Last week!

For the last week of this game all we had to do is finish printing the board and the cards. We also had to order the flags that are to be used for the connecting flight. So first we finished the graphical design of the rest of the cards that weren’t done and the rest of the board. Then we all met up at the library where we printed all of the cards and the board. After we printed all of the cards we just glued all of the cards to the backs. Then we went to Staples to laminate the cards and the reference cards. Then we just had to cut the cards and then we were done with the cards. For the board we had to print out the different parts of the map and then glue them to the cardboard. We also had to add a layer of glue on top of the board instead of laminating it. The reason why we decided not to laminate it is because we want to be able to fold the board.

After we finished the cards and the board we were pretty much done with the final game. All we have to do now is playtest our game with the guests on Friday!

New Additions Week 4

In our fourth week of work, we noticed that memory for players would be a problem.  Players would have to memorize where a plane started and how long a plane has been immobile due to congestion.  To solve this, we marked planes, purchased pawns, marked pawns, and marked chips.  We purchased pawns to indicate where a plane starts a connecting flight.  We marked planes and pawns with corresponding numbers to prevent further confusion.  Also we marked chips to indicate which player caused congestion and when other planes can fly again. 

We also finalized how the Mechanic cards work.  Originally, mechanics were going to be paid off at the same cost as 1 fuel.  To make the mechanic card have some value other than a fuel, we made 1 mechanic at the value of 2 fuel and 2 mechanics at the value of 3 fuel. 

Another change we made was to the board.  Originally, Atlanta International did not have a direct flight to O'Hare because O'Hare already had 4 flight paths.  We disconnected one of the flight paths from O'Hare and connected it to Atlanta instead. This was because physically, it looked like Atlanta and O'Hare were close and the means to travel between the two were very indirect.

Features

In today's class, my group discussed about features that we would like to incorporate into Aviation. We decided to allow all players to select an airport that they would like to designate as their hub at the beginning. Players who land on their hubs will receive one less time zone costs from landing cards which include fuel and repairs than those who do not. 

Another feature that we added is to allow players to create congestions in air traffic. Players can fly to airports that other players are trying to reach to prevent them from landing. We have created a point system where players will receive one point for reaching an airport, two points for completing a destination card with a small plane and three points for reaching a destination with a big plane. Players will use a marker and lamented scorecards to keep track of their points.

We have chosen sixteen airports across the United States with four airports from each of the four time zones as possible destinations. In regards to connecting flights, players will receive bonus points if they manage to complete two destination cards through one flight. 

Game mechanics

     This week in class we decided to work on the core mechanics and the general outline of our game. Everyone brought in their ideas for the game and we just had to decide which ideas works best for the theme of the game. First Sal proposed that our board would be the map of the USA and that it would be split into time zones. The more time zones a player passes the more points he would get but it would also cost him more resources. This was an idea that everyone agreed on as it made sense and also fitted the theme of the game perfectly. Then we were thinking of having event cards at every time zone so that a player would draw one as he passes from one time zone to another. These cards would either have a good or bad outcome. However we replaced it with another idea as the event cards could have not worked well together. The other idea was having wind cards instead of event cards for every time zone. But we also changed that idea as it didn’t fit to our theme. So we decided to go back to the original idea of having landing cards at every airport instead.

     The other point we were discussing was the type of resources in the game. At first we wanted to have two type of resources, fuel and money. However the professor suggested that we should have time instead of money as it fits the theme of the game better. These resources would be used in the game to fly from one airport to another and also be used for upgrades. Everyone in the group liked the idea of time and fuel as resources a lot so we decided to go with that idea. Finally, we decided that everyone should make their own design for cards and then we would pick the one that we like the most next week.

Aviation, The Decision

   On Friday, October 30th, 2015, Mina, Jon, and Sal joined together to create the next great board game.  This game follows the theme of air traffic and moving passengers from airport to airport.  The board itself is a representation of the North American continent broken into the 4 mainland timezones.  On the board will be several of the most prominent airports in North America including, LaGuardia, Newark Liberty, Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), and Dallas Fort Worth International Airport.  The goal is to move passengers to gain experience points and the player with the most points at the end of the game wins. 
   The game will likely consist of plane pieces, card decks, a score card, and a board.  The plane pieces will represent your planes and identify where the plane is currently located or what airport it is moving to.  Card decks will allow for player interaction and also control where the planes go.  The card will consist of passenger numbers and destination requests.  They will also allow players to shut down another player's flight by causing bad storms or a plane malfunction. 
   As of now, our theme of aviation is decided and all other aspects are still up for debate and change.  Going into this week, our work flow will have to be productive if we wish to establish our core mechanics for the game.  Since this is our first time working as a group, we do not have any previous work flow experience as a group so understanding each individual's opinions may be a challenge, but I feel we are prepared to put together a productive work week.