Reflection #2: Harvest Guardian
I created a physical game for our second design challenge. The game, which I called “Harvest Guardian,” was a strategic crop defense game. I was able to demonstrate my concept to the class, as well as playtest the game with my classmates. The game is simple: You are a farmer, whose farm is being invaded by pests. Your goal is to defend your crops until harvest.
In “Harvest Guardian,” the board is set up like a grid. You play with at least one pest on the board, and up to three pests overall. Each pest has 250 health points at the start of the game. The player starts the game by rolling a die. Whatever number the die lands on is the number of spaces the pest moves. After each roll, the player picks a card at random. Each card represents a different method of pest control. Whatever number is on the card is then multiplied by the number the player rolled. This total number is the amount of damage points dealt to the pest. A scorekeeper is encouraged for this game, as you must subtract the damage points from the health points of the pests.
My classmates responded positively to the overall concept and gameplay of “Harvest Guardian”. They thought it was a unique take on a traditional tower defense game. Those who played “Harvest Guardian” were able to understand the rules and procedures fairly well. Though there was some confusion at times, I believe the players were able to understand the game well enough to enjoy the playtesting experience.
The players did most of the things I expected them to do. They followed the rules, and played the game the way I imagined them to. One thing that worked well was the overall concept of eliminating the pests before they reached the crops. The playtesters were eager to defend their crops, and stop the pests. The subtraction system that was used to calculate each pest’s health was fairly easy, though it would get more complicated if more pests were added. However, during the multiplayer experience of the game, it was not much of a problem to keep track of the pests’ health points.
Something that didn’t work was the idea I had for the damage dealt to the enemies. My original idea for the damage points dealt was fairly straightforward. You roll the die, and whatever number the die lands on is the attack power dealt to the enemies. However, I scrapped this original idea in favor of a different one. The player would roll, move the spaces the die landed on, and pick a random card that determined the amount of damage the pest was dealt. However, when the second idea I came up with made the game too challenging, we reverted back to my original idea. This change made the game more fun, coherent, and interactive.
The classmates that playtested “Harvest Guardian” brought up a few ideas as to how I could improve the overall experience of this game. One thing we tried in class was a multiplayer mode. One person defended the crops, while the other defended the crops. This form of gameplay made the experience more fun, as it got the players in a competitive spirit. This experience also stood out to me the most, as it seemed that the players were having the most fun playing against each other. The competitive nature of this game mode was probably the most fun and well received version of “Harvest Guardian”.
In the future, I would elaborate on the multiplayer mode of this game. To the playtesters, it seemed like the most exciting version of the game. It was not too easy, yet not too challenging, and the players had fun with it. Some of the playtesters also suggested that I should add icons to act as the methods of pest control. When a card is picked, the respective icon would be placed on the board, and deal damage to the pest it is targeted towards. This feature would enhance the story of the game, and make it more interactive and cohesive. After all, cards alone are not very exciting.
From this experience, I learned that players want to be challenged. They don’t want a game to be too easy for them, yet they don’t want to be frustrated or confused when they play. They want to have fun, whether it be challenging or easy for them. I also learned that players need a clear goal to reach for. They like working together, or competing against each other, in order to complete a certain goal. This experience has enhanced my understanding of players by showing me what they look for in games. The experience has also given me a better understanding of how I can apply these findings into the games I create.
