The Final Stretch!

We are coming down to the final week of when the game is due. There are a lot of mixed feelings. On one hand we are all anxious about completing the game right, however, on the other hand, we are excited to have the game done next week and finally be able to play it and have others join in on the improvisational fun. We are putting the final touches on the card design, card size, the rules, and the website. We plan to meet as many times between now and next Wednesday, when the game is due, and is also, sadly, our last class.

-Erika

December 1, 2010

So our group has been a little stumbled over the card design in our game. The main issue is the size of these cards. We have contemplated going LARGE or quite small. The issues have mainly been with printing and cost for this prototype. To print large, only two cards fit on a page, and printing small only 4 cards fit on a page. So there wasn't much of a difference in printing, althought it would be cut down in half. The large cards would be more impressive and show the funny pictures we are presenting, but the smaller cards would be easier to shuffle.

So we're going to discuss more about this issue but we are leaning towards the larger cards and using poster board as a backing.

We'll get back to you on our final decisions but have a great week!
OVER AND OUT!

-Mikey

November 22, 2010

Today we discussed our game and came out with more random word cards. We play tested and learned about some changes we should make with the game, including how long a monkey wrench should last - the whole round, or just for an individual persons turn. We decided on the whole round to create a more social aspect to the game.
The games coming along well and we will be working on the actual cards and designing the back of the cards on photo shop.

Over and out!
-Michael

Monkey wrench!

In the spirit of improv, we decided to spice up game play with the addition of the MONKEY WRENCH (and in the spirit of being obnoxious... big lime green font!)!!

More details to follow after Monday's play test, stay tuned!

Week 3

Today, we finalized the rules of the game and distinguished what we were going to do in each of the rounds. We play-tested all of the possible rounds, and it seemed to work out nicely. There was some confusion regarding how many words we should use, and if we should use a point system or money to establish the winner. We decided to have a "money system" and wager play money. Whoever wins the round, gets the money. We are getting a prototype ready for next class.

-Erika

Week 2

Professor Goeller had Rhea come in, who teaches improvisational classes, and give us ideas on how to make our game better and gave us a lot of new ideas on our game. She gave us the idea of a "monkeywrench" card, which would be a totally random card with a phrase that a player can pull out and require the other player to say that in their story. We are also thinking about playing the game in partners, so more people can be involved in the game at one time, to prevent the other players to loose interest. We are still working on the card design and putting the game together. We are going to meet tomorrow and collaborate with our ideas.

-Erika

Week 1

Today, in class we shared each other's nouns and lead in phrases lists. We even play-tested for a few rounds, testing out different ways to play the game and making sure the stories weren't too crazy. We are thinking about adding a "team element" to the game, where players can act out the stories in pairs. We are still brainstorming. We also discussed the size of the cards and we are currently looking at images to go along with the cards and thinking of more nouns and lead in phrases, progress is coming along very nicely!

-Erika

Progress

We are all currently working on what to write on each of the cards for the game. This is one of the most important parts, since the game pieces, for now, consist of only cards. We are having fun thinking of what to put on them, though!

-Erika

So what IS your story?

We are all eager to find out!

"What's Your Story?" got its start last Wednesday and will be powered by Michael, Erika, Harsh, and myself. The original play test during the presentation went well, but there are already several changes that are underway. The prospect of the "Conjunction" pile is very promising; stay tuned for more details! We reached this idea via divergent brainstorming -- an essential component of good game design.

We are also working on ways to incorporate Web 2.0 tools into the game's development to streamline otherwise tedious tasks. Already, we have begun to utilize Google Docs, Wave, Groups, and most recently Blogger!

Follow our blog to stay up-to-date with "What's Your Story?"'s development!