Dominon: Card Game

Dominion is a turn-based card game created by Donald X. The objective of the game is to get the most victory points by the end of the game. To do so the players build a deck of cards, all with certain beneficial actions that will gain them coins to buy victory points as well as new cards. 

Each player starts with a small deck of cards. On the table are 10 piles of cards that can be bought and added to your hand. Taking turns the players draw cards from their deck and are allowed certain actions. Once a player has gone through their entire deck they reshuffle their discard pile and start drawing again. As the game progress the players keep adding new cards to their deck that will help them get victory points. Once the game is over the players count their victory points to see who has the most.

Dominion has a medieval theme to it and reminds me in a lot of ways of Magic: The Gathering card games. However unlike Magic players don’t have to buy decks but instead build them throughout the course of the game. This is a mechanic that I quite like. Magic often has a lot of money involved in it with players spending quite large sums trying to get certain cards. With Dominion all players start equally and it is truly the skill and strategy of the player that determines the outcome rather than how much money you have. Constantly adding and shuffling to the deck was a mechanic I haven’t seen in any other game and it worked quite well.

There are also several different card types that can allow for a varied gameplay. Unfortunately this doesn’t always work out well. When playing Dominion we got piles of cards that were mostly passive cards and only one slightly attacking card. So for an hour or so we just sort of played with ourselves, gathering victory points and never had an interaction with each other. While I can’t speak for the entire game since I haven’t tried all the card combinations I missed having a game that was based slightly more on attack and defense and where it was about trying to beat each other physically rather than finically. This also lead to the most anti-climatic finish to a game that I have played. After playing for over an hour we decided to stop the game. We counted the points and concluded that it was a tie between me and another player. Then we went home. There was no sense of victory or triumph. The victory points just seemed like virtual money that you had spent hours collecting before realizing that they aren’t worth anything.

As for the narrative, while the cards did seem very medieval and knightly, the lack of waging war really took away from the narrative. Instead I felt like an outdated Monopoly man trying to gather as much land as possible. I never felt like I was fighting for a territory against my fellow players or that I was in control of any form of land. I would have like to have seen a deeper and more detailed integration of the narrative into the gameplay.  

While I had heard many good reviews of the game I don’t think I would play it again. Perhaps I owe it the game designer to try a different set of cards, as I felt like this was the main issue with the game session I had. Or Dominion might just be a too strategically based game for me, as I need some decisive action and attacking to keep me entertained when it comes to card games. I applaud the game for bringing new mechanics, rarely seen in the game industry to the table but with a weak narrative I don’t feel hooked by the game.  

Madden NFL 08 Fantasy Draft: Part 2

Here is my fantasy draft. I got the last pick (32^nd) in the first round but got the 1^st pick in every second round.

1^st Round: Pick 32 – J.Peppers, Left Defensive End, Overall 99

An unusual pick for me because I rarely draft defensive ends this high up, but Peppers is perhaps the best defensive end in the game and knowing I would have the next pick to chose a quarterback I decided to get a player with a 99 overall. Pass rushing is always something I have difficulty with and I rarely get as many sacks as I would like. Peppers allows speed pass rushing while still being able to tackle the running back.

2^nd Round: Pick 1  - B.Roethlisberger, Quarterback, Overall 88

I like to base my Madden strategy on throwing the ball a lot and therefore quarterback is the most important position for me. By the time it was my turn almost all the good quarterbacks were already chosen but I was lucky enough to pick up Roethlisberger who is a really good quarterback who is young, tough and can run the ball. In a few years he’ll evolve even further and increase his accuracy and his overall ratings.

3^rd Round: Pick 32- S. Merriman, Right Outside Linebacker, Overall 98

Another stud defensive player who is not only young back a top 5 linebacker. As mentioned with Peppers my defense often suffers form a lack of sacks, which puts pressure on my secondary (cornerbacks and safeties). Merriman is the ultimate combination between speed and strength and can easily run with a fast running back and tackle him.

