In this lesson we used what was discussed from the reading 'MDA - A Formal Approach to Games Design and Games Research'. Games are different from other media in a way that is unpredictable for the player. Each component of MDA can be described as a lens and that the players view the game in a different way to the designers. Where they work on the mechanics which in turn leads on to the dynamic systems and further on to the aesthetics experiences the player receives, the player is met more towards the aesthetics first, then building onto the dynamics and operable mechanics.
The task was to iterate an RTS board game. After reading the instructions the game was simple.
- The board is filled with hexagons meaning there are six directions you can move.
- The player start at the ends of the board
- Each player receives four cards
- Move - Move two spaces any direction but must stay facing the same way.
- Move & Turn - move one space, then turn left or right 60 degrees
- Turn - Turn left or right 60 degrees
- Fire - Fire in a straight line
- Everybody puts one card down and reveals it when everyone takes their turn at the same time
- An order of play. players made they're move starting with the ones who picked 'Move' then 'Move & Turn', 'Turn' and then 'Fire'
After we play tested it the first time with out any changes we found that it was impossible to kill your opponent because of how you move first before you fire. And the game was quite boring and went on for a long time with nothing really happening. However players were constantly thinking where to go and what the opposition might do next which is a good basis of an RTS game.
Our Iterations
Firstly we had to fix it so that it was easier to get caught out and be killed. We did this by changing the order of play so that players 'fire' first.
We also added obstacles which made it a little more difficult to kill someone, but made the players think more on which way they should go. After play testing these iterations there were still something missing, choices that the players make were limited.
After a heavy discussion on deciding what mechanics to add we came up with adding guns. Players would be awarded with a certain weapon by moving across a space with an armory. This meant that they picked up a card and it would say what weapon they would receive.
Weapons:
- Shotgun
- Sniper Rifle
- Rocket Launcher
- Machine Gun
You started off with a pistol which only fired in one direction along five spaces.
Here is diagram of the capability of the weapons we implemented.
After play testing this it made it much more enjoyable apart from the person who didn't get to grab any weapons (i.e. me). This was because there wasn't enough spaces for everyone to grab one each, so for one person it was a race. It made the player think more strategical and more about what weapon your opponents have.
Other iterations which i think would be good and could create more aesthetics and dynamics would be giving the player health, with the weapons conflicting different amounts of damage. This would create a battle and for the player to decide "should i stay and fight or should I run and escape my death". If this was to be added then there would need to be a way of replacing your health for another battle. this could be achieved by either collecting health are being awarded it after you have killed an opponent.
Overall it is quite difficult to create an RTS with a board game but it can be done. There needs to be more rules than other board games for it to work and have no problems, and once you have the core mechanics in place its important to not over complicate them.
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