Is the playing field a reasonable size?
Since our game is essentially campus-wide capture the flag, we want to make sure the boundaries are large enough to differentiate it from regular capture the flag, but not so large that finding and bringing back the flag are near-impossible athletic feats. To prototype this, we will have some friends come with us to run/walk the boundaries to see how long it takes and if players feel it was manageable.
How will players communicate throughout the game?
Given the large boundaries of our playing field, we need a way for players to communicate with their teammates and the other team throughout the game. This includes alerting everyone when a task has been completed or a flag has been captured, as well as giving each-other team-specific updates. Our plan is to use the Facebook group we have already created as a game-wide communication outlet for bigger announcements, such as the capture of a flag. Within teams, we plan to encourage members to set up a group text. To prototype, we will have people play an abridged version of our game, with one task per team and one flag, to see if they are communicating effectively with these two media.
Does our game present the right amount of challenge to keep players interested without causing them to lose focus/excitement?
We want to make sure that our game is more challenging than simple Capture the Flag, as it incorporates some scavenger hunt and drinking elements. However, we recognize that the beauty of traditional Capture the Flag is that it is simple enough to allow teams to come up with their own strategies. We do not want to override the fellowship this creates by establishing too many additional rules. Therefore, when we do a play-test prototype of our game, we will talk to players afterward and ask them how they felt about the level of challenge of the game and how their entertainment level compared to regular Capture the Flag.
