Week 13 - Presentation & Wrap Up

Presentation

Presentation Play Through

Meeting Prior to Presentation
Board prototype completed.
Presentation components completed by all.
Presentation formatted.
Presentation play through planned and practised by all.

Presentation Delivered

Post Presentation Project Wrap Up
Prototype game board and cards submitted.
Presentation submitted.
Concept document components completed by all.
Concept document formatted and submitted.
Everyone happy with results and teamwork.
Project completed.

Week 13 - Howl's Moving Castle V3

Howl's Moving Castle Board V7

Howl's Moving Castle Board V6

Game Flowchart

 

Design Development Meeting9

Cards complete.

Game flowchart complete.

Peter Photoshop final board image for signoff.

Board requires enlarging and fixing to a more substantial base board.
Board should include place markers for cards.
All to review/update design concept document and individuals to add digital media level

David discussed presentation format, Ravi discussed his draft, Peter committed to add his part:

1. Introduction – David
2. The Story – David
3. The Mechanic – Peter
4. Game Flow - Peter
5. What we Started with - Ravi
6. What we did – Ravi
7. What we have now - Ravi
8. Play through to include 3 “scenario” mock-ups
• Starting/Howl’s castle/Power up
• Portal world search for Howl’s heart
• Inner sanctum race to the end.

Work Breakdown Structure (Unchanged)

 

• Board (David)
• Map design
• Wastelands
• Kingsbury
• Portland
• Folding Valley
• Castle
• Inner sanctum
• transfer to digital
• print

 

• Tokens (David)
  • characters
  • health/strength/power level
  • board modifiers(token to represent a destroyed route)

• Cards (Ravi)
• Spell cards
• ranged/multiplier
• health/power level
• Gain 1 health
• Gain 2 health
• Assume direct control of another player for 1 turn
• Night terror - Lock player in trace and they miss 2 turns
• Counter a spell - various power levels
• Kiss of love - power up health
• Increase power/health level
• Teleport from outer world back to castle
• Challenge cards
• key card
• health/power level
• Card swap - swap entire hand
• Card swap - 2 cards
• Card swap - 1 cards
• Lock doorway
• Road block
• Chest cards
• 1 heart
• 3 spell cards
• Event Cards
• You encountered an enemy
• Road block - You’ve encountered henchmen
• Roll again - Have another turn
• You meet a friend - Its turnip-head
• Watch out - Knocked back
• Pick up a spell card
• Pick up a challenge card

 

• Game Mechanics/Rules (Peter)
• Game goals and subgoals
• Inner sanctum ascension
• Howl’s heart card
• Portal key card
• health/strength/power level 
• Player turn execution
• Card usage
• Duelling - health/strength/power level - win/lose result
• Game completion rules
• Dice modifier
• Inner sanctum rules
• Board traversal rules Castle/External Locations/Inner Sanctum
• Game flowchart  

• Documentation
  • Group blog and meetings (Peter)
  • Concept Document (Ravi)
  • Presentation (David)

Summary

Peter to build final board.

Team to complete individual presentation components so we can practice presentation and timing.

Play through cards and scenarios to be setup.

Team to complete/review concept document due Friday 5pm in particular individual digital levels.

Peter to update group blog after presentation.

Week 12 - Howl's Moving Castle V2.2

Howl's Moving Castle Board V5

New Spell Cards

New Challenge Cards

New Event Cards

Game Flowchart

Design Development Meeting8
Ravi created additional cards.
Ravi posted up draft design concept document and individuals to add digital media level.
David discussed draft presentation and individual sections allocated.
Peter posted up draft game flowchart.
Board design is essentially complete but needs some aesthetics to complete.
Board requires enlarging and fixing to a more substantial base board.
Board should include place markers for cards.
Some background graphics should be incorporated.
Perhaps some shortening of portal worlds to speed up game play.
Play testing with non-group members Michael and Nathan.
Agreed length of game to be shortened by reducing board positions in portal worlds.
Game rules changed so that casting of spells can be performed from anywhere on board.

