Our team is leaning towards a competition based game in which players are trying to collect ingredient cards to finish a recipe. Players may also be assigned secret missions along the way.
1. What color palette/style should be used?
This question is important because it influences the premise of the game. For instance, a softer color palette may create a more wholesome recipe game such as a bakery simulation. However, if we use darker colors and themes, the premise may evolve into a cutthroat kitchen game. We could prototype this by creating a few paper cards with sketches on them. For instance, some cards could be pastel and include drawings of cake, sprinkles, etc while others may be darker and include less cutesy images. I’m guessing that since we are going for a game that facilitates competition and challenge, the second option is the way to go.
2. Will players actually use a certain strategy of the game?
This question is important because it will help us crystallize the role of secret missions. We want secret missions to be a big part of the game because they are unique and facilitate a challenge. To prototype this, we would again need to create a few cards that have secret missions on them and pass them to players. These cards could even be given to players while they play another similar game. I’m guessing that whether or not players do the secret missions will depend on the risk/reward and the play style of each person.
3. Do cards make sense for our game?
This question is important because our mechanics seem to make sense with cards, but this needs to be tested. For instance, it could be that this game would work better with chips, a board, or another medium. To test, we could create one version that incorporates chips and one that does not. I am guessing that this game will work well with cards, but it will depend on the card design. For instance, when cards have too much information on them the gameplay can be difficult.
