WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:00.090 align:middle line:90% 00:00:00.090 --> 00:00:02.490 align:middle line:84% The following content is provided under a Creative 00:00:02.490 --> 00:00:04.030 align:middle line:90% Commons license. 00:00:04.030 --> 00:00:06.330 align:middle line:84% Your support will help MIT OpenCourseWare 00:00:06.330 --> 00:00:10.690 align:middle line:84% continue to offer high-quality educational resources for free. 00:00:10.690 --> 00:00:13.320 align:middle line:84% To make a donation, or view additional materials 00:00:13.320 --> 00:00:17.280 align:middle line:84% from hundreds of MIT courses, visit MIT OpenCourseWare 00:00:17.280 --> 00:00:20.089 align:middle line:90% at ocw.mit.edu. 00:00:20.089 --> 00:00:21.630 align:middle line:84% PHILIP TAN: Again, some of this might 00:00:21.630 --> 00:00:25.110 align:middle line:84% be familiar to folks that have taken CMS 611, 00:00:25.110 --> 00:00:30.780 align:middle line:84% but I revised this stuff so that I can give you more board game 00:00:30.780 --> 00:00:31.710 align:middle line:90% examples. 00:00:31.710 --> 00:00:34.960 align:middle line:84% I just want to go a little bit on the kind of aesthetic thing 00:00:34.960 --> 00:00:37.980 align:middle line:84% that we're talking about in Assignment 2. 00:00:37.980 --> 00:00:41.150 align:middle line:84% We'll go more into things about user experience 00:00:41.150 --> 00:00:43.440 align:middle line:90% over the next couple of weeks. 00:00:43.440 --> 00:00:47.150 align:middle line:84% But so far, we've been talking about this kind of aesthetic. 00:00:47.150 --> 00:00:49.710 align:middle line:84% It came up in the NDA paper, where 00:00:49.710 --> 00:00:51.280 align:middle line:84% we've been talking about mechanics, 00:00:51.280 --> 00:00:53.820 align:middle line:84% we've been talking about strategies that come up 00:00:53.820 --> 00:00:56.920 align:middle line:84% and the dynamics of the game, coming up. 00:00:56.920 --> 00:01:00.210 align:middle line:84% The way your rules play out to be able to give you a sense 00:01:00.210 --> 00:01:02.700 align:middle line:84% that some games are about subterfuge, 00:01:02.700 --> 00:01:07.140 align:middle line:84% and some games are about pressing your luck. 00:01:07.140 --> 00:01:10.650 align:middle line:84% There are some games about just dealing 00:01:10.650 --> 00:01:12.720 align:middle line:84% with random things that happen to you, 00:01:12.720 --> 00:01:16.110 align:middle line:84% and some games about dethroning the king. 00:01:16.110 --> 00:01:18.330 align:middle line:84% These are what a lot of your games have been about. 00:01:18.330 --> 00:01:20.370 align:middle line:84% Some games are about feeling smart. 00:01:20.370 --> 00:01:22.380 align:middle line:84% it's like when you make a set, it's like, oh, 00:01:22.380 --> 00:01:25.080 align:middle line:90% I feel really smart about that. 00:01:25.080 --> 00:01:27.270 align:middle line:84% And those come out from your rules. 00:01:27.270 --> 00:01:30.900 align:middle line:84% That's what Assignment 1 was all about. 00:01:30.900 --> 00:01:34.114 align:middle line:84% You've done a great job with that. 00:01:34.114 --> 00:01:35.780 align:middle line:84% But of course, that's not the only thing 00:01:35.780 --> 00:01:37.571 align:middle line:84% that's involved in the aesthetic of a game. 00:01:37.571 --> 00:01:39.600 align:middle line:84% We're talking about these things as well. 00:01:39.600 --> 00:01:41.891 align:middle line:84% All right, we already talked little bit about game bits 00:01:41.891 --> 00:01:45.700 align:middle line:84% with the Donald Norman discussion. 00:01:45.700 --> 00:01:50.642 align:middle line:84% But also things like the tone of the writing in your rules. 00:01:50.642 --> 00:01:52.600 align:middle line:84% In Assignment 1, it was fairly straightforward. 00:01:52.600 --> 00:01:55.750 align:middle line:84% But you could imagine writing everything in Ye Olde English 00:01:55.750 --> 00:01:56.760 align:middle line:90% or-- 00:01:56.760 --> 00:02:04.020 align:middle line:84% I think Space Alert is a game where the rules are written 00:02:04.020 --> 00:02:07.020 align:middle line:84% as if it was a cadet manual, only 00:02:07.020 --> 00:02:10.050 align:middle line:84% a cadet manual that is setting you up for a mission that 00:02:10.050 --> 00:02:12.696 align:middle line:90% is doomed to failure. 00:02:12.696 --> 00:02:15.320 align:middle line:84% Space Alert is actually a really good example of sound as well, 00:02:15.320 --> 00:02:19.440 align:middle line:84% and I'll play some tracks from it. 00:02:19.440 --> 00:02:23.130 align:middle line:84% It's a game that has an accompanying CD. 00:02:23.130 --> 00:02:27.270 align:middle line:84% But what other games have really distinctive sounds, 00:02:27.270 --> 00:02:29.809 align:middle line:84% like board games, card games, casino games? 00:02:29.809 --> 00:02:31.600 align:middle line:84% Like what are the sort of things that you-- 00:02:31.600 --> 00:02:31.980 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: Operation. 00:02:31.980 --> 00:02:32.813 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: Operation. 00:02:32.813 --> 00:02:33.780 align:middle line:90% PHILIP TAN: Operation? 00:02:33.780 --> 00:02:34.600 align:middle line:90% Yes Bzzt. 00:02:34.600 --> 00:02:35.100 align:middle line:90% Yeah. 00:02:35.100 --> 00:02:35.766 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: Sorry. 00:02:35.766 --> 00:02:37.530 align:middle line:90% PHILIP TAN: Sorry? 00:02:37.530 --> 00:02:38.720 align:middle line:90% Because you say sorry? 00:02:38.720 --> 00:02:42.490 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: No, I think the whole thing is-- 00:02:42.490 --> 00:02:43.370 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: Yahtzee? 00:02:43.370 --> 00:02:56.360 align:middle line:90% [INTERPOSING VOICES] 00:02:56.360 --> 00:02:57.290 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: Yahtzee? 00:02:57.290 --> 00:02:58.000 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: Taboo? 00:02:58.000 --> 00:03:00.530 align:middle line:90% PHILIP TAN: Taboo has a buzzer. 00:03:00.530 --> 00:03:01.995 align:middle line:90% But also a lot of-- 00:03:01.995 --> 00:03:04.200 align:middle line:84% It's a dialogue game, so that's also 00:03:04.200 --> 00:03:06.840 align:middle line:84% an accompanying sound that's coming out 00:03:06.840 --> 00:03:08.478 align:middle line:90% of everybody's mouths. 00:03:08.478 --> 00:03:09.258 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: Gestures 00:03:09.258 --> 00:03:10.133 align:middle line:90% PHILIP TAN: Gestures? 00:03:10.133 --> 00:03:10.960 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: Gestures. 00:03:10.960 --> 00:03:12.710 align:middle line:84% PHILIP TAN: Oh, I haven't played that one. 00:03:12.710 --> 00:03:17.739 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: It's like charades, only that you've got a timer. 00:03:17.739 --> 00:03:19.530 align:middle line:84% And the timer has a really loud tick to it. 00:03:19.530 --> 00:03:21.321 align:middle line:84% PHILIP TAN: Oh, so it ticks down so you can 00:03:21.321 --> 00:03:22.865 align:middle line:90% hear it running out of time. 00:03:22.865 --> 00:03:23.657 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: Jeopardy. 