In our last class, we brought to class our prototypes of our card game to class, in which various groups of other classmates were able to test play our game.  This was a very effective way to edit and eventually hopefully perfect our final product.  There were some suggestions/changes we decided to make as a result of some problems that players in the class faced while playing our game, and as well as  from free suggestion from the players.

We decided that it was a good idea to create more cards that incorporated teamwork, cards that had the players have the opportunity to interact with one another- for example: negatively impact another player.
The point values of some dishes were also altered in order to fit the appropriate time-frame for the game.  The general action of the players were able to perform at each turn were also altered, and at that more set-in-stone as well. We added two more options: At each turn, a player may have the option to draw a card, and as well as discard for a return of two cards in return.
The way the needed ingredients were listed on the cards were not easy to read, and a player suggested that they be listed vertically for efficient playing.

A reference card was also needed because it was difficult for the players to recall what they were able to do.  Having a reference card would allow all players to have an equal chance to completely utilize their choice of actions and play to their best ability.  That is why each player will be given their own pamphlet with the rules and guidelines of the game.  That way, there is less confusion and every player as a fair chance to create their own strategy.

It was rather easy this time around to find a time where the most of us were able to meet during the week to play the game all together and make our final changes and decisions.  The major issue we had in finishing this game had to do with the presentation aspect.  We were initially under the impression that one of the printing centers on campus provided laminating services, and we soon found out this was not true.  When we decided to buy "card stock" to print on, we were also quick to realize that the computer labs did not allow changing of paper in their printers.  We did not have too many days to stall or figure out what to do via trial and error.  We ended up making the size of the cards smaller in order to fit more on one sheet to lower the price it cost to print them at Staples.  We were able to print them on time, for only the total cost of 20 dollars.

There were many bumps in the process of finishing our game.  I think our whole group can agree that we really underestimated the thought and work that went into creating a successful card game.  It is definitely a process that does not seem as complicated and technical as it truly is.  There was a great amount of trial and error, and challenges in terms of communication.  There are also a great deal of components that are required to be a part of a game in order for it to be considered to be published and playable.  It was difficult to communicate due to the fact that we all lived very scattered in terms of location across campus, and that we all had conflicting schedules.  However, through the use of social media and just technology in general, we were able to get most of our communication done and ultimately complete the creation of our game to the way we planned to.

1st playable prototype by Omair Malik

After play testing our game, we decided to add some more elements to make it more compelling. 4 new action cards were created and our current action cards were updated to give the game more strategy. There are now 8 cards in total and they can be used to block ingredients from players, get new ingredients, exchange cards and give yourself bonus points. This makes the game a bit more interesting to play and adds "multiple paths to victory" as seen in games we've already played such as San Juan. The game also feels more distinctly like the Top Chef tv show.

We also altered some rules since last week. Some ingredients have been made rarer than others so the dishes higher in value will be harder to create while others have been made more common.Players also now roll a die to determine who gets to go first as this was a problem we were having last week. The dish cards in a players hand are now laid face up on the table with only 3 allowed on the table each turn . As only one dish can be created each turn this solves a problem we had last week where people were accumulating and using too many cards. Hopefully this change will make the games economy more fluid.

by D. Jordan

        Last class when we met our group discovered a fairly big problem. Our game was too simple and it honestly was not very much fun. We all had different views and ideas and there was just not enough class time to figure out the best way to go about our game. So during the week our group met up on College Ave and decided that we had to find some main things out first.

The first thing in our opinion was how to make it more fun. The best way we thought about doing this is making this card game based off a show and renaming it to Top Chef Desserts. We are trying to make the players feel like they are contestants on this show and are actually competing to make the best dishes. By this the players can also strategize on what they want to make. Now you can either make ice cream for 3 points, or you can wait the extra turn in hopes of choosing a chocolate card for an addition point. This also makes the game a little more complex, but still simple enough to learn quickly. 

We decided that each player will start off with 9 cards; 6 ingredient cards and 3 dish cards. From there each player will be choosing an action card (basic mechanic) every turn. These action cards are anything from trading ingredients with an opponent to taking any discarded card. We believe these action cards will make players more caution and also make the game more exciting and challenging.

