Critiques for November 13

Game #12- Aquila

Balance: I had the pleasure to test their game, so as a user of their digital prototype i believe their game is balanced. If anyone has ever played chess before they would understand the intricacies of this game. Due to the restricted amount of moves of each unit and the amount of firepower each unit can do to the enemies units. As an experienced gamer i was even able to turn some of their bugs to my advantage, such as the combining of units to increase firepower and the amount of damage a unit could take. All in all it was a very enjoyable experience.

Model: They used a digital prototype as their basis to test bugs. Although what i found unique was the fact that they were even able to add a multiplayer function so two people could face each other. Due to this fact, a lot of areas of the gameplay could be tested towards how they could polish their game.

Art: They didn't really have any art to show at the time, except for some pixelated soldiers and airplanes but since this was just the digital prototype, i think they will have enough time to polish this area up.

Mechanics: Their mechanics were simple; however, due to the nature of the bugs that i found during my gameplay i was able to use it to my advantage in defeating the other player.

Originality: The theme of this game is more towards players who like strategy based games such as Risk or Chess. Thus i believe that people will like this game as i did. Although i wish they could have added a bit of story and art into this mix for the paper/digital prototype. So i could have gotten a better picture of the game.

How well the prototype mimics: I know for sure that this prototype will be the basis for their polished game mechanics and balance of the game.

Game #13- The Legend of Chopstick Chung.

Balance: I've also had the pleasure to test this game during a lab session. They still haven't worked everything out; however, these are minor details such as the amount of points for combo points while taking out flies. Other areas such as the refining of the art and sound are minimal.

Model: They already had a digital prototype of their game. The prototype was already pretty polished and most of the bugs that the players found in the game were minimal and could easily be fixed.

Art: The art is very unique towards the fact that it really does feel like its professionally done. Although the art is 2D i really like how they were able to make it feel like a flash game although it isn't.

Mechanics: They have a very simple mechanic of aim and clicking. Although the mechanic is simple they have really made the gameplay for this digital prototype incredible. Timing and combo points given for getting 2-3 flies at the same time is what makes this game challenging.

Originality: The theme of this game is original and funny. I really couldn't have thought of anything more enticing than being placed in an environment like "The Karate Kid". This game has really captured my imagination and i'm looking forward to how their other mini games turn out. "Wax On Wax off"

How well the prototype mimics: The digital prototype was almost like a finished version of how their polished game would look like. Although there were a few things they could change they were able to find a lot about the mistakes of the game and how they could fix them. I really can't wait to see how their other games come out.

Game #14- Deep field

Balance: From what was seen in the presentation, they used experienced users from a specific gaming background as testers of their game. Although this can be good it can also be bad since it is better to have a mixed variety in the testing field to test all the areas of the paper prototype. But anwyays from what i saw from the presentation i was able to deduce that the game was more on testing the players reaction times and i just couldn't picture this game as fun.

Art: 3D art

Mechanics: I am familiar with their mechanics of timing but i really think they need to change some things such as making the player have more choices since its really limited and boring at the moment.

Originality: It was original but at the same time this game just isn't fun for a gamer at all. There is challenge but its more likely towards the aggravating side than towards wanting to play this game more. I just dont see a point in making this game.

How well the prototype mimics: The prototype mimics their game and i know for sure they were able to see the limitations in the prototype. I am looking forward into seeing how they change this game for the better.

Game #15- Dynasty

Balance: I couldn't tell if this game is balanced or not but their are issues with this game. I kind of wish i could test the game to voice my opinions. One of the issues since its an educational game, it is a very tough game to sell since not a lot of people are interested in these games.

Model: Simple game prototype to test whats works and what doesn't work

Art: The art is simple

Mechanics: From what they said there are multiple dead endings and basically the more dead endings you go to while collecting urls the better your score. But i'm still unsure what the mechanics are of this game.

Originality: I love the idea of what they want to do. Their educational game about chinese culture is something i could understand as something needed in our society. Although they really need to polish their enthusiam through the art and also embed more information about our culture through the games. At the moment it really is too scarce for an user to get that environment.

How well the prototype mimics: The prototype was a very good start in helping towards their game idea. From their presentation and from what they said i was able to see how much potential the game has and what they need to refine towards their actual game.

11/13 Update

what you have done this week for the project?

I was pretty sick this week so i haven't done anything this week(Stomach Flu). However, i'm writing up the document for the player testing session that we had. I should have the document done by Monday.

where and when you met with your group ?

Our group met Thursday (11/08) after our lab.

what you are going to do for next week?

Work on the feedback we recieved from our digital prototype session.

