Final Comments on Mad Ninja!

Well, everyone really seemed to enjoy playing Mad Ninja!. At the end of it all, Justin, Hirah, Roshni and I were able to work together to create a unique, fun and fast-paced game. Though our game was a success, it we did encounter a few minor problems: Looking back over our experiences developing the game, it was a bit difficult to schedule meetings where all of the group members were available. This was more of an issue due to scheduling conflicts than it was a problem with motivation on the part of the group members. There were no fights, no drama...everyone was willing to work hard, and were sure to remain open to all ideas and feedback from their fellow students. In addition to strong collaboration skills, the work needed to make our game a reality was fairly easily spread evenly over the four of us.

All in all, I think it's safe to call our game a job well done!

Finishing Touches!

This week we worked on finishing up our card game and making sure that it was good to go on Wednesday.  Our group met up three times this week to make the finishing touches on the cards, to solve any problems that we had with the flow of the game, to create the final cards, and play the game ourselves. Although it was stressful and overwhelming when one little detail became a problem and we would have to rethink the fundamentals of the game, we were able to pull through and get almost everything sorted out. One main issue that kept arising was that the game either became too complicated or too boring so we had to find a good balance. We found that one of the hardest things about game design was learning to compromise and realizing that we can't please everyone in terms of rules and methods. Apart from some differences, all of us knew that the main objective of game design was to make sure the player has a good time and would want to continue playing. In terms of achieving this, our group did a fairly well job and we just expect that it all goes well on Wednesday. Let the battles begin? We think YES!

Further Progress Reached After First Prototype Playthrough

Today was a very constructive class for our group!

Upon trying to play the prototype of Mad Ninja, we realized that there were a lot of factors that needed tweaking:

• Our cards were all different sizes.
• The stats system that we had originally incorporated into the game was confusing once combined with the weapons stat system. 
• Our art styles varied greatly from card to card. 
• Our points system didn't really work at all. 

So, after putting our heads together, (and with a little helpful encouragement from Professor Parks,) we decided on a standard playing card size for our cards. We also developed a counter/scale system to keep track of a player's statistics in Strength, Agility and Stealth as they train their individual ninjas. This will make each player's play experience different and fun!

We're going to be working out a uniform art style when we meet this Friday. Things really seem to be falling into place! 

Getting Started!

Last week, we sat down as a group to think about the mechanics of our game and we realized how every single detail was important in creating a successful and entertaining game. We decided to add attributes such as stealth, strength, and agility on the ninja cards so the players will be able to "build" their own ninjas as the game progresses. These attributes will help determine which ninja will win the battle and ultimately move up in ranking, given that the player has already acquired the amount of victory points they need to raise their rank. Along with the addition of the attributes and victory points, we thought of ways to provide more choices for the players during the game: (1) players will have the option to trade in weapons for Ancient Power cards or Battle Scars (if they're unlucky). Ancient Power cards can help you win battles and move up in rank faster while Battle Scars may potentially hurt and weaken your ninja. The Ancient Power cards and Battle Scar cards will be kept together in one pile to make the game random and even a bit risky for the players depending upon which card they draw (2) the winner of each battle will have the choice to choose a weapon card at the end of the battle that may increase his/her Victory Points or a weapon that he/she thinks may be of good use to him/her. Each weapon card in the game can increase the point value of one or all of your attributes and contains victory points on the bottom which players need at least ten (amount may change) of in order to graduate to a higher rank. While we are still trying to test out the mechanics of our game and we hope that it will be a success, we are still looking for ways to make every player more involved and less bored. Our group met up on Thursday to work on the prototypes for the cards and so far they are looking pretty good and ninja-rrific!

This week in class we were presented with four extremely innovative card game design ideas! From Mad Scientists to Ninja Assassins, everyones themes were beyond amazing! Our team leader of the day, Justin Aquino, was posed with a difficult problem on whose design would be kept for the next few weeks.

Game Design 1: Baked
Baked is a card game that involves two players and the objective is to collect all the cards that have the ingredients to make a bowl of Macaroni and Cheese! Players are dealt a hand of ten cards, face down. When the timer is set to ten seconds player are allowed to look at their cards and pick one to place down before the timer strikes them out! When both players have placed down their cards they are to determine a winner of the round through a list of Acceptable and Unacceptable Pairs. The weaker card of the Unacceptable Pair loses and the winner collects the cards. This is added into their bowl of ingredients and brings them one step closer to making a delicious bowl of Macaroni and Cheese!

Detailed rules and regulations are given on an instruction sheet with the game!

Game Design 2: Mad Scientist
A 2-4 player card game in which the goal is the create the biggest and most powerful monster! Players receive Life Tokens, Part Cards, Lab Accident Cards, and Equipment Cards throughout the game that help them build up their monsters and tear down their competitors. Once a Player believes their monster is ready to fight they may challenge a fellow scientist in a battle! If the opposing player believes they are not prepared to fight they must sacrifice a life token to continue working the lab in peace.

Detailed rules and regulations are given on an instruction sheet with the game!

Game Design 3: Ninja Assassin

Game Design 4:  Bandit Mayhem
In this card game players take on the role of rookie sheriffs and are sent into the town where they are to take down the bandits that are causing turmoil! The objective of the game is to accumulate the highest amount of points through "capturing" the bandits and sending them to jail! Sheriffs are able to capture bandits through various action cards that can put them at a higher advantage than their competitors. The game has elements of strategy and luck due to the fact that the cards of the bandits remain turned down until the end of the game. However, players have a choice to use their action cards that may or may not place the odds of winning in their favor!

Detailed rules and regulations are given on an instruction sheet with the game!

However, with the help of the entire group we were able to come to a consensus of combining two design ideas together and creating "Mad Ninja." The objective of this game is to achieve the highest ranking Ninja title. To do this players start out with the lowest rank and must fight their way up the ladder. They collect weapons and armor to help them destroy their enemies and become the Number 1 Ninja in the Nation!