I began by identifying and breaking down the mechanics in the game that I wanted to replicate on paper. In the digital game, players move across the battlefield to secure fortifications, take over assets, and attack enemies. I decided that this would best be replicated on a 7x5 grid.
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| Initial Notes & Brainstorming |
In the digital game the player has to ability to buy different types of units that each have their own unique characteristics. Because of this I decided to have three main units in my game: the soldier, the heavy cannon, and the jeep.
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| Game Pieces |
Once I had the game board and pieces in mind I began thinking about how I would replicate the digital mechanic on paper. I decided to use a turn-based system with dice. The player is allowed to move all of his or her units the number of spaces rolled on the dice. If a player wants to attack another player's occupied space, each player rolls the dice and the higher number rolled wins. This is one area where some units will have an advantage over others. Soldiers only get one chance to roll, while heavy cannons get to pick the best of two rolls and jeep's get to pick the best of three rolls.
I also needed to add incentive for the players to capture and hold certain spaces, something that is critical in the digital game. I decided to add "Gold" spaces that gave the player one gold per turn and "Fort" spaces that allowed the defending player an extra roll of the dice during battle.
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| Version One Gameboard |
After I had sketched out the first game board and organized the basic rules of the game I began play testing. After about twenty minutes of play I was able to identify several issues with the game. The primary problem was the amount of gold each player was receiving. Both player's balances hit upwards of twenty five and neither player was ever at risk of running out of money. Because of this, players could buy as many units as they wanted and the game would never end. I also realized that there was an issue when players rolled the same number about how to proceed.
In version two I addressed all of these issues. I first decreased the total number of spaces on the board, making it a 5x5 grid. This was to increase the pace of play and make it easier for players to traverse the board. I also decreased the number of "Gold" spaces from eight to three in an effort to decrease the game's inflated economy. I added an additional rule that stated in the event of a tie when rolling the dice both players enter into sudden death mode until a higher number is rolled by one player.
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| Version Two Gameboard |
Play testing of version two was successful, all of the issues I became aware of in version one had been solved. Games lasted anywhere from ten to twenty minutes, which is what I was aiming for. Player account balances never got too high, and because of this each player had to think carefully about which units to buy and when to move. However after several play tests the mechanic still felt somewhat loose, almost as if it was left too much up to chance. At this point in development I had also not fully decided on how I wanted the game to end. It would either end when a player was able to surround the enemy's base, or when one player was totally eliminated from the game board and had no remaining funds.
I solved the remaining problems in the final version of my prototype. Instead of allowing the player to move the number of spaces as indicated by the dice, I restricted their movement to a set number of spaces per turn. Soldiers are allowed to move one space per turn, heavy cannons can move two spaces, and jeeps can move three spaces per turn. This put even more value into the decision making process of which units to move and buy. In addition I decided to have the game end by way of total domination--the player wins by eliminating all enemies on the game board.
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| Final Gameboard |
Play testing of the third version was very successful. All the previous issues I noted had been fixed and the game ran smoothly. I enjoyed developing the prototype from concept to completion and was able to utilize the iterative design process to improve and shape my game.