Critiques for November 6

Game #9- Stick Ninja

Balance: They still haven't worked everything out; however, i believe that after they implements the changes that they got from the user feedback than the game should be fine.

Model: They used a simple prototype with dice and cards to help with the simple gameplay and to test out the functions of the game

Art: The art is simple and they got a bit of the art for the character models done such as a boss character.

Mechanics: Their mechanics were simple; however, the randomness of the damage when you attack might be a turnoff to players who like the gradual increase of damage to players as they get stronger.

Originality: The theme isn't really that original but i love these kind of simple games, especially fighting games really do bring the best out of this.

How well the prototype mimics: The prototype didn't mimic the game that well since they really only did test for a specific mechanic for this game instead of all the mechanics the game had in general.

Game #10- Zodiac War

Balance: Overall it was balanced but in my opinion it really seems like any other game out there.

Model: model wasn't really helpful. I'm still confused actually

Art: They don't really have any art to show or i didn't see any art of what they've done yet. They did have examples but other than that i really dont have a feel for how they will do this game.

Mechanics: They have a very simple mechanic and it shouldn't be a problem to implement it

Originality: This type of game isn't original but i believe they have made it unique with the story

How well the prototype mimics: the prototype didn't mimic the game at all. I'm not even sure if they found anything from the prototype that could help them with the digital game.

Game #11- Crack Quest

Balance: i can't even tell since i'm not really sure what they're testing and what this game is really about.

Model: they used a digital prototype but i really didn't think it was necessary since i believe they could have tested a lot more with a paper prototype.

Art: i was unimpressed / lack of effort

Mechanics: i'm still not sure what the mechanics of this game are from the presentation

Originality: their story, art and mechanics are unoriginal and just low grade.

How well the prototype mimics: They were able to get a lot of feedback from the testers but even still i'm just not impressed with it.

11/06 update

what you have done this week for the project?

Well instead of helping Andrew on the flash game i have been doing quite a bit in Maya with character models. At the moment i haven't decided what i want to do with these models that i have made but some ideas i have been thinking of doing with them is for the introduction to our game and maybe the conclusion to our game. Animation and character motion are a few of the ways i might use them. Regarding sounds i realized that some of the sounds had to be scrapped due to sound overload, well too many sounds were going on at the same time basically.


where and when you met with your group ?

Our group met Thursday (11/01) after our lab.

what you are going to do for next week?

I haven't been really been assigned anything for next week but i will probably be doing more in Maya with the animation.

Critiques for Oct 30

Critique the actual game prototype in terms of its design:

Game #5- 3rd Cloud:

Balance: Too many variables to choose from and it is one of the elements of this
game that confuse the players. I believe if they remove some of the variables in this game than the gameplay will be more balanced and easier for the users.

Art: Art might be an issue since it doesn't seem like this group is very artistic; however, if they assert themselves i believe they should be able to work this problem.

Mechanics: the mechanics are simple and easy to understand from the model but they need to tone down on the elements of gameplay

Originality: Not an original theme but i have a sense of favoritism towards rpg games and i'm really hoping they can go in a direction that will help make this game excellent.

How well the prototype resembles the game: I couldn't really tell from the presentation how well they represented their digital game since they really didn't have any pictures of it but from what they said i believe they were able to find things wrong with their game and things that the paper prototype excelled at.

Game #6- Food Fight:

Balance: Even with all the testing that they did i'm still unsure of how well they balanced the game from their presentation. From the presentation i could tell that there wasn't much that they had done towards balancing the game towards the users.

Model they use: Simple game board layout with battleships

Art: No art has been shown of their game as of yet, however from the screenshots taken from other games i am looking forward to what they want their game to look like.

Mechanics: I was able to understand the mechanics they are testing because the example games they have shown to us have straight forward and simple mechanics.

Originality: The story isn't original and the art will be similar to other games but from what they envision their project to be i'm looking forward to how they change their game to be unique compared to past examples.

How well the physical prototype mimics the game: The paper protoype is a good representation of what the game will be like. Simple and easy!

Game #7-Drive Thru Tycoon:

Balance: i believe they have balanced this game pretty well but there will be issues on the tasks for the amount of time on the mission and the money given for that mission.

Model they use: the way they did their paper prototype was like a wireframe to test the tasks in getting money.

Art: I believe their art is good. They have a good indication in where they want to go due to the sketches and i was impressed. I believe they wont have any trouble in the art department

Mechanics: The mechanics were simple to understand and they went over them over and over again through the paper prototype so it was easy to see what they want to achieve in this game.

Originality: The story and art kind of reminds me of taxi which is also a game about getting money through tasks. They might need some more time to refine their idea but what they got right now is pretty good.

