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Autor: Barbara Kocher
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Don't Worry
Inspiration
Ludo
View
At the start of the game each player stands at one of the four corners (see sketch). The playing field is large enough to enable all players to see each other and to have a good view of the playing area.
Players
The game is designed for 4 to 8 players; teams are formed, each consisting of 2 players (see sketch). The SL avatars act as tokens.
Mechanics
Don’t Worry is largely based upon the rules of the popular board game ludo. However, instead of a numbered dice, a so-called event dice is used (see sketch).
The following events are depicted on the dice:
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Bonus - The player may throw the dice again or proceed to the next field.
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True or False - A statement must be identified as being true or false (e.g. syntax (grammar) or historical/geographical facts of a given country). The statement is shown as a pop-up and is visible for all players.
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Q & A - A pop-up (not visible for other players) presents the player with a question and a choice of three possible answers.
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Explanation - The pop-up (not visible for other players) shows a term that the player must describe to his team mate, who then types the term in another pop-up. Correct spelling is an added challenge and both players have a total of 30 seconds to complete the task.
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Singing - A pop-up (not visible for other players) offers a selection of three different songs. The player must get his team mate to recognise the tune by humming it or singing it (lalala). The team mate has 30 seconds to guess correctly.
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Get-out - To be able to join the game, each team must throw the Get-out symbol. If it is thrown after both players have left, the round counts as zero.
The youngest team (or the oldest or the one to first throw the bonus symbol) starts the game. Only one member of the team gets a turn in each round. The main objective is to communicate with the team member.
After an event has been thrown, a pop-up appears, enabling players to select one of three levels of difficulty. The difficulty of the tasks as well as the rewards depend on this choice (see sketch). If the player completes the task successfully, he may proceed to the field denoted by the pop-up. If the target field is already occupied, the player moving to it may remove the token currently occupying the field. If the task is not completed, the player might have to retreat several fields (depending on the level of difficulty). If his target field is occupied, the removal-rule does not apply and the player must move to the field behind it.
Dynamics
Due to the choice of difficulty levels, players may choose the easiest level in order to speedily proceed through the game.
Goals
The objective of the game is to reach the home base by answering questions correctly. The team that manages to first move both tokens into home base wins.
Theme
The game is to create an over-sized, colourful board game atmosphere (see sketch). The inclusion of the SL avatar should contribute to the party feeling.
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Word Quest
Inspiration
Sagaland
View
The start of the game sees the players standing in a forest, which is the beginning of the playing field (see sketch). The playing field is large enough to enable all players to see each other and to have a good view of the playing area. Fields denoting a way through the forest and various objects are placed on the playing area. The inn at the end of the way is the target around which the game centres.
Players
The game is designed for 2 to 6 players, no teams are formed. SL avatars act as tokens.
Mechanics
A stack of cards is situated at the inn and only the top card is revealed. Each card carries a riddle or question and the corresponding answers are hidden under certain objects, which in turn need to be found and remembered correctly. An object may only be viewed if the token has come to stand on the respective field (see red fields in sketch).
The player who has thrown the highest number on the dice begins. It is important not to choose the fastest way to the inn, but rather to take some detours in order to find the solution word/picture to the question on the uppermost card under one of the objects.
If a player finds the correct answer, he must proceed to the inn as quickly as possible to secure a point. At the inn's doorway (shortly before he reaches the cards), the player can display his object (by touching it). If it is indeed the wanted item, the uppermost card vanishes from the stack and a new one is turned over; the object remains in the game. If a player fails to display the correct object three times in a row, he is sent back into the forest.
During the game it is also possible to send a player back into the forest. This occurs when a player moves to an occupied field. The player who is first to secure three cards wins.
Dynamics
The game has definitive hunting characteristics. Remembering what one has seen where is important in order to be well-prepared for upcoming questions. Additionally, players might attempt to secure cards at the inn at a venture.
Goals
The objective of the game is to locate the correct answer to a question under the objects as quickly as possible. If a player secures three cards, he wins, which requires good memory and solid knowledge.
Theme
The game should visualise parts of a small town or village, such as a few alleyways, a main street, which leads to the inn, and the surrounding forest.
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Shoot Puzzle
Inspiration
Paintball, Aunt Sally fairground stalls
View
The player enters an area resembling a shooting gallery in a fairground. Standing behind a balustrade, he can see the far wall, where the targets will appear (see sketch). Additional objects (such as figurines), which may be shot at for fun, could also be mixed with targets to confuse the player. The distance should be slightly smaller than shown in figure 3. At the start of the game, coloured balls are lying on top of the balustrade. A loudspeaker is mounted in each corner to announce the questions. (see sketch; (alternatively, a marquee display might be considered if the sound implementation proves too cumbersome)).