4^th Round: Pick 1 – T.Polamalu, Strong Safety, Overall 98

My first few picks became very defense oriented, which is unusual for me but allowed me to pick up some of the very best defensive players within a few rounds. Polamalu secures the backfield and if he doesn’t get the interception he is sure to make the tackle. This was an important pick because I neglected the cornerbacks later on in the draft and only got some mediocre ones.

5-8 Rounds:

Peters, Left Tackle, Overall 88

Olivea, Right Tackle, Overall 88

Mankins, Left Guard, Overall 88

Joseph, Right Guard, Overall 87

N.Hardwick, Center, Overall 90(11^th Round)

One of the absolute disasters of Madden 08 is the offensive line, also known as the players who block for the quarterback. A lot of things are wrong just with the way they block and how it looks but the worst part is the way their skills are recorded. An offensive lineman is based on two statistics – Pancakes and Sacks. Pancakes is a term for a block where the player causes the opposing player to fall on his stomach or back thus causing a pancake, which is good because the opposing player will have to get up in order to pursue the quarterback or running back. The sacks are something an offensive lineman tries to avoid. A sack is the tackle of a quarterback behind the line of scrimmage. So basically it’s a measurement of the lineman’s failures. While the computer simulates all games based on 15 minutes per quarter, a player will usually choose to play with 5 or 6 minutes per quarter. This means that almost every statistic lowers for the player’s team. This means that a offensive lineman might be the best in the league based on the amount of time they actually play but will be the worst in the league because they have 40 minutes less to compile the same statistics as another lineman. Every 5 weeks players either gain attribute points or lose them. A lineman will always lose an overall point. These points add up, by the end of the year a center like N.Hardwick can go from a 90 overall to a 84. It is also impossible to draft new linemen as they never progress and only become worse after being drafted. This is why I drafted a very strong offensive line that will allow for good protection for at least 2 or 3 seasons. While the Left Tackle is usually considered the most important player out of the five I like to have a consistent line which allows for maximum protection from all sides.  

Round 9: V.Davis, Tight Ends, Overal 85
The tight end is often called the blanket sheet for the quarterback. Big, strong, fast and with secure hands the quarterback can usually count on the tight end to pick up some yardage. Davis is a young and incredible fast tight end with a high catch rating and was a great addition to the offense of my team.

Round 10: Pick 1 – A.Peterson, Running back, Overall 85.

I rarely run the ball when I play. There are a couple of reasons, one of the mentioned above, which makes it almost impossible to get the proper blocking. But also because of time constraints, it is virtually impossible to have a balanced attack where you throw and run the ball equally. Instead it becomes very skewed with a lot of throwing and very little running. Yet I like to have to possibility of running the ball should I chose to, and for that reason I picked up Adrian Peterson in the 10^th round. An absolute steal, as he is now one of the best running backs in the NFL, but in 2008 he was just a rookie and had yet to prove his worth.

12-14

A.Bryant, Wide Receiver, Overall 86.

G.Jennings, Wide Receiver, Overall 84.

Henderson, Wide Receiver, Overall 84.

While most of the really good receivers were gone by the 12^th round I managed to scoop up three excellent choices. Both have good speed while having a high catch rating, the two things I look for in my receivers. Henderson is especially useful as he has a 98 Speed rating, I’ll often use this to send them on a streak eliminating a cornerback from the play and sometimes allowing for an easy long touchdown.

In the next few rounds I pick up defensive players all with a overall rating over 80.

A few interesting picks:

19^th Round: D.Sepulveda, Punter, Overall 82

Quite possibly my favorite player in Madden 08. Usually the punter is an extremely boring player that has no skills other than being great a kicking, but Sepulveda has a Speed rating over 80 and is capable of tackling. This means that instead of only having 10 capable players covering a returner I have 11.

25^th Round: D.Hester, Wide Receiver, Overall 75

Hester a quite bad receiver but he makes up for it in other ways. He’s the only player with a Speed rating of 100 and has Kick Return rating of 99. Hester is the leading player in the NFL in returning punts and kicks for touchdowns. An often overlooked position in Madden a kick returner can turn the game around in a matter of seconds and Hester continues to do it.

