Team Swashbucklers Reflection (Kelly Wright)

Though our strategy was simple, a lot of work went into the visual design and overall theme. Lindsay had a very elaborate pirate costume, and using treasure chests as intermediary prizes was a great idea. The roles for each person were well-thought out, and the only worry we had was that the person at the start (Lindsay) and at the end (me) would have no way to communicate. This ended up not being a problem because we didn't get a bite. The random person that participated with the Mariokart group almost went for us first, approaching the sign I had attached to the final treasure that read something like: "Want to find out what's in the box? Meet the captain at the Northeast corner of Red Square!" I guess it was much more convenient to save time and start the game closer to her. I hoped that our efforts to look like 'authentic' pirates, coupled with the mystery of the multiple mystery treasures, would be enough to give us a shot.

It was not easy attracting a person from my end. I don't think I saw any more than ten people cross my path the entire time I was guarding the treasure. Just about all of them were students or parents of students waiting to begin orientation, and obviously they would not have wanted to break away from that to play the game.
I really wasn't sure exactly what I might be able to get away with in terms of leading participants my way, and although I was sitting there in a pirate costume with a large treasure chest, I blame myself for not trying harder to get attention. I watched helplessly as the winning team began their journey right in front of my eyes. A couple people have said that our sign was too long to read, but I know how badly Lindsay wanted to win this thing, so whatever the reason was, it could not have been due to a lack of enthusiasm on her part. We were all prepared to get moving... we just needed that first bite and it would be all over for the other teams. If I were to try it again I might make myself more animated for our audience. It kills me that I might have stolen Mariocart's participant.

Team 3 Personal Review

Design Goal:

First off, we wanted to come up with a theme that was well known and that people would feel comfortable participating in. We ended up picking a Mario theme. To catch attention in a easily understandable way, we decided to use the giant, yellow exclamation point that is seen in so many games. By using something that people would recognize, we hoped it would draw more attention to our game. We created a sign that asked the player to bring Mario(a plushie that we let the participant keep) to the castle to save Princess Peach. To direct the player, we made a few signs that were designed around dialog boxes in a video game. The first sign that I made had CASTLE and and arrow written on it, as well as a brief notice that the player would need to stop near the castle for a "screenshot". Each of the castles were placed near flags and had Mario themed miniatures that the player could pick up along the way. After each of the castles near flags, we had another sign that said SORRY, princess peach is at another castle. The last sign was for the Final castle. At the final location, we had Princess Peach (a peach with a crown).

Reflection:

Once the game started, we were a bit worried about getting someone to actually pick Mario up. We had a lot of the tour groups look over, but were not able to participate. Other than the tour groups, only a few people walked by and actually looked at what we were doing. We had signs facing both directions along the path, just in case someone was willing to backtrack. Turns out, that actually happened. Our participant ended up being incredibly into the idea and was interested in the entire process, even when we temporarily lost track of where we were leading her. We all just ended up laughing about it, and she understood what was happening even though we couldn't tell her. We moved through the course a lot faster than I had expected. She picked up Mario around 10:05 and reached the endpoint by 10:18, after stopping at 3 flags along the way. Other than struggling to move the castles ahead of the player, everything went pretty well. In future runs, it would probably be better to have castles for all the flags, and possibly try to reach more of the flags.

Pre-game planning

The attention grabber

To the first flag

Stop for some coins

Flag 1

On to flag 2

Flag 2

Flag 3

Finish!

Mission accomplished

Team 3 Post Game

My responsibility was to build the castles and the blocks and to obtain gold coins. I originally wanted to get chocolate gold wrapped coins, but they are very scarce these days, so I found medallion party favors at a party store and removed the ribbons. The boxes I obtained from my work place and painted a brown color and a brick pattern. I also created a sort of costume for myself that I had hoped would attract some attention to our group.

I have a shirt that parade workers wear for the Midosuji parade in Osaka. I cut up an old T-shirt and drew a logo that I pinned to the back of the shirt over the original graphic so that it would fit our theme. I also handmade some fans with Mario themed objects.

We intended to get the player to participate by prompting them with the universal symbol of the quest alert: the yellow exclamation mark from Metal Gear asking for help so that Mario could save Princess Peach. We would then use cards designed to look like RPG dialogue cards to give the player an idea of what needed to be done. We would set up castles at three flags and then the finish line and have the other boxes and coins set up along the course to help guide the direction. We also provided little incentive prizes: little Mario and pals figurines that the player could collect.

