So this week, our assignment will be to make a simple game on paper.
There are only a few requirements.
The game should all fit on one piece of paper.
The game should be a one player game.
A short description and instructions for
your game should be at the top of the page.
The only extra thing anyone should need to play are two six-sided dice.
If you don't have dice, there are websites that can simulate dice rolls.
Even though there are a lot of limitations with this assignment,
there's also a lot you can do inside those limitations.
Here's some ideas.
The game space can be any shape or design so long as it fits on a sheet of paper.
You might have a player moving along a straight path or a winding path, or
a straight path with branches, or a winding path with branches.
Or a maze or a grid or any design that will fit on the page so
long as it makes sense in the context of your game.
The spaces on your game board can say anything or
at least anything that will fit into that small space.
A space might change your characters goal or the number of dice they roll each turn.
Or it might unlock a new part of your board.
Oh, yes?
>> Oh, can I have a space that makes my player move backwards?
>> Sure.
>> What didn't you say so in the first place?
>> Well, I hadn't thought of that, but it fits in with the assignment and
it could be a fun thing to add to your game.
I'm not gonna be able to list every possibility.
So, I'm leaving certain things open for you all to figure out.
>> Well it sounds like you're a lazy teacher Fran.
>> Well, maybe.
But I think it's important in this class that you learn some things from the course
and some things from yourself.
And some things from your classmates.
You'll get the most out of this class if you're learning something from all three
of those sources.
The things we went over, whether you're game should be a twisty path or
a grid, or a maze, what the spaces on your path should say,
that might all sound like a lot to fit on one page and that's true.
You won't be able to do that all on one game.
One of the reasons we're limiting ourselves to a one page assignment
is to keep our game simple and manageable.
Your game might only have space for one or two unusual features, and that's fine.
It's better for a game to have one or
two unusual features that you've had time to develop
than to have your game have many features that aren't thought out or are confusing.
Yes?
>> Do our drawings have to be awesome?
Mine are just okay.
>> Well, if you're worried about your drawing skills, think of tic-tac-toe.
All the drawing elements of that game are usually pretty messy but
it's still a very fun and very popular game.
For this assignment we're going to be focusing on game play rather
than art work.
You can always take time to make your game look fancier or more polished but
if the game play is boring, that fancy artwork won't matter.
As you design your game, remember to test it out.
See what it feels like to play the game, maybe even get some friends to try it out.
I can't wait to see what you all come up with.