27^th Round: Aaron Rodgers, Quarterback, Overall 76

Not a very quarterback back in 2008 but the MVP of the NFL in 2011. A suitable backup to Roethlisberger.

Usually after picking at least one or two players per position I let the computer pick the remaining picks.

I was actually quite satisfied with my picks in this fantasy draft. I got a lot of good players and a good mix between offense and defense. On the offensive side I got a good group of tackles and guards as well as a decent trio of receivers. To top it off I got two stars in Roethlisberger and Adrian Peterson. On the defensive side I got some defensive captains and a lot of young talent at different positions. For my next journal entry I’ll play with my new team and see what happens in Franchise Mode. 

Madden NFL 08: Fantasy Draft Part 1

In continuation of my journal entries on Madden NFL 08 I will now venture into the Game Mode known as Franchise Mode. This mode allows the player to control an entire team, such as signing new players, firing coaches and managing prices of tickets. But before we go deeper into this Mode we will be looking at a different aspect of the Franchise Mode – The Fantasy Draft.

In order to understand the Fantasy Draft you need to know what a draft is. In the actual National Football League there is a draft each spring where college players can declare themselves ready to participate and play in the NFL. Based on their overall wins and loses the previous season each team gets to select a player whom they want on their team. The team with the worst record gets the first pick and the last pick in the first round is the Super Bowl winners. However in the Fantasy Draft instead of picking college players you get to choose from all the players in the entire NFL, essentially reshaping every team.

There are several reasons for why the Fantasy Draft was implemented. First off Fantasy Football is a huge deal in the U.S so it would make sense to use this aspect in a football video game. Second, the Fantasy Draft allows the player to almost pick their very own team and they can mold their team in whatever fashion they want – maybe you want a hard-nosed defense so you pick a lot of defensive playmakers in the first few rounds, or maybe you want a Franchise quarterback and build your team around him. Last but not least the Fantasy Draft evens out all the teams. In the actual NFL there are 5 or 10 top teams that almost always win and then a bunch of semi-bad teams that rarely compete for the Superbowl. This is unfortunately a trend that continues in regular Franchise Mode where a few teams will continually dominate the league. With the Fantasy Draft good players are divided among all 32 teams and spread out rather than being stacked in a few teams.

For my Franchise I decided to pick the San Diego Chargers as they’re my favorite team. I got the 32^nd pick in the first round which meant I got the 1^st pick in every second round. I rarely have an overall plan for how my draft will go down and which players I should look for. Normally I base it of what players are available and then determine what direction I want to take my team. Having played the game for several years I know quite a few things about what I like to see in my team as well as knowing which young players become stars later on. I have several key fundamentals that I nearly always follow for my drafts.

-       Building a strong core.

By this I mean that I like to pick a star/playmaker at each level of position. So this means usually a quarterback, runningback, wide receiver, tackle, defensive lineman, linebacker and a cornerback/safety. My belief is that they by having a really strong player at each of these positions will cover for the lacks of my remaining players.  

-       Age and speed.

One of the most common complaints about Madden 08 is the attribute speed and how easy it is to exploit. Basically if you have a very fast receiver it doesn’t really matter how well they can jump or catch as long as he can get enough room to run away from his defender. Likewise if you have a stud linebacker that runs as fast as your grandmother it doesn’t matter whether they have a 99 overall tackling rating. If you are fast you can make up for any other insufficient attributes. So as any other good manager I try to capitalize on this by having very fast players on every position, especially pass rushers, cornerbacks, and receivers.

Although older players usually have a higher overall than their rookie counterparts, veterans have a tendency to get injured or retire within a few years. When I draft I like to make sure that my team will be a top contender each year and not just win the Superbowl once. Therefore I draft young, cheap players with decent attributes that will hopefully evolve into superstars. Often players with low overall ratings are just players that have a low awareness rating and are otherwise perfectly capable of playing good football. 