The results were better than I expected. We were able to attract someone only a few minutes after game start and we were able to keep her involved throughout the entire course. I feared that prospective participants would not want to deviate from their route. It was even better, though, because our homebase was near the meeting point for the first year tour group and they wanted so badly to play the game but could not leave the group. We essentially demonstrated UW in action.
What didn't seem to go so well was that the game moved too quickly. I was only able to make two castles that had to be moved as the player passed each point. I ran ahead to drop off a castle at the third flag and immediately lost my group. Fortunately, the others found their way and finished the course. If I had more time, paint, and boxes I would have made more props and we would have had a more clearly defined course.

All in all, we had a great time, the player made off with some nice prizes (including the Mario plushy), and we had the satisfaction of being creative, designing a game that was familiar, and overall successful. Despite limited time, we were all able to execute our responsibilities.

Team Elbow Drop (#1): Reflection

Who did what and what not:

Rebecca: made the Super Dario Kart banner, item boxes, and the Ghost Kart, and acted as a plant to entice other people to join.

Johnathan: Played the titular Dario, and put together a color-matched Dario outfit and Kart.

Daniel: Acted as the "Shy Guy" and put together the challenger's Kart.

Anna: Acquired cones for the race course, created flyers to advertise the race, and helped recruit others to photograph and document our progress.

Our checkpoints were small blue item boxes placed along the course, as you can see above.

How we hoped the design would work:
Mario Kart is an incredibly well-known franchise, especially among college-age individuals. It's something that has a lot of nostalgic value and we intended to capitalize on the popularity of Mario Kart to get someone to bring an item across campus. To raise "awareness" beforehand, we placed posters around campus, though in hindsight this wasn't really necessary. The idea was to get a passerby to stop once he saw the relatively familiar Mario (or "Dario") iconography, and upon seeing a list of previous challenger's times (obviously fabricated), would be compelled to put on the challenger's Kart and race Dario to the finish line. The object we need to move was one of the wheels on the challenger's Kart, which ensured that any challenger would be bringing the object to the finish line as quickly as they can. The challenger is guided along the course via a series of multicolored cones and brightly colored Mario-esque Item Boxes. Since we weren't allowed any form of communication with each other or with the participant, we communicated via overly-exaggerated body movements.

The race in action:

Reflections:

I'd say the project was a success. At first we felt discouraged because a lot of people looked at us and walked past us, but nobody seemed interested in picking up the Kart. But we did get someone interested in running the race and from then on it went mostly as planned. They ran the path we laid down and ended right where we intended. We had no unexpected situations, but there was one thing that didn't go exactly as planned. The item boxes placed near the flags contained items, and the idea was to get the racer to stop, pick up the item, and continue (slowing him down enough for us to snap a picture with him in close proximity to the flags). However, they didn't stop to pick up the items, but we still managed to snap a photo with him close to the flags. If I had to change one thing, I would probably put a bit more work into the Karts and the costumes in order to get more people to recognize our setup and be more willing to participate. Other than that, it went quite well and I'm glad to have participated in such a fun project.
 - Daniel

At first, people looked confused by our display, and couldn’t quite figure out what was going on. Without vocals, it was hard to convey that anyone was allowed to jump in for a race, and that we weren’t just street performers. However with hand gestures, I was able to direct a group of runners to our race, indicating we needed their help. The runners cooperated, and the one who got into our Luigi Kart ran straight from start to finish without hesitation, and cooperated wonderfully. The only unexpected situation was that our runner did not stop to pick up the items from the item boxes; this meant that we had a hard time getting our photos, but thankfully we were able to adapt. Because of this, however, the game didn’t work exactly as we wanted it to; the game was to collect the items from the item boxes in the race, then trade them in for a prize at the end of the race. Our runner took off to catch up with his friends immediately after the race, however, so the prize and item boxes were left untouched. This was probably an issue only due to lack of vocal directions, and we probably needed more signs (they came from the direction facing away from the signs explaining the game). In the future, we would hopefully have vocals, and clearer explanations of the games objectives. 
-Anna

At first, it was easy to get people interested and respond to us, but difficult to get them to want to participate, understandably. Luckily, within the first 8 minutes, there was a group of cross-country racers (?) who were up to the challenge of a race. So they took it very literally (and did not see my signs to get all the 'items') and ran as the guy ran as fast as he could, leaving me trying not to trip down the stairs in my clunky box, far behind (lol). So I didn't really see much of the action, more like a blur, but success none the less. I made the banner and signs, the boo kart, the item boxes, and put mario kart themed items in all the boxes (hoping the challenger would stop at the boxes, planted by the flags, long enough for us to take a picture at them, but no such luck). Overall I'd say we were quite successful and I think that was partially because of luck. We probably should have made more banners and signs so they could be seen from all angles, and the tasks could be more understood (to stop at the flags), but other than that, it went really well.
-Rebecca

Group #2 Swashbucklers Project Reflection

                                                                   

