selecting a class, we can pick or take out cards as we like until 30, this is how mechanics support dynamics expression. Finally, any action we do on the field has a specific animation (may be a sound) so the players could easily realize what is happening. So all battle mechanic are also supporting pleasure sense. Journey is nothing less than a masterpiece. Its style and approach strongly resembles another classic video games: ICO. We can easily notice the same structure: that tiny character which has to navigate in lonely but expressive landscapes to reach his destiny. These artworks have the experience as objective and the feelings as goal. The main idea is to communicate something through the interaction. In that way, we are who build the message and read it as we like. Journey brings this old classic formula to our times and provides new elements to achieve a new level Aesthetics: Every single aspect in Journey is talking about stages of life so the main goal of the game is communicate this message (narrative). From that vast and desolate desert (which represent birth) to those frozen mountains. From those shining colors in the beginning to that icy white in the end. Our anthropomorphic avatar goes across every phase of the Hero's Journey only to prove Campbell's discovery. Our universal journey: the circle of life. It’s design by subtraction (as the master Ueda taught us) multiplies the immersion. The game come in through our eyes (sense pleasure) and our actions influence the layout of what we se on screen. This experience as a whole can only fully understand it with another person (fellowship). Dynamics: Journey's dynamics are mainly determined by the interaction between movement and surroundings. Those shifting landscapes are always giving us meaningful clues (the hieroglyph for example) to depict a bigger message. While we are delighted seing these changes happening before our eyes and ears. The puzzles are also designed to provide clues about the story. Another interesting dynamic is the Scarf. As a metaphor of our knowledge: is always growing as we learn and use it to solve almost any problem. Finally, about dynamic related to fellowship aesthetics, the possibility to live this journey aside somebody else: finding ways to communicate between each other and cooperating to solve puzzles are good example. Mechanics:
Journey use very simple mechs to tell a complex story. As the game is talking about the cycle of life the main mechanic is movement so most of the time we will be navigating through the landscape. Could be walking, jumping, gliding or sliding all we have to do is move forward (in a way, we are pushing the story forward). Beside our character can emit a sort of aura (through the scarf) to interact with the environment. While we are moving we can see striking changes in our surroundings, in its shapes, color and environments. We can also communicate with other players by emitting a unique sound. This way the game is challenge us to develop a whole relationship with other player (from problem solving to communication process) with that sound. This is a brilliant example how using a simple action can allow player fill blanks and build their own experience which lead a certain message (in this case feelings of fellowship). Minecraft is nothing less than a living legend. The dreaming of any designer: from humble indie game to a huge mass media phenomenon. Only behind Tetris with more than 100 million copies sold this is the second best-selling video game ever made. Minecraft is a particularity. If most video games only have a few Aesthetics this game is the exception. Minecraft is a brilliant combination of what video games could be. It is our own interactives legos. This game is an example of how we can express ourselves through the interaction. Long live to this masterpiece. Aesthetic Minecraft is first of all expression through creation. The game itself is a giant toolbox so we can create the world we want. I have read that video games are pretty much like architecture: the artistic experience born from our movement (interaction) through the creation. Tha's why we are able to narrate our own story the way we want. Online gaming lets us discover other players approach. Either if we work together (fellowship) or race against other players (competitive) social interactions are key to the game as a whole. The constructions we are yet to find will pleasure our senses because there is always a creation for your eyes. If you are looking for a challenge on the other hand, the survival mode would be your choice. Even if you only want to play to evading reality Minecraft has something for you. All these elements compacted in a sense pleasure graphic style. As you can see this endless procedural universe is a unique experience. Dynamics: As the main dynamic in this game is creation the Creative Mode is the most successful. In this mode, we have access to all kind of material and the ability to fly in order to create any construction we can imagine. This mode support expression, narrative and abnegation because let us built either a whole level, just a tiny house or get lost in this colorful world. The existence of hundreds of animals and enemies with different behavior to our actions or how we can exploit the interaction between materials are fundamental dynamics in the challenging Survival Mode. Finally, the way we interact with others real players either join forces to create something (fellowship) or race against them to built the best structure (and more important how we discover their creations) are key dynamics in multiplayer mode in Multiplayer Mode. Also It's sort of 3D pixel art style hits the target to give the visual sensation of