This week, we are simultaneously revising the old game, Truth or Lie, and designing a new fitness game.
Truth or Lie Revision:
To address the issue where the audience didn’t realize they needed to ask the host about the question prompt, we added additional screens on the watch to clarify this rule. For the host, the watch displays that they will receive a prompt to share with the entire group. For the other players, it prompts them to “Discuss the prompt with the host and choose one everyone likes.” Additionally, we have added a voiceover and a revised rule section to explain the game beforehand, which goes at a slow pace for players who are new to this. We plan to playtest the new rules and updated version on the next playtest day.
New FItness Idea:
Based on last week’s iMessage brown-boxing fitness competition, we made several observations. First, the final result can be determined in two ways: by the accumulation of total calories or by the total rings each player closes. Rings are a feature in Apple Fitness, where each person sets a daily fitness goal, and achieving it completes a ring. If a player surpasses the goal, they earn additional rings based on the extra calories burned.
We believe the ring feature adds depth to the fitness competition, making it more than a calorie-counting game. By using rings as “action points,” we can build a game around this concept. Since we’d like the game to be asynchronous, we have started exploring turn-based asynchronous games on iMessage and are looking into similar mechanics used in games like chess.
Fitness Battle Design Idea:
- Teams and HP Setup: Players are divided into two teams, each with a set starting HP (e.g., 15 HP).
- Skill Shots for Ring Completion: Each fitness ring completed daily grants a player one “skill shot.” Skills include Attack and Defend.
- Action Example:
- If Team 1 has 3 attacks and Team 2 has 2 attacks with 1 defense, the results for HP calculations would be:
- Team 1 HP: 15 – 2 = 13
- Team 2 HP: 15 – (3 – 1) = 13
- Multiple Ring Completions: Players can complete multiple rings by exceeding their calorie goals, allowing them to earn additional skill shots.
Fitness ring can be completed for multiple times. For example, if the a player’s calorie goal is 380 KCAL a day and the player burned 760 KCAL, 2 fitness rings will be completed and the player can have 2 skill shots.
Territory Capture Game Idea:
- Theming: Players are divided into two teams of otter agents, each trying to build and capture as many territories as possible. The team that occupies more space by the end wins.
- Moves and Rings: Each completed ring translates into a move, allowing the player to cover three squares on the grid. When a player crosses a square, it changes to their team’s color. However, if a player from the opposing team crosses that square later, it changes to the opposing team’s color.
- Power-Up Grids: Some squares on the grid provide power-ups, granting a buff or tool that can add randomness and strategic potential to the game. We are currently refining the gamification logic for this concept to add more engagement.
Chess-Style Fitness Game:
- Board and Team Setup: The game uses a 6×6 board with two teams, Black and White.
- Ring-Based Moves: On the first day, players exercise to accumulate rings. Based on the previous day’s rings, each player gets movement points. Each ring allows players to place a piece on the board, with the placement revealed asynchronously so that players only see moves after they’re made.
- Knockout Mechanic: Surrounding an opposing chess piece with four pieces of the same color knocks it out, earning a point for the surrounding team.
- Additional Moves: Extra rings earned by players allow for additional moves after the initial piece placement.
- Playtesting Feedback: During playtesting, we identified potential issues with overlapping moves, which will need adjustment if we move forward with this concept.
Additionally, no matter which direction we are deciding to go with, we need to ensure that players aren’t excessively exercising just to gain extra rings, as this could create an imbalance and promote unhealthy habits.