Our Objective: For our assignment we went with the theme of pirates, the objective of our group was to have a pirate hat (our object) moved from one side of campus to the other. Our team dressed up as pirates and created a sign to attract possible participants. The player would have to wear the hat and have it moved to the other teams flag. In order to motivate our participant to capture the flags placed around the campus we placed miniature treasure boxes with plastic gold coins, and at our finishing point was our main chest filled with various objects from each team member. Each team member filled a specific role as listed below:

Lindsay- Main Pirate Captain/Main Sign Holder/Leader of Object
Kelly- Final Treasure Guardian
James- Camera man & backup sign holder 
Zach- Flag guardian & backup sign holder 

Results:

So to be perfectly frank our project was basically a disaster as far as the execution went, and there are a number of factors to consider why it did. But basically I feel one of the largest contributors was the whole pirate theme, not to say that it wasn't a good idea but as the project progressed and watching the results of other teams it became somewhat apparent that pirates are perhaps more passe and unattractive than our team may have realized. Another factor that probably weighed us down was the location, again not to say that it was a bad decision but as per our theme it began to feel like we would have had more luck trying to attract much younger participants than college students and adults who obviously had more pressing matters to attend to (This theory I feel is further enforced by the fact that as we headed to our home base we passed a group of kids who seemed very intrigued by our costumes). It was a shame that no one in a younger age group passed by our home base. It also seemed that our method of attraction might have also been flawed the sign we had may have been too long and people simply might not have had time to read it, were it shorted I feel we may have had a much higher success ratio. And there was also the sheer factor of luck which simply did not apply to our team that day. 

Once we finally did get a participant things went a lot smoother the course ran approximately 8 minutes and our participant executed their role perfectly. This did bring forth the realization that there was not a problem with the game itself but simply the execution of getting a participant in a timely manner.

The biggest changes that would affect our game if we tried it again would have to be a different theme that might be more appealing, something that perhaps should have been researched beforehand. And a smaller sign that would be shot sweet and to the point would likely be a good idea. I didn't feel there was a problem with our location as we had a wide variety of people passing by who mostly just seemed to be uncomfortable with participating.

Overall there's a ton of things I felt could have gone better with this assignment there were no issues as far as team mates and each members contribution went or in the actual course of the project and planning was fine. It basically was a matter of luck, theme, and even timing, and many of these things unfortunately did not apply to our team.

Team 2: Sharknado

First participant joined at 10:02 am. Game finished at 10:09 am

Team members:

Zixing

Cassaundra

Tyler

Item:

Soccer ball

Additional Props:

Goal posts

Premade signs

Whistle

The Game:

Hail over pedestrians and have them kick the soccer ball a certain distance and pass along the ball to different people

As our homebase was set somewhere rather secluded, it took a while for someone willing to be able to launch the ball out of the court. We dropped the goalpost idea in favor of letting participants carry or dribble the bar as far as they were willing. This allowed for fewer participants but faster progress.

 Homebase

 Our third participant

 Our fourth participant

 Whistling over people

 Our final participant

Things we could have improved:
We planned to have goal posts so participants could have a short end goal and so the task didn't seem so long winded and wouldn't take too much from their schedule. However, the first half of the campus we needed to cross was rather secluded and it was difficult even getting the first few people to help us. The game changed as we were playing it in order to suit our needs.

The execution and details of our game changed so much from planning phase to the final product that while we were trying to account for roadblocks such as people kicking the ball back to us, we didn't factor in that people would be annoyed by being whistled at. We had experienced moderate success on our test day, just kicking the ball to people at Red Square without the whistle or sports getup. But overall, our changes to the game as it went and enthusiasm attracted players to our cause allowed us to come in with the second fastest time.

-Zixing Guo

Team 1 - Super Dario Kart

Team Members:

• Anna
• Johnathan
• Daniel
• Rebecca

Item:  

• Mario (Dario) Kart - Green

Objective:

• Convince passerbys to challenge "Dario" to a game of "Dario Kart." In this game, we race cardboard karts across campus. The item we need to reach the final destination is the green kart, and is held by the passerby. Two of us race along with him in different karts, following a trail marked by traffic cones. Item boxes are left at each flag in an attempt to slow down the racer long enough for us to get a photo. 

Shy Guy, trying to attract attention

We get a participant!

Race about to start ...

And they take off faster than we can keep up.

Flag 1

Flag 2

Flag 3

Flag 4

As I couldn't find a computer with an SD drive, I then had to take a photo of a screen of a photo being taken of a screen ... The phone is in the way, but you can see the tail end of the car in the left corner of the phone.

Game Results:

• We found eager participants not too far into the starting time, and they ran for us all the way from point A to point B, without needing to find a second participant. Overall, seems like a success. 