crafting. In this game the player’s actions could change from one dynamic to another. Mechanics: In consonance with the dynamics of creative expression any action we can do in Minecraft have something to do with crafting. We can forge and handle all kind of tools like bows, swords, sticks or even clothes like armors either to create or destroy our world. In order to do that, we will be collecting and mixing natural materials like stone, wood, gold, bone or emeralds from our surroundings. This is also the way we alter our world by adding or destroying small pieces of it and this is also how sense pleasure comes to it because we could give the world the shape we want to. Although is relative easy to us move through the stage, grounds with water or lava will affect our character health. So the world influence us the same way you change it. Basics actions like jump, attack (associated to challenging dynamics because we have a live bar so we could die), walk (moving and using items like torches we can discover secrets), use, eat, sneak, take, drop or even chat (typing messages, this is the way we race or work we other people) are also possible. Freedom is a key word to understand the mechanics. The creative spirit of this game is even in its name: Mine-Craft. The same way that Lego success because gave us the materials to build anything we want Minecraft did the same but adapted into video game language. As we can see, the holistic aesthetic of minecraft is always telling us to create and also put in our hands the tools to do it. Card Hunter is an interesting experiment that combines basics elements of role-playing games with traditional boards games and trading card games to present a solid product. We can easily see (and feel) the vast experience of the guys from Blue Manchu Games (nothing less than ex-Irrational Games and ex-Magic The Gathering). It is true that there are lots of similarities with their previous creations (It’s an obvious tribute to old role boards games). But how they take advantage of all these elements to assemble such a smooth game is just to acclaim. Aesthetic: We have to recruit human knights, elf wizards or fiercer dwarf to set up a small party to fight against dragons, lizards or any kind of enemies. As we move per turns above a board whereas we use cards to decide our attacks or movements the competition is always present. But we also can improve our characters skills earning better clothes or weapons and arrange all these settings in a deck the way prefer. So there is expression aesthetic too. This experience is similar to the classic Dungeon and Dragons but with its own (video-game) identity. Dynamics: The authentics dynamic of this unique experience lay on the characters. All our development in the game will be conditioned to improve our characters level, weapons, suit and arrange all these in our unique deck (as we know any trading card game has some of expression pleasure) On the other hand, we have others interesting dynamics like battles (probably the main one) the fact we control 3 characters at the same time, that sectional field and how we move on it or the different enemy’s tokens. All these dynamics contribute more than seems to the experience as a competition. Mechanics: As any strategic game, the main mechanic here is selecting. We have to select with attack our token is going to do or where he is going to move (per turns). Always trying to eliminate our enemy tokens. In order to do that we use the cards system to perform any action on the board (attack, defense or movement). They are the fuel to trigger every competitive feature of the game. Collecting them to enlarge our possibilities is a game goal. Besides the showdowns, we will be choosing new fighters to our party or fitting out everyone with new tools. Here is where the mechanics support the expression facet of the game. Card Hunter wants tribute all those old boards role-playing fantasy games. Use its artistic style which is always trying to emulate a real board game and mix of mechanics to fulfill this goal and achieve it. This game is the perfect proof of why innovation knows no bounds. In spite of being a mixture of old references Card Hunter manages to find its own path. As long you have a clear idea of your objectives and good design to support them you can always do a remarkable game. After App boom in the 2010s “casual games” took protagonist in world gaming scene. Unpopular genres like cards, simulator or puzzles became an incredible reliable business. As a product of this explosion in 2009 appeared Plants VS Zombies a tower defense game by a small indie studio called Popcap Games. Plants VS Zombies is probably the most successful tower defense game ever made. Its large shadow had influenced thousands posterior games like our case Cursed Treasure (IriySoft, 2010). A modest product well executed but without its own spirit. All this leaves it far away from a remarkable experience. Aesthetic: The particularity in this game is our role: we are actually the bad guys. So in order to defend our precious gems from those mean heroes we have to place vigilant towers. There are 3 types: Orcs, Undead and Demons tower with differences like power or fire ratio. The places we can put our towers is limited and changes with each round. As any tower defense Cursed Treasure tries to be a challenge and is always seeking our abnegation. Dynamics: The main dynamic in the game is the stage itself. As we can only put towers on some specific grounds (one for every sort). The shape of the stages would be fundamental to determinate the difficulty (which means the challenge) of the whole level. By the way with “stage” I am talking about the route the heroes follow to reach the