CAGD 370: Sprint 1

ePortfolio

Sprint 1: The start of a journey

Publication - 10/12/25

The Goal

            By the end of the semester, my team, Treasure Hunters, will be able to display to the world a prototype for our game Vinebound. Created with a focus on the iterative design process and agile development.

The Role

            For this project, I am the Treasure Hunters' lead designer, meaning the game being developed was thought up by me. The point of my role is to provide my producer and programmer with the necessary information to create a functional prototype that is a replica of what I envision in my head. Clearly expressing my ideas about the mechanics and visuals to my team is vital, as without it, the prototype would look and feel completely different from what I envisioned. My role started with my work on the game's design treatment. Inside the treatment, I worked extensively to create a rigid skeleton to build the game off of, those bones being the genre, for which demographic, which player types, the interaction patterns, and the role of the player. After I created the bones, I worked extensively on the meat, world-building to set the atmosphere for the game, to set it apart from competitors. Extensive characters and backgrounds were made, along with notes about locations the player would travel in. These were all tied into a fully fleshed-out campaign to go along with the gameplay.

Game Summary

            Vinebound is about Nicholas Carrington exploring the Peruvian jungle in search of Aaru Springs, the fountain of youth. Nick is accompanied by his partners, Declan Frost, a skilled pilot, and Sienna Hargrave, an ex-military tactical expert. While exploring the jungle, they come across Sergei Volkov, a russian warlord hell-bent on using the fountain for ill intent, turning this adventure into a race with the fate of the world as collateral.

The Sprint

            The start of sprint 1 was not very smooth; our team was adjusting to our roles, mainly our producer and me. Due to this, the first few days were wasted figuring out the Trello board with regard to the process of delegating a card to a person.  After a discussion with our instructor about the Trello board, we understood the basics and jumped into high gear to make up for lost time. The realm of tasks I was mainly delegated to during this sprint was all related to the paper playtest. Before I began work on the paper map and rulesheet, I glanced back a few semesters for inspiration on a well-designed introductory level I created in Level Design.

Map Inspiration

            

            This is the well-designed introductory level above; this was the final iteration of it. Knowing this had gone through its own revisions, I took note of key aspects that I could take from it for our paper playtest. The main things I took from this were the bite-sized introduction of the mechanics, jumping was learned, along with platforming over acid, and as the player progressed, they learned more mechanics to master, such as moving platforms, multi-step puzzles. and eventually swarms of enemies. Most of those mechanics from this level could be applied to our paper map, as Vinebound shared most of them.

Translation

            Vinebound, as an idea, was conceptualized with only a digital prototype in mind. This led to an initial roadblock involving the translation of digital to paper while still retaining the core of the game. To help me decide how to approach this, I created a list that highlighted the core components of the digital and simplified them as one-word mechanics to focus on when creating the paper variant. Once I had the core mechanics I needed to focus on, I began to draft up my first map iteration.

Iteration 1

            The first iteration of the paper map was not meant to be a functional one. This iteration highlighted the design and layout I was planning to implement. Visually drawing the map out allowed me to see how it would come together, along with how to assign each room a specific task. Rooms were each delegated a purpose, that being either to introduce a mechanic, elaborate on it, or tie multiple together. This iteration also served a crucial role in displaying my vision of a paper playtest to my team members. This allowed them to see what I envisioned and then comment on it with questions or concerns. Both members liked the path it was going and understood how the translation was being carried out. After I received the approval from them, I proceeded with the second iteration.

Iteration 2

        The second iteration of the paper map was the first functional one. This one's sole purpose was to be a test bed where mechanics were tested, noted, and altered for later iterations. Regarding the layout and purpose of each room, there were major changes. The first iteration's layout was similar to the inspiration level; this one was not, it was developed into its own entity. The largest departure from the older layout was the removal of the ledge mechanic dedicated rooms. These were removed as I wasn't able to feasibly think of a way to properly implement climbing a ledge that was engaging. The existing rooms in this iteration focus on exploration, jumping with and without the grappling hook, fighting enemies, and collecting star coins, the core mechanics.

        Exploration was accomplished with grass rooms that enable free movement of the character. In these rooms, they were able to choose between exploring bushes and fighting enemies, both were done by rolling a singular d20. Jumping was accomplished by rolling a d20 in the hopes that it landed above or at the number listed on the space. If the player got one below the assigned number, they would enable the newly altered ledge mechanic, which gave players a second chance to land on a space. In paper form, the grappling hook was used to cut down the requirements needed to advance on a space if it allowed it. If there were two numbers listed, the first was the grappling and the second was the standard jump. The grappling hook was also used for hidden paths to collect the Star Coins. Progression within jumping areas was forced with the use of solid arrows, as opposed to the optional paths; this ensured players would not get lost within them. The key on this map functioned as the rule sheet, as I believed I was able to slim down the rules enough that just a map key would be sufficient for a playtest with my team. I did have a rough-drafted rule sheet as a backup, just in case.