Work Breakdown Structure (Unchanged)

• Board (David)
  • Map design
    • Wastelands
    • Kingsbury
    • Portland
    • Folding Valley
    • Castle
    • Inner sanctum

transfer to digital

• print

• Tokens (David)
  • characters
  • health/strength/power level
  • board modifiers(token to represent a destroyed route)

• Cards (Ravi)
  • Spell cards
    • ranged/multiplier
    • health/power level
    • Gain 1 health
    • Gain 2 health
    • Assume direct control of another player for 1 turn
    • Night terror - Lock player in trace and they miss 2 turns
    • Counter a spell - various power levels
    • Kiss of love - power up health
    • Increase power/health level
    • Teleport from outer world back to castle

Challenge cards

• key card
• health/power level
• Card swap - swap entire hand
• Card swap - 2 cards
• Card swap - 1 cards
• Lock doorway
• Road block

Chest cards

• 1 heart
• 3 spell cards

Event Cards

• You encountered an enemy
• Road block - You’ve encountered henchmen
• Roll again - Have another turn
• You meet a friend - Its turnip-head
• Watch out - Knocked back
• Pick up a spell card
• Pick up a challenge card

• Game Mechanics/Rules (Peter)
  • Game goals and subgoals
    • Inner sanctum ascension
    • Howl’s heart card
    • Portal key card
    • health/strength/power level

Player turn execution

Card usage

Duelling - health/strength/power level - win/lose result

Game completion rules

Dice modifier

Inner sanctum rules

Board traversal rules Castle/External Locations/Inner Sanctum

Game flowchart

• Documentation
  • Group blog and meetings (Peter)
  • Concept Document (Ravi)
  • Presentation (David)

Summary
All to complete individual presentation components and practice presentation and timing.
David to identify the reasonable background images and Peter to Photoshop final board image for group signoff.
David to complete final board and tokens for player and health/power status.
Peter to refine game mechanics and game flowchart based on play testing.
Ravi to refine game design concept document.
Peter to update group blog.

Week 11 - Howl's Moving Castle V2.1

Howl's Moving Castle Board V4

Howl's Heart Card

Spell Cards

Challenge Cards

Event Cards

Game Mechanics

 

Design Development Meeting6&7
Play testing on both occasions.
Agreed board design is essentially complete.
Board requires enlarging and fixing to a more substantial base board.
Board should include place markers for cards.
Some background graphics should be incorporated.
Agreed cards are essentially complete except for some wordings.
Agreed game mechanics are essentially complete except for minor portal transitions.
Peter still concerned that game is too long although he did enjoy game play and definitely had some fun?


Work Breakdown Structure

• Board (David)
• Map design
• Wastelands
• Kingsbury
• Portland
• Folding Valley
• Castle
• Inner sanctum
• transfer to digital
• print

• Tokens (David)
• characters
• health/strength/power level
• board modifiers(token to represent a destroyed route)

• Cards (Ravi)
• Spell cards
• ranged/multiplier
• health/power level
• Gain 1 health
• Gain 2 health
• Assume direct control of another player for 1 turn
• Night terror - Lock player in trace and they miss 2 turns
• Counter a spell - various power levels
• Kiss of love - power up health
• Increase power/health level
• Teleport from outer world back to castle
• Challenge cards
• key card
• health/power level
• Card swap - swap entire hand
• Card swap - 2 cards
• Card swap - 1 cards
• Lock doorway
• Road block
• Chest cards
• 1 heart
• 3 spell cards
• Event Cards
• You encountered an enemy
• Road block - You’ve encountered henchmen
• Roll again - Have another turn
• You meet a friend - Its turnip-head
• Watch out - Knocked back
• Pick up a spell card
• Pick up a challenge card

• Game Mechanics/Rules (Peter)
• Game goals and subgoals
• Inner sanctum ascension
• Howl’s heart card
• Portal key card
• health/strength/power level
• Player turn execution
• Card usage
• Duelling - health/strength/power level - win/lose result
• Game completion rules
• Dice modifier
• Inner sanctum rules
• Board traversal rules Castle/External Locations/Inner Sanctum
• Game flowchart

• Documentation
• Group blog and meetings (Peter)
• Concept Document (Ravi)
• Presentation (David)

Summary
David to identify the reasonable background images and Peter to Photoshop final board image for group signoff.
David to complete final board and tokens for player and health/power status.
Ravi to complete spell, challenge and event cards and finalise card numbers.
Peter to refine game mechanics.
David to draft presentation.
Ravi to draft game design concept document.
Peter to draft game flow chart.
Peter to update group blog.

