Design Challenge: Player Aid

[jillduffy]

Discuss your ideas and ask questions here about the Game Design Challenge: Player Aid.

What will you include? And you'll have to leave some things out, so what will you omit? What rules are essential? What do you assume the player knows?

[jillduffy]

In case you didn't see the note, the Game Design Challenge will be on hiatus next week (July 30)!

A new challenge will be posted August 6.

[MessiahSimple]

dag yo. This one is, if i am to understand it correctly, a showcasing of our rules understanding and explanation...an exercise in technical writing? Crunchy.

[Kodiak]

If anyone else is like me and hasn't played in a gazillion years and can't afford to go buy the game just to check the rules out, here are a few helpful links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Risk_game

http://www.indepthinfo.com/risk/rules-outline.shtml

http://boardgames.about.com/od/riskrules/Risk_Rules.htm

Have fun!

[apatriarca]

Hi, after some weeks of exams I finally come back... My english isn’t very good so I really doubt I will be able to do something great in this challenge but I love typography and I want to give it a try. After all the english in a text like that should be really basic.

[Protector one]

This isn't a design challenge, it's a summarizing exercise!
What makes the game designer job is so great, is that you get to make your own rules. Summarizing others' rules? Not fun. The other strict limitations (cardboard, size, printed on one side) don't help either... You can't fit many illustrations on 8.5"x5.5". Sigh.
Sorry for sounding all whiny, but I just can't seem to find the appeal in this challenge. If anyone has a sunnier take on it, please, enlighten me!

[EvilLlama]

Originally Posted by Protector one

This isn't a design challenge, it's a summarizing exercise!
What makes the game designer job is so great, is that you get to make your own rules. Summarizing others' rules? Not fun. The other strict limitations (cardboard, size, printed on one side) don't help either... You can't fit many illustrations on 8.5"x5.5". Sigh.
Sorry for sounding all whiny, but I just can't seem to find the appeal in this challenge. If anyone has a sunnier take on it, please, enlighten me!

In a large company, just because you are a designer doesn't necessarily mean everything you do will be original. Especially if you're not a Lead Designer, your orders will not always be "make this" but instead "make this better". Here, I suppose, is a "make this better" instance by making the rules more accessible to the player. I'm not in industry yet, so this only a guess from what I've read.

As for limitations, that's why it's called a challenge

[jillduffy]

Originally Posted by apatriarca

Hi, after some weeks of exams I finally come back... My english isn’t very good so I really doubt I will be able to do something great in this challenge but I love typography and I want to give it a try. After all the english in a text like that should be really basic.

If you can somehow come up with a visual depiction of the rules that doesn't rely on English, that would be pretty amazing! I don't know if it can be done, although all Ikea furniture assembly instructions seem to do it.

[MessiahSimple]

way to give away the good stuff, jill.

But yeah, like the one button challenge I think the reward here is in getting used to ridiculous restrictions and being 'flexibly genius.' I think it's super, although it's not the kind of activity that keeps me up frothing at the mouth with creative joy.

[jillduffy]

Well, I already know what the next challenge is, and I think you will all find it much more nurturing of your creativity!

Just endure through this one last focused challenge!

Actually, this brings up a good question:

Next week the design challenge is on summer hiatus; the following week it will be posted.

Given the option, would you prefer the above happen, or that the next challenge be posted next week, but you have two weeks to answer?

So the options are next week off or 2 weeks to submit for next challenge.