Use this thread for any comments, questions, and/or clarifications regarding the April 2006 GDS Challenge (found here).
-Bryk
Comments and Questions on the April 2006 Challenge
Thu, 04/13/2006 - 12:13
Thu, 04/13/2006 - 12:24
#1
Comments and Questions on the April 2006 Challenge
Good luck, greasemonkeys!
Let's get more than two entries this time, shall we?
~Josh
Thu, 04/13/2006 - 13:34
#2
Comments and Questions on the April 2006 Challenge
I'm not sure that I like having the players be both mechanics and customers simultaneously.
It kind of ruins the theme some.
Perhaps a mechanic vs car owner slash parts supplier?
Carl
Thu, 04/13/2006 - 14:06
#3
Comments and Questions on the April 2006 Challenge
Krakit wrote:
I'm not sure that I like having the players be both mechanics and customers simultaneously.
I think it poses an interesting challenge. Number of players might be very influencing in such a game. I won't elaborate on the subject, but this particular restriction, combined with the VPs one, has triggered a few ideas that might become the core of my entry. (Or might as well be dicarded in a few minutes, you never know).
Seo
Thu, 04/13/2006 - 14:22
#4
Comments and Questions on the April 2006 Challenge
Kudos Bryk! For whatever reasons, this theme/mechanics clicks with me and I think I might just have to enter something into the GDS for the first time.
Fri, 04/14/2006 - 14:19
#6
Comments and Questions on the April 2006 Challenge
Would it be ok for all the players to run a shope and all the players have influence over the potential customers like controlling the spys in Conspiracy?
Fri, 04/14/2006 - 15:21
#7
Comments and Questions on the April 2006 Challenge
I'm not familiar with Conspiracy, and I don't have the time at the moment to look it up (but should be able to over the weekend) ...
If the players essentially control the actions/decisions of the other players' customers, then it would apply. It doesn't matter to me if the player themselves is an actual customer, or if he/she controls 1 or more in-game customers for the other players -- the end result is the same, imo.
-Bryk
Fri, 04/14/2006 - 16:27
#8
Comments and Questions on the April 2006 Challenge
I think I understand. In Conspiracy there are a bunch of Spys and all players control them all / any of them at the same time. I was thinking in this game there could be a bunch of customers that all players could influence them as the game goes.
Fri, 04/14/2006 - 21:04
#9
Comments and Questions on the April 2006 Challenge
I'm working around a similar idea, not exactly the same, but basically the same.
This sort of approach helps fulfilling the challenge requirements and producing a coherent feeling in the game, so the players can see themselves as repair shop owners but still control the clients.
Seo
Mon, 04/17/2006 - 08:30
#10
Comments and Questions on the April 2006 Challenge
Xaqery wrote:
I was thinking in this game there could be a bunch of customers that all players could influence them as the game goes.
That would fit the critieria, imo.
-Bryk
Mon, 04/17/2006 - 14:35
#11
Comments and Questions on the April 2006 Challenge
I was once developing a circular game that almost meets the criteria.
Each player controls a different business.
Restaurant
Apartment Building
Garage/Gas station
The owner of each gets his own services for free. The other players have to pay to use the services of the others.
Would this meet the criteria of the challenge?
Carl
Mon, 04/17/2006 - 16:44
#12
Comments and Questions on the April 2006 Challenge
Krakit wrote:
Each player controls a different business.
Restaurant
Apartment Building
Garage/Gas station
Would this meet the criteria of the challenge?
Only if each player gets to control a Garage/Gas Station (where I assume auto repairs take place) ... having the other businesses in there on top of that critieria wouldn't go against anything, although it sounds like it could get complicated.
Also keep in mind that these Challenges are intended for the designers to come up with something new, as opposed to jimmying an existing design to fit (although I know that others have submitted existing designs before).
-Bryk
Mon, 04/17/2006 - 17:27
#13
Comments and Questions on the April 2006 Challenge
Perhaps I've misunderstood the criteria.
I'd like to point out what bothers me about the restrictions as I understand them. If I'm wrong about them someone can set me straight.
My take on this game is that even though I own my own garage I use the competition's garage to fix my car. That kinda irks me. Sorry if I'm an old fuddy duddy.
Carl
Mon, 04/17/2006 - 18:25
#14
Comments and Questions on the April 2006 Challenge
I feel reluctant to comment too much about how this might be solved, but I can think of at least three reasonable scenarios in which the owner of a garage would take his car to other garages:
-car make specific garages (I own a garage specializing in Mercs, but own a BMW, which I take to your place, 'cause you're a BMW specialist)
-boicott (I take a problematic car to your garage so you can't take other easier, more convenient jobs, that I take instead)
-collaboration (I take some cars to your garage because I have too many clients and I can't handle the workload, and you're a friendly collegue)
I'm sure there are plenty more, and one might be the right scenario for your game. You can also create a game where players simply control more than one character: one is a garage owner, the other(s) are clients of other garages.
Hope this helps you.
Seo
Mon, 04/17/2006 - 18:50
#15
Comments and Questions on the April 2006 Challenge
This challenge does seem a bit more narrow than some of the others.
I think with the slightly more liberal phrasing of "Players must control the actions of both people wanting their cars fixed and those of a garage."