Week 10 - Howl's Moving Castle V2

Howl's Moving Castle Board V4

Howl's Moving Castle Board V3

Howl's Moving Castle Board V2

Cards_V3_1

Cards_V3_2

Design Development Meeting4&5
Various board designs were reviewed and play tested.
Spell and challenge card were reviewed.
Normal playing cards where substituted for spell and challenge cards in play testing.
Event cards were developed during play testing.
Goal of game agreed to be reaching central point of inner sanctum.
Power level system play tested.
Game mechanics were adjusted based on play testing.


Work Breakdown Structure

• Board (David)
• Map design
• Wastelands
• Kingsbury
• Portland
• Folding Valley
• Castle
• Inner sanctum
• transfer to digital
• print

• Cards (Ravi)
• Spell cards
• brainstorm names/actions
• ranged/multiplier
• action
• Challenge cards
• brainstorm names/actions
• key card
• Chest cards
• 1 heart
• 3 spell cards
• Event cards
• brainstorm names/actions

• Game Mechanics/Rules (Peter)
• Game goals and subgoals
• Inner sanctum ascension
• Howl’s heart card
• Portal key card
• health/strength/power level
• Player turn execution
• Card usage
• Duelling - health/strength/power level - win/lose result
• Game completion rules
• dice modifier
• Inner sanctum rules
• Board traversal rules Castle/External Locations/Inner Sanctum

• Tokens
• characters
• health/strength/power level
• board modifiers(token to represent a destroyed route)

Summary
David to further refine board design.
Ravi to further refine and document spell, challenge and event cards.
Peter to further refine game mechanics.

Break - Howl's Moving Castle V1.1

Design Development Meeting3

• David brought in one of his favourite board games called Talisman.
• This was instrumental in synchronising the teams conceptual model of the game design.
• Play testing was performed and game rules were documented.
• Overall board design was agreed.

Howl's Moving Castle Board V1.1

Work Breakdown Structure

• Board (David)
• Map design
• Wastelands
• Capital City
• Portland
• Folding Valley
• Castle
• Inner sanctum
• transfer to digital
• print
• Cards (Ravi)
• Spell cards
• brainstorm names/actions
• ranged/multiplier
• action
• Challenge cards
• brainstorm names/actions
• key card
• Chest cards
• 1 heart
• 3 blanks/other spell cards
• Game Mechanics/Rules (Peter)
• Game goals and sub goals
• Inner sanctum ascension
• Howl’s heart card
• Portal key card
• health
• strength
• Player turn execution
• Card usage
• Duelling - Health/Strength - Win/Lose
• Game completion rules
• Dice modifier
• Inner sanctum rules
• Board traversal rules Castle/External Locations/Inner Sanctum
• Tokens
• characters
• health
• strength
• board modifiers(token to represent a destroyed route)

Summary
David to finish board design.
Ravi to create some spell, challenge and event cards.
Peter to draft player game turn mechanics.

Week 9 - Howl's Moving Castle V1

Design Development Meeting2

• From the developed maps it became apparent that I had a different concept as to the game design however David and Ravi seemed to have a similar concept.

Howl's Moving Castle Board V1



Portland Map V0

Wasteland Map V0

• It was decided to play test using the castle map design proposed by David and using generic sub maps in order to further clarify the current game prototype.

Work Breakdown Structure

• Board
• map design
• Wasteland (Peter)
• Capital City
• The Coast (Ravi)
• Folding Valley
• Howl's Castle (David)
• transfer to digital
• print
• Cards
• Spell card
• brainstorm names/actions
• ranged / multiplier
• action
• Challenge cards
• brainstorm names/actions
• Chest cards
• 1 heart
• 3 blank
• Token
• characters
• health
• board modifiers(token to represent a destroyed route)

Summary

Further refinement of the sub maps was proposed for the next design meeting and it was deemed necessary to plan this in the lecture recess.

Week 8 - Howl's Moving Castle V0.1

Design Team

• David MacPherson
• Ravi Singh
• Peter Anderson

Project Constraints and Development Process

Given the short time frame to produce a game design and low fidelity prototype an iterative development process with a time box of 1 week was decided.

At each iterative meeting the following format has been adopted:

• Discuss previous weeks issues, resolution and integration of changes into current prototype.
• Team play testing then performed based on the current prototype game.
• New issues documented and allocated to team member.
• Work breakdown structure updated.