 What we would have changed:

• Maybe more signs explaining what is going on, so people don't think we are just street performers and walk by. We would have found help even sooner if our intentions were clear.

Final Thoughts:

• A fun and successful project!

Swashbucklers, Final Project

 Hello everyone. This was the team Swashbuckler's final project. You can find links to the blogs of the other members of my team here:
Zach Marschke: http://gamingthesystemuw.blogspot.com/2013/08/team-2-final-project-review.html
James: http://gamingthesystemuw.blogspot.com/2013/08/group-2-swashbucklers-project-reflection.html

How our game works: 

The point of the game is to stand at red square with pirate outfits holding a main sign that says

Arrr Mateys! I've lost my treasure. Can you please help me find it on campus? I promise I'll give you all my booty if you find it! I lost my voice during the great storm at sea last night so I can't talk.

Please make sure you have at least 10 minutes to spare! I will also show you where my mini treasure chests are located on the way, and would like permission to have your photo taken with them.

Arrgg! Let's so find that treasure!"

The main person, after being enticed by the sign and costumes, would put on the hat sitting on the silver barricades excited to find free treasure. This will be the object and essentially they will have no idea they are transporting it for us. It would be hard to get it off them considering that the other teams can't touch it and I can't think of very many ways to get a hat off someone else without possible risk of injury to their head.

The camera man, who will be with me from the start, will begin taking pictures of the person as I guide them to different checkpoints.

We will have a checkpoint guardian to quickly run and place treasure chests as we go to them in order (doing this in order to prevent stealing by random people).

Eventually we will reach the finishing goal, where the treasure guardian will be with the large final chest. We'll snap a picture and end the game.

Roles:

Lindsay- Main Pirate Captain/Main Sign Holder/Leader of Object
Kelly- Final Treasure Guardian
James- Camera man & backup sign holder
Zach- Flag guardian & backup sign holder

Item: 

Pirate Hat, made by Kelly

Home Base: 

The edge of red square along the giant silver pillar things sticking out of the ground

Assigned materials made/gathered:

Lindsay: Pirate costume, make the large main sign, make large final treasure chest, find/make prize for treasure chest, get pirate hat for self (Cookies already eaten & not shown as prize for large chest)

Kelly: Pirate costume, make 2 or 3 small pirate maps (at least one original and one backup), make/find prize for treasure chest, pirate hat for our random person to transport

James: Pirate costume, coin bags, cheap plastic gold coins (number of bags will hopefully be determined Wednesday when the flag marker locations are revealed), prize for large chest, camera

Zach: Pirate Costume, 2 backup signs, prize for main chest, get/make small treasure chests

Photos of flags:

 Game Results:

 We really had no idea what to expect. My hope was that our costumes and signs would get people curious and ultimately have them reading our sign and playing our game. As the minutes went by and people swept past, our enthusiasm turned into disappointment. I found it really difficult that I couldn't talk, and most people didn't want to read the lengthy sign or have the time to play the game. Luck wasn't on our side this time, which is pretty much what we were relying on. 

Playing the Game: 

We played a mock version of our game with Armstrong. I pointed to the pirate hat, he put it on, I gave him his collecting bag, and then walked towards the first flag with him following. Each time we reached a flag, I pointed to it and he stood next to it to have a picture taken. He also made sure to collect the tiny treasure chests when I pointed to them. Just walking the entire course only took 8 minutes, I probably would have been running if we had gotten an actual random person. There seemed to be no problems with the way our game was set up and was executed properly. 

 What we should have changed: 

There's a variety of reasons why the game probably didn't work, and we don't have exact proof leading us to any one cause. Here are some things that we could have changed that might have led to better results:

• Simpler sign: I thought it would be fun to make an entire story on the board, hopefully enticing them to play our game. Turns out no one wanted to even bother reading it. Next time I would probably just add a sentence or two saying Help us find our treasure.
• Don't tell people how much time they need: Doing this probably deterred people away because most claimed they didn't have enough time. I thought I was being courteous by adding it, but our plan only took 8 minutes to get from one base to another and wouldn't really take up much of their time in the first place.
• Change the entire theme of our game: Perhaps people don't really have that much interest in pirates... probably made us seem more like hobos. 
• Better costumes or props: Not all of our teammates were as dressed up, like Zach for instance, who was assigned to run ahead of our participant and place treasure chests. Maybe having a cardboard pirate ship would have been cool? 

 Overall thoughts: 

We all did really well overall. We equally split the work and contributed to the project. We really put a lot effort into it. Even though our game didn't work, we were able to use Armstrong to replicate the game process for our records. It was just a matter of luck, which wasn't on our side that day.