00:03:23.657 --> 00:03:24.532 align:middle line:90% PHILIP TAN: Jeopardy. 00:03:24.532 --> 00:03:26.752 align:middle line:90% [HUMS THEME] OK. 00:03:26.752 --> 00:03:29.210 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: Poker, where they shuffle the chips all the time. 00:03:29.210 --> 00:03:30.490 align:middle line:90% PHILIP TAN: Oh, yeah, yeah. 00:03:30.490 --> 00:03:32.291 align:middle line:84% That's the little tinkle of the chips and-- 00:03:32.291 --> 00:03:33.290 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: Slot machines. 00:03:33.290 --> 00:03:34.831 align:middle line:84% PHILIP TAN: Slot machines, of course. 00:03:34.831 --> 00:03:38.370 align:middle line:84% Yeah Or rather, a whole bank of slot machines. 00:03:38.370 --> 00:03:41.130 align:middle line:84% You very rarely hear a single slot machine operating 00:03:41.130 --> 00:03:42.450 align:middle line:90% by itself. 00:03:42.450 --> 00:03:43.950 align:middle line:84% Electronic slot machines, obviously, 00:03:43.950 --> 00:03:46.320 align:middle line:84% have a slightly different tone to it 00:03:46.320 --> 00:03:48.570 align:middle line:90% than mechanical slot machines. 00:03:48.570 --> 00:03:51.300 align:middle line:84% Roulette, I find, has a very, very distinctive sound. 00:03:51.300 --> 00:03:58.280 align:middle line:84% Just that gold ball bouncing all over the pumps. 00:03:58.280 --> 00:04:02.080 align:middle line:84% So definitely think a little bit about that, 00:04:02.080 --> 00:04:03.570 align:middle line:90% about the sound of a game. 00:04:03.570 --> 00:04:06.120 align:middle line:84% Especially if you're making a game that is about conversation 00:04:06.120 --> 00:04:07.830 align:middle line:90% or about over-the-table. 00:04:07.830 --> 00:04:08.550 align:middle line:90% exchange. 00:04:08.550 --> 00:04:10.570 align:middle line:84% Taboo is a game that is punctuated 00:04:10.570 --> 00:04:14.550 align:middle line:84% with a lot of ums and ahs, whereas something 00:04:14.550 --> 00:04:18.000 align:middle line:84% like charades, the sound of that is a lot of shouting, usually. 00:04:18.000 --> 00:04:20.279 align:middle line:84% Everyone just saying random things, the first thing 00:04:20.279 --> 00:04:21.320 align:middle line:90% that comes to their mind. 00:04:21.320 --> 00:04:23.400 align:middle line:90% It's a free association game. 00:04:23.400 --> 00:04:25.550 align:middle line:84% And, of course, the look of your game. 00:04:25.550 --> 00:04:27.030 align:middle line:84% That should be taken for granted, 00:04:27.030 --> 00:04:29.630 align:middle line:84% and we've got a couple of examples of various boxes 00:04:29.630 --> 00:04:33.130 align:middle line:90% that you take a look at. 00:04:33.130 --> 00:04:36.840 align:middle line:84% And of course, that's what people normally associate 00:04:36.840 --> 00:04:38.550 align:middle line:90% with storytelling and games. 00:04:38.550 --> 00:04:41.280 align:middle line:84% But, it could also be thought of as world building in games. 00:04:41.280 --> 00:04:42.840 align:middle line:90% What's the theme of your game? 00:04:42.840 --> 00:04:45.540 align:middle line:84% What's the plot and the characters in the game? 00:04:45.540 --> 00:04:48.960 align:middle line:84% Are you making instead of the Trivial Pursuit 00:04:48.960 --> 00:04:51.291 align:middle line:84% game, the Twilight Trivial Pursuit game, or something 00:04:51.291 --> 00:04:51.790 align:middle line:90% like that. 00:04:51.790 --> 00:04:53.873 align:middle line:84% And you've got the setting, you've got characters, 00:04:53.873 --> 00:04:57.260 align:middle line:84% even though the game mechanics are all the same. 00:04:57.260 --> 00:04:59.490 align:middle line:84% But the games that integrate better 00:04:59.490 --> 00:05:02.910 align:middle line:84% with the game mechanics and rules and art direction, 00:05:02.910 --> 00:05:05.325 align:middle line:84% and games that do a poorer job, we've 00:05:05.325 --> 00:05:07.660 align:middle line:90% got some examples of that. 00:05:07.660 --> 00:05:09.330 align:middle line:90% So, let me see. 00:05:09.330 --> 00:05:12.540 align:middle line:84% Let me talk about a few of these games. 00:05:12.540 --> 00:05:15.290 align:middle line:84% How many of you play Forbidden Island? 00:05:15.290 --> 00:05:17.460 align:middle line:90% How many of you play Pandemic? 00:05:17.460 --> 00:05:20.540 align:middle line:84% OK, so Forbidden Island is by the same designer, 00:05:20.540 --> 00:05:23.070 align:middle line:84% and it still has a lot of the same cooperative feel. 00:05:23.070 --> 00:05:26.599 align:middle line:90% 00:05:26.599 --> 00:05:28.140 align:middle line:84% First of all, you have this metal tin 00:05:28.140 --> 00:05:31.486 align:middle line:84% that makes you think that this game is worth more, 00:05:31.486 --> 00:05:34.320 align:middle line:84% and you could be paying more for it. 00:05:34.320 --> 00:05:38.280 align:middle line:84% But you've got this nice little art, 00:05:38.280 --> 00:05:41.140 align:middle line:84% and because you have to open up this metal tin, 00:05:41.140 --> 00:05:43.960 align:middle line:84% makes think a little bit about an opening up a treasure chest. 00:05:43.960 --> 00:05:46.700 align:middle line:84% Inside, you've actually got these nice treasure pieces. 00:05:46.700 --> 00:05:47.860 align:middle line:90% A goblet. 00:05:47.860 --> 00:05:50.070 align:middle line:84% This kind of translucent crystal. 00:05:50.070 --> 00:05:52.410 align:middle line:84% They're all plastic, kind of rubberized plastic 00:05:52.410 --> 00:05:54.240 align:middle line:84% so that they will last a little bit longer. 00:05:54.240 --> 00:05:59.690 align:middle line:84% But you can see that this has got [INAUDIBLE] 00:05:59.690 --> 00:06:01.920 align:middle line:90% lion, griffin, or something. 00:06:01.920 --> 00:06:04.190 align:middle line:84% You know, its got some of that old world, here's 00:06:04.190 --> 00:06:06.270 align:middle line:84% some sort of mystic civilization. 00:06:06.270 --> 00:06:08.670 align:middle line:84% And when you look at the cards, you've 00:06:08.670 --> 00:06:10.200 align:middle line:90% got the choice of the fonts. 00:06:10.200 --> 00:06:14.340 align:middle line:84% You've got these kinds of very serifed and a little bit 00:06:14.340 --> 00:06:21.150 align:middle line:84% broken-up text that looks like an old letter press. 00:06:21.150 --> 00:06:23.830 align:middle line:84% And, of course, all the art that's on every single card. 00:06:23.830 --> 00:06:27.030 align:middle line:90% 00:06:27.030 --> 00:06:29.310 align:middle line:84% The game mechanics of this game are 00:06:29.310 --> 00:06:33.900 align:middle line:84% about various parts of an island turning into water. 00:06:33.900 --> 00:06:36.240 align:middle line:84% And they don't actually have different illustrations 00:06:36.240 --> 00:06:37.890 align:middle line:90% when they get flooded. 00:06:37.890 --> 00:06:41.730 align:middle line:84% They just have the same picture, only bluish. 