Hive Raid:
The game of speed and strategy
The war is finally over! We have defeated our sworn enemy hive and are ransacking it. You are a worker bee who is
tasked with collecting the spoils of the war. Collect as many points as you can to get the recognition you deserve!
Created after numerous user play testing and feedback sessions, players of all ages can easily enjoy this simple and fun board game.
Details
Tools: Illustrator, Photoshop
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Timeline: 4 weeks online course + 2 weeks self-directed refinement
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Project type: Self-guided project
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Skills: Game Design, Identity Design
Project summary
Brief:
This project is part of a 4-week course "Introduction to Game Design" offered by California Institute of the Arts on Coursera. The course deliverable was to create a simple one-page game to demonstrate the basic principles of game design. I took 2 additional weeks to create the game in a board game style that is ready to be launched and sold.
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What we did:
I drew on the idea of hexagons and regular geometry to create a turn based two-player board game that can be simply understood and played in under 5 minutes.
Process
Feedback
Week 1
The first week focused was brainstorming and creating a game that could fit on an A4 piece of paper. I started with the idea of collecting points for my game.
Elements of the game, such as the goal, and balancing chance and skill, were explored, pushing me to think of an interesting way for players to accumulate points.
Imbalance in tiles between the left and right side
More rules could make the game more interesting
Additionally, I begin to establish the game's identity with colors and a logo
Week 3
The third week introduced game narrative and player motivations. In addition to continue refining the gameplay mechanisms, greater emphasis was placed on creating an engaging original story that adds value to the gameplay.
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I tested various versions of the story with players to attain the most interesting and engaging narrative which will draw players into playing the game.
The placement of the instruction's illustrations is confusing
The illustrations have been paired with their accompanying texts and the narrative has been refined to be clearer.
The chance of rolling a die is balanced with the skill of the player making a decision
Week 2
The second week focused on understanding mechanics of the game. I expanded the rules of the game to accommodate more strategies and play styles.
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Odd and even die rolls affect point accumulation now and players can use their points to purchase alternative movements
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Game instructions are now difficult to understand
The idea of losing points can be pushed further
The title of the game was changed and illustrations were created to allow immediate association with narrative
Week 4
The last week of the course explored game characters and I expanded the game to accommodate two player characters who will play against each other.
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Multiple user tests were run to ensure that the game mechanics and tile placement were optimised for playability. Feedback was also collected on the aesthetics and gameplay for the next step of converting the game into a board game.
Details like the end point and how the two players characters work could be better clarified
Explore Non-Euclidean geometries for the shape of the board
Through the heavy emphasis on user testing, I learnt that it is easy for me to often think that the my intentions will be naturally understood by users, but it is usually not the case. User testing is vital because it is a check for me to see if my intentions have been conveyed precisely.
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Design is hence a very collaborative process with the player testers who always provide valuable insights that pushes my design forward. In the future, I will incorporate as much as user tests in my process.
Multiple simulations done virtually to optimise the placement of playing tiles
Printed version to test the actual usability and two player mechanics
A board game for all
I took two additional weeks to transform the simple A4 sized game into a commercially ready board game, complete with a gameboard, box art covers and game pieces.
Creating the board game
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Working towards achieving a bee inspired game piece
I believe that the game piece is an extension of the game as it is the primary means the player uses to interact with the game. As such, I explored forms that would strengthen the narrative and further immerse the player in the game
The final game piece is reminiscent of a bee's sting that is interpreted using the geometric hexagonal design language of the game. The game piece is a simple yet elegant piece that is ergonomic to hold.
The game lives on the game board and I believe that the game board should also be a part of the experience.
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The game board explores the diagonal properties of hexagons to create different chamfer sizes that enables the game board to be easily unfolded.
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Transforming the simple A4 game into a board game allows the gameplay experience to be more immersive.
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In the board game version, everything, from the game board to the game pieces, contributes to the experience and narrative of the game. This uninterrupted experience is the value-add.