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          To win the game we decided that you need a total of 15 points to win, number of dishes does not matter. So far the dishes we have decided to go with are: ice cream, brownies, chocolate cake, cheese cake, apple pie, cherry pie, and muffins.  The cool thing about some of these dishes is that if you add an extra ingredient to them you can get additional points. Currently we have all the cards we will be using planned out and are just figuring the appropriate number for each card. We are confident that now our game is ready to be played and that most of our problems have been solved. 

By
Lisa Ryoo

As mentioned in the previous post, the card game proposal presented by myself relating to baking was the game chosen to be pursued.
Last week with the time remaining in class after the discussions and game we played in class, we started off by trying to figure out which days we were all the most available to meet up to work on our game.  This process in itself actually took much longer than any of us had anticipated because we were having a very hard time trying to figure out a day and time when we were all free to meet.  Unfortunately due to the specific circumstances of that particular week for several of us, we were unable to meet up.  However, to fix this we created a facebook page and texting group discussed the ideas we had via the internet.
Omair was in charge of starting to make the cards to bring to class this week.
After throwing in many different ideas for what to call the game, we all came to an agreement that "Baker's Dozen."
We have altered the main objective of the game, as well as many of the structural rules of the game.  The basic theme of the game still remains the same as of today.

Each player will start off with a certain amount of cards ( random)  and will have a choice of 6 action cards.  In every turn the player will be choosing an action card (basic mechanic)

We also decided to introduce some characters into the game to heighten the excitement and really help to draw the players in.
ex:  Trader, Sabotage card, restauranteur, restaurant critic, etc.

There must be 12 baked items for a player to be considered the winner.

As of now, we have created 4 possible dishes and 5 possible ingredients

Cookie: (egg+flour) 2 pts
Ice Cream: (milk+eggs+sugar) 3 pts
Cupcakes: (milk+eggs+flour) 3 pts
Apple Pie: (milk+eggs+apples+flour) 4 pts
Brownies (milk+eggs+flour+cocoa) 4 pts

Ingredients: milk, eggs, sugar, flour, apples. cocoa 

As of now, we believe that about 25 ingredient cards and 10 dish cards should work.

Card Game Proposals

by

Omair Malik

Last Wednesday, each member of our group presented a different idea for a potential card game. We considered the pros and cons of each and picked one to work on and develop in the coming weeks.

Dwayne's proposal was a strategic pirate themed game named "Treasure Hunt". The goal for each player in the game is to gather the highest value of treasure among the other players. Each player is dealt 5 motion cards while 15 play cards are laid face down in a line with a piece of treasure at the end of them. Players can deal motion cards to move 1-3 spaces across the cards towards the treasure. After landing on a card, they must do whatever the card says such as collecting a piece of treasure, moving forward or getting captured. If players get captured they have to offer treasure to the pirates so that they can stay in the round. Pieces of treasure will have different values assigned to them so if the player does not have enough treasure, they must stay out of the round until the next turn. When the player has gained three treasures they can offer more treasure to the pirates to stay in the game. As players progress down the cards and receive the treasure, the play cards are re-dealt until one player has gained 5 pieces of treasure. At this point, the game stops and the player with the highest value of treasure wins.

Lisa proposed a card game centered around cooking. The goal is for players to amass points by creating dishes with ingredient cards such as "eggs" or "butter". Each dish is worth a certain amount of points and dishes with greater value will require more cards or rarer cards to create. Players can also deal action cards to do special actions such as gain points or get extra ingredients. As players complete more dishes they can collect more cards. The player with the highest score after a set number of turns wins.

My game was called 'You Can be Famous too" and was a competitive game where players assumed the role of reality tv show contestants. The goal was to gain as high of a score as possible before 3 rounds when a player is eliminated. The player can choose to do this through "nice" cards which give themselves points or "nasty" cards which take points away from other players. Players can also use additional special cards which either give all players points or take them away. Players are dealt 5 cards.  One "nice" card, one "nasty" card and three cards from a mixed deck. The player who can survive the most eliminations by gaining points or taking points away from others wins.

Michael's designed a competitive card game set in the Cold War which had players assuming the role of the United States or the Soviet Union. Players are dealt a series of cards with actions on them and a point value. Players have to strategically use their cards to defeat their opponent and collect points. The player with the higher score or the one who manages to do more damage to their opponent wins.

After discussing amongst ourselves, we decided to pick Lisa's card game to work together on as a team in the coming weeks. We are confident that the final product should be quite enjoyable.