Team Playtest + Rulesheet 1

            The first playtesting session involved meeting my team in the library to reveal what I had been working on. At first, they were pretty confused about the adjustments and additions I had made, but after letting them absorb it, they understood to a degree. The rulesheet provided is a mix of notes/decisions I would have decided on after the playtest finished and of actual rules. The playtest with my team members provided positive feedback for me, as I now understood certain mechanics that were difficult for new players and needed explanations on the rule sheet. Discussing with them also allowed me to create a more concrete rule sheet going forward, as we established what worked and what didn't.

Iteration 3/Final Iteration

        The third iteration was also the final one, as this was used during the paper playtest in class. The layout of this map had the fewest changes compared to other iterations; the most notable was an enlarged final jumping area for players to progress in while combining all mechanics. Areas that did not receive layout alterations were refined visually and mechanically. Jumping and grappling spaces were more clearly identified to remove confusion about having two numbers on a space. Optional paths using the grappling hook were implemented with more of a risk and reward mindset, as it allowed the player to skip portions of the map if they rolled well. The biggest update this iteration had was the expansion of the enemies; there were now four different variants, each with different health and defense points. The player was also given a certain amount of health and defense points. A d20 was used for almost every aspect of the game, so combat used dice rolls to determine if the player was able to attack an enemy and how much damage they did. Another adjustment removed the need to collect Star Coins to finish the level. The map's key received more refinement with more clarity and basic information to act as a quick alternative to the rule sheet if a player just needed quick clarification on what something was. The overall look and feel of this iteration is very close to what I envisioned when I set about translating Vinebound into a paper version, so I was excited to see how this faired in playtesting sessions.

Class Playtest

            During playtests, this is what each playable version looked like starting out. The player token is always placed in the first exploration room, as this is the first room in the level. As the player progresses, they remove the paper to reveal the next room. By using paper as a cover for each room, this simulates the feeling the digital prototype will have of exploring new rooms with uncertainty, as you never know what is coming next. 

            When playtesting commenced, players did not have much trouble navigating the map, as objects they were unsure about were listed to the left with an explanation, and the arrows pointed the player in the direction they needed to progress. The contents of the map itself were very clear and identifiable; issues players had stemmed from uncertainty about some mechanics from either redundancy or lack of incentive. Grappling spaces, for example, had redundant numbers listed on them; the numbers were for the full amount, but these spaces always halved that amount, leading to the player making an extra math calculation they didn't have to make. For incentives, players were not rewarded with anything after defeating an enemy, regardless of difficulty, and Star Coins were not advertised as important, so most did not get them. Most issues in playtesting did not stem from the map or gameplay itself; instead, they stemmed from the second iteration of the rulesheet.

Rulesheet 2

            The second iteration of the rulesheet was used during class playtesting. This iteration was significantly different from the previous one; the rules were organized between movement, map, combat, and collectibles. Each section had short sentences with gaps between them to prevent a wall of text effect, and certain sections even had breakdowns of complex mechanics to help if a player was confused from the process. Unfortunately, many of these modifications I made to ease player readability were thrown out the window when many playtesters refused to read the rulesheet, as they deemed it was too long. With many skipping the rule sheet entirely and using only the map's key in cases of complex mechanics, they became confused and frustrated. These events were noted down so they could be improved upon for later. Those who read the rulesheet thoroughly were able to play the game enjoyably and finish it, providing my team with helpful feedback. From the data gathered during playtesting, I learned that improving the rule sheet with compression and clarity was essential.

The Result

            After paper playtests were conducted, I realized that even after my decisions and production path, there were still many things I needed to improve on. Focusing more on the bond between the map and the rulesheet would have created a more unified product. With most of the time spent on developing iterations of the map, it turned out clear and concise for the most part; however, the rulesheet did not receive the same level of attention, resulting in some confusion and lack of clarity. The map's contents coherently reflect the core mechanics of Vinebound, which was the ultimate test of this prototype, as we figured out that the gameplay was enjoyable only if the player understood the mechanics. Knowing we can express our game properly, we need to shift focus to clarity and concision to ensure players will understand the game properly.

The Path Ahead

            Between the transition of sprint 1 and 2, I am currently working on a basic skeleton for the digital prototype. This here is the development room, an area that houses all core mechanics in the game that will be used in levels. Having an area like this will allow for easier playtesting of each mechanic to ensure it meets quality control in satisfaction and purpose before being added to a level. Creating a basic layout will inform me how different the digital version might be compared to the paper version, allowing me to properly create a map layout that accomplishes the core mechanics once again. While creating these future layouts, I will ensure that the core mechanics are reflected, along with a greater emphasis on clarity and conciseness.