Critique the Game Designs -- June 2005 Showdown

Holy whatever!
The entries just keep on getting better and better.
I have no idea how I'm going to get that list down to just 3...!

I figure everyone interprets the rules in a different way, and ironclad adherence to my opinion is not a requirement.

I used a fairly liberal interpretation of some of those guidelines myself.

I'm going to vote for the games I think would be the most fun, as long as they aren't in glaring violation of the spec.

Perhaps in the future we can have a "pick three of these five mechanics" option, and we state at the top of our entry which mechanics we chose.

Hmm...I'm about 90% sure I know which one is yours, and I'm about 90% sure it's going to win. :)

As for the "pickup and deliver" problem, you're right. I think a lot of entrants (myself included) got so caught up in the "pick up" part that we forgot you need to drop your stuff off!

Ah, well...there's always July...

K.

I hope it's not the Pudding Corners one. I mean: the guy is called Yogurt, and his games are about cupcakes and pudding... I guess my talk with Bryk today about lunch and dessert left me obsessed with food. ;-)

Seo

I noticed that 5 of the 11 entries include pictures (boards, cards, etc). I think it came up last month, isn't that a breach of the 800 rule limit (as a picture is worth 1000 words)?

I notice in the rules it says that linking to graphical examples is allowed, but is that an artifact from before the rule limit?

I'd like to suggest that the entries be not only 800 words, but also be text only next time.

- Seth

I like the idea of giving pictures a word count equivalency. That would somehow even the field among graphically "cahllenged" but language "gifted" contestants and those with opposite strenghts and weaknesses. I guess those who are both language and graphically chalenged are used to suffer. ;-)

As for next month challenge to be pictureless, I think it might work with some games, but punish too much others. I like the cost per picture idea better. But would that mean a wordless, 8 picture entry is ok? ;-P

Seo

As for next month challenge to be pictureless, I think it might work with some games, but punish too much others. I like the cost per picture idea better. But would that mean a wordless, 8 picture entry is ok? ;-P

Seo

Hmm, a contest with only pictures would be interesting.

I don't mind pictures counting for a certain amount of words, but I would really mind if they were disallowed. They turn darkness into light for understanding concepts. I mean, can you imagine The Day The Earth Ran Screaming being explained only in words? But yet, with pictures, it's quite intuitive (at least the board layout and android movement is).

Destroy All Humans gives a great example - the picture there makes very clear what is otherwise very confusing (to me!).

Unless the pictures contain a lot of words themselves, they don't really add anything to the 'word count' inside the reader's head. That is, they don't make the reader take longer to digest the entry (hey... reader... digest!).

I think other than the classic art skills discrepancy issue, there's no reason to put any sort of limit on images (except bandwidth, page width, and actual word count on the image). They only make entries quicker and easier to read, in my experience. My mind may change starting this Saturday when I am demoted to dial-up, however.

I think that the 800 word limit is pretty high though. Almost every entry again came out as a detailed rulebook. I kinda like that myself (more as a contestant than as a judge though...), but if the intent is to just get the idea across, then a way lower limit would be more apropos. Maybe try out a teeny limit next month? Like 250 or so. I'd probably end up writing the whole ruleset myself, then trying to edit a blurb out of it.

I'm the other way. I'd never design a thing without these challenges.

What would the 5-minute response to this UFO challenge be then? Anyone willing to give it a crack?

I never saw the old showdowns, so I don't understand why people love them so. I'm surprised it worked, but obviously it did.

I think Brykovian has already hashed out the length question for his competition, but if people want a different type of contest, why not post one yourselves and see what happens?

Yogurt

I don't know that there's an official protocol, but it seems we all wait until after. I do this so as not to bias others' judgements by pointing out strengths or flaws they might have missed.

K.

For instance, I really wanted to give a vote to Doppleganger, but I just couldn't see how pick-up/deliver or team building were accomplished. (If it's in there, it must be really clever. :P ) If someone could convince me, I'd probably change my vote. That's just an example and perhaps a bad one, but you get the idea.

What I meant was, what would a brief answer to the UFO challenge look like?

My worry is that the entries would be too vague.

I'd be just as interested in seeing what the 250 word version of Shadows of Camelot or Settlers of Catan might be, since that word limit was suggested too. I may try myself in a new thread.

If there are any transcripts of the old showdown around, I'd like to take a peek.

Yogurt

Me, I think the pictures are awesome, and think any number of them should be allowed.

And to add to it all, when I get back from PowWow, mid-July, I'm going to start running the regular GDSes, probably one a month. Definitely one in August, hopefully one in July.

Then y'all can see how it's done old skool. Me, I think of them as nearly completely different entities, and don't see why the rules of one would restrict the rules of the other.

And for the new skoolers, you'd be surprised how creative you can be in 5-10 minutes.

Oh, and lastly, these entries (every month) are simply outstanding, really amazing stuff. I've loved every game, keep it up, y'all!

-- Matthew

I find the whole "pictures yes/no" argument somewhat pointless; there are no prizes given away, so it's more of an exhibition than a contest. And the 800 word limit was imposed not because the contest was to make a game in 800 words or less, but just to make it easier to digest the concepts; which is really what the REAL goal should be.

I guess my feeling is that the "rules" shouldn't meant as a hard core defining point, but as a general guideline. It's supposed to be a friendly contest, not a hard lined test. If someone's concept is better depicted using a picture, that's fine, and they shouldn't be dinged for it just the same as if someone needs to write 827 words for their idea. Discussion over the technical aspects of the rules of the contest seems like a waste of time, when in fact, what everyone should be doing is discussing the game concepts and trying to make them better games, which should be the ultimate goal.