How well the physical prototype mimics the game: Their physical prototype mimics their game exactly. Since their mechanics were simple the game board easily represented what their digital game will be like

Game #8- Circular Strife:

Balance: There game was well balanced and from what was said in the presentation i really think that their game was perfect

Model they use: They used like most other groups just a regular paper prototype to test their game.

Art: I don't think they will have any problems in the art department. They were easily able to tell not just a story but the whole environment of the game from their sketches and designs. It was simply fantastic.

Mechanics: I wasn't able to tell what mechanics they would use though due to the fact they didn't really explain their functions but i really can't wait to see how this turns out.

Originality: The theme is kind of iffy since it has been done a lot before but that might just be how they presented the presentation to us. However, the art on the other hand was fresh and i really can't wait to see how this turns out.

How well the physical prototype mimics the game: The physical protoype was very versatile in testing what they wanted to know from the user testers and they found out bugs while testing their prototype.

10/30 Update

what you have done this week for the project?

I have almost finished with the soundscape for the game.

where and when you met with your group ?

Our group met Tuesday (10/23) to practice our presentation in the lecture at 3pm.

what you are going to do for next week

I will be helping Andrew on the flash game

Critiques for Oct 23

Critique the actual game prototype in terms of its design:

Game #1- Ant Colony: Our project so didn't critique

Game #2- Fins of Fury:

Balance: There was a balance between the game mechanics and the story in the prototype which made it easy for the users. The users who tested their paper prototype were unexperienced users and their feedback might not have been good enough but since the prototype was easy to follow the users were able to point things that the they could change and or fix. Although one of their aspects such as the weapon upgrades isn't really part of an advancement in the game in my opinion. But overall other than those small things they did a pretty good job in balancing the tedious aspects.

Model they use: They kept their paper prototype pretty simple in where it was basically a gameboard, dice, and the character objects to move around while also having a sheet to explain the rules.

Art: As far as art is concerned, their team is experienced in 3D modeling and the character models that were shown during the presentation were top notch. They are well ahead of the game and i'm sure their art choices will be excellent.

Mechanics: I was able to understand the mechanics they are testing because the paper prototyope was straight forward but the direction the game is going towards right now i'm thinking they should narrow it down more.

Originality: The story is original / Art is original

How well the physical prototype mimics the game: The paper protoype is a good representation of what the game will be like. Although the rules might be a little hard to understand.

Game #3-Mizu:

Balance: Their user testing was not defined at all since the game itself was modeled towards people 6 and up. Since the user testers themselves were SIAT students(20-22) this didn't help towards how they would test their game since the age groups weren't varied. Moreover how they will implement their story was also not defined in the presentation.

Model they use: Instead of using a gameboard type prototype, the way they did their paper prototype was like a wireframe. A wireframe is a skeletal rendering of every click-through possibility on a website. But in this case they used it to test their turn based fighting.

Art: Their art is well done and i dont think they will have any trouble towards their game since the characters, the enemies and the bosses are incredibly well drawn. Their team consists of a very strong artistic group.

Mechanics: The mechanics were easy to understand since i was able to deduce from their wireframe that they were testing for a turn based game.

Originality: The story and art feel like the games from the 1990's. However since this game seems like any old rpg, I dont think it will be fun since this type of game has been overused too many times.

How well the physical prototype mimics the game: Their physical prototype did not mimic their game at all. They were able to deduce themselves that they wouldn't find any flaws since how they did the paper prototype was not close to how the game will be. The scale of their project is big and since the story is soo much more involved in this game it just didn't really help since they have not narrowed down the game enough.

Game #4- Untitled which was recently called School'd:

Balance: There was no challenge at all from what the game testers told them. Even with all the amount of puzzles, obstacles and various tedious aspects they would do in the prototype it wasn't fun.

Model they use: They used a board in which they could make up new levels and such with a marker at any given moment. Since they were able to do this, the gameboard was versatile in helping test what they wanted to know from the users. They also used character objects from other games such as Darth Vader for a boss.

Art: I was only able to see a rendered scene of some crude polygon shaped objects and i wasn't impressed with what i saw.

Mechanics: I wasn't able to tell what mechanics they would use though due to the fact they had at least 6-7 and it just wasn't narrow enough to identify the amount of functions they would have in this game.

Originality: This game isn't original at all since the story and probably the art they will do for this game will basically mimic a game like age of empires or a thousand other games out there with this theme topic. Even with the amount of mechanics that they will have implemented in this game wont make it original since games like this are done all the time.

How well the physical prototype mimics the game: The physical protoype was very versatile in testing what they wanted to know from the user testers. Basically they were able to find a lot that was wrong with the game.