00:06:41.730 --> 00:06:44.130 align:middle line:84% It's cheap to print this because its monochromatic. 00:06:44.130 --> 00:06:46.680 align:middle line:84% I guess it's not really monochromatic because they have 00:06:46.680 --> 00:06:49.590 align:middle line:90% a color token at the bottom. 00:06:49.590 --> 00:06:52.140 align:middle line:84% But it gives you the idea that, when you play this game, 00:06:52.140 --> 00:06:54.150 align:middle line:84% everything looks nice and colorful. 00:06:54.150 --> 00:06:55.650 align:middle line:84% And then as the game goes on, things 00:06:55.650 --> 00:06:57.960 align:middle line:90% start turning bluer and bluer. 00:06:57.960 --> 00:07:00.170 align:middle line:84% So it gives you the sense that there's 00:07:00.170 --> 00:07:02.235 align:middle line:84% more and more water surrounding this island 00:07:02.235 --> 00:07:03.110 align:middle line:90% as it keeps flooding. 00:07:03.110 --> 00:07:05.740 align:middle line:90% 00:07:05.740 --> 00:07:09.680 align:middle line:84% And all these pieces, which represents-- 00:07:09.680 --> 00:07:12.890 align:middle line:84% each one is different players' token, 00:07:12.890 --> 00:07:15.640 align:middle line:84% doesn't necessarily need to be shaped human. 00:07:15.640 --> 00:07:17.360 align:middle line:84% But it makes you think that there 00:07:17.360 --> 00:07:20.120 align:middle line:90% is a human head on the piece. 00:07:20.120 --> 00:07:22.680 align:middle line:84% All this adds cost to the production of this. 00:07:22.680 --> 00:07:24.650 align:middle line:84% Of course, the metal tin also adds a cost 00:07:24.650 --> 00:07:27.130 align:middle line:84% to the production of a game like this. 00:07:27.130 --> 00:07:30.380 align:middle line:84% But it goes a long way to making you feel like, I'm not just 00:07:30.380 --> 00:07:31.790 align:middle line:90% moving pieces on the board. 00:07:31.790 --> 00:07:34.630 align:middle line:84% I'm actually exploring an island and robbing it 00:07:34.630 --> 00:07:35.750 align:middle line:90% of its treasures. 00:07:35.750 --> 00:07:38.972 align:middle line:90% But it's trying to get that. 00:07:38.972 --> 00:07:45.020 align:middle line:84% This is actually a counter of the flood levels. 00:07:45.020 --> 00:07:48.530 align:middle line:84% And the game mechanics stuff, says 00:07:48.530 --> 00:07:50.280 align:middle line:84% novice, normal, elite, and legendary. 00:07:50.280 --> 00:07:52.970 align:middle line:84% So it sets you up with a difficulty level 00:07:52.970 --> 00:07:54.390 align:middle line:90% when the game starts. 00:07:54.390 --> 00:07:58.194 align:middle line:84% But you have a water level that goes from bottom to top, 00:07:58.194 --> 00:07:59.360 align:middle line:90% as opposed to top to bottom. 00:07:59.360 --> 00:08:00.860 align:middle line:84% You can imagine this counter working just as well 00:08:00.860 --> 00:08:02.190 align:middle line:90% going downwards or upwards. 00:08:02.190 --> 00:08:05.500 align:middle line:84% But since it's about flooding, it goes from bottom, 00:08:05.500 --> 00:08:08.690 align:middle line:84% and then the water level rises and rises and rises. 00:08:08.690 --> 00:08:11.100 align:middle line:84% And of course, on top, they have a skull. 00:08:11.100 --> 00:08:13.730 align:middle line:84% It's not just that the game ends. 00:08:13.730 --> 00:08:16.550 align:middle line:84% It's the game ends and everyone dies. 00:08:16.550 --> 00:08:18.900 align:middle line:90% Let's just be clear about that. 00:08:18.900 --> 00:08:23.710 align:middle line:84% So it does a nice job of getting that across. 00:08:23.710 --> 00:08:25.500 align:middle line:84% It actually is a cooperative game 00:08:25.500 --> 00:08:28.130 align:middle line:84% and does a pretty good job of taking 00:08:28.130 --> 00:08:32.360 align:middle line:84% all of these ideas, the setting of the waterlogged island, 00:08:32.360 --> 00:08:35.120 align:middle line:84% the art direction of what happens to the pieces 00:08:35.120 --> 00:08:37.622 align:middle line:90% as you flip them over. 00:08:37.622 --> 00:08:39.080 align:middle line:84% And then, of course, the rules that 00:08:39.080 --> 00:08:41.272 align:middle line:84% determine when the water level rises 00:08:41.272 --> 00:08:42.980 align:middle line:84% and how much space you've got to navigate 00:08:42.980 --> 00:08:44.521 align:middle line:84% and how you deal with those problems. 00:08:44.521 --> 00:08:48.650 align:middle line:90% 00:08:48.650 --> 00:08:50.660 align:middle line:84% I'd like to describe all of the stuff 00:08:50.660 --> 00:08:53.670 align:middle line:84% that we've been talking so far as systemic aesthetics. 00:08:53.670 --> 00:08:57.760 align:middle line:84% So these are the aesthetics that the system is creating. 00:08:57.760 --> 00:09:00.650 align:middle line:84% All the things that have to do with art style, 00:09:00.650 --> 00:09:05.030 align:middle line:84% writing tone, the sound, the pieces that you're holding, 00:09:05.030 --> 00:09:08.210 align:middle line:84% more or less stylistic aesthetics. 00:09:08.210 --> 00:09:10.600 align:middle line:90% And then there's the fiction. 00:09:10.600 --> 00:09:13.640 align:middle line:84% The fiction will be the story, will be the characters, 00:09:13.640 --> 00:09:16.430 align:middle line:90% will be the setting of the game. 00:09:16.430 --> 00:09:20.720 align:middle line:84% But of course, it's a blurry Venn diagram, 00:09:20.720 --> 00:09:23.100 align:middle line:84% because there's a lot of things that come in-between. 00:09:23.100 --> 00:09:26.550 align:middle line:84% So, for instance, the way your board looks. 00:09:26.550 --> 00:09:30.830 align:middle line:84% It's, obviously, a combination of the mechanics that 00:09:30.830 --> 00:09:32.659 align:middle line:84% specify the information that you need 00:09:32.659 --> 00:09:33.950 align:middle line:90% to be able to put on the board. 00:09:33.950 --> 00:09:38.450 align:middle line:84% But also the style of how do you display that information 00:09:38.450 --> 00:09:42.980 align:middle line:84% and how that reinforces the setting that you 00:09:42.980 --> 00:09:45.205 align:middle line:90% want your players to be in. 00:09:45.205 --> 00:09:47.580 align:middle line:84% The kind of feedback that you give people, like the Taboo 00:09:47.580 --> 00:09:49.460 align:middle line:90% buzz, for instance. 00:09:49.460 --> 00:09:52.880 align:middle line:84% The sound of that buzz is in here. 00:09:52.880 --> 00:09:57.147 align:middle line:84% But obviously, the rules are set up so that, the moment you 00:09:57.147 --> 00:09:58.730 align:middle line:84% hear that buzz, it's kind of like it's 00:09:58.730 --> 00:10:00.860 align:middle line:84% as jarring and nerve-wracking as possible, 00:10:00.860 --> 00:10:02.360 align:middle line:84% because you're trying to concentrate 00:10:02.360 --> 00:10:05.190 align:middle line:90% on not saying the wrong thing. 00:10:05.190 --> 00:10:11.015 align:middle line:84% And the moment you slip up, another player will buzz it, 00:10:11.015 --> 00:10:12.860 align:middle line:84% and then you get the shock of your life. 00:10:12.860 --> 00:10:15.950 align:middle line:90% That's all intentional. 