Angry Birds Star Wars: Part 2

Although the birds have been given new powers the game still has the same functions as in the previous versions. The birds are mad at the green piggies and have decided to destroy them. Using a slingshot the player must aim and fire birds at the pigs. If the player kills all the pigs he/she completes the level. Depending on their score they either complete the level with one, two or three stars. A player must pass one level in order to move onto the next one. While a player can “win” each level there is no end to the overall game as Rovio Entertainment just continually add new content. This isn’t different from most other mobile games that also just feature a never-ending narrative and gameplay.

Some may argue that Angry Birds requires certain skills and that not all players are equally gifted at playing it. I’m one of those players that just fling my birds everywhere hoping that I’ll hit what I need to hit and that if I get a good high score that just a bonus. And perhaps that’s why I have never been a big fan of the game. I play games with the objective of winning. Whether I win a FIFA game with one goal or three goals doesn’t really matter to me, as long as I win. So when I play Angry Birds I don’t try to go for the highest high score and get 3 stars, instead I just go for the minimum required and I’m satisfied if I pass the level. While I’m probably not in the Angry Birds’ target group because of my game mentality I still believe this is poor design on Rovio’s part. What exactly is the point of getting 3 stars when you can pass the level with 1 star? The only real reason at the moment is the possibility of unlocking a new planet called The Path of the Jedi, which takes place on Dagobah. But other than unlocking one planet the star system seems to be unnecessary and is ultimately just there to satisfy players that play for the sake of beating their own highscore.

As seen by the sheer number of people who have bought Angry Birds Star Wars the game is a success on many fronts. It serves as an actual sequel to the original Angry Birds game instead of being just another “expansion” version that just featured new maps and levels. The incorporation of the Star Wars movies works surprisingly well even with the characters being played by Angry Birds. The narrative makes sense with the heroes and rebels trying to fight against the Stormtrooper pigs and Darth Vader. But ultimately if you are not a fan of the original Angry Birds game you won’t be a fan of this version. I was hooked for a week when I first downloaded it but I haven’t played it since. 

Angry Birds Star Wars: Part 1

Angry Birds: Star Wars Edition

by Rovio Entertainment 

As discussed in a previous post Fruit Ninja is one of the most popular games for the iPhone, but there seems to be one other game that beats Fruit Ninja, and that is Angry Birds by Rovio Entertainment. This mobile game has launched a whole range of things such as merchandise with the characters from the game, to candy produced by the enormous candy corporation Fazer as well as an amusement park in China.

This of course adds a lot of pressure on the company and they have continually added updates to the original Angry Birds version as well as releasing new versions. Those with a critical eye would say that the spin-off games such as Angry Birds Rio and Angry Birds Seasons aren’t really anything new other than just adding a new skin or theme to the game. But this has changed with the recent release of Angry Birds Star Wars.

At first it just appears as if they’ve put Star Wars costumes on the characters from the original Angry Birds game. But this quickly changes once you play the first level. The red bird which doesn’t have any special powers in the original game has now been equipped with a blue lightsaber and is supposed to play the role of Luke Skywalker from the Star Wars movies. Likewise every angry bird has been recreated as an incarnation of a Star Wars character and been given a special ability from the Star Wars universe. There is a Obi-Wan bird that uses the force to push things, a Han Solo bird that shoots three laser beams as well as birds for Princess Leia, C3PO and R2D2. The levels aren’t just a forest or garden as in the original game but are instead placed on planets and locations seen in the Star Movies movie. Starting on Tatooine, where the original Star Wars movie started, moving on to the Death Star after completing every level on Tatooine and then ending on the ice planet Hoth.

The powers that the birds have been given in this version are actually purposeful and not just for gimmicks. In order to win you must not only aim but also time when to use your power. Red Bird or Luke Skywalker has a lightsaber that can cut through wood and harm stone while Han Solo’s laser can bounce of certain items and hit far away pigs. Not only do the powers add to the overall narrative and mood of the game but they are actually useful and needed.