Design Development Meeting1
It was accepted that the version 0 prototype was the initial design proposal created by Ravi.
Ravi created a breakdown of the game from his current perspective.

Howl's Moving Castle Board V0

Work Breakdown Structure

• Board
• map design
• Wasteland (Peter)
• Capital City
• The Coast (Ravi)
• Folding Valley
• Howl's Castle (David)
• transfer to digital
• print
• Cards
• Spell cards
• brainstorm names/actions
• ranged / multiplier
• action
• Challenge cards
• brainstorm names/actions
• Chest cards
• 1 heart
• 3 blank
• Tokens
• characters
• health
• board modifiers(token to represent a destroyed route)

Summary

As per the above WBS it was agreed in particular that each team member was to undertake a brainstorming activity on a particular board sub map and that these would be considered at the next meeting and if deemed appropriate included in the current prototype.

Week 7 - Howl's Moving Castle V0

Concept and Storyline
The concept for this board game was taken from Studio Ghiblis production of Howl's Moving Castle which is based on the novel of the same name by Diana Wynne Jones. The game takes place is the fantasy war torn land of Ingary and its different locales. The wizards and witches are honour bound to support the leaders of their respective countries and use magic to gain advantage over their enemies. Howl is a powerful wizard who has been possessed by a demon. The key to stopping the war is entwined with the saving of Howl before he is permanently transformed into a monster.

Genre and Target Audience

The genre the game takes on is more than one it can be classed as a role playing action adventure board game with a hint of territorial acquisition. The audience which is being targeted for this game is those of age above 13.

Goals and Objects

Race to find Howl's heart which has been lost and return Howl back to health by returning his heart or alternatively you can set out to destroy Howl by destroying his heart. Objects in this game will include such things as doorways which act as entrances and exits for players who are going through portals, chests which are scattered around the map one of which holds Howl's heart. There are also a number of special board positions from which the players can access and retrieve the spell and challenge cards. Dice and specialty cards such as spells which damage the opponent or challenge cards which hinders the opponent or can make you prone to attacks.

Characters and Environment

You can choose to either play as the heroine Sophie or the villain Madam Suliman. The board game will resemble places which the characters have visited during the course of the movie including The Waste, the coastal town of Port Haven, Folding Valley and the capital Kingsbury.

Game Play

1. Players must roll die to see how many spaces can be moved, players must move the total amount of spaces which have been rolled (players roll 5 they must move 5 spaces), players are not able to back track until they have rolled again and must move around obstacles which have a permanent place on the boards different maps.
2. Players are free to access the entire map at any time as long as they have the right cards in play or portals have been opened.
3. Players are limited to how many steps they can take at a time.
4. A player can have two challenge cards down at the same time; but with spell cards the player needs two cards to make up one spell.
5. Each player has a different types of spells for the Protagonist the spells represent love and kindness and as for the antagonist the spells will represent darkness and hatred.
6. Each variety of cards will have a different time limit on it (number of moves before the card wares off or a time limit for how long it can be in play).
7. Players also have a health system which can only be affected by spells and for both players the less health the slower you become in your movements, becoming slower is also to simulate you growing older and if players lose all of their health they reset there characters (give up all cards in play, in hand return to start of board).
8. Though players can resupply on health by picking up cards which regain their health.
9. There are set mechanics which this game uses to maximize to players experience.
10. Players are only aloud to hold 5 cards at a time not including those which are in play.
11. Players are able to move in-between “levels” if that “portal” or “doorway” has been opened otherwise players cannot access that part of the board.
12. To cast a spell or a challenge cards they must be active on the board, to finish the game the players must return the heart to designated place.

Core Mechanic
On each turn each player rolls a dice to determine where they move on board. Depending on board position they may pickup additional cards which can enable extra actions or improve their attributes such as spells, health, strength and experience. The player can also choose to attack other players using their spell cards.

Challenge

Most of the challenge is derived from player health, experience and strength attributes developed and then used during dueling. Game unpredictability is created through the rolling of the dice. Not knowing where Howl's heart card is located also creates a certain element of unpredictability.

Overall Impression

Still more development of design required in order to be able to rate more accurately however early prototype game concept was interesting to review.

My Rating
8 out of 10 stars.