00:10:15.950 --> 00:10:19.820 align:middle line:84% For art direction, and for style and fiction, 00:10:19.820 --> 00:10:24.140 align:middle line:84% those tend to be things that people have 00:10:24.140 --> 00:10:25.580 align:middle line:90% less trouble thinking about. 00:10:25.580 --> 00:10:28.380 align:middle line:84% How realistic do you want your setting to be? 00:10:28.380 --> 00:10:31.140 align:middle line:84% There's a game called King of Tokyo, 00:10:31.140 --> 00:10:34.640 align:middle line:84% which is really, mechanically, it's 00:10:34.640 --> 00:10:36.610 align:middle line:84% everyone ganging up on the leader. 00:10:36.610 --> 00:10:41.690 align:middle line:84% And this is a game where you're trying to be 00:10:41.690 --> 00:10:43.454 align:middle line:90% a monster taking over Tokyo. 00:10:43.454 --> 00:10:45.745 align:middle line:84% And there's a lot of other monsters who want your spot. 00:10:45.745 --> 00:10:50.330 align:middle line:84% And once you are on top of the mountain, 00:10:50.330 --> 00:10:52.010 align:middle line:84% everyone's trying to take you down. 00:10:52.010 --> 00:10:53.600 align:middle line:90% That's what this game is about. 00:10:53.600 --> 00:10:58.830 align:middle line:84% But you can see, it's got this goofy, not quite anime style. 00:10:58.830 --> 00:11:02.460 align:middle line:84% But still evocative of old Japanese movies. 00:11:02.460 --> 00:11:06.040 align:middle line:84% You've got a little picture of Tokyo being on fire here. 00:11:06.040 --> 00:11:07.790 align:middle line:84% You can actually see the monsters in here, 00:11:07.790 --> 00:11:09.623 align:middle line:84% you see a lot of helicopters and everything, 00:11:09.623 --> 00:11:11.900 align:middle line:84% see all the collateral damage you're doing. 00:11:11.900 --> 00:11:14.140 align:middle line:84% I believe it's mostly a dice-rolling game. 00:11:14.140 --> 00:11:15.490 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: Yahtzee, basically. 00:11:15.490 --> 00:11:17.480 align:middle line:90% PHILIP TAN: Yeah, it's Yahtzee. 00:11:17.480 --> 00:11:22.790 align:middle line:84% So the mechanics are all about, you roll the dice 00:11:22.790 --> 00:11:25.620 align:middle line:90% and you try to roll well. 00:11:25.620 --> 00:11:28.970 align:middle line:84% So they put in a lot of effort to try 00:11:28.970 --> 00:11:34.580 align:middle line:84% to piece that mechanic inside this aesthetic and fictional 00:11:34.580 --> 00:11:37.310 align:middle line:84% elements to make it a little bit more engaging and, frankly, 00:11:37.310 --> 00:11:39.950 align:middle line:90% a lot more saleable. 00:11:39.950 --> 00:11:42.425 align:middle line:84% This is Richard Garfield, who's also the designer of Magic: 00:11:42.425 --> 00:11:44.300 align:middle line:84% The Gathering the original designer of Magic: 00:11:44.300 --> 00:11:44.883 align:middle line:90% The Gathering. 00:11:44.883 --> 00:11:47.228 align:middle line:90% So it's got a good pedigree. 00:11:47.228 --> 00:11:50.810 align:middle line:90% 00:11:50.810 --> 00:11:54.700 align:middle line:84% In between the systemic and the fictional elements, 00:11:54.700 --> 00:11:57.420 align:middle line:90% you can do things like events. 00:11:57.420 --> 00:11:59.920 align:middle line:84% Twilight Struggle, another excellent game, 00:11:59.920 --> 00:12:02.800 align:middle line:84% is about the Cold War, basically. 00:12:02.800 --> 00:12:06.070 align:middle line:84% And you've got cards in here that 00:12:06.070 --> 00:12:09.760 align:middle line:84% remind people of real things that actually happened. 00:12:09.760 --> 00:12:11.930 align:middle line:84% They don't necessarily happen in the order 00:12:11.930 --> 00:12:15.910 align:middle line:90% that they happened in real life. 00:12:15.910 --> 00:12:18.855 align:middle line:84% There are things like the Space Race. 00:12:18.855 --> 00:12:21.580 align:middle line:84% There's things like various precedents, 00:12:21.580 --> 00:12:28.090 align:middle line:84% and various Soviet and US leaders from the Cold War. 00:12:28.090 --> 00:12:32.080 align:middle line:84% This one specifically says 1945 to 1989. 00:12:32.080 --> 00:12:34.670 align:middle line:84% And so while you're playing this game, 00:12:34.670 --> 00:12:37.186 align:middle line:84% there are mechanical results for all those cards 00:12:37.186 --> 00:12:38.560 align:middle line:84% that you're flipping over, right? 00:12:38.560 --> 00:12:43.120 align:middle line:84% Because they also have pictures and names of the actual events 00:12:43.120 --> 00:12:47.320 align:middle line:84% that, hopefully, this is largely targeted 00:12:47.320 --> 00:12:50.470 align:middle line:84% at people who have lived through this era, 00:12:50.470 --> 00:12:54.310 align:middle line:84% or at least remember things that happened from that era. 00:12:54.310 --> 00:12:57.180 align:middle line:84% And it's trying to be evocative of that. 00:12:57.180 --> 00:13:00.880 align:middle line:84% Whereas it's a fairly mechanical-- 00:13:00.880 --> 00:13:03.210 align:middle line:84% I guess it's not quite a war game. 00:13:03.210 --> 00:13:05.260 align:middle line:90% It's more like a politics game. 00:13:05.260 --> 00:13:07.450 align:middle line:90% Balance of power game. 00:13:07.450 --> 00:13:10.090 align:middle line:84% But they use events to remind you 00:13:10.090 --> 00:13:11.780 align:middle line:84% of what the setting of this game is. 00:13:11.780 --> 00:13:12.742 align:middle line:90% I call it fiction. 00:13:12.742 --> 00:13:14.200 align:middle line:84% But of course, this is not fiction. 00:13:14.200 --> 00:13:17.160 align:middle line:84% This is based on what actually happened. 00:13:17.160 --> 00:13:19.780 align:middle line:90% It's still a setting. 00:13:19.780 --> 00:13:21.010 align:middle line:90% Roles and abilities. 00:13:21.010 --> 00:13:27.430 align:middle line:84% Back to Forbidden Island, every single character 00:13:27.430 --> 00:13:28.849 align:middle line:84% that you play in Forbidden Island 00:13:28.849 --> 00:13:30.890 align:middle line:84% has a different set of abilities that you've got. 00:13:30.890 --> 00:13:32.306 align:middle line:84% You're taking on a different role, 00:13:32.306 --> 00:13:35.725 align:middle line:90% like an explorer or a diver. 00:13:35.725 --> 00:13:37.391 align:middle line:84% I can't remember what all the roles are. 00:13:37.391 --> 00:13:40.190 align:middle line:90% 00:13:40.190 --> 00:13:43.720 align:middle line:84% There's no indication on the box on what you can be. 00:13:43.720 --> 00:13:47.370 align:middle line:84% But since everybody has different abilities, 00:13:47.370 --> 00:13:52.957 align:middle line:84% that hearkens back to the unique defining 00:13:52.957 --> 00:13:54.790 align:middle line:84% things of the character that you're playing. 00:13:54.790 --> 00:13:57.830 align:middle line:84% And you try to think in that role. 00:13:57.830 --> 00:13:59.670 align:middle line:84% If you are a pilot or something, and then 00:13:59.670 --> 00:14:01.390 align:middle line:84% you try to think about rescuing people. 