gems. The duration of each level is determined by how many waves it has. They are usually following one after another very quickly to try we keep play without thinking too much (supporting abnegation). We can also improve our towers characteristics by choosing special powers in a specific screen but is not a very active dynamic. Plants VS Zombies, for example, make the money recollection a dynamic itself asking us to pick every sun/coin we seen on stage. However, here we just wait... Mechanics: Like any strategic game (assuming tower defense is a subgenre) most mechanics are simply clicking and place. The only things we actually do is select a tower and place it on the stage (this is the only way to respond to the challenge). We can also upgrade ours towers if we have enough money and there is a button to accelerate the arrival of heroes wave too (just to continuing our abnegate playing until we want). We earn money by the way, killing enemies depending on their strong. Finally, enemies waves are the main mechanic to support the challenge. Them always start with a few weak foes to increase gradually. Cursed Treasure is as a whole a pretty discreet game. Its lack of options, more dynamics or further interactivity depicts a grayish aesthetic. The player can only face the challenge but never be part of it. Because our actions are so limited. Also, the artistic style is ugly and too generic so we can’t empathize with those characters (that’s why in Cursed Treasure 2 they changed it for a cartoon style suspiciously similar to Plants VS Zombies). Abnegation then becomes the other important part of the game’s aesthetic but even this is limited because with 18 levels our relaxation is not going to last long. I never liked strategy games. All my live I have been avoiding titles like Ages of Empires, World of Warcraft, League of Legend, etc. But I must admit I actually had a good time playing Catan. The only thing I regret is I realize the importance of first rounds too late. Where and How put your first settlements and bridges is essential in order to fight for victory even so I ended second. So The settler of Catan is a great entrance to the universe of strategy games with its easy learning and friendly rules. The Aesthetics of the game are in first place Competitive (as any board game): you have to raise over your opponents. The game has some of Fantasy too, everything (from the art on the box to city pieces) was made to give us the sensation of colonizing land. The development cards, the art on the board itself (deserts, oceans, mountains, etc.) and the resources cards: sheep, clay, wood, stone, every image smell like Colonial Age. Development cards are a good example of a Dynamic: we can buy these for a certain amount of money *ejem resources* and use them to sabotage our rivals or simply gain a Victory Point. They are like jokers, so their effects can disturb a normal round with unexpected situations. The fact we can build a settlement or city in each land we colonized using the resources we have is the way the game try to make us feel like a colonizer (and support the Fantasy Aesthetic too). Mechanically speaking the game works similar to Monopoly. In this case, the "bank" is the land itself and the money would be the resources cards. We just have to find and exchange these cards in order to built settlements or cities. The luck tells us how many resources are we going to get from the earth: just roll a dice. The thief is another specific mechanic which made to promoting competition between players. If you get 7 you can steal resources from other players by putting the thief doll on their territories. Although Settler of Catan really tries to make us feel like a Middle Age colonial commander fail because all what we actually do is manage resources as money. I felt like a banker rather than a Commander. So this is a good example how mechanics and dynamics are in conflict with the (supposed) aesthetic. Only the building dynamic (with the roads and settlements) is truly innovative. It is a good board game to learn basics about strategies games in general. But the smell of Monopoly is just too strong. Although was my second favorite Cthulu Gloom is probably the best-designed game of all I played. First at all: It's original, I have never seen a similar proposal in any other card game. Keith Baker designed this experience starting from classics H.P Lovecraft tales. The aesthetic is in synchrony with its references, because the game feels indeed gloomy. The murky art style in every card and our dark objectives are good examples of this. Contrary to most games our goal is to reach lower points than our opponents (as any card game is a competition) and kill our entire family (so is also a challenge). This negative aura supports the obscure aesthetic as a whole. The game also adds a narrative feature (yes being a card game) just as Lovecraft would like. What else could we ask? Dynamics: The narrative aesthetic is supported by a story based dynamic on the cards we are playing because all cards (events, modifiers, and character) have a novel structure. So if we want we can build a simple tale in apparence similar to Lovecraft famous stories (pretty limited and random feature but congruent). On the other hand, as the game only finish when all ours characters are dead, the dynamic supporting challange is a pretty ominous one. Furthermore, the possibily to make our family happier or more tormented than than our opponent's would be the dynamic associated to competition aesthetic. Mechanic:
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AuthorI want to study Video Games in a theoretical way. Archivos
May 2018
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