DevLog #13

Starting this week we had two materials to look through and learn from, first with a video from "Watch it Played," specifically I chose to watch Ticket to Ride Legacy. In the video I really liked learning about how the game had so many varying mechanics, but utilizes text on the cards to ensure transparency, so players can understand how the game works even just through play. We also had a video from GDC by Jason Schklar, titled: "Designing Great UX into Your Game Board and Pieces". The video primarily focuses on the relationship between good board and piece design in board games, and the ability for players to quickly play the game. The presentation goes over how players should be able to play the game in as little time as possible, and that clear and transparent design has a huge part in that process. 

In class we started work on our board game project. We had two main project ideas, Cavern and Point Nemo. Both projects had a lot of merit, Cavern is a game that utilizes a physical timer to determine when the game ends, and players do the most they can within that specific time frame. Point Nemo, on the other hand is a top down asymmetrical hide-n-seek style game, reminiscent of Dead by Daylight. Ultimately we decided to go with Cavern because we believed we could make a much more satisfying game using the idea, within the time frame we have. Later that same week, we used a verb-noun diagram, and some help from Dr. S, to nail out the structure of our game. I loved getting to make a physical set of cards and a board for the game, and I think having a paper prototype to see and feel, helped a lot in order for us to design the game elements.