00:14:01.390 --> 00:14:05.720 align:middle line:84% If you're a diver, you are trying to forge ahead and going 00:14:05.720 --> 00:14:09.940 align:middle line:84% and you can stay close to the water mechanically. 00:14:09.940 --> 00:14:14.900 align:middle line:84% But also puts you in a fictional position 00:14:14.900 --> 00:14:18.750 align:middle line:84% in your team to be able to be closer to risk, 00:14:18.750 --> 00:14:20.720 align:middle line:84% because other people will just drown if they're 00:14:20.720 --> 00:14:22.000 align:middle line:90% too close to the water. 00:14:22.000 --> 00:14:26.650 align:middle line:84% I think that's how the game works, if I recall. 00:14:26.650 --> 00:14:29.560 align:middle line:84% So for Assignment 2, we want you to be thinking 00:14:29.560 --> 00:14:32.890 align:middle line:90% about all of these things. 00:14:32.890 --> 00:14:34.660 align:middle line:84% Obviously, it's difficult to do this 00:14:34.660 --> 00:14:37.480 align:middle line:84% on the amount of time and the budget 00:14:37.480 --> 00:14:38.860 align:middle line:90% that you're working with. 00:14:38.860 --> 00:14:42.290 align:middle line:84% But we want you to consider how you game looks, 00:14:42.290 --> 00:14:48.760 align:middle line:84% how your game sounds, the setting that your game is in. 00:14:48.760 --> 00:14:52.570 align:middle line:84% We've already had a couple of things like the spies game, 00:14:52.570 --> 00:14:53.530 align:middle line:90% for instance. 00:14:53.530 --> 00:14:56.800 align:middle line:84% Could this have been a formation of a game 00:14:56.800 --> 00:14:59.020 align:middle line:90% about hidden variables? 00:14:59.020 --> 00:15:01.710 align:middle line:84% But then you have this layer of being 00:15:01.710 --> 00:15:04.870 align:middle line:90% an agent of an unknown country. 00:15:04.870 --> 00:15:07.150 align:middle line:84% And sometimes fiction can actually 00:15:07.150 --> 00:15:09.170 align:middle line:84% help people better understand the underlying 00:15:09.170 --> 00:15:10.810 align:middle line:90% rules that you've got. 00:15:10.810 --> 00:15:15.700 align:middle line:84% I know that this game, the level of the game 00:15:15.700 --> 00:15:20.020 align:middle line:84% started off as a building construction game. 00:15:20.020 --> 00:15:24.630 align:middle line:84% And to a certain extent, some version of those rules 00:15:24.630 --> 00:15:27.590 align:middle line:84% might actually help people understand your rules easier. 00:15:27.590 --> 00:15:31.220 align:middle line:84% But sometimes it gets in the way because your fiction may not 00:15:31.220 --> 00:15:33.690 align:middle line:84% necessarily match up with the way 00:15:33.690 --> 00:15:35.970 align:middle line:90% that your rules are evolving. 00:15:35.970 --> 00:15:40.570 align:middle line:84% I'm not saying that you should let aesthetics necessarily 00:15:40.570 --> 00:15:42.912 align:middle line:84% constrain what you can do with rules. 00:15:42.912 --> 00:15:44.620 align:middle line:84% But if you're going to change your rules, 00:15:44.620 --> 00:15:46.330 align:middle line:84% then you're going to have to iterate on your rules 00:15:46.330 --> 00:15:48.705 align:middle line:84% to make your game playable, and do everything that you've 00:15:48.705 --> 00:15:49.720 align:middle line:90% done with Assignment 1. 00:15:49.720 --> 00:15:52.180 align:middle line:84% You want to make sure that your aesthetic is coherent 00:15:52.180 --> 00:15:54.280 align:middle line:84% with that, so that you don't have things 00:15:54.280 --> 00:15:56.560 align:middle line:84% in your storyline or your character design 00:15:56.560 --> 00:15:58.030 align:middle line:84% or your art style that are outright 00:15:58.030 --> 00:16:00.790 align:middle line:84% contradicting what your rules are trying to tell you. 00:16:00.790 --> 00:16:03.070 align:middle line:84% This is a game about friendly cooperation, 00:16:03.070 --> 00:16:07.690 align:middle line:84% and you're saying all of you are on this island together 00:16:07.690 --> 00:16:09.250 align:middle line:90% and trying to save yourselves. 00:16:09.250 --> 00:16:11.130 align:middle line:84% But really, the way your rules work out 00:16:11.130 --> 00:16:13.050 align:middle line:90% is every man for himself. 00:16:13.050 --> 00:16:14.452 align:middle line:90% That would be a contradiction. 00:16:14.452 --> 00:16:17.284 align:middle line:90% 00:16:17.284 --> 00:16:18.450 align:middle line:90% This is an interesting game. 00:16:18.450 --> 00:16:20.390 align:middle line:90% Who's played Ticket to Ride? 00:16:20.390 --> 00:16:21.430 align:middle line:90% OK. 00:16:21.430 --> 00:16:27.280 align:middle line:84% Box design and title can play a very, very large part 00:16:27.280 --> 00:16:28.540 align:middle line:90% in setting that expectation. 00:16:28.540 --> 00:16:31.180 align:middle line:84% So it wouldn't solve something I stressed 00:16:31.180 --> 00:16:34.720 align:middle line:84% so much in the first assignment, what's your title of your game. 00:16:34.720 --> 00:16:37.810 align:middle line:84% But in the second assignment, the title of your game 00:16:37.810 --> 00:16:40.393 align:middle line:84% can sometimes be the first clue of what your game's all about. 00:16:40.393 --> 00:16:42.490 align:middle line:90% It's a rail building game. 00:16:42.490 --> 00:16:44.770 align:middle line:84% You can see from the back a picture of the board, 00:16:44.770 --> 00:16:47.140 align:middle line:84% and you're building these tracks. 00:16:47.140 --> 00:16:49.420 align:middle line:84% But if you actually read the box, 00:16:49.420 --> 00:16:54.800 align:middle line:84% it says, "October 2nd, 1900, 28 years 00:16:54.800 --> 00:16:57.650 align:middle line:84% to the day that north London eccentric Phileas Fogg accepted 00:16:57.650 --> 00:17:01.940 align:middle line:84% and won a $20,000 bet that he could travel around 00:17:01.940 --> 00:17:03.230 align:middle line:90% the world in 80 days. 00:17:03.230 --> 00:17:04.670 align:middle line:84% Now at the dawn of the century, it 00:17:04.670 --> 00:17:07.667 align:middle line:84% is time for a new impossible journey. 00:17:07.667 --> 00:17:09.000 align:middle line:90% Travel across the United States. 00:17:09.000 --> 00:17:11.609 align:middle line:90% The impossible journey. 00:17:11.609 --> 00:17:14.930 align:middle line:84% "So some old friends have gathered 00:17:14.930 --> 00:17:18.010 align:middle line:84% to celebrate Fogg's impetuous and lucrative gamble, 00:17:18.010 --> 00:17:19.910 align:middle line:84% and to propose a new wager of their own. 00:17:19.910 --> 00:17:22.690 align:middle line:84% The stakes: $1 million, and the winner takes all competition. 00:17:22.690 --> 00:17:24.349 align:middle line:84% Your objective: To see which of them 00:17:24.349 --> 00:17:27.619 align:middle line:84% can travel by rail to the most cities in North America in just 00:17:27.619 --> 00:17:28.287 align:middle line:90% seven days." 00:17:28.287 --> 00:17:31.070 align:middle line:90% 00:17:31.070 --> 00:17:33.830 align:middle line:84% It's interesting, because, at first glance, 00:17:33.830 --> 00:17:35.180 align:middle line:90% you look at the game mechanics. 