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February 27, 2005
playtesting notes
Just finished my first play test session. Jenks and Prithvi, helped me out! We were able to explore many issues.
BOUNDARIES: I set up a 8ft diameter circle on the floor of the classroom. They both liked the circular shape, as it encouraged them to move around yet stay contained in the space. The problem that arose from this is: what happens when someone steps out of the circle? Is it enough of a loose boundary so that players stick in the vicinity or does there have to be clear penalties given when a player steps out of the circle (like in wrestling, when a wrestler goes out of bounds, they restart with the player in a compromising position)?
The game is so fast, that it is difficult to stay aware of the boundaries. Jenks and Prithvi were stepping out of the circle often. However, it seemed that the boundary did it's trick -- no one strayed far from it.
HARDWARE: Prithvi's chin strap dug into his chin so he didn't put it on snug enough. That means, the strap part should be brought forward.
Jenks suggested that the camera stays in the same place, but the button should be slanted forward. Apparently it is a strain to bend backwards and also, with the button slanted forward it would take less time for a hit to be made.
SCORING/TIME: Play testing revealed that the game is phsycially exhausting! So the initial ideas about time and scoring sort of went out the window. Instead the structure of Boxing could be a good inspiration. The conclusion was to have about 4-6 rounds of 30 seconds with breaks in the middle.
The final fight that was play tested was significantly shorter than the others, as there was a 30 second time limit. With the time limit players feel more pressure to score asap and be more aggressive. It's probably more exciting to watch like this.
If we go with the Boxing-inspired structure then how would a draw or a tie be resolved? Jenks suggested something like a PK match in soccer. Such ideas were thrown around like taking the best photo, playing while sitting down, playing with arms tied together (West Side Story). I think it should be further explored especially when we start thinking about tournament structures.
RULES: The rules that I extracted from Sumo were the ones I presented to them before they started playing. It was hard to tell how far people in general would take it. I mean, since they are friends, surely they didn't want to hurt each other or get hurt.
They didn't especially get creative about their strategy. It was mostly, blocking and hitting with hands, some jumping and a lot of fancy footwork. I thought they would try to sweep with the legs or something but there was none of that. When I asked them why, they told me that would be more suitable if they were wearing just socks and there were mats. I don't like the ideas of mats though...
So I am still not sure how effective those rules are and therefore what the suitable penalty should be.
Posted by kaho at February 27, 2005 07:01 PM