On an interesting side note, Monopoly with a garage retheme fits all the requirments. Money, negotiations, bidding. Just say that number of turns survived =vp there you go.
Mon, 04/17/2006 - 18:52
#16
Comments and Questions on the April 2006 Challenge
Quote:
My take on this game is that even though I own my own garage I use the competition's garage to fix my car. That kinda irks me. Sorry if I'm an old fuddy duddy.
Another thing to think about is try not to take the game abstraction too literally. Just because everyone might be a "garage owner," that doesn't mean the "owners" are also the same characters taking cars to other garages.
Well, unless you ACTUALLY, own a garage...
Tue, 04/18/2006 - 09:42
#17
Comments and Questions on the April 2006 Challenge
I think that doho has the right idea ...
I re-read the original thread and I can see a point of confusion ...
Quote:
Best of Both Worlds - Players take on the roll of both an operator of a repair shop *and* a customers of the other players' shops.
SHOULD BE ...
Quote:
Best of Both Worlds - Players take on the roll of both an operator of a repair shop *and* as customers of the other players' shops.
I'll fix the typo in the instructions.
Basically, as a player, you need to win based upon running an auto-repair place ... but you control the customers that make use of the other players' shops. It's a multi-personality thing ... ;-)
-Bryk
Tue, 04/18/2006 - 10:57
#18
Comments and Questions on the April 2006 Challenge
Brykovian wrote:
Basically, as a player, you need to win based upon running an auto-repair place ... but you control the customers that make use of the other players' shops.
Stop there, you, Bryk! ;-)
That statement only confuses me more. You mean that a game where you win based on being an auto-repair customer, but control the car shop owners where the other players take their cars to, is not a valid game for this contest?
So if I have been working on an entry in which players have to travel around the country with cars that brake all the time and need constant repairing, and the first player to complete his trip wins, then I've been wasting my time? I'm glad my game has nothing to do with that. But if anyone has such a game, I think it complies with the rules.
Seo
Tue, 04/18/2006 - 11:12
#19
Comments and Questions on the April 2006 Challenge
Ahem, rules lawyer alert!
I agree with Seo, while the theme involves player running the Auto Shops, there's nothing in the rules that explicitly state that winning VP is solely based on the Auto Shops. They could be based on the customers, the auto parts warehouse, the mob hitting up the auto shops for protection, etc.
As quoted below...
"winning should be based upon scoring VPs throughout the game."
Tue, 04/18/2006 - 11:21
#20
Comments and Questions on the April 2006 Challenge
Oh yeah ... I missed this part of running the GDS the past couple of months!! Happy to be back. :-)
I apologize for over-stating the explanation that I was trying to give to Krakit. It should not be construed as the only type of game to design, but as an example of something that would work. I was trying to help Krakik get out of the single-personality (player = car shop owner who takes his car to another shop for repairs) viewpoint.
However, keep in mind that the THEME was described as "Running an Automobile Repair Shop" not "something vaguely to do with places that may or may not involve the repair of vehicles" ... but seo and doho are correct in noticing that nothing directly says that the stated running of said shop must be how players go about collecting VPs to win.
So -- I stand corrected and admonished and deeply ashamed ... good enough? ;-D
-Bryk
Tue, 04/18/2006 - 11:40
#21
Comments and Questions on the April 2006 Challenge
So my game where you are a shop owner and you earn VP by selling Broadway memorabilia through e-bay and baby sitting the kids of your friends and are so busy with all that going on that you can't even repair your own car, so you take it to a neighbour's garage, is ok, right?
I was affraid I was going to discard that one and try to finish my other idea on time. You know, the one where you own a garage as a cover up for your secret superhero personality, with which you earn VP's by fighting the crime. You obviously know nothing about car repair, so you take the cars to other garages. At least this one meets the rules, right?
Oh, darn! :-(
I'll try to think of something... maybe a game where you own a garage and for some strange reason are forced to travel on dark, turbulent waters from one harbor to another, and earn VPs by trading goods... Yeah, I think this one is the one.
Seo
Tue, 04/18/2006 - 12:33
#22
Comments and Questions on the April 2006 Challenge
seo wrote:
You know, the one where you own a garage as a cover up for your secret superhero personality, with which you earn VP's by fighting the crime. You obviously know nothing about car repair, so you take the cars to other garages.
Dammit. Just when I thought I found the ONE way to differentiate my entry from everyone else....
Thu, 04/20/2006 - 12:28
#23
Comments and Questions on the April 2006 Challenge
Get 'em in, people! The deadline is upon us!
~Josh
Thu, 04/20/2006 - 12:45
#24
Comments and Questions on the April 2006 Challenge
I have my virgin entry in! Be gentle!
Thu, 04/20/2006 - 13:16
#25
Comments and Questions on the April 2006 Challenge
Jpwoo wrote:
I have my virgin entry in! Be gentle!
We're always gentle, don't worry. I just hope you're aware of the contest rule banning first-time entrants from winning, are you? ;-P
Seo
Thu, 04/20/2006 - 14:00
#26
Comments and Questions on the April 2006 Challenge
I barley got mine in in time. Im not happy with it but there it is.
Good luck all.
- Dwight
It kind of ruins the theme some.
Well, it wouldn't be a *Challenge* if everything seemed to fit nicely together ... ;-D
-Bryk