00:17:35.180 --> 00:17:37.010 align:middle line:84% And the game mechanics actually feel 00:17:37.010 --> 00:17:42.410 align:middle line:84% more like you're building railway connections, 00:17:42.410 --> 00:17:44.462 align:middle line:90% rather than riding the rails. 00:17:44.462 --> 00:17:45.920 align:middle line:84% But if you look a little bit closer 00:17:45.920 --> 00:17:49.070 align:middle line:84% at the strategies of this game, what this game really 00:17:49.070 --> 00:17:50.990 align:middle line:84% comes down to is blocking other people 00:17:50.990 --> 00:17:53.900 align:middle line:84% from completing their routes across America. 00:17:53.900 --> 00:17:55.430 align:middle line:84% Which I think is closer to, I think, 00:17:55.430 --> 00:17:58.300 align:middle line:90% the theme that it's suggesting. 00:17:58.300 --> 00:18:02.610 align:middle line:90% It's not about who can complete. 00:18:02.610 --> 00:18:06.410 align:middle line:84% It's not about, is it possible for you to complete a route 00:18:06.410 --> 00:18:08.180 align:middle line:90% around America in seven days? 00:18:08.180 --> 00:18:08.710 align:middle line:90% No. 00:18:08.710 --> 00:18:11.270 align:middle line:84% It's who can do it fastest, which means how do we slow down 00:18:11.270 --> 00:18:12.650 align:middle line:90% everybody else? 00:18:12.650 --> 00:18:14.652 align:middle line:84% And that's actually what high-level strategy 00:18:14.652 --> 00:18:15.860 align:middle line:90% in this game turns out to be. 00:18:15.860 --> 00:18:20.330 align:middle line:84% So it's about all these tickets that you're picking up, 00:18:20.330 --> 00:18:21.979 align:middle line:84% and you're going from place to place. 00:18:21.979 --> 00:18:23.770 align:middle line:84% You're trying to compete routes, and you're 00:18:23.770 --> 00:18:28.360 align:middle line:84% trying to prevent other people from completing their routes. 00:18:28.360 --> 00:18:30.290 align:middle line:84% One of the interesting things about this game 00:18:30.290 --> 00:18:35.291 align:middle line:84% is that you've got all these people that are on the box. 00:18:35.291 --> 00:18:37.040 align:middle line:84% And, of course, the assumption is that you 00:18:37.040 --> 00:18:38.610 align:middle line:90% are one of these people. 00:18:38.610 --> 00:18:40.730 align:middle line:90% And that's deliberate. 00:18:40.730 --> 00:18:45.740 align:middle line:84% The board game designers wanted you to select someone 00:18:45.740 --> 00:18:48.010 align:middle line:84% on the spot that you could personally identify with 00:18:48.010 --> 00:18:52.490 align:middle line:84% and says, I want to be this person who 00:18:52.490 --> 00:18:57.230 align:middle line:84% looks like [INAUDIBLE], or this person who 00:18:57.230 --> 00:19:01.250 align:middle line:84% looks like Phileas Fogg because I like those folks. 00:19:01.250 --> 00:19:03.380 align:middle line:84% But then, when you actually play the game, 00:19:03.380 --> 00:19:07.582 align:middle line:84% there is no real embodiment of any of these characters. 00:19:07.582 --> 00:19:09.790 align:middle line:84% There's a little piece that you place down that says, 00:19:09.790 --> 00:19:10.680 align:middle line:90% I am this person. 00:19:10.680 --> 00:19:13.640 align:middle line:90% 00:19:13.640 --> 00:19:19.760 align:middle line:84% And the only sort of level of fiction 00:19:19.760 --> 00:19:27.020 align:middle line:84% that's represented in the rules are the tickets and the routes 00:19:27.020 --> 00:19:28.820 align:middle line:84% that you're taking, not the people. 00:19:28.820 --> 00:19:32.060 align:middle line:84% So they've gone to this very, very large effort 00:19:32.060 --> 00:19:35.899 align:middle line:84% to make you think that this is a game about people, 00:19:35.899 --> 00:19:37.940 align:middle line:84% just because they thought that games about people 00:19:37.940 --> 00:19:40.190 align:middle line:84% tend to sell better than games about trains. 00:19:40.190 --> 00:19:41.990 align:middle line:84% But the games are really about trains. 00:19:41.990 --> 00:19:43.761 align:middle line:90% So I guess [INAUDIBLE]. 00:19:43.761 --> 00:19:46.470 align:middle line:90% 00:19:46.470 --> 00:19:47.950 align:middle line:90% Let's see. 00:19:47.950 --> 00:19:50.330 align:middle line:84% You want to talk about these other games? 00:19:50.330 --> 00:19:54.727 align:middle line:84% RICHARD EBERHARDT: So Alien Frontiers. 00:19:54.727 --> 00:19:56.560 align:middle line:84% Does anybody know the term worker placement? 00:19:56.560 --> 00:20:01.360 align:middle line:84% Worker placement game where you have a limited number 00:20:01.360 --> 00:20:03.700 align:middle line:84% of resources that you're just basically applying 00:20:03.700 --> 00:20:06.820 align:middle line:84% to different sections on the board, which give you 00:20:06.820 --> 00:20:09.020 align:middle line:90% points or do things for you. 00:20:09.020 --> 00:20:15.165 align:middle line:84% It's a great game about colonizing this world. 00:20:15.165 --> 00:20:19.480 align:middle line:84% So a lot of really good, old-style '50s and '60s style 00:20:19.480 --> 00:20:21.340 align:middle line:90% of science fiction art. 00:20:21.340 --> 00:20:24.560 align:middle line:84% Lots of rockets, spaceships, things like that. 00:20:24.560 --> 00:20:31.580 align:middle line:84% And your actual bits, and the reason I'm using this one 00:20:31.580 --> 00:20:34.280 align:middle line:84% is because this is a game that starts off 00:20:34.280 --> 00:20:37.820 align:middle line:90% with a plasticky Euro style. 00:20:37.820 --> 00:20:39.830 align:middle line:90% So cubes and things like that. 00:20:39.830 --> 00:20:41.450 align:middle line:84% They don't really represent anything. 00:20:41.450 --> 00:20:45.260 align:middle line:84% Your bits, your ships are these dice. 00:20:45.260 --> 00:20:48.235 align:middle line:84% You buy a rocket, you roll the rocket, it gives you a number. 00:20:48.235 --> 00:20:49.610 align:middle line:84% And then using those numbers, you 00:20:49.610 --> 00:20:52.624 align:middle line:84% can apply it to various different places on the board. 00:20:52.624 --> 00:20:54.290 align:middle line:84% So [INAUDIBLE] are actually pretty good, 00:20:54.290 --> 00:20:56.921 align:middle line:84% because you can put the piece down, it stays there. 00:20:56.921 --> 00:20:58.670 align:middle line:84% If it gets moved around, it doesn't really 00:20:58.670 --> 00:21:00.581 align:middle line:90% matter if it changes number. 00:21:00.581 --> 00:21:03.080 align:middle line:84% Because if you use that number just when you're placing down 00:21:03.080 --> 00:21:06.410 align:middle line:84% the piece, the number is no longer relevant anymore. 00:21:06.410 --> 00:21:09.350 align:middle line:84% One thing we see in a lot of student games, people 00:21:09.350 --> 00:21:11.640 align:middle line:90% using dice as counters. 00:21:11.640 --> 00:21:14.960 align:middle line:84% A little bit easier with die 6 because its squared. 00:21:14.960 --> 00:21:18.640 align:middle line:84% But once you start using, like, the d20s as a counter, 00:21:18.640 --> 00:21:19.980 align:middle line:90% they've got really small facets. 