I read from Lewis Pulsipher's new book that the Y generation have problem doing mental math. Apparently some people cannot calculate a 10% tip.
So I thought that the best solution to train mental math could be done by playing st0ck t!cker without a calculator. (The way I usually play it)
I decided to write an article about it and explained how the math is done in this game.
http://bgd.lariennalibrary.com/index.php?n=DesignArticle.Article-StockTi...
Feel free to comment here
Well seemingly the mathematics use in Magic: the Gathering were too much for my playtesters. They thought that the math of adding or subtracting bonuses to combat was TOO MUCH.
Dice rolling was okay... But having to add a bonus (such as +1, +2, etc.) just complicated matters further.
They also found that *limiting* card combinations (with restrictions) was also TOO MUCH. For example saying that only "a Starship Class D or higher" could be used (restriction) was too complex. It reduced the number of workable combinations and players said that not playing with those restrictions was something else that need to be *checked* (again TOO MUCH)...
It looks like all the *finer* details - were again TOO MUCH... They wanted the game to have less *clutter* and to be more about space skirmishes (battles).
I agreed on that point... If anything the game needs less strategy and more combat. That is what is going to differentiate the game from other Deck-Building Games (DBGs). I have seen "Eminent Domain" and "Dominion" and I think "Tradewars - Homeworld" is more of a *battle* game - where you fight your opponent to deny him points... by destroying his starships...
It's under fluctuation at the moment... But I am working hard to re-focus the game.
Games can be a good way to teach math. I've always said that D&D was good training in simple math.
But people don't want to be trained while playing games, in general. Certainly not in games made for entertainment.
questccg, sounds like your playtesters were far along the line toward mass market. ANY exceptions can be too much for mass market. Mass market games have very simple rules with very few exceptions. Hobby tabletop games have been going that way for a long time.
Video game software enforces exceptions, so they're not so important (though the player must still understand why something didn't work the way he expected - because of an exception).
Video games often tell the player what to do next, whether explicitly or implicitly (as in quests in MMOs). That is filtering into tabletop games as well. If you're used to playing a game that leads you by the nose, how are you going to react to exceptions to the fundamental rules? Probably not well.
Funny fact, in quebec the law forces you to do a math formula when you win something. So yesterday, when I exchanged by free burger and fries at McDonald for the monopoly contest, I had to resolve a small math formula and if I failled, I would not get my prize.
So it proves that here doing some mental arithmetic could still be useful in everyday life. My girlfriend who onces worked at mcdonald also said that they were sometimes giving the answer because clients got frustrated for not getting their prize when they failed.
For the curious, I think the formula was something like:
(14 + 6 - 10 ) / 2
OMG I know the ANSWER!!! Woohoo!!! DO I WIN A PRIZE!!! ;)
The answer is FIVE (5)! Yup I DESERVE a prize!!! Haha.
Update: I went to McDs and oddly enough I won a FREE sandwich! I guess I got a prize today! :D
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I hate games that tell me where to go. I like to explore by myself. This is why I play skyrim in a very unusual way since I simply don't care about the quests.