CAGD 170

Video Game Design

ePortfolio Post 1 

Group 6

I was a part of group six and we created a version of Solitaire called Timely Court Solitaire. The objective of the game is to create 4 piles of different suits in ascending order.  The game is much like the original solitaire but uses some additional mechanics. 

Players

The game can be played by any number of players. There are many kinds of play styles that may suit the players.

• Strategist: Players may like to think ahead about which strategies to use during the game. Rules like "Second Wind" add an additional component which is not in the original Solitaire. This may change how players may change their strategy. 
• Speed Enthusiasts: The game only lasts a total of 10 minutes. This gives people who may not have a lot of time a fun game to play. It also makes the players think fast and act quickly.
• Competitive Players: Multiple people can play the game at once and see who can win first. This creates a fun competitive element for those who want it. 

Iteration Process

Our iteration process started off by brainstorming ideas together. We were all pretty confused at the start just learning how the original Solitaire worked. Once we figured that out we made a group chat and started talking. Alex came up with two ideas from the start that we really liked. We created a document and shared it.

We then made the rule sheet and play tested it. We also got other people to play it as well so we could get feedback. One criticism we got is that we needed more pictures. In version 2, we added more pictures and also a new rule. This joker rule was divisive and we were not sure if it should be used. We decided to test it out and decided we liked it. The addition of the joker also made our game more unique.

As we got to the third rule sheet, we got feedback from our classmates. Most of the feedback said we needed to make the rules clearer so that's what we did. We rewrote some of the rules so there would be no confusion. The last version of the rule sheet only needed minor changes. We went over it together one final time and decided it was finished.

Difficulties

As a group we got along and worked together well. However, there were challenges. The biggest one was time. We all had different schedules so it was hard to find a time for all of us that worked. Since we were in the online class it was also hard to meet up in person to work on it. We had to rely on calling in Discord to work on our ideas. Sometimes the internet got in the way but we managed to finish everything on time.



Task Completion

I would say our group managed to do everything on time. We implemented the rules into the game, got to playtest them, and make any changes that were necessary. Everyone showed up during the meeting times and did their work. If we did ever have issues I would suggest meeting up more often. Since our schedules were busy we only met once a week. Any future issues could be solved if we spend more time working on the project.

Changes

There are a few changes I think we should make. As I stated I think we should meet more as a group. It would give us more time to come up with ideas and share them as well. I would also think further ahead on how we should arrange the rule sheet to be most efficient.