00:21:19.980 --> 00:21:21.003 align:middle line:84% And they're going to roll and you're 00:21:21.003 --> 00:21:22.050 align:middle line:90% going to lose your place. 00:21:22.050 --> 00:21:24.530 align:middle line:84% Also, the amount of time it takes to go from one number 00:21:24.530 --> 00:21:27.900 align:middle line:84% to the other number really increases the times 00:21:27.900 --> 00:21:31.670 align:middle line:90% it takes to play the game. 00:21:31.670 --> 00:21:34.220 align:middle line:84% But one thing they've done, it started off 00:21:34.220 --> 00:21:35.450 align:middle line:90% with these little chips. 00:21:35.450 --> 00:21:39.320 align:middle line:84% Now they've added more plastic bits. 00:21:39.320 --> 00:21:44.982 align:middle line:84% Special powers you can get to move around that look zany. 00:21:44.982 --> 00:21:48.740 align:middle line:84% Little alien pieces of technology. 00:21:48.740 --> 00:21:52.520 align:middle line:84% And colonies, you can play, they kind of look like colonies now. 00:21:52.520 --> 00:21:55.080 align:middle line:84% I don't have it here, it's not released yet. 00:21:55.080 --> 00:21:56.050 align:middle line:90% But it's on order. 00:21:56.050 --> 00:21:59.260 align:middle line:84% They actually made the rockets dice, so the dice 00:21:59.260 --> 00:22:00.980 align:middle line:90% in the shape rockets. 00:22:00.980 --> 00:22:03.860 align:middle line:84% So imagine this as an oblong shape 00:22:03.860 --> 00:22:07.162 align:middle line:84% that's kind of curved with cut faces on it. 00:22:07.162 --> 00:22:08.620 align:middle line:84% One thing I'm curious is, how is it 00:22:08.620 --> 00:22:12.320 align:middle line:84% going to roll They've made it so that it 00:22:12.320 --> 00:22:13.750 align:middle line:90% feels more representational. 00:22:13.750 --> 00:22:16.175 align:middle line:84% Like it feels more like part of the theme, 00:22:16.175 --> 00:22:18.800 align:middle line:84% but it might actually take away from the actual feel of rolling 00:22:18.800 --> 00:22:19.770 align:middle line:90% dice. 00:22:19.770 --> 00:22:21.950 align:middle line:84% It'll be interesting seeing how that plays out 00:22:21.950 --> 00:22:23.737 align:middle line:90% when I play that comes out. 00:22:23.737 --> 00:22:25.570 align:middle line:84% PHILIP TAN: When you actually role the dice, 00:22:25.570 --> 00:22:28.990 align:middle line:84% it has its own distinctive sound that 00:22:28.990 --> 00:22:31.602 align:middle line:84% is shared among people have positive associations 00:22:31.602 --> 00:22:32.610 align:middle line:90% with that sound. 00:22:32.610 --> 00:22:36.480 align:middle line:90% 00:22:36.480 --> 00:22:43.815 align:middle line:84% RICHARD EBERHARDT: And then the other one, 00:22:43.815 --> 00:22:45.300 align:middle line:90% a game about trucking. 00:22:45.300 --> 00:22:46.360 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: Heartland. 00:22:46.360 --> 00:22:48.960 align:middle line:84% RICHARD EBERHARDT: The Great Heartland Hauling Company. 00:22:48.960 --> 00:22:53.600 align:middle line:84% So on the box, you see a semi truck carrying little squares. 00:22:53.600 --> 00:22:57.140 align:middle line:84% On the back, you see semi trucks and squares. 00:22:57.140 --> 00:22:59.570 align:middle line:90% But the squares are in a map. 00:22:59.570 --> 00:23:02.600 align:middle line:84% But the squares don't really fit on the trucks. 00:23:02.600 --> 00:23:04.370 align:middle line:84% So, actually, I brought this out thinking, 00:23:04.370 --> 00:23:07.922 align:middle line:84% that's a great way of saying it's not-- 00:23:07.922 --> 00:23:09.380 align:middle line:84% Kind of like the other one, they're 00:23:09.380 --> 00:23:10.730 align:middle line:84% showing something on the box that doesn't actually 00:23:10.730 --> 00:23:11.780 align:middle line:90% exist in the game. 00:23:11.780 --> 00:23:15.056 align:middle line:84% But I found out, and I actually took it out and opened it, 00:23:15.056 --> 00:23:23.780 align:middle line:84% they have cards where you put your bits on. 00:23:23.780 --> 00:23:25.950 align:middle line:84% So you are kind of carrying things around. 00:23:25.950 --> 00:23:30.580 align:middle line:84% But there's a disconnect between where things are on a map 00:23:30.580 --> 00:23:33.680 align:middle line:84% and where things are on your truck. 00:23:33.680 --> 00:23:36.530 align:middle line:84% And then where your truck is actually placed on the map. 00:23:36.530 --> 00:23:39.560 align:middle line:84% So your eyes are going to different places 00:23:39.560 --> 00:23:42.140 align:middle line:84% when you're actually playing out the game. 00:23:42.140 --> 00:23:46.100 align:middle line:84% Largely done because of the commercial manufacturing 00:23:46.100 --> 00:23:47.242 align:middle line:90% constraints of it. 00:23:47.242 --> 00:23:52.460 align:middle line:84% As you can see, it's basically just two decks in a small box. 00:23:52.460 --> 00:23:54.590 align:middle line:84% You'll see a lot of these games, they want-- 00:23:54.590 --> 00:23:57.124 align:middle line:84% If it's a game I want you to play in a short period of time, 00:23:57.124 --> 00:23:59.540 align:middle line:84% it's likely going to have a smaller box than a game that's 00:23:59.540 --> 00:24:00.415 align:middle line:90% going to play longer. 00:24:00.415 --> 00:24:03.800 align:middle line:84% It's a code for how complicated the game is, 00:24:03.800 --> 00:24:09.935 align:middle line:84% or how much of your time the game is going to take. 00:24:09.935 --> 00:24:11.560 align:middle line:84% PHILIP TAN: So definitely pay attention 00:24:11.560 --> 00:24:13.455 align:middle line:90% to how your pieces feel. 00:24:13.455 --> 00:24:15.200 align:middle line:84% Again, we're not asking you to go 00:24:15.200 --> 00:24:18.770 align:middle line:84% completely to town, like laser-cutting pieces 00:24:18.770 --> 00:24:20.040 align:middle line:90% or anything like that. 00:24:20.040 --> 00:24:21.050 align:middle line:90% That's not necessary. 00:24:21.050 --> 00:24:26.360 align:middle line:84% Just that every time you think of the pieces in our box, 00:24:26.360 --> 00:24:29.360 align:middle line:84% or we decide to glue two pieces together or to build, 00:24:29.360 --> 00:24:31.010 align:middle line:84% make it a different shape or something, 00:24:31.010 --> 00:24:32.540 align:middle line:84% think about what that's communicating over 00:24:32.540 --> 00:24:33.200 align:middle line:90% to the player. 00:24:33.200 --> 00:24:39.020 align:middle line:84% Think about what the box may be, or what the art in the rules is 00:24:39.020 --> 00:24:43.520 align:middle line:84% conveying about how the game is supposed to be played, 00:24:43.520 --> 00:24:47.229 align:middle line:84% and try not to mislead your players into thinking that this 00:24:47.229 --> 00:24:49.770 align:middle line:84% game is really about stacking things on little plastic trucks 00:24:49.770 --> 00:24:50.645 align:middle line:90% when it really isn't. 00:24:50.645 --> 00:24:52.720 align:middle line:84% It's about stacking things on cards. 