Yuchwan Keh: September 2005 Archives

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September 29, 2005

Club Asshole

I want the new game happen in the club. It is nonsense and sickness, what if more nonsense and sickness...... hey, let's do Game Noir.

Now it goes:

Before the game starts, four declare some other bar-goer in the club for their own shadow (but should be with her/his approval, of course). The shadow's job is taking drink for his/her asshole (Sorry, did I say that?) - yes, ALCOHOL - for free till s/he must leave.

The game refreshes whenever the shadow must leaves(for any reason) on condition that s/he successes or not to throw dart right at the heart of the board. If s/he does, the asshole vs. president (bumblefuck vs. the vice) clear zero automatically. If s/he doesn't hit the heart, s/he leaves but his/her asshole (Sorry, did I say that again?) must finish a alcohol drink her/himself. If there's no other guy in the club at the beginning, the bar tender/hostess is an option but in the new rule: the bar tender/hostess make the choice: alcohol, non-alcohol or whatever drink.

There are reasons why the social works:

Does free drink works for bar-goeres? Of course.
Does free drink works for bar tender/hostess? Most probably.
Will Asshole(s) be more oppressed? Depends on the luck and the price of the drink in the club.
Is there a chance for the oppressed to be less oppressed? Humm, barely unless the SHADOW won't leave her/his family alone long. But, if s/he would or s/he is single, the club may be a place to kill time, I mean, as well as make frind(s).

FATE DOMINATES WHEN THINGS GO NOIR

Posted by yuechuan at 3:38 PM | Comments (0)

September 15, 2005

Mapping is a Key

While we were about to play "Verona", I felt the Premise was pretty compelling and the intention to map a love story of Shakespear's time to a Pachisi Geography is so welcome. But the play experience itself was not as amazing as expected. The rule is well changed and I like the "couple" thing, the conflict is not so strong though. When people are roll one more turn for the couple running, the subject of the story becomes vague. The problem then might turn out that each side less intends to get into necessary confrontation, which is badly required to have the X happen. There must be a way to adjust the board layout to fit for the narrative, or simply give up some inessential story element, to make the mechanics strong enough and the play work alive.

"Tropical Circle" is doing good in metaphor, having the players be both prey and predator is just an exellent mechanic. However, the color pieces just negativiate a clear narrative, especially with the consideration of the nicely put such that high contrast tropical forest pic at the center. Consequently, the niche for each piece is left just an abstract, meanlingless geometric square. I think that's why the story/narration feels incomplete.

"Coattails" has a very nice mechanics of changing tracks. The dice-rolling and new rules work well. But the metaphor seems not strong enough. So, we almost lost interest to do the changing track and having a bit fun beating the opponents' pawns back to zero. I estimate this design would be better if the story part could be more developed.

When we were designing the R&P version, we spent long time discussing the mapping problem. We reached finally to have the mechanic symmatric for both side so that the player won't be mathematically bothering if s/he is playing inferior chance. We called it "fair". As we decided to add the "blockade" into, we added "Fire", and "Donut" fun to "Boarder" escape.

Overall, I think the harmony of the game really weighs much on how the story and the mechanics could balance for each other, and as for the board game design, the balance of geometry/topology mechanics and elements of the real life relations. The only goal is the adjust each for be perfectly working with its counterpart - life story for geometry and vice vasus. What's more, for the player, they see pawns and graphics and a board with narrative potentials, while the math hides underneath - isn't it important to balance more for the visual clue!

Posted by yuechuan at 2:07 AM | Comments (0)

September 13, 2005

Something comes up...

1 The to-be-improved content could be a direction:

I'm still thinking of the installation of the multi-screen projection. The moment when windows are rolling down, with the music starting, is rather dramatic. I noticed people stopped there awaiting for something to happen. However, obviously, the content of the movies are not so well organized as expected. If they are better arranged in some other way - e.g. what to show for each screen, with some consideration of the in-screen spacial accordance ...

Anyway, I think this 2D plane installation is yet acceptable and I only expect "good" content to fit.

2 The hung whale models still have some inspirations:

Could this immersive intension be advanced/enhanced by adding connection to the glass exhibits? What if lining more models (turtles, flock of fish etc. lining right to the front of the glass shelter spot)...

3 The volume of it is comparatively small, I don't think a multi-cam ball is worthy now, especially considering the $5000 budget. But there might be other ways to make use of camera: what if have the frogman ware a camera hat while the video displays realtimely outside to the visitors...

....

Posted by yuechuan at 1:23 AM | Comments (0)