Players
The balustrade can accommodate up to 6 player at any given time, each player receiving a designated colour.
Mechanics
The game starts by clicking on one of the speakers or as soon as all players have assumed the position at the balustrade. The question is asked and then the targets begin to flash. The players have three attempts to hit the correct target, which either carries a written answer or picture. A hit of the target garners 10 points (no further points upon repeated hits), hitting an incorrect target loses 10 points. This is to minimise random shooting, as the point of the game is for the players to think what the correct answer could be and then attempt to hit the corresponding target.
The player is rewarded if he does not use up all the balls (10 points per unused ball), provided he has hit the correct target. It also possible to double one's point during the course of one round. Then current points total appears above the avatar and the game lasts 10 rounds. A round ends at a set time-out or when all balls have been used. If, by the half-way mark, the player has achieved more than 50 points, the balls are substituted by a paint gun, which offers improved aiming and eases targeting.
Dynamics
The game might dwindle into unbridled shooting despite all the rules. However, the exact opposite effect is also conceivable, if players develop ambition to achieve as many points as possible.
Goals
The objective of the game is to get as many points as possible, by hitting the correct answers with as few balls as possible.
Theme
The playing environment should exhibit a strong emphasis on the fun aspect, as shooting galleries usually do. This could potentially be achieved by the inclusion of funny targets, such as ducks, etc.
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UKnow
Inspiration
Who wants to be a millionaire?, Buzz!, other typical televised quiz show formats
View
The player enters a stylised arena, which can hold up to 8 players. Each player is seated at a console that includes a buzzer (see figure 5). The score is displayed behind the players on the wall (or preferably at the front of the console).
A large canvas screen is erected to the front, where questions and other relevant information appear. The centre of the room is taken up by the wheel of fortune (in horizontal orientation).
Players
Since the game takes the shape of a competition, there should be a minimum of 2 players testing their knowledge against each other. For practise, a solo mode should be incorporated. The maximum number of players is 8.
Mechanics
The language quiz is composed of questions pertaining to vocabulary, history, geography and grammar. Three different modes are available, one of which can be selected before the game starts. The modes Hurry up! and Lucky each take 16 rounds, the time-out mode has a set time limit.
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Hurry Up! - This mode centres on the use of the buzzer. The player who is fastest to buzz may enter his answer via the keyboard and an input field on the screen.
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Lucky - Each player gets a turn at spinning the wheel of fortune (see sketch). Apart from the categories mentioned above, additional fields that influence the game are added. These include "Double", which doubles the points for a question and "Half", which halves the points for a question. "Free" awards an extra round a bonus of 10 points, "Switch" allows a change of category and "Choose" permits the player to choose a competitor to answer the question (the points garnered are split between the two, gain as well as loss). The 4 possible answers appear on the screen and the correct answer must be clicked on.
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Timeout - The first player begins this rather hectic round: A question appears on the screen (or acoustically via a voice generator), which must be answered within the time limit of 15 seconds by entering the answer into an input field. If the answer is correct, points are awarded and the player may attempt the next question. This continues until the player gives an incorrect answer or the time has run out. If a player knows he will be unable to answer a question, he can re-direct it to the next player by activating his buzzer. If this occurs within the first seven seconds of his time allowance, no points are taken and valuable time is saved, since the game only lasts 3 minutes overall.
Incorrect answers result in the loss of 5 points. If all three modes are played in sequence, the points are not totalled - each mode has a winner.
Dynamics
Hurry up! may tempt the players to operate their buzzers prematurely. During Time out, one player might take advantage of the full available time to answer, minimising chances for his competitors or he may operate the buzzer as quickly as possible to avoid the loss points.
Goals
The player with the highest score at the end of a mode wins.
Theme
A studio ambience is to be created within a closed quiz environment, whereby the presence of an audience does not seem necessary; this could be simulated by sound design aspects. From a design point of view, typical quiz shows sets should provide inspiration.
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Single game possibilities
Language dice
A game in the style of 3D Logic (see http://www.flashgames24.net/games/3dogic.html), this might be an interesting way of letting a player pair up terms, synonyms or pictures with texts.
Sliding puzzle
The traditional sliding puzzles could be modified to a larger grid and train syntax.
Jumbled words
A game for passing time. The letters of a word are jumbled and the player must put them into the correct order. A simplified version might utilise pictures.
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