Some further improvements, both to playability and to the clarity of the rules. Unfortunately, the end game is still pretty grim. 😉 The lack of uncertainty in this abstract game causes players to circle around each other, waiting for a moment of unintended weakness that isn’t coming.
Tag: thesis
Promoting Pawns 2
As I work on this prototype I can hear Eric Zimmerman, one of my professors, commenting that the game feels “too tight.” That’s almost certainly the case, and I’m pretty sure that the endgame is awful. However, interesting dynamics can emerge whereby one player will back up to let the other progress, which makes this game feel less like a weird chess variant and more like some kind of honorable duel.
There’s something interesting here, if I can find it . . . .
It Begins
The End-of-Year Show’s closing means the opening of a new process: thesis! I’ve already started prototyping, and I expect that process to continue throughout the summer.
The latest concept–as yet nameless–is an abstract game loosely inspired by NBA Jam. Its rules fit easily on two pages, and you can play with the checkers set you probably have lying around. 😉
The Law of Game Design 