Tag Archives: design

pandAntics!- a silly party game idea

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It’s after hours at the zoo and the animals are ready to cut loose and party! To do so, they must cooperate to rearrange their enclosures and follow The Plan…

It’s pandAntics!, a cooperative party game of limited communication [think UGG-TECT, the caveman construction game, but cooperative. With zoo animals].

Each round has a specific puzzle card with a goal to be met. One animal is nominated to be the ring leader; only she sees the goal card, and she must direct all other animal’s actions to complete it. [The puzzles should be challenging, but also generate laughter and fun.]

But it wouldn’t be fun if it were that simple and straightforward! Each round, players are dealt an animal role card that dictates their means of communication and modes of action. Some examples: The Elephant may make an ‘arm-trunk’ to pick up certain blocks, but can only ‘speak’ in trumpeting sounds. The Rhinoceros makes no sounds, but can push any block in a straight line. The Horse doesn’t speak, but can nod ‘yes’ or shake his head for ‘no.’ The Snake may only hiss and point at things with a snakey arm, etc.

Can you bridge the inter-special communication gap?

failure isn’t an option; it’s inevitable

This, right here. I need to embrace this, internalize it. You do, too, if you haven’t already.

“Every failure is an opportunity for betterment. Every failure is another chance to get it right. Don’t give these away out of fear or shyness. Fail faster, because failing is how we get it right.”

Fail faster.

Adding this to my list of mantras.

 

I’ve got this game idea that’s been stuck in my head for months, niggling at my brain, threatening to burst out. I think it would make a solid core mechanism for an economic engine building game, but I keep stumbling over the implementation, how to stack everything up and balance the economy. I really need to just mock up some pieces and start playing, see if I can make something work.

Designers: How do you deal with these persistent orphans you can’t find a proper home for?

feedback on feedback: your play testers and you.

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My designer buddy, Kevin Nunn, is exploring the different ways we game designers utilize play tester feedback. That series of articles has sparked an interesting discussion in the comments and is worth reading.

“Give me problems, not solutions.”

So said our mutual friend. He’s interested in a play tester’s gut response to his game, to help pinpoint elements of the design that aren’t working as intended or which cause un-fun moments in play. His job as a designer, as he sees it, is to analyze those faults and propose solutions to them to achieve the play experience he’s looking for.

Kevin has a somewhat different philosophy of utilizing play tester feedback. He sees the designer’s role in play testing as a winnower. Kevin listens to everything his play testers have to say and sifts through the inevitable chaff to glean the fat kernels of insight that will inform his future design choices.

Our mutual friend’s mantra struck me as something of a revelation: I’d never imagined so direct an approach to play tester feedback. “Give me problems, not solutions.”

so many solutions

Considering the argument from a data analysis perspective, if a dozen play testers offer a dozen solutions to a single problem, the useful data is the problem, not the solutions. 

Food for thought.

I’m pleased to finally be able to announce that the delightful folks at R&R Games have picked up one of my games for release at Essen 2015. I’ll provide more details as I’m able.

For now, Cheers, everyone!