00:24:52.720 --> 00:24:54.860 align:middle line:90% That sort of thing. 00:24:54.860 --> 00:24:57.800 align:middle line:90% So, yeah. 00:24:57.800 --> 00:25:00.512 align:middle line:84% Any questions about Assignment 2? 00:25:00.512 --> 00:25:02.390 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: And then on the assignment, 00:25:02.390 --> 00:25:04.510 align:middle line:84% it's not asking for polished art? 00:25:04.510 --> 00:25:05.370 align:middle line:90% PHILIP TAN: Yep. 00:25:05.370 --> 00:25:07.370 align:middle line:84% RICHARD EBERHARDT: So think about the materials, 00:25:07.370 --> 00:25:08.946 align:middle line:90% think about the textures. 00:25:08.946 --> 00:25:11.684 align:middle line:84% It's still a short assignment, so don't 00:25:11.684 --> 00:25:13.300 align:middle line:90% think about that kind of art. 00:25:13.300 --> 00:25:14.009 align:middle line:90% PHILIP TAN: Yeah. 00:25:14.009 --> 00:25:15.841 align:middle line:84% RICHARD EBERHARDT: More which kind of pieces 00:25:15.841 --> 00:25:16.670 align:middle line:90% you decide to use. 00:25:16.670 --> 00:25:18.940 align:middle line:90% Really think about the title. 00:25:18.940 --> 00:25:20.550 align:middle line:90% It's really, really important. 00:25:20.550 --> 00:25:21.400 align:middle line:90% PHILIP TAN: Yep. 00:25:21.400 --> 00:25:24.340 align:middle line:84% The title is something, writing, it's 00:25:24.340 --> 00:25:27.470 align:middle line:90% something that you can spend-- 00:25:27.470 --> 00:25:30.080 align:middle line:84% you can get a lot out of a little bit more time 00:25:30.080 --> 00:25:32.330 align:middle line:90% investment. 00:25:32.330 --> 00:25:36.702 align:middle line:84% The tone of your writing and your rules can go a long way. 00:25:36.702 --> 00:25:40.190 align:middle line:84% But still, looking for rules that are easy to read. 00:25:40.190 --> 00:25:44.339 align:middle line:84% So don't use Shakespearean styling or something like that. 00:25:44.339 --> 00:25:46.130 align:middle line:84% That might make things a little bit tricky, 00:25:46.130 --> 00:25:48.100 align:middle line:84% unless you're very, very consistent with it throughout, 00:25:48.100 --> 00:25:50.420 align:middle line:84% and you're only using it for nouns or something, which 00:25:50.420 --> 00:25:52.850 align:middle line:90% could work pretty well. 00:25:52.850 --> 00:25:55.130 align:middle line:90% Sketchy art is fine. 00:25:55.130 --> 00:25:57.740 align:middle line:84% Just like a hint of what you are trying 00:25:57.740 --> 00:26:00.290 align:middle line:90% to get across with your art. 00:26:00.290 --> 00:26:03.260 align:middle line:84% We're not judging anybody on your ability to draw. 00:26:03.260 --> 00:26:07.410 align:middle line:84% But we are interested in your thought process 00:26:07.410 --> 00:26:11.330 align:middle line:84% and how you consider, how you represent your game. 00:26:11.330 --> 00:26:13.618 align:middle line:90% All right. 00:26:13.618 --> 00:26:18.920 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: So the first line of the assignment [INAUDIBLE]. 00:26:18.920 --> 00:26:21.812 align:middle line:84% Do we get to choose the experience that we want to-- 00:26:21.812 --> 00:26:23.010 align:middle line:90% PHILIP TAN: Yep. 00:26:23.010 --> 00:26:26.490 align:middle line:84% And that comes down back to the overall aesthetic. 00:26:26.490 --> 00:26:28.410 align:middle line:84% All of these things are working together 00:26:28.410 --> 00:26:29.819 align:middle line:90% to generate a player experience. 00:26:29.819 --> 00:26:32.110 align:middle line:84% And we'll be going through some examples of other games 00:26:32.110 --> 00:26:34.920 align:middle line:84% that generate the user experience of panic. 00:26:34.920 --> 00:26:40.290 align:middle line:84% The experience of close shave cooperation. 00:26:40.290 --> 00:26:43.920 align:middle line:84% Again, remember, mechanics and aesthetics. 00:26:43.920 --> 00:26:46.430 align:middle line:84% The aesthetic thing is the player actually experiences. 00:26:46.430 --> 00:26:51.800 align:middle line:84% And that's true for any definition of aesthetic. 00:26:51.800 --> 00:26:53.580 align:middle line:84% The question is, what are all the things 00:26:53.580 --> 00:26:56.114 align:middle line:84% that you can do to hopefully generate that. 00:26:56.114 --> 00:26:57.780 align:middle line:84% Of course, you only know whether they're 00:26:57.780 --> 00:26:59.260 align:middle line:90% hitting that [INAUDIBLE]. 00:26:59.260 --> 00:27:02.711 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: Is it supposed to be a quick game? 00:27:02.711 --> 00:27:05.339 align:middle line:84% PHILIP TAN: Do we have a time limit in the-- 00:27:05.339 --> 00:27:07.380 align:middle line:84% RICHARD EBERHARDT: I think I just copied it over. 00:27:07.380 --> 00:27:07.880 align:middle line:90% 20 Minutes. 00:27:07.880 --> 00:27:11.580 align:middle line:84% PHILIP TAN: 20 Minutes So aim for that. 00:27:11.580 --> 00:27:13.650 align:middle line:84% It's a little longer than the last one. 00:27:13.650 --> 00:27:15.590 align:middle line:90% But yeah. 00:27:15.590 --> 00:27:16.682 align:middle line:90% So, yeah. 00:27:16.682 --> 00:27:18.140 align:middle line:84% And the reason for that is largely, 00:27:18.140 --> 00:27:19.931 align:middle line:84% we want it to be able to grade these things 00:27:19.931 --> 00:27:22.160 align:middle line:90% and get your grades back to you. 00:27:22.160 --> 00:27:23.730 align:middle line:84% So if you made a two-hour long game, 00:27:23.730 --> 00:27:25.438 align:middle line:84% and everybody makes a two-hour long game, 00:27:25.438 --> 00:27:28.040 align:middle line:84% we're never going to finish grading this. 00:27:28.040 --> 00:27:29.060 align:middle line:90% So short games help. 00:27:29.060 --> 00:27:30.890 align:middle line:84% And short games are easier to test. 00:27:30.890 --> 00:27:32.880 align:middle line:84% RICHARD EBERHARDT: And for the first question, 00:27:32.880 --> 00:27:35.210 align:middle line:84% on Monday, we'll be talking about how to choose 00:27:35.210 --> 00:27:36.990 align:middle line:90% an experience [INAUDIBLE]. 00:27:36.990 --> 00:27:40.041 align:middle line:84% We'll do that right before we get into brainstorming and team 00:27:40.041 --> 00:27:42.496 align:middle line:90% forming. 00:27:42.496 --> 00:27:44.460 align:middle line:90% PHILIP TAN: Cool. 00:27:44.460 --> 00:27:45.920 align:middle line:90% All right. 00:27:45.920 --> 00:27:49.418 align:middle line:84% I guess we're ending a little early today. 00:27:49.418 --> 00:27:50.096 align:middle line:90% All right. 00:27:50.096 --> 00:27:50.804 align:middle line:90% Thanks, everyone. 00:27:50.804 --> 00:27:53.390 align:middle line:84% Don't forget to sign in if you haven't already. 00:27:53.390 --> 00:27:56.320 align:middle line:90% 00:27:56.320 --> 00:27:59.720 align:middle line:84% RICHARD EBERHARDT: Just about everybody did. 00:27:59.720 --> 00:28:00.820 align:middle line:90% PHILIP TAN: Thank you. 00:28:00.820 --> 00:28:01.410 align:middle line:90% Oh yeah. 00:28:01.410 --> 00:28:03.360 align:middle line:90% Please hand in your 00:28:03.360 --> 00:28:07.416 align:middle line:90%