Dixit: Board Game Part 2

Although the cards’ surrealist design helps each game seem different there seemed to a too small amount of cards. Each card previously played in a former game quickly reappeared but now attached with meaning already. If a storyteller has already defined a card as being sadness in a previous game it is difficult to detach this meaning from the card and come up with a new and different interpretation.

The game is based on how players perceive certain images and word combinations. Unfortunately this also comes with its flaws. Much like Trivial Pursuit is impossible to win if playing against people with a large generation gap. A 15-year old will most likely know much less than a 50-year old would. Simply because the game is based on how much trivial knowledge you have accumulated by the time you are playing. Likewise Dixit has its issues with generation gaps as well as cultural differences. While the older players knew what was meant by the phrase Count of Monte Cristo, players who had not read or seen the book or movie had a slim chance of guessing the correct card. This causes a slight unfairness and some players may try to capitalize on this by using phrases that are largely restricted to their own generation. As with most games like Trivial Pursuit and Jeopardy, Dixit can not fix this issue without rebuilding the entire game and then the purpose of the game would be lost.

While on topic of games like Trivial Pursuit there is actually an issue that Dixit has fixed which Trivial Pursuit still has problems with. Turn based games are bumpy ride, you’re having fun for a couple of minutes and then you wait until it’s your turn again. Who hasn’t played Monopoly and just decided to go make a cup of tea while waiting for it to be your turn again, only to return and play for two minutes before your turn is over again? Dixit’s mechanic of having all players contribute with a card makes almost eliminates the feeling of it being a turn based game. This is definitely something other turn-based games could look at and try to incorporate in their own games, as it is a success in Dixit.

Dixit is in many ways an odd game. While I enjoyed many aspects of the game and liked how the mechanics worked I didn’t feel compelled to buying the game after having played two games. It’s a well-designed game I just wasn’t intrigued or attracted to it. Perhaps it’s more suited as a game that you pull out of the attic when your family comes to visit for Christmas.

Dixit: Board Game Part 1

Dixit by Jean-Louis Roburia

Dixit is a board game created by Jean-Louis Roubira. When first playing it I was reminded of Pictionary or the mobile game Draw Something. While the game certainly incorporates guessing and drawings Dixit is so much more than a game of Pictionary.

The game is composed of a collection of cards, all of which have been designed to be abstract, and a board. If a player wants to win he/she must be the first to get 30 points. Each player has a hand of 6 cards, for each turn one player is the storyteller. They say a word or phrase that describes one of their cards. The other players must pick a card from their own hand that they believe matches the storyteller’s phrase. The selected cards are shuffled and spread out on the table. Each player votes (in secret) for which card they believe is the storyteller’s. Points are awarded accordingly – if nobody or everybody guesses the right card, the storyteller is not given any points but the other players are given two. If a number of people vote for the right card but not all, the storyteller and those who guessed correct are given three points. If a player votes for card not chosen by the storyteller the owner of that card is given one point. The goal for the storyteller is to give a phrase that is obvious enough so that some players will vote for their card but not obscure enough so that nobody votes for the right card.

Some players decided to use sentences for their story while I decided to use single words. Neither one seemed to be the more effective, single word often led to a too obvious card while the phrases were too obscure for anyone to guess. The line between obscure and obvious is very thin in this game especially because each player has a different perception of what represents words like sadness or what is meant by phrase The Count of Monte Cristo. The design of the cards definitely adds to this balancing game of obviousness and abstraction. Each card is surrealist while still being grounded in something tangible. This allows players to come with different interpretations of the card while keeping the game re-playable after multiple turns.

The point system works very well. It rewards all players fairly based on their choices. If the storyteller is too obvious the remaining players are rewarded while the storyteller is punished. Giving points to players for choosing a card that was chosen by another player is a clever mechanic. This ensures that the players don’t chose any random card from their hand but makes the game difficult because there are now several different cards that all are interpretations of the storyteller’s story.