Shipwreck

We were having a tough time deciding what title to use but we all agreed with Sunny’s title, “Shipwreck.” In class we went over functionality, completeness, and balance. We tried to incorporate all of the three elements when developing our game this week. Ian won the game when we playtested it in class using the basic mechanics. During our playtest, I got stuck between land and another boat. Therefore, I was only able to shoot but not move. We were in a dilemma when the boats got stuck between lands and were not able to obviously reverse.

We decided on making two boards, one of a map and the other just a simple battleship board (battle match) with hexagons. We were having a tough time deciding the structure of the map. Therefore, we were deciding if we should allow boats to go on land or allow the boats at ports to move reverse. In the game, there are three possible moves for the boats: forward, left, or right. There can be six shots of which cannot be forward or backwards, unless you get a glass cannon reward. A glass cannon is a reward to shoot forward when a player destroys a boat. We decided on four health points for each of the ships in the battle match game.

In class we mainly went over the simple battleship game (battle match). This week, we all meet up several times to go over the board for the map with the islands. Mihaly and Ian first met up to discuss some mechanics. Then, Mihaly, Ian, and I met up to discuss core mechanics. At last, Ian, Sunny, and I met up for final touches to the game before playtesting it in class this coming Wednesday. The board with the islands map is a more complex game than the simple battleship/battle match game. In the simple board game, the main goal is for each player to knock down as many ships as possible. The board with the islands game has more strategies and tactics involved. Also, we included resources, ports, and buildings in